Posts by rc 21 publicly visible posts • joined 21 Jan 2009
@ LarsG... "Then of course there is the USA which does it's best to stick two fingers up at us."
That is grossly inaccurate, sir. We only stick one finger up at you. Perhaps because ours was implemented post musket? As far as I know, the two fingered 'Screw you! I've still got my bow fingers' salute is a uniquely British thing.
So you've still got that going for you then...
Thanks Reg. This story has been all over the place up here in the pacific northwest (WA-US). Your version is the best by far.
@Gang... The water from open reservoirs typically gets filtered and treated further down the line, closer to the consumer. Our water in the pnw is actually quite good and we have a lot of it because it rains often. Never mind the drunk pee, insects, dead birds, and animals that take a dump the size of your head in it. It adds flavor.
@Oregon... -snicker- Expectations remain low.
Paris, because Portland needs a smarter water administrator...
Americans (the people as opposed to the .gov) don't want to extradite anyone for making a website. The problem is that money decides most of the elections over here and the content mafia has lots of it to throw around. I suspect they're actually getting bulk discounts on congressmen at this point. Buy five, get one free. We'll even throw in a bonus judge to swing any tedious court battles your way.
Yes, it's our fault. We vote for these fascists that usurp our liberties and steal our money at the drop of a hat [or a sizable campaign contribution]. Most folks here don't want to be involved in politics. They just want to live their lives and have government stay the hell outta the way. Consequently there is a heavy emphasis on simple soundbites and the crotch vote. Didn't he look presidential while he was saying nothing so brilliantly? -puke! Never having been there, I don't know if things are similar on your side of the pond. For your sake I hope not.
The only way left for me to win was to quit playing. Frankly the decision wasn't that difficult. The movies/tv and a lot of the music nowadays is such crap that it's a waste of time and bandwidth to even download it, let alone risk a fine or jail time over it.
To the content mafia; You win. I won't steal your *cough* intellectual property. Nor will I pay for it ever again. No buying cd's or dvd's or going to movies anymore unless it's an indie label. I suspect you need my money a lot more than I need your media. Once enough others discover this and get fed up with you manipulating legal systems across the globe your day will end.
This case has me reconsidering things a bit though. If I download some beeb tv, do I get an all expense paid trip to London and a tour of some cool old courthouses? Nah, better not...
We'll make you a sweet deal on some Aegis cruisers at America's foreclosure sale next year. For a few extra bucks we'll throw in some missiles, a tank of fuel, and an mp3 player...
You may have to outbid China, but I'm pretty sure the French invitation will be lost in the mail. Strange that...
Beer icon: Because we can no longer afford good liquor...
Is this the same Sony that installed rootkits surreptitiously on people's computers and ripped off code for an mp3 codec which they then sold? -Pot meet kettle.
I don't own a game console, but I sometimes enjoy reading hacking/modding sites for various devices. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Can we then sue Sony for gathering unauthorized personal information? (Because if they don't put names and addresses to those IP addresses it's pointless.)
Sony is a four letter word. They've been on my boycott list for years.
-Fire icon, for something Sony can go die in...
I don't know how it works on El Reg's side of the pond. But here in the U.S., if they talk about "protecting the children", you should check your wallet and/or your freedoms. (Preferably before you run away screaming and flailing.) You're sure to find something missing.
Other happy code words include 'patriot' = ignoring the constitution, 'security' = removing guaranteed freedoms, 'investment' = stealing the fruits of your labor.
Obviously, child porn is evil. But that net was a little too wide methinks.
-Tombstone, for freedom of speech...
Scooping up some hydrogen to fire the fusion drives for the trip back. Steering and braking would be kind of handy to have as well. Be sure to pack an extra helping of deuterium in your lunchbox.
That just leaves the minor detail of creating those fusion drives...
How do they get a gutless motor and a dodgy electrical system into a fondleslab app? -Just kidding, Y'all put down the longbows...
I'm annoyed that they copied 'Top Gear' over here, instead of just broadcasting the real deal. It's like eating a plastic banana. It just isn't the same without Jeremy, James, and Hamster... It seems like there should be a way to trade shows between countries. Is it so hard to measure a given demographic, swap shows, throw in your own region relevant ads, and make some money?
Not too surprising really, considering comets are rocks with a little ice, not dirty snowballs.
Comet = A rock with an elliptical solar orbit.
Asteroid = A rock with a circular solar orbit.
Same stuff, different orbit.
The tail of a comet is an electrical phenomenon. As it moves nearer to the sun the comet changes its state of charge which takes ionized particles of rock dust with the shed electrons. Sort of like electrical discharge machining (Or a big fluorescent light without the glass tube).
Hear me now, believe me later... One of these days astronomers are going to have to admit they're wrong and come to grips with the data they've already collected. The 'dirty snowball' theory gets less rational with every probe we send. It's getting laughable now.
You'd have to be deaf not to hear the pwm controllers in the electrics/hybrids coming up the street. I can hear them whining a block away (Maybe it's just me and the dogs.). Ohh, either there's an electric car coming or I'm being run down by a UFO...
