Since I am now retired, I can peruse Slashdot endlessly. I applaud this info since it convinces me that my voicing the statement “That is just par for the course” is Never overused.

So it goes Thank you K. Vonnegut

I recall a National Geographic article covering the massive volcanic eruptions in 1999 due to the Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean. Maybe these eruptions have slowed down and the water is cooling off. It seems these pictures have been removed from the National Geographic website, I wonder why...

What is the current status of the Gakkel Ridge? Lava + Big Ice Caps= small ice caps...

I try to keep up with it, as there was a M4.7 earthquake on October of 2016. It is a slow moving crack that may be speeding up. If the Magnetic Poles flip, who knows what the effect will be.

I agree wholeheartedly with cayenne8. Tyranny of the majority, in a pure Democracy, is a distinct possibility. CA is a good example of this tyranny. The more conservative parts of CA are overwhelmed by San Francisco, the LA and the SD areas. Maybe the Electoral College should reflect the votes of each Congressional District.

I was introduced to Forrest Mim's books, by browsing through a Radio Shack about 1974. I was into model rocketry and trying to learn basic electronics at the time and found his material very instructive. I consider him a gift to anyone trying to gain insight in electronics, from the level of a hobbyist all the way to a professional.

Fat has a bad reputation, as we have been brainwashed into believing that all fat is bad. We are all children of the trans-fat (hydrogenated vegetable oil) lie, in that it was healthier than saturated animal fats (Hog lard or Beef tallow). We evolved our present brain capacity, primarily due to eating a fair amount of saturated animal fats. That is not to say that too much of anything good, is better.

Now that InterEsterified Fat (IE fat) is gaining popularity as a replacement for Trans-Fat (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils), we are being told that they are healthier than everything else, which there is sparse evidence for.

I saw where a recent Korean study showed that fermented milk proteins may have heart protective abilities. That looks good for Kefir sales and consumption, as well as all of the numerous bacteria within the Kefir and how it is a better way to populate your gut, than fecal transplants.

I also recently read a research article where consumption of trans fats was shown to effect short term memory in young men, that may be why my memory was worse when I was a teenager and ate anything I could find, in the 1970's.

It really looks like, if it is artificial fat, it is likely that mammals are unable to process it safely and the results of long term use could be hazardous to a long healthy life.

They are trying to scare us to get their way. This sounds like what Terrorists resort to, to get their way. These people are no different than Terrorists and they should be treated as such.

I bought my HP25 in 1975, while I was a Senior in HS, and it still works, although it is still a battery hog. The HP calculators of the time were built like tanks. I later moved to a 41CV, which was a little bulky, but very useful. My favorite was a 42S, which was very compact. I bought a used 48SX, which was very usable without being too big. Finally I bought a 35S, which I still use to this day. After having used RPN for 39 years, I feel like a Calculator Curmudgeon now.

Mycologists rejoice! Both Academic and Practical Mycologists are needed by all of the ignorant and uneducated.

A. Phalloides are quite common where I live, and I have been able to visually ID them since I was a kid. OK, I may have made a few mistakes, but a false positive in this area always beats a false negative anyday. After I learned how to do a spore print, I was ready to ID edible mushrooms. I have never picked and eaten a mushroom that I had not ID'ed properly.

There have always been people dying from eating poisonous mushrooms, since the beginning of time. This is no new danger, except for those that do not know what they are eating...

Climate scientist Peter Stott of the U.K. Met Office should have commented that these studies show that in many cases, excess human presence in areas where they have no business permanently living, has increased the risks associated with extreme events that randomly occur. Humans need to learn that life on Earth has not always been pleasant and the building of and living in flimsy structures in Earthquake fault zones, flood zones, and areas where tsunamis, hurricanes and tornadoes frequent will lead to unpleasant experiences.

What about the volcanoes on the Gakkel Ridge. All the warm water held in the Arctic basin should be contributing to some or even most of the loss of Ice.

I have seen data showing the slow increase in Antarctic Ice versus the slow loss in Arctic Ice.

I tend to be a skeptic on all end of the world scenarios, until an asteroid or comet are heading in our direction.

That is true, I confuse clerks all the time by paying in bills with an amount of change that allows the change I receive to be quarters.

Any change to something cheaper would most likely make the coins less durable, such as aluminum pennies and nickels.

The best modification of our system would be to revalue the dollar, so that a copper (bronze) penny would be worth somewhat less than it's value in copper. Say like 10 old cents to 1 new cent and 10 old dollars equal to 1 new dollar. The only psychological damage would be due to everyone being paid one tenth as much in new dollars. As far as I am concerned, the exchange factor could be 25 to 1, rather than 10 to1, then dimes, quarters and half dollars could revert back to 90% silver as thy were pre 1965. This would require countries to balance their budgets every year to keep monetary values stable.

I am sure this would never occur, as inflation is preferred by governments so that their true debt cost is smaller after a few years of inflation.