* Posts by Rick Brasche

522 publicly visible posts • joined 20 Aug 2007

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US forces order fuel-cell units for medevac stretchers

Rick Brasche

how heavy are individual cartridges?

a couple cartridges might be enough to drive a fuel cell motorcycle reasonably well

PS2 the most played console of 2008

Rick Brasche
Flame

what, no StarCraft?

must've been a pretty lame sample for this survey then.

UK sportscar makers announce electric models

Rick Brasche
Go

at last!

an electric car that doesn't look like sh*t! bravo!

I wonder why they're going with brushless DC motors, since the brushless AC motors have been out awhile and proven to work in high performance applications.

Battery builders beg for $1bn

Rick Brasche
Happy

@ A "Kryten" forgets to look into his history

I love Llewellyn, Loved him in Scrapheap Challenge, and in Red Dwarf. I love his rants, even if he's missing some common sense and historical perspective. First, oil/gas companies are "energy" companies. They make money no matter what the source. There's no need for a Petrol Conspiracy.

Second, you can only fill a battery for "pence" now because the rate currently charged for it. When it is the only source of motivation, it *will* go up in price by orders of magnitude. How do we know this for sure? Let's look into the history of everyone's favorite overpriced petroleum distillate. Gasoline, in the early days, was practically a waste product. Oil was needed for many other things, greases, heating oils, and other heavier stuff. What a person paid for at the pump, was for the service to their vehicle (early gasoline cars were even finickier than anything Lucas or Stromberg equipped!) and for the transport and storage of the fuel. The gasoline itself was practically free. Once it became a commodity, that people sought for the product instead of the service, the prices went up. And soon, taxes came along with it.

When states lose the revenue from fuel sales, they will tack them onto whatever fuel comes along to replace it. If our cars were powered by sewage, sh*twater would sell for $3.00 a gallon or higher. Electricity will get the increased tax burden. Speculation and commodity action during CA's last gubernatorial administration, along with Enron's help, made energy vastly more costly than elsewhere in the country even though it was generated here. And that was with a quick bit of mismanagement and fraud. What do you think happens when the terawatts of gasoline energy now have to come from electrical sources? Do you think commodities traders and speculators aren't going to increase the costs of electricity to maximize their profits *like they do now*?

This doesn't even touch the infrastructure expenses, the extra taxes required to handle the tripled, or even quadrupled maximum power transmission needed if everyone changed to electric. main transmission lines would glow and melt under the increased load, houses, apartment buildings would burn their wiring assuming their people could even plug in. In order to fund the extra power plants, the higher capacity wiring substations, there'll be more tax, more fees. Your "pence" for fillups becomes "pounds" comparable with your fuel expenses today. Except now, you pay even if you don't drive. That new big screen plasma TV? You'll be watching episodes of Dr. Who at miles per gallon. Lights will not be rated by wattage but by fuel efficiency.

History has shown us already, repeatedly, that anything that is both necessary to and manufactured by society, will become as expensive as possible. A former waste product becomes the political and financial cornerstone of culture and industry, what couldn't be given away now is the king commodity. Once it was coal. Then steel, then oil, next, lithium, and electricity. You wait and see.

But, I admit, that's not as funny as Llewellyn dropping F bombs like a typical American redneck high schooler..:)

Rick Brasche
Stop

"build a better mousetrap..

..and the world will beat a path to your door." But if you lack the vision, creativity, intelligence, skill, knowledge, etc. to invent a superior product, beg for government subsidy. Because despite what government leftists or right-wing pundits or conspiracy theorists claim, a truly superior product will make it's way to market, because it will make whomever controls it money. If that superior product fills a enormous needed niche, it will make them lots (metric *and* standard @ssloads) of money.

Government subsidy of dying industry has killed innovation and improvement even more than monopolies...most of which were allowed to come into existence by government interference as well. Government subsidy of a battery plant will mean they will end up making a legislated market for the product, even long after that product is more detrimental than the products it replaces, and the products inevitable progress (in free markets) will produce.

