Comment Re:Einstein replied "Check your measurements, son" (Score 2) 1088
Spot on - even down to the turn of phrase I was going to use to describe the problem: "faulty ruler". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_error
Comment Re:Not yet. (Score 2, Informative) 80
I am an idiot.
Comment Not yet. (Score 4, Informative) 80
4 sigma detection != (officially) found. You need 5 sigma for "discovery" status.
The BBC have a good explanatory piece:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14811580
Comment Re:Website hacked? (Score 1) 192
With apologies to the reg's admins, I tried to get to a story I was reading earlier on, and got the following in return:
Not Found The requested URL /2011/09/02/samsung_webos_acquisition_no_not_ever/ was not found on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Apache/2.2.17 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.17 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 mod_perl/2.0.4 Perl/v5.8.8 Server at www.theregister.co.uk Port 80
Not Found The requested URL
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Apache/2.2.17 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.17 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 mod_perl/2.0.4 Perl/v5.8.8 Server at www.theregister.co.uk Port 80
Comment Re:Website hacked? (Score 2) 192
As I write, the site is still defaced. It's been up and down in the last few minutes though...
Mars Rover Opportunity Surpasses 30km Driving 86
Phoghat sends this quote from Universe Today:
"With her most recent drive of 482 feet on June 1, 2011 (Sol 2614), NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover has zoomed past the unimaginable 30 kilometer mark in total odometry since safely landing on Mars nearly seven and one half years ago on Jan 24, 2004. That's 50 times beyond the roughly quarter-mile of roving distance initially foreseen. And Opportunity is still going strong, in good health and has abundant solar power as she continues driving on her ambitious overland trek across the martian plains of Meridiani Planum. She is heading to the giant Endeavour crater, some 22 km in diameter."
Comment Re:You Don't. That's the point. (Score 1) 218
Car Analogy: If you're doing your own oil changes, and instead of hauling the waste oil to a recycler, you dump it into your backyard, don't complain when you try and sell your house and the highest bid still leaves you $100,000 underwater on your mortgage, or requires you to spend $150,000 remediating it. Your property is worth less than it could have been, had you only been a better steward of it.
I'd hate to see your house analogies.
Comment Re:Rule of thumb with the Daily Mail (Score 1) 366
I'd have just gone with:
if daily mail, no.
This is the paper that is (unknown to them, apparently) the British cousin of The Onion - despite Private Eye's best efforts.
The Internet Is 'Built Wrong' 452
An anonymous reader writes "API Lead at Twitter, Alex Payne, writes today that the Internet was 'built wrong,' and continues to be accepted as an inferior system, due to a software engineering philosophy called Worse Is Better. 'We now know, for example, that IPv4 won't scale to the projected size of the future Internet. We know too that near-universal deployment of technologies with inadequate security and trust models, like SMTP, can mean millions if not billions lost to electronic crime, defensive measures, and reduced productivity,' says Payne, who calls for a 'content-centric approach to networking.' Payne doesn't mention, however, that his own system, Twitter, was built wrong and is consistently down."
Comment As an astrophys graduate (Score 1) 276
I have to confess that sometimes the gentlest intoductions were the best. The most expensive book on my reading list was Astronomy: The Evolving Universe, by Zeilik. I still love reading it to this day. Yes, maybe too many pictures for those that like the heavy stuff. If you really want to understand the basic principles - introduced in an absolutely clear manner - you won't get better.
Why Does Everyone Hate Microsoft? 1540
MrSplog asks: "I'm doing a short project on Microsoft and its impact on society. A considerable part of this project has been looking into people's perceptions of Microsoft and the heavily negative bias of that perception. Since Slashdot is one of the world's forefront leaders on Microsoft hatred, I wanted to know: just why do you hate Microsoft? Please be as descriptive and as thorough as you like. Counter arguments and positive comments are also appreciated."
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One has to look out for engineers -- they begin with sewing machines and end up with the atomic bomb. -- Marcel Pagnol