@Craig 12... Sure, we have pavement bumps here in the US. -Thump-bump- Oops sorry, I guess it was just a blind guy, never mind. Most of our bumps are in the middle and I'm not sure they're on purpose...
This could open the way for a flood of law suits against these groups that have been torturing the public with their music for years. "You see your honor, I was in the elevator going to the 24th floor. There was Britney Spears music playing and I couldn't escape." Oh, the humanity....
It will be good to get out in the open what most of us have known for years. That a lot of this crap isn't music, it's torture. Go ahead 'artists', make our day.
Ladies take heart. I've read lots of comments on this and it appears that men actually prefer women that don't look like stick figures. I used to wonder what people found attractive about these models. Now I know I'm not alone, they don't. Curves and bumps are soft and inviting, hard straight edges are not. So go ahead and eat something and maintain a shape that is healthy for your body type. Women; If you think you are 15 lbs too heavy, we probably think you're 'just right'. No, you don't look fat in those jeans and we love your curves. Pay no attention to the stick figure in the store display.
That's just nature finding a balance then. We need some giant snakes to eat our giant rodents. @Robert Hill.... To true. We'll eat pretty much anything except insects. How would you like your python, southern fried, barbecue, or cajun style? I've hunted and eaten rattlesnakes several times. I'm up in the NW so we don't get pythons or anacondas unless they're indoor pets. They don't taste like chicken but they are good eating. Mind the end with the teeth. Even 'constrictor' type snakes have some pretty nasty teeth. No worries though, if we get too many we'll just eat them.
Too bad they can't grow their own food. The red states do most of that. Don't count on the US for anything after this President and Congress get done spending us into oblivion, were outta here...
On a side note. Apologies to the UK. We're really sorry about the Churchill thing. If it were up to me or anybody I have talked to around here, he would have been prominently displayed in one of our own "halls of heroes".
We'll try and get you some region 2's dvds next time... Or maybe elect a President with some class. <sigh>
tombstone, cause it ain't looking good on this side of the pond.
rc
Clearly, cheap clean energy benefits us all. I think we should be looking at every alternative energy source. Not because of global warming scaremongering, but for economic and quality of life reasons. Our fossil fuel supply while vast is not infinite. These things also come in handy for little things like lubricants, plastics, feedstocks for industry. So it makes sense to conserve this resource and use as many other things for energy as economically feasible. Wind power doesn't work everywhere, and neither will geothermal, hydro, nuclear, or wave, etc. But we should use them where they do.
It seems to me the global warming folks can't see the forest through the trees. The earth has obviously spent a great deal of its history with much warmer temps and with higher co2 and o2 levels than it is now. Thats how we can have fossils of 45 foot snakes, dinosaurs, huge insects, tropical ferns in antarctic, etc. It takes a warmer climate and more o2 to support creatures that size, especially cold blooded ones. There were no factories, no gas guzzling SUVs, no powerplants, no industry of any kind 60 million years ago, yet we had global warming and high co2 and o2.
What if the average healthy state of earth over millions of years is a warm wet swamp planet?
Another thing about these sudo "environmentalists" that annoys me is this crazy idea that co2 is some kind of toxin to be controlled. Co2 is plant food. Warmer planet+more co2=more plants. More plants means more o2 for us to breathe. The earth has lots of mechanisms to deal with co2. If your an environmentalist, worry about stuff that matters, real toxins, heavy metals, industrial waste, etc. Not something we exhale and plants inhale.... mkaaay
stop sign for stopping the madness...
seeya
rc
I think you may have it backwards Iani...
Hydrogen power is somewhat of a pipedream at this point. Hydrogen is produced by the oil refining industry and by electrolysis, which uses massive amounts of electricity that has to be generated somehow. Hydrogen is an explosive, odorless, colorless, gas. This presents all kinds of problems in transport and storage that are expensive to solve.
If we are using less oil, then the amount of hydrogen produced from refineries would be reduced. If we use electrolysis than a power plant is required. The conversion process both ways is not 100% so power is lost when you make the hydrogen and power is lost when you consume it.
As we already have electricity infrastructure in place (though not enough if we were all driving electric cars). It makes more sense to focus on pure electrics. There is less loss in conversion and much less cost in logistics.
A pure electric vehicle is also much simpler and potentially much more reliable than either a hydrogen internal combustion or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. There are less parts to break or wear out and you get rid of a bunch of nasty fluids that you have to change. Maintainance parts such as air filters, oil filters, pcv valves, spark plugs.... Gone.
I think this is probably the real reason we haven't seen more electrics. The dealer mechanics are a pretty serious chunk of revenue to lose. Not that they would dissapear, but when is the last time you did an oil change or a tune up on your fridge?
I think the way forward is pure electrics. We should focus on storage tech. The lithium batts are getting better and carbon nanotube ultracaps are getting better and cheaper. These in combination are probably what you will see next. The carbon nanotube material can be made in sheets now so I could even see molding capacitors as body panels, fenders, etc. Of course then a fender bender would reduce your range, or weld you to your hapless victim.
re "planetarch"
No, its just President and he's ours, get your own media messiah, hehe.
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