To make it simple, US spends $1B in (stolen from it's people) tax money for this battery plant. No one buys the batteries since the market prefers the Japanese product. So US makes laws forcing American car makers and people to buy these batteries. Detroit puts out these mandated inferior cars that don't sell (sound familiar?) and the people can't get the Japanese batteries without mail order tricks to keep their laptops running.

Then, half an election term later, someone in India/Australia/Canada invents the Mr. Fusion solid state portable total mass conversion powerplant. It runs off of anything, zero emissions other than desired output, rewrites all thermodynamic principles as we know them, wins all land wars in Asia, and humbles Chuck Norris.

It makes batteries obsolete, but that battery company still needs to sell enough to pay back the $1b put into it. In true bipartisan mode, "for the good of the economy" the Mr Fusion is banned from importation into America (except for rich celebrities and political fundraisers) until the next administration is elected, where the campaigning will rest on attacking the previous administration for the waste of $1b (that BOTH parties demanded) and then force the theft of an additional $2B or more to subsidize..errr..develop an American designed version....

and it goes on from there...

Apple sued in Apple TV wireless audio patent clash

Rick Brasche
Stop

this is where statutes of limitations are needed

instead of waiting for years to pop up with a patent shakedown, if a patent holder doesn't come up within 12 months of a product's retail release, then they cannot sue.

I don't like patent poaching and usually support the "little guy" against the mega-corps, but to wait years after products have been sold, praised, advertised, etc...is just plain extortion.

Tesla takes Top Gear test to task

Rick Brasche
Stop

I'd call Tesla Motors...

the "Tucker" of the New Millenium" but that would be disgracing Preston T's efforts at producing a radical new vehicle and going up against an equivalent industry. I believe Tucker was actually trying to produce a vehicle.

Tesla OTOH is a venture capital sink. it exists to gain contracts and siphon money, not to build cars to sell for money. The "gearbox issue" is yet unresolved, and instead of fixing that, they spend time selling hype in Europe, spend time selling new unbuilt designs, spend time getting kickbacks from governments and federal grants and yet more venture capital...

Using off the shelf components, kit car builders could build reliable, integrated, and high performance vehicles for under $30K. Someone with a factory and bulk parts-buying power could assemble them for considerably less, selling them for around $40-50K. There's nothing wrong with using an off the shelf transmission unit that's already designed to handle much more torque than the Tesla even dreams of.

But the fact that Tesla spends more time in advertising, lobbying, and hiring design houses to produce pretty vaporware pictures shows what this enterprise is really all about. We don't even need to get into the "management issues" or other business malpractice symptoms. Mr. Musk needs to cut bait on this one and start over with a better plan.

Fly-tipping yes, dog poo no - Jacqui promises Ripa changes

Rick Brasche
Unhappy

please forgive an ignorant seppo but..

wtf is "fly tipping"? Any google hits I get are blocked by the government firewall! :(

Are iPhone users just tight?

Rick Brasche

@AC missing functionality-AD2P?

"Unless your business revolves around playing music from an iPhone through a set of A2DP speakers .."

Pretty sure the iPhone, even at 2.02, is *still* missing AD2P without some sort of aftermarket plug in dongle that means your phone doesn't fit in the holster anymore..

Nintendo whacked with $5m Wii strap lawsuit

Rick Brasche
Stop

I took the straps and safety condom off mine

because it was a pain in the arse to get the remotes in and out of the PerfectShot pistol shell for shooting games. We've done marathon wii baseball games, had friends over for hours while playing the various Wii bowling titles.

The first judge that comes up to this case should first throw the case out. Then he should require Child Protective Services to investigate her son's situation. Either his mother is unable to properly raise a "special needs" child, or is putting her son at risk by raising him in such a con-artist, exploitative home. Thirdly, charge her for all expenses incurred for both the court and Nintendo.

Make an example out of these blatant, obvious frivolous lawsuits.

Intel plans tiny energy suckers to watch environs

Rick Brasche

"We don't know who started it.."

