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Comment Re:This is my shocked face (Score 2) 275

It only takes a cursory review of the chinese economy to understand that government there definitely does not own "all the business". Having spent time in china, I can tell you that it is probably one of the most hyper-capitalistic societies that I have ever seen.

What it doesn't have, that exists in the west, is a robust regulatory regime to prevent false advertising, dangerous products, etc.

Comment Interior lighting will be a problem... (Score 1) 488

As anyone who has spent night hours in a room will lots of windows will tell you, lighting the interior of an all-transparent plane is going to be difficult. This is because most interior lighting is indirect and diffuse. Recessed ceiling fixtures light the floor, up-lights light the ceiling, and wall-washers keep the walls bright. Current planes are mostly lit by indirect ceiling lights and wall washers. Only the reading lights provide direct illumination - which is very inefficient, and straining on the eyes. If walls and ceiling are transparent, indirect lighting of this sort of lighting becomes impossible. In the absence of opaque, light reflective walls [or shades of some kind], the photons just stream out of the room [plane] after only one chance of striking something needing illumination. This is why many establishments with large window walls close shades at sunset -- so that the shades reflect light back into the room.

And while in a terrestrial environment this might only be an efficiency / comfort issue, in a plane it is a safety issue. Efficient and effective lighting will be key when flight staff need to take action in the event of a cabin emergency.

Spidey!!!

Idle

Submission + - Student Shocks Own Nipples, Sues Teacher (wbztv.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The Associated Press reports that a New Hampshire high school student who connected electrodes to his nipples that were plugged into the wall, severely shocking him, is suing the teacher, the school district, and the city because the teacher failed to warn him not to do so. Student Kyle Dubois attached a wire to his nipples, cooperated with another student to attach a second wire to the other nipple, and a third student plugged them in. A classmate captured the event on cell phone video (http://wbztv.com/video/?id=88175@wbz.dayport.com). Kyle and his parents claim that he didn't know it was dangerous and the teacher's failure to warn him resulted in permanent brain damage. If I was the teacher's attorney, I would be tempted to argue that there is strong evidence the brain damage was present before the incident took place.

Submission + - Killed by Code: medical device source code (softwarefreedom.org)

foregather writes: The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC has released some independent research on the safety of software close to our hearts, that inside of implantable medical devices like ,a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/12/1232206">pacemakers and insulin pumps. It turns out that nobody is minding the store at the regulatory level and patients and doctors are blocked from examining the source code keeping them alive. From the article:

"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for evaluating the risks of new devices and monitoring the safety and efficacy of those currently on market. However, the agency is unlikely to scrutinize the software operating on devices during any phase of the regulatory process unless a model that has already been surgically implanted repeatedly malfunctions or is recalled."

and

"Despite the crucial importance of these devices and the absence of comprehensive federal oversight, medical device software is considered the exclusive property of its manufacturers, meaning neither patients nor their doctors are permitted to access their IMD’s source code or test its security."

The SFLC concludes that transparency going forward is the only way to prevent people from being "Killed by code". Would you want windows mobile regulating your blood pressure?

Power

Submission + - World’s First Molten Salt Solar Plant Opens (inhabitat.com) 1

An anonymous reader writes: Sicily has just announced the opening of the world’s first concentrated solar power (CSP) facility that uses molten salt as a heat collection medium. Since molten salt is able to reach very high temperatures (over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit) and can hold more heat than the synthetic oil used in other CSP plants, the plant is able to continue to produce electricity long after the sun has gone down. The Archimede plant has a capacity of 5 megawatts with a field of 30,000 square meters of mirrors and more than 3 miles of heat collecting piping for the molten salt. The cost for this initial plant was around 60 million Euros.

Comment Derivative! (Score 1) 829

Let's see from how many other movies or shows they have stolen ideas:

1) The Last Starfighter [video game prowess leads to gig as savior of the universe].
2) Voyager [stuck in the middle of nowhere, limited supplies, trying to get home].
3) Wagon Train [stuck in the middle of nowhere, limited supplies, trying to get home].
4) Sliders [time limit on stay in any one location] [stuck in the middle of nowhere, limited supplies, trying to get home].
5) Battlestar Galactica [Rush ~= Baltar] [stuck in the middle of nowhere, limited supplies, trying to get home].
6) Lost In Space [scientist with sometimes questionable ethics at odds with military command].
7) Red Dwarf [stuck in the middle of nowhere, limited supplies, trying to get home].

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