Comment Re:Favors? Surely You Jest! (Score 1) 116
It's painfully, obviously obvious.
Comment France (Score 1) 626
FTFY: Dawn Stover has another great piece of FUD.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France
and http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html :
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France
and http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html
- France derives over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy. This is due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.
- France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over EUR 3 billion per year from this.
Now get off my lawn.
Comment The problem with ONE online math class (Score 1) 285
As the statistics instructor, the author of TFA should've known that ONE sample may not be statistically significant.
Comment Re:Flipping the classroom..? (Score 1) 113
I'm not sure that you're understanding me. By professors not caring, I'm talking about the guys who don't actually teach anything and then just post the entire exam -- along with the solutions -- on their website a week before the exam, call it a "study guide" (No, it wasn't 'similar' to the exam, it WAS the exam, he just printed that out and gave it to use for the test. And it was multiple choice and fill in the blank.) The professors who don't answer questions; who take 30 minutes out of a 70 minute class just getting the computer booted up; who do nothing more than read off of slides prepared by somebody else; and who refuse to accept obviously correct answers because they're not phrased in exactly the same way it was phrased on the answer sheet.
Doesn't sound like any professor that I've encountered in my life... I guess you went to a tough college
Comment Re:Flipping the classroom..? (Score 1) 113
That's because if you come to 300-400 level classes you are considered motivated and mature enough to sit through and think for yourself.
It's a pity that majority of students don't realize that college tuition is the payment for the opportunity to learn, not payment for good grades.
It's a pity that majority of students don't realize that college tuition is the payment for the opportunity to learn, not payment for good grades.
Comment We want our Governator back! (Score 1) 65
He promised!
Comment For all of you missing Psygnosis... (Score 1) 102
www.psygnosis.org
I still terribly miss playing Drakan: Order Of The Flame. Was way ahead of its time.
I still terribly miss playing Drakan: Order Of The Flame. Was way ahead of its time.
Comment Relax, this is only an artist's impression (Score 1) 97
Same as /. articles are submitters' impressions. Both are catchy but as a rule grossly inaccurate.
Comment Math is a filter (Score 1) 1010
Math and logic comprise a bullshit filter that is quite useful in everyday life, from realization that $994.99 plus tax is way over $1K, to ability to filter out general BS statements such as "spend more to save more", "15 minutes on the phone can save you 15% or more on your car insurance" etc. You need them to figure out that you'll pay double on your mortgage, and that "buy a car, get a baseball cap for free!" is not such a sweet deal. Also, you'll need it to realize that the TFA is bullshit.
Comment Way to go, Google! (Score 1) 329
What's in line for the next "spring cleaning"? Gmail? Sure! And while you are at it, don't forget to spring clean that pesky search engine, which shows some idiotic unrelated results every single time I search for something that is not in a kindergartener's vocabulary!
Comment Re:A boat? (Score 2) 186
No it's not a submarine.
From TFA:
The main compartment of the Ghost vessel, which houses the cockpit and controls, sits above the water in between two torpedo-shaped pontoons or “foils,” which are submerged and create all the buoyancy and propulsion for the craft.
Would be interesting to see it in the open ocean with the high waves. If the wave height is higher than the boat clearance it's similar to hitting the water surface at 100 mph. A nosedive at such a speed means the cockpit becomes a 12-seat grave.
Comment Need training for recognition algorithm? (Score 1) 96
The article says nothing about how they trained their software. Is it person-specific? I suspect that the sensor response from different people gripping the same doorknob can be quite different. Same due to sweating, dehydration, dirty hands, etc.
"Check out our new touch-recognizing doorknob! Training times may vary. We don't advise to put it on the bathroom door for at least a week after the purchase."
"Check out our new touch-recognizing doorknob! Training times may vary. We don't advise to put it on the bathroom door for at least a week after the purchase."
Comment Re:Gasoline-like energy density (Score 1) 582
When you add up the cost of the materials for the flywheel (they need high tensile strength), the cost of maintaining near-vacuum in the flywheel enclosure (you don't want any air friction losses, do you) and the cost of service (you essentially have a bunch of rotating parts), then the flywheels lose some of their attractiveness. Low mobility and high energy loss due to friction, just to name two.
Comment Yes, but.. (Score 1) 66
Did they check the frog's immigration papers?
Does it croak with an accent?
Does it object being put through the TSA scanners?
Does it use internet cafes and pay with cash only?
It might be a terrorist frog!
Comment Re:Buckyballs (Score 1) 73
Bucky Badger, the University of Wisconsin mascot, gives "buckyballs" a whole new dimension.