"..but we do know that it was we who scorched the wireless spectrum..." Morpheus

Ofcom rules on Clarkson strumpet gag

Rick Brasche
IT Angle

common sense? don't worry, this shall pass

for every common sense action, government comes up with a lot more stupid ones. Next time some Muslim gets offended over the merest stretch of possible insult, there will be a massive crackdown.

Funny, seeing you Brits complaining about the accidents you get into with them, all the while insulting them..maybe they ain't accidents?

Common sense dictates-Never Argue With A Vehicle Bigger Than Yours.

MIT boffins crack fusion plasma snag

Rick Brasche
Thumb Up

screw fusion!

forget toroids and silly containment lasers...let's put the lasers to better use!

https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2008/NR-08-11-03.html

give me antimatter reactors! Total mass conversion! Output energy completely throttleable!

Of course, it may take more energy to make the antimatter than you get out of it, but such realities don't stop the enviro-nuts from their wind/solar/rubberband powered clown cars and perpetual motion machines....

007 Warhead screenplay sold for £46K

Rick Brasche

compared to the Remake Hollywood Mill...

this sounds a lot more original than the remakes and constant leftist propaganda shite coming out of Hollywood the last five years.

Missile Defence multikill space interceptor in hover test

Rick Brasche

waitaminnit. this was done already for SDI years ago

they had a "golf bag sized" kinetic kill vehicle that was demonstrated in an identical manner years ago. I think they still have an exhibit at LLNL.

Other than for show, what is the point of the hover test? These will be released in free fall, unless you're trying to demonstrate it's directional thrusters can move it at 1G..and hopefully in more than one direction.

The big killer of SDI was never the missiles, it was the detection, discriminating between decoys and chaff and targets. The computer, sensor and network hardware wasn't up to the task in the 90's.

Now, it's pretty damned close. And compared to the complete waste, or actually dangerously pathological bailout fiasco, a SDI system is a bargain!

Tell Santa to bring more assault rifles

Rick Brasche

damned if we do, damned if we don't.

if we go to war to help someone, we're "fascists" and "invaders". If we mind our own business we're "cowards". Why did America sit out the war for so long? because we were sticking our heads in the sand, just like you and Europe wanted us to then, and want us to do now.

Every time we did the European thing of "let the conflict burn" it built into a conflagration that consumed us all. We got proactive in Korea, Vietnam and with the Cold War. Did many people die? Yes. As many as a global nuclear exchange or all-out "hot" war with the Soviets over Western Europe and Africa and South America? Not even close.

Europeans should blame the American fascination for automatic weapons on themselves. Why did Hiram Maxim invent the machine gun instead of a better mousetrap to become rich? Because he was told at the Paris Exhibition in 1881: "If you wanted to make a lot of money, invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each other's throats with greater facility."

I think the *real* reason that Europeans are pissed off at Americans is that we don't let them slaughter each other over their little kingdoms anymore. With countries barely the size of an American state, that's a lot of border conflicts, with a lot of depot kings instead only a few socialist dictators.

Or it could be, since the Soviets weren't impressed by British land armor (tho there's that Leopard-inspired Challenger nowadays) that it took the American threat of firepower to maintain West Germany long enough until the Soviets "decided" to let East Germany go. Since Europe didn't have to spend much at all to protect itself, it invested it in multigenerational dole programs that have created a nice chav subculture that's overwhelming your cities, and those suspiciously swarthy "youths" burning up the French countryside.

But sure, it's only the Americans who have misplaced national pride issues...uh huh.

The price of freedom, is to allow people you don't agree with to speak. This includes the stupid, or those we believe are stupid. Because once you start like the anti-gun name callers, calling them psychopaths or telling them to shut up and get off the net., soon you find yourself the one being shouted down or oppressed.

But it's real hard to oppress an armed population. Easy to suppress an unarmed, misinformed one.

Rick Brasche
Flame

funny. brits b*tch about their government running them over

they complain about surveillance cameras everywhere, and government databases following them and their children. They complain of government refusing to allow immigration and wonder what happened to their rights as citizens.

