Comment Re:Since when was Google Tax Supported? (Score 1) 631
You hit the nail on the head! If only I had some mod-points laying around ;)
Comment Since when was Google Tax Supported? (Score 2) 631
WTF?!?
"And I have to pay taxes to support free meals for those Google employees."
I don't think this guy knows what he's talking about
Submission + - NOAA has overestimated land surface temperature trends by up to two times. (wordpress.com)
BMOC writes: "Anthony Watts of Surfacestations project (crowdsourced research) has finally yielded some discussion worthy results (pdf). He uses a siting classification system developed by Michel Leroy for Meteofrance in 1999 that was improved in 2010 to quantify the effect of heat sinks and sources within the thermometer viewshed by calculation of the area- weighted and distance-weighted impact of biasing elements to calculate both raw and gridded 30 year trends for each surveyed station, using temperature data from USHCNv2. His initial claims are that station siting is impacting the surface temperature record significantly, and NOAA adjustments are exacerbating that problem, not helping. Whether you agree with his results or not, recognize that this method of research is modern and worth your participation in the review. Poke holes in publicly sourced and presented research all you can, that's what makes this method useful."
Comment Anonymous Speech (Score 1) 2
There appears to be a few thoughts on this one . . . I wonder which way the courts would rule
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Anonymous_speech
Comment Re:*yawn* (Score 1) 294
It might be worth noting that for some businesses, partnerships, sole proprietorships and, some LLCs, personal income taxes of the owners include the business profits. While I'm not sure on the millionaire surtax specifically, anything that could significantly impact a business owners personal tax rate could significantly impact the businesses cash flow. I can definitely see some one making decisions based on that.
Submission + - Fascinating 1972 film uses 3D graphics (nerdplusart.com)
AlejoHausner writes: "In 1972, Ed Catmull, then at the University of Utah, put together a film showcasing many of the 3D computer graphics techniques he and others had developed while working as students in Ivan Sutherland's lab. That film has been digitized and is available on http://nerdplusart.com/first-3d-rendered-film-from-1972-and-my-visit-to-pixar . All kinds of modern techniques like gouraud shading, deformed meshes, and z-buffering are shown in the film. There is a segment showing Catmull digitizing a plaster model of his hand. Catmull later founded Pixar, but at the time the Utah lab pioneered many of the graphics techniques we take for granted today."
Submission + - The five levels of ISP evil (sonic.net)
schwit1 writes: Recently a number of ISPs have been caught improperly redirecting end-user traffic in order to generate affiliate payments, using a system from Paxfire. A class action lawsuit has been filed against Paxfire and one of the ISPs.
This is a serious allegation, but it’s the tip of the iceberg. I’m not sure if everyone understands the levels of sneakiness that service providers can engage in.
This is a serious allegation, but it’s the tip of the iceberg. I’m not sure if everyone understands the levels of sneakiness that service providers can engage in.
Comment Re:You're too young... (Score 1) 18
A technology is a technology. If you have trouble with a given technology, find an abstraction or set of boiler plate that works for you. You don't have to be a great designer to muddle your way through the back end of a web app and you don't have to be that good at back end work to do design. So long as you can find the right reference or person to ask for help/questions when you need it, just work through one part of the puzzle at a time. It all comes down to tell that pedantic box in a rack somewhere exactly what to do and how many times ;)
Submission + - Older programmers ARE better! (i-programmer.info)
mikejuk writes: It's a prejudice that the young and old share, but with opposite polarities of course. Young is best or old is best — most have an opinion. Now we have some interesting statistics ingeniously gathered and processed in by Peter Knego "big data" style that "proves" older is better when it comes to programming at least!
Submission + - Oracle subpoenas Apache Foundation in Google suit (techworld.com.au)
angry tapir writes: "Oracle has subpoenaed the Apache Software Foundation in connection with its ongoing intellectual property suit against Google. Oracle filed suit against Google in August, alleging that its Android mobile operating system infringes on seven of Oracle's Java patents. Google has denied any wrongdoing. The subpoena, which was received by ASF on Monday, seeks "the production of documents related to the use of Apache Harmony code in the Android software platform, and the unsuccessful attempt by Apache to secure an acceptable license to the Java SE Technology Compatibility Kit.""
Submission + - Beards of FOSS (wordpress.com)
kriegs writes: Too good to pass up — The beards of FOSS reviewed. Who's got the best facial hair in the open source community?
Comment Make them use it . . . . (Score 1) 5
Personally, I've found immersion works best when I'm trying to pick something up myself. I'd probably start with a bare machine and something much lower level than ubuntu (maybe a gentoo install?) and work their way up. Of course, that's easier said than done :)
Submission + - Scientists Discover Solar Powered Hornets (goodcleantech.com) 2
adeelarshad82 writes: The oriental hornet is more active during the day, and tends to become even more active as the temperature rises. And now scientists have discovered the reason: the hornets are solar powered. It turns out that the distinctive yellow stripe on the hornet's abdomen is actually full of tiny protrusions that gather sunlight and harness it for energy. The insect also features a special pigment, called xanthopterin, that helps with the process.
A Nude Awakening — the TSA and Privacy 728
DIplomatic writes "The Oklahoma Daily has a well-written editorial about the current state of airport security. Though the subject has overly-commented on, this article is well worth the read. Quoting: 'The risk of a terrorist attack is so infinitesimal and its impact so relatively insignificant that it doesn't make rational sense to accept the suspension of liberty for the sake of avoiding a statistical anomaly. There's no purpose in security if it debases the very life it intends to protect, yet the forced choice one has to make between privacy and travel does just that. If you want to travel, you have a choice between low-tech fondling or high-tech pornography; the choice, therefore, to relegate your fundamental rights in exchange for a plane ticket. Not only does this paradigm presume that one's right to privacy is variable contingent on the government's discretion and only respected in places that the government doesn't care to look — but it also ignores that the fundamental right to travel has consistently been upheld by the Supreme Court. If we have both the right to privacy and the right to travel, then TSA's newest procedures cannot conceivably be considered legal. The TSA's regulations blatantly compromise the former at the expense of the latter, and as time goes on we will soon forget what it meant to have those rights.'"
Submission + - Is 'Quadroid' The New 'Wintel'? (computerworld.com)
CWmike writes: 'Wintel' is the term that for years defined Windows-based computers running Intel chips. Now a similar expression is emerging for smartphones: 'Quadroid,' a term that refers to the Qualcomm chips used inside smartphones running the Android mobile operating system. The term, recently coined in a report by the PRTM consultancy, could catch on, largely because Qualcomm provides 77% of the chips in phones running Google's Android, which is expected to take the No. 2 slot in 2010. And the Quadroid alliance is expected to grow. Like Wintel has been for PCs, Quadroid could push down profit margins for smartphone manufacturers, some analysts say. That might seem like a good thing to consumers, but may not be so good for many phone makers.
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One of the most overlooked advantages to computers is... If they do foul up, there's no law against whacking them around a little. -- Joe Martin
