Comment Do the math- (Score 1) 173
250KW per sq-ft. times a 1000 sq-ft building gives 250 megawatts. That is a NSA size data center.
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Comment Use an ARM single board computer (Score 1) 253
Buy an inexpensive ARM single board computer, there are some good quad-cores out there. Use an external usb hard drive. Total power consumption will be 10-15 watts. Install it in an old school metal lunch box. Seal the holes for the cables. There will be enough surface area to cool the box by convection without any vent holes.
Comment Brain Size linked to Breast Size? (Score 1) 31
I have not read the article.
I know that an inverse relationship between brain size and breast size has been postulated for decades.
Comment Not Applicable (Score 1) 287
My mother or my kids Grandma (74) is a retired IBM programmer. She never asks for computer help.
Comment Type of contract (Score 1) 716
To refute: bricklayers and most construction contracts are lump sum. If it takes the mason 3 days or 5 days to complete the contract amount is the same. In the "contract" the terms were well understood. One wall, this size, etc. there is an implicit warranty as suitable for the intended purpose.
Unless you had a similar "contract" to deliver the software the analogy does not apply.
The bricklayer, unless he owns the company, by law, will get paid for correcting the brick work.
Comment Government Works are Public Domain by Law (Score 1) 307
Someone should file a freedom of information act request for the code.
Several years ago when I worked at NASA our branch chief speculated that someone could request, and get, the our in house developed data acquisition system and have potentially sellable product.
Comment Re:Just dig a really deep hole (Score 1) 427
If the hole is deep enough it will go all the way to China - Brilliant!!
Comment Empire State Building Built in 14 months (Score 3, Interesting) 307
You're not the only one that thinks so. From TFA:
Head of Structures for WSP Middle East, Bart Leclercq, told Middle East Architect, “I don’t think it’s possible to build [an 838m tower] as quickly as they claim. If they manage to build this structure in three months then I will give up structural engineering. I will hang my hat and retire. I will be eating humble pie as well.”
Leclercq likes the idea of prefabrication but says concrete poured onsite in tall buildings provides stiffness, and the time it takes concrete to cure is non-negotiable. He thinks the five-year mark set by the Burj Khalifa is about as good as it gets with current techniques and technologies.
Five years to build with current technology?
The Empire State Building in New York was built in 14 months.
Maybe they should look at using 1930's technology.
Comment Re:Who do you sue ... (Score 1) 96
Good Question,
In the US you cannot get a building permit without an engineer/architect signing and sealing the drawings.
So you would need to hire an engineer. The engineer (allowed by the opensource license) could sell you the plans, the plans would be "his work", the engineer of record by state law would be responsible for checking everything and taking full responsibility.
So the answer would be you would sue your engineer that you hired.
Comment Re:Third type of cheating (Score 1) 276
I agree, Gaylord Perry got an advantage by making the opponent worry about his "cheating".
It gave him a mental edge.
A baseball coach once said the difference between AAA (minor league) and the majors is between the ears.
Submission + - Super Bowl Blackout Caused by Defective Rrotective Relay (nationalgeographic.com)
wilby writes: Power company says Super Bowl blackout was caused by device designed to prevent power outages. A device designed to improve the Superdome electrical system reliability instead caused it to shut down dramatically during Super Bowl 47.
Entergy New Orleans, which provides power to the venue, said testing traced the source of the problem to an "electrical relay device "it had installed in December to protect Superdome equipment in case a cable failure occurred between the company's switchgear and the stadium.
Entergy New Orleans, which provides power to the venue, said testing traced the source of the problem to an "electrical relay device "it had installed in December to protect Superdome equipment in case a cable failure occurred between the company's switchgear and the stadium.
Comment Re:Hey now, (Score 1) 503
Busted,
The fact that you know the OJ trial and the Kardashians are linked mean you follow those stories, therefore you cannot be highly intelligent.
Submission + - European Scientists Make a Case for a Return to the Moon (yahoo.com)
MarkWhittington writes: "While the official target of NASA's space exploration program remains exploring Earth approaching asteroids, the case for a return to the moon has been made from a variety of quarters.
The most recent attempt to make a case for the moon is in a paper, entitled Back to the Moon: The Scientific Rationale for Resuming Lunar Surface Exploration soon to be published in the journal Planetary and Space Science,"
The most recent attempt to make a case for the moon is in a paper, entitled Back to the Moon: The Scientific Rationale for Resuming Lunar Surface Exploration soon to be published in the journal Planetary and Space Science,"
Submission + - The Ethics of Sex with Robots 1
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The Sonoma State Star reports that philosophy professor John Sullins says that as engineers work to design visually pleasing and life-like mechanical robots that simulate emotions, the potential psychological outcomes of this form of advanced technology may pose a threat to the way society functions as a whole. "Humans have a tendency to anthropomorphize things in their environment, like naming their car, for instance. People have a compelling need to make connections with things in their lives," says Sullins adding that engineers have the ability to access human psychological weaknesses when they build a computer that takes the shape of a visually pleasing and attractive mate that can say emotionally moving things, like "I love you," during physically intimate moments. Author David Levy says that these types of robots will be able to end pedophilia and prostitution and that robot sex will become the only sexual outlet for a few sectors of the population: the misfits, the very shy, the sexually inadequate and uneducable but although Levy enlightens his readers with the benefits that sex robots can provide humans, Sullins still believes that they will ultimately cause social isolation.. "Plato argues that in life, humans should not just try to obtain sexual gratification, but they should try to attain the erotic," says Sullins adding that the concept of "the erotic," can be described as a loving and meaningful relationship that transports lovers to a philosophically higher place and helps them become better people."
Real Reason Why the White iPhone 4 Is Delayed 182
tekgoblin writes "There have been numerous reasons why the White iPhone 4 may be delayed with one reason being the color mismatch between the home button and the body. Well this time there is another reason. A source has told CultofMac that the reason for the delay is a light leakage issue caused by the case being clear. Light from the case leaks into pictures taken by the back and front camera on the white iPhone 4, causing distorted pictures. This problem is non-existent on the black iPhone 4, because of its already black case, so Apple has been looking for a solution to this problem, thus the delay of the White iPhone 4 till spring of next year."