Then, here and now, they defend that government to decide when or if they're allowed to have a gun. The same government that they cannot trust for anything else, cannot trust it to listen to their grievances, cannot trust it to defend it's people, or to respect it's own citizens-is now good enough to protect them from the evils in the world...even though they complain that it fails to do so at every attempt.

Let me clue you into something that California has taught me-the freedom of speech-to assemble, to protest..doesn't mean *SQUAT* if your government chooses to ignore you. You can protest for decades (people have) get worldwide attention (people do) and STILL your tree gets cut down, your neighborhood overrun by crack dealing gangsters, you can't marry who you want...the only chance you have left is finding some rich, connected philanthropist to buy you influence and bribe officials.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why philosophers and scholars of leadership-many of them European who'd witnessed how England, France, etc. had been crushed by uncontrolled rulers who could choose to ignore their magna cartas -inspired and helped develop a series of rights designed to make sure the peoples' wishes could not be ignored. Where the wishes of normal, common people were worth just as much as the Lords and Ladies, the grocery bagger as much as the Actress.

And as the 2nd Amendment has been eroded, so has government gotten more out of control. No one pays attention to San Francisco, because it is a virtual Police State-only the police (who are accountable only to their political leaders) so they protest and no harm done to those in Sacramento or Washington, DC. "Let them eat cake", was once said an out of control government official. "Let them protest and vent their spleens", says American government now.

So next time you want to rip into Blair and Brown, remember that it is *you* who enable and keep them there. You who are content to spread the illusion that "guns are for crazy folk" and that "only idiots got guns". Every surveillance camera, every ID card, every socialist program-all created by a government that not only ignores it's people, but is unafraid of them as well- gets it's power strengthened by *your* attitude.

But most anti-gun folks can't accept responsibility for their situation. This is why they fear guns the most-because every aspect of it's use, whether legal or illegal, for good or ill, safely or dangerously, is 100% the responsibility of the holder of the weapon. The holder cannot shift blame away from how it's used or what happens-and many people cannot accept that responsibility. They want to blame someone else for their problems, for their consequences. And they project that onto anyone willing to take responsibility for firearm ownership. You'll notice, among those who think "society owes them something", who love the idea of government taking care of their needs without personal effort, are invariably among those who demand "gun control". Hate personal responsibility? I bet you're a big anti-gun supporter too.

Networked multipack cruise missiles in successful test

Rick Brasche
Stop

You can't take or hold territory with air power

it takes boots on the ground. And machines to deliver them. And support hardware.

Whizbang VLOS missiles may have a slight issue dealing with forest cover. Or tunnels. or bridge overpasses. Armored cavalry is a hell of a lot faster than foot soldiers, and cheaper per round than any missile. It goes where you point it and there's f*ck-all you can do to stop it. There's anti-missile defense systems (that can't be used if infantry is around,) but no anti-tank shell defense.

there will always be a need for ground armor. And always a need for a simple tube and shell weapon that can be aimed and fired by mechanical means if necessary. The side that forgets that lesson will be educated most harshly by the side that doesn't.

Expecting a single missile system to make most everything obsolete is like people who thought tanks were obsolete with the arrival of the AH-64. Or the same idiots who thought the 5.56mm would be the end-all, be-all combat rifle round.

But, like McNamara, when bean counters and budget whiners are the big decision making forces in your military, you get what you deserve-a more "cost' effective force, but less "combat" effective. hence the clusterf*ck that was Vietnam and the lack of resolution in Afghanistan.

(Civilian interference in military matters should come in only two forms-"GO" and "STOP". Go to send them to war, Stop to bring them home. The rest, is why there's corruption, wars for political self gratification, needless death, and inefficiency.)

Apple prepping $99 Wal-Mart iPhone?

Rick Brasche
Thumb Up

for a hundred bucks? hmm

might almost be worth it.

BBC relives The Day of The Triffids

Rick Brasche

OMG Peter Hamilton FTW

can you imagine a series based off of the Reality Dysfunction? Or the Greg Mandel/Mindstar Rising books?

Sigh, still no such luck.

