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Comment Saw it on TV already. (Score 1, Informative) 43

It was on an episode of Bones, when they were facing off against uber-hacker Kevin Poulant. He etched a micro-pattern into some bones, and when they were topographically scanned the malware embedded in the etching granted him access to the lab's computers. Exactly the type of exploit envisioned here. And since there's nothing original on TV, this is probably not the first time it's been done.

Comment King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters (Score 1) 278

Nostalgia, obsession, kill screens, and the vicious fight to hang on to a small and faded glory. Two grown men try to claim GOAT at original arcade Donkey Kong. One is the accepted champion since the 80's, vintage mullet intact. The other is a newcomer working with analytical techniques and too much free time. It's not about Donkey Kong and quarters; it's about dedication and victory at any cost. One of the best documentaries I've ever seen.

Comment Re:Setting up for a shakedown (Score 1) 641

Standard operating procedure for the ambulance chasers. - - - But the way the system is gamed, no one seems to benefit, other than the trial lawyers.

That's what's going on here. Driver? Drunk, almost automatically at fault, but has no money. Other driver, definitely in the wrong, but also not a payout. Tesla? Well-funded company that is constantly under scrutiny. Instead of saying, "I don't know why they have to make a car that does that", he should be saying, "I don't know who else we could sue that would make my lawyer drool and rub his hands together as much."

But then, if I lost a child, I'd probably try to fill that hole with everything I could get my hands on too.

Comment In theory, thermal too? (Score 1) 78

So if this thing is hyperspectral, and contains the infrared spectrum as well, couldn't the output from the sensor be bandpass limited to have it act as a thermal camera as well? Cause I could actually use that. There's a gap somewhere in the insulation of my house so large that I contribute significantly to global warming.

Comment the magic word is bio-concentration (Score 1) 114

No, the biggest risk from Japanese radiation is Godzilla. The collection and concentration of decaying radioactive isotopes within my body will likely result in mutant superpowers (I'm crossing my fingers for Teleportation) while a skyscraper-sized lizard that can walk and shoot energy beams from his mouth is extremely destructive and deadly. Use some common sense. SMH.

Comment Re:This is silly (Score 1) 720

Your argument is flawed. The part about kiosks being cheaper over time is correct, but consider: An increase from $7.25/hr to $10.10/hr, assuming they do not allow overtime, represents a gross income increase of $5,928 per year.

($7.25/hr x 40hrs/wk x 52wks/yr = $15,080; $10.10/hr x 40hrs/wk x 52wk/yr = $21,008; $21,008 - $15,080 = $5,928)

McDonalds is a corporation, and we can assume that they have accountants who are good at math. Those accountants know that $5,928 is the smallest yearly number up there. $15,080 and $21,008 are 2.5 to 3.5 times bigger. Why not get rid of the bigger cost? McDonalds will install kiosks because they can cut $15k from a store's yearly labor cost, not because another $6k makes burger-flippers to expensive.

In other words, automation is inevitable, because it lowers cost and increases productivity, which increases profitability. Raising the minimum wage just lowers the time until they realize a return on their investment.

Comment Re:You guys are thinking about this all wrong... (Score 2) 292

I agree that most people here don't seem to understand what this will eventually mean. They seem preoccupied by the notion that someone is videotaping them, when in reality pretty much everything they do is utterly boring to anybody but themselves. I'd be more worried about it recording my behavior; since Google seems to be a big fan of using aggregate data to model people. But all that will be trumped one day by the ability to look at something, Google it with optical pattern recognition, and see the results overlaid on your field of view. Glass is a first step toward augmented reality.

Comment "SEM" Image in TFA (Score 1) 104

That is by far the most incredible scanning electron microscopy image I have ever seen! The colors are so vibrant! And what function do the column of nanoscale binary numbers on the left hand side do? Are they thirty-two 10-digit numbers or ten 32-digit numbers? Now hit "Enlarge" and BLOW YOUR MIND. Those white lines in the center of the colored areas are actually dots. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?? But seriously, when the image is enlarged you can actually see some of the very tiny edge imperfections between the characteristic SEM grey background and the false-color sections that were slapped on to the real image. They're the only indication that this is a real image and not a rendering. I really wish they hadn't "enhanced" it.

Comment MacGyver already did it. (Score 1) 148

Season 2 Episode 1, "The Human Factor". Mac scrapes some gypsum dust off of a wall and blows it across the reader (a hand print reader, if I remember correctly) like one would dust for fingerprints. Then he wrapped his hand and pressed the reader - voila! It should work as long as the phone's owner doesn't remember to wipe down their fingerprint reader each time they use it.

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