Posts by TheUglyAmerican

Google's first stab at control-free ROBOT car rolls off the line

I was recently talking with a check pilot for a national airline and he said the control stick in the Airbus models is really a "voting" stick. With it the pilot gets to vote on what he wants the airplane to do. If the computers agree then the plane does it.

ENTIRE UNIVERSE created in supercomputer. Not THIS universe (probably)

Re: You are here.

So wrong. It was a quantum fluctuation in non-space and non-time (space and time don't come about until after the fluctuation, which makes no sense because there is no before the after) which then hyper expanded, driven by an energy we cannot identify so we just call it "dark". Ha ha ha.

Boffins boggled by ORB-shaped electrons

Re: The good old boring standard model

I wonder if when the simulation learns it is a simulation does it render the simulation invalid? Is there a cosmic finger heading for the reset button as we speak?

You put up with CRAPPY iOS 7. You can put up with Obamacare too, says prez

Re: Facinating

I would be ok with seeing how it all works out if EVERYONE in the US was subject to it. No exemptions for the politically connected and void all waivers.

Re: Smartphone users have more choices.

You don't know that. Right now all we're talking about is being able to buy insurance at, what seems, a reasonable price. No one knows how that will translate into "care when they need it." That remains to be seen.

Health insurance != health care.

Why Teflon Ballmer had to go: He couldn't shift crud from Windows 8, Surface

Not just Ballmer

I think it's part of the MS culture to miss the boat. Remember the whole "embrace and extend" philosophy? Basically let others innovate then MS will take over and make it theirs. Remember the mid-90's with Gates dismissing the Internet?

MS was able to leverage their OS with exclusionary business practices. They were able to leverage their office apps with their OS. Beyond that they've played second fiddle to the true innovators for the last 20 years.

Feds arrest rogue trucker after GPS jamming borks New Jersey airport test

Re: Stupid Airport

Maybe he's talking about the LAAS being tested at Newark. Otherwise, as you pointed out, it makes no sense. I'm probably being too generous.

Only 1 in 5 Americans believe in pure evolution – and that's an upswing

Re: Let there be.....Ignorance?

I doubt you know much about the mechanics of evolution so I suspect your dogma is as non-reflective as any religious zealot. What are the four forces of evolution? What is/are the creative force(s) in evolution? Evolution has serious issues but they are seldom discussed above a whisper lest the Church Of Darwin unleash it's wrath. You are not so different from those you belittle.

New draft cybersecurity law: US Senate hits ctrl-alt-del, reboot

Not too much

"[enhance] the security and resiliency of public and private communications..." but not too much, NSA still needs access.

Obama says US won't scramble jets or twist arms for Snowden

I doubt they would scramble F-22's to intercept. The aged F-15 would be more than sufficient.

Bill Gates: Corporate tax is not a moral issue

Who pays corp taxes?

Corp taxes are built into the price they charge for goods and services. Ultimately taxes are only paid by individuals. Blather all you want to the contrary but I run a business and that's exactly what I do. Raise my taxes? Fine. I raise my prices to cover it. I'm not running a charity.

New nuke could POWER WORLD UNTIL 2083

Re: general population ... will .. think 'fukushimachernobylmushroomcloudwasteexplodeohmygodcancer'

Maybe with all these reactors going to China they'll start calling it the "US Syndrome".

Starlight-sifting boffins can now spot ALIEN LIFE LIGHT YEARS AWAY

Re: Anything we can do

I don't think you can draw any statistical inference from one data point.

Which qualifications are worthwhile?

Certification

As others have suggested, if you can't do a degree, get some type of certification. You'll never get in the door for an interview without some sort of credentials.

California begins crackdown on mobile app developers

Ok, sure

You first State of California.

Astroboffins to search for mega-massive alien power plants

I'm not sure why it would be radiating anything in the infrared. If they are advanced enough to build the darn thing you'd think they could harvest the energy with enough efficiency to not radiate anything.

Then again I could be missing something.

Liquefied-air silos touted as enormo green 'leccy batteries

Re: @proto-robbie

Absolutely. Instead of power grids we need to distribute the power generation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_nuclear_reactor

Google acts against prostitution app after complaints from Congress

Government has no right to tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her body. At least that's what I've heard.

Governments block YouTube over that video

Re: Live and let live

Religion still matters. It stirs in the hearts of non-believers and shines a light on their estrangement from God. So they resort to shallow rhetoric and vain attempts at elitism. I'm glad to see it.

McIntyre: Climate policy crippled by pointless feel-good gestures

You are confusing weather with climate. They are not the same thing.

First full landing site and colour pictures back from Mars

Really cool but...

I think this is a great achievement and all but someone is going to have to clean up that mess.