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Comment Sad to see it go (Score 2) 77

by cubicle_cowboy (#63460148) Attached to: Netflix Will End Its DVD-By-Mail Service After 25 Years
It's great for digging up classic movies as well as new releases/shows (as long as you don't mind waiting). Thanks to them I've seen a lot of obscure films that I might not have otherwise tried. After DVD shuts down then I'll treat Netflix like the other streaming services. Just cancel it when there's nothing in particular that I want to watch. The DVD service is what's kept me subscribed for almost 20 years. Only Amazon gives a reason to stay stick around thanks to Prime.

Comment Re:so before Sandy Point, they were idiots? (Score 1) 528

by cubicle_cowboy (#42350163) Attached to: Makerbot Cracks Down On 3D-Printable Gun Parts
Lott has been debunked a few times. Here's a recent article with a summary explaining the flaws in his reports:

Regarding the Cato Institute's examples of Israel and Switzerland: seems like cherry picking two small, mostly homogenous societies. What about places that are more comparable to the US like Germany or France?

And for your final example: how many guns per person do those seven European countries have and how does that number compare to the US? Our country is flooded with guns. Just about enough for every man, woman, and child.

Anyway, I don't think gun control will ever be implemented in the US in a way to produce any meaningful results. That ship sailed over two hundred years ago. We might as well just get used to the idea of mass shootings occurring on a regular basis with ever increasing body counts.
United States

Bogus Company Obtains Nuclear License 247

Posted by samzenpus from the make-sure-to-check-id dept.
i_like_spam writes "As reported in the NY Times, undercover investigators from the Government Accountability Office set up a bogus company and received a license to purchase dirty-bomb nuclear materials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The GAO's investigation shows that the security measures put in place after 911 are not sufficient for protecting the American people." From the article: "Given that terrorists have expressed an interest in obtaining nuclear material, the Congress and the American people expect licensing programs for these materials to be secure, said Gregory D. Kutz, an investigator at the accountability office, in testimony prepared for the hearing."
The Almighty Buck

Russia Claims Large Chunk of North Pole 242

Posted by Zonk from the also-santa-claus dept.
kungfoofairy writes "Russia has laid claim to over one million square kilometers of the Artic. This announcement comes on the return of a scientific expedition into the region which found that the Lomonosov Ridge connects to Russia. The area is supposed to have a reserve of 10 billion tons of natural gas and oil. 'A BBC map shows Russia's proposal; this set of maps from The New York Times illustrates the area at stake and different ways it might be divided ... The Russians have tried to advance their claim before, and were turned away by the United Nations in 2001. The new geological data is evidently meant to improve the odds for a second try. '"

New DX10 Benchmarks Do More Bad than Good 99

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the who-can-you-trust dept.
NIMBY writes "An interesting editorial over at PC Perspective looks at the changing status between modern game developers and companies like AMD and NVIDIA that depend on their work to show off their products. Recently, both AMD and NVIDIA separately helped in releasing DX10 benchmarks based on upcoming games that show the other hardware vendor in a negative light. But what went on behind the scenes? Can any collaboration these companies use actually be trusted by reviewers and the public to base a purchasing decision on? The author thinks the one source of resolution to this is have honest game developers take a stance for the gamer."
Robotics

Fast Navigating Guessing Robots 75

Posted by samzenpus from the we-guess-that-you-are-weak-human dept.
holy_calamity writes "A new navigation technique for robots allows them to make predictions about what's around the corner based on where they've been already. It works well in repetitive environments like office buildings. If this were a Japanese project I'd say it'd be useful for robotic secretaries new on the job, but since it's an American one I suppose it'll be used for automated SWAT teams."
Toys

World's First Lego Autopilot 108

Posted by CmdrTaco from the because-you-can dept.
zlite writes "What's the best way to create a UAV for less than $1,000? Use the new Hitechnic gyro sensor for Mindstorms NXT to create a Lego autopilot! This one can turn a R/C plane into a drone, keeping the aircraft level and returning it to the launch area. Add a Bluetooth GPS module and a microcam and you've got a fully autonomous surveillance platform."
Programming

John Carmack Discusses 360's Edge, Considers DS 244

Posted by Zonk from the rainbow-of-fruit-flavours dept.
Via a Gamasutra post, John Carmack's comments on upcoming id choices. Game|Life has a few quick comments on Carmack's hope to bring Orcs and Elves to the DS. This would be id's first game on a Nintendo platform in some time. Likewise, he makes it clear that he considers the 360 the dev platform of choice due to the ease of development on the console. From the article: "the honest truth is that Microsoft dev tools are so much better than Sony's. We expect to keep in mind the issues of bringing this up on the PlayStation 3. But we're not going to do much until we're at the point where we need to bring it up to spec on the PlayStation 3. We'll probably do that two or three times during the major development schedule. It's not something we're going to try and keep in-step with us. None of my opinions have really changed on that. I think the decision to use an asymmetric CPU by Sony was a wrong one."

Unpiloted Passenger Jet Tests 243

Posted by CmdrTaco from the we're-going-to-experience-a-little-turbulence-here dept.
spacepingu writes "The UK military recently tested a remote-controlled passenger jet over south-west England. Although the pilot was sitting in the back of the aging BAC 1-11, he controlled it entirely using the 'UAV Command and Control Interface (UAVCCI)'. This also allowed him to operate several virtual UAVs in a simulated attack scenario. The ultimate goal is for a fighter pilot to control a swarm of attack UAVs alongside his own plane. Next March, a Tornado fighter pilot will use the UAVCCI to fly the unpiloted BAC1-11 as well as several simulated UAVs, all from the cockpit of his own jet."

Jon Katz To Be Played By Jeff Bridges 207

Posted by kdawson from the going-to-the-dogs dept.
Robotech_Master writes, "Long-time Slashdot veterans will remember Jon Katz, the editorial writer whose Slashdot articles invariably generated heated controversy. It appears he may have the last laugh; how many of the Slashdot posters who ridiculed him went on to be played by Jeff Bridges in a movie? From the article: 'In his new book, "A Good Dog: The Story of Orson," Katz chronicles the life and death of the lovable but troubled border collie that transformed his life. It continues the story begun in Katz's last book, "A Dog Year," now being made into a movie starring Jeff Bridges as Katz.' Katz critics may get a chuckle out of the plot synopsis for the film: 'A man having a mid-life crisis has his life turned upside down when he takes in a border collie crazier than he is.'" The film should be released in late 2007.

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Ignorance is bliss. -- Thomas Gray Fortune updates the great quotes, #42: BLISS is ignorance.

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