Comment Re:There's a kernel of truth in the GP post (Score 1) 443
Coffee Wars!
Sticky Rice Is the Key To Super Strong Mortar 194
lilbridge writes "For over 1,500 years the Chinese have been using sticky rice as an ingredient in mortar, which has resulted in super strong buildings, many of which are still standing after hundreds of years. Scientists have been studying the sticky rice and lime mortar to unlock the secrets of its strength, and have just determined the secret ingredient that makes the mortar more stable and stronger. The scientists have also concluded that this mixture is the most appropriate for restoration of ancient and historic buildings, which means it is probably also appropriate for new construction as well."
Testing the Safety of Tasers On Meth-Addled Sheep 253
Funded in part by Taser International, a recent study was done to learn the effects of being tasered while on methamphetamines. Since someone would probably complain about researchers going around and tasering meth addicts, they used sheep instead. From the article: "The less-lethal device of choice was the Taser X26, a standard law enforcement tool which can fire at suspects from a distance of 35 feet. Researchers shocked sixteen anesthetized sheep after dosing the animals with an IV drip of methamphetamine hydrochloride. Some of the smaller sheep weighing less than 70.5 pounds suffered exacerbated heart symptoms related to meth use. But neither the smaller nor larger sheep showed signs of the ventricular fibrillation condition, a highly abnormal heart rhythm that can become fatal."
Comment Nonsense double-talk (Score 1) 497
Quoting TFA, which is paraphrasing the source whitepaper: "Security professionals need to consider that user education costs everyone (in time), but benefits only the small percentage who are actually victimized, he wrote."
Perhaps I am dense, but can anyone explain how this statement makes any sense whatsoever? User education benefits those who are actually victimized? Someone who has been victimized as a result of his own ignorance or failure to heed security advice/user education certainly has not benefited (other than to have experienced a real-life "teaching moment"), nor has the poor sot who got victimized through sheer bad luck!
Full disclosure: I happen to think the source material is short-sighted and takes a very naive view of aggregate risk, some interesting points notwithstanding. But the quote above is just pure nonsense.
Super-Earths Discovered Orbiting Nearby, Sun-Like Star 242
likuidkewl writes "Two super-earths, 5 and 7.5 times the size of our home, were found to be orbiting 61 Virginis a mere 28 light years away. 'These detections indicate that low-mass planets are quite common around nearby stars. The discovery of potentially habitable nearby worlds may be just a few years away,' said Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC. Among hundreds of our nearest stellar neighbors, 61 Vir stands out as being the most nearly similar to the Sun in terms of age, mass, and other essential properties."
Is Console Gaming Dying? 496
mr_sifter writes "PC gamers love to obsess over whether PC gaming is dying, but bit-tech thinks it's time to look at the other side and examine if console gaming is really as secure as publishers would have us believe. All three console manufacturers suffered from the recession — this year, Sony announced its first net loss in 14 years; a stunning ¥989.9bn, which includes record losses of ¥58.5bn in its gaming sector. Microsoft also announced its first loss since it went public in 1986 in the second quarter of this financial year, with a $31 million US loss coming straight from the Entertainment and Devices division, which is responsible for the Xbox 360. Not even Nintendo has escaped the financial plague either, with sales of the Wii dropping by 67 percent in the US, 60 percent in Japan and 47 percent in the rest of the world. In addition to reduced profitability, casual games and the rise of the iPhone further suggest the current model is not invulnerable."
Comment Re:The US isn't all first world. (Score 1) 337
Your post implies
1) That you believe health care providers are paid fairly under the current US insurance system (and indeed have much say in negotiating their rates with the insurance companies)
and
2) That you believe the cost of medical care is reasonable, and based on competitive free market economics
Comment Re:Deus Ex (Score 1) 1120
Agreed - I am not a big gamer, but I have spent many hours immersed in Deus Ex, and enjoyed every bit of it. As for the sequel, I will concede that it was not as good as the original (though certain things were improved), but even so I still play it through once per year or so. This is probably mainly due to the fact that it's the only game of its kind I have for my aging Xbox, and sometimes I just need some escapist fun.
Comment Re:I bet... (Score 1) 375
Thank you for spelling Arthur Andersen correctly.
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