Swiss Mindset reveals E-Motion sports EV

Rick Brasche

@ AC-motorbikes

SShhhhh! You'll give away our secret! Motorbikes have been pulling vastly superior gas mileage and performance for decades, but the "green" folks don't really care about results, they want to show off with expensive new toys instead of, say, an 82 Yamaha that gets 40MPG...green "smug" emitters still want all the comforts they insult the SUV drivers for having, but can't be arsed to give up everything for "mother earth", they just want to throw money at it.

What's really funny is around here in CA, most hybrid/battery/unicorn-f@rt powered car owners also own at least one SUV that gets driven by their "other half" every day and on weekends....

-three years now commuting daily, year 'round, on 2 wheels. Plus errands and small grocery runs on weekends.

HP breaks Japanese excessive packaging record

Rick Brasche
Flame

Apple's replacement iPhone wall charger might be a winner

the barely over one inch cubed device send in a box with return packaging from Apple (to return the "defective" plug) was about the size of the box in your images. That pen might just occupy a little more actual volume.

Very close call there. Except Apple is recalling *hundreds* of these.

Formula One kinetic energy recovery rigs debut

Rick Brasche
Pirate

won't work without an electric motor in the drivetrain

so you've gotta add this recovery device, it's storage medium, which weighs extra already, then you're going to need an electric drive motor to use the stored energy and apply it to the road. More weight. What about transmission changes? direct drive from the electric to the transaxle? Then acceleration is going to have to overcome more rotational intertia to spin the motor when it's not being powered.

methinks the extra weight of all the necessary support hardware will find itself absorbing most of that 'extra" 80 hp.

Gadgets like this need their own racing class. F1 is supposed to be about pushing limits, not increasing handicaps to "level" the field. As soon as they banned gas turbines and computer assistance, F1 became more like American and British public education more concerned with the self-esteem of children rather than allowing excellence and fostering greater achievement.

Time for F1 Unlimited where anything goes. Or an electric only racing class.

Pininfarina B0 production schedule slips

Rick Brasche

and it's not completely fugly! yay!

tho 153 mile range (at what speed?) 30-45 kW output, charges from a normal outlet...sounds to good to be true.

I wonder what happens in winter after a night cold-soaking at 30 degrees F or below? Or is this another toy fir rich elites who then spend more energy heating their garage to keep their battery box toasty at night?

Chrysler: the future's bright, the future's electric

Rick Brasche
Thumb Up

say no to Pee Pods

Especially when they're "neighborhood" vehicles. that's code for "sh*tty golf cart with lights, turn signals, and licensing requirements". Just like the ones our security guy drives around. Overpriced, useless, unless you live in one of those rich-elitist "gated communities".

real people have jobs they need to drive to. They need to pick up groceries, not have them delivered. They travel more than to the corner coffee shop to sit around spewing pseudo-intellectual ignoramus political propaganda.

As I said after that lame "energy tree" car yesterday, and as someone reiterated earlier today-put an electric drivetrain in something practical, decent, and *pre-existing*. Don't waste money and time on silly packaging-sure the iPhone types and the enviro-wang wavers need to advertise their "greenness" to satisfy their smugness. but to be practical, cram the stuff into a Mini (already done, kudos!) a Prosche Boxster (should be a factory option) or, redesign the old Japanese cars like the CVCC, the Datsun 510, or even the 90's Geo Metro for that "retro" look.

But maybe there's a reason for the suppository-shape? Maybe Dunham was right...

Geek Wheels touted as the ultimate tech scooter

Rick Brasche

Take the same geek hardware

and add it to Yamaha's FJR1300.

Nissan: buy our electric cars... rent our batteries

Rick Brasche
Stop

why oh why do these cars have to be so ugly?

do they try extra hard to make them look like shite? Then load em up with hippy-dippy pseudo-philosophical imagery?

WTF? If they gotta try so hard to get noticed, then obviously their "technology" can't sell itself-which has always been the problem. Of course, if you can get Government to force people to buy inferior crap out of some socialist or bribery under "green" guises, then you don't have to make technology that is better.

Build a better mousetrap, build a better car, leave the artists at home, and you'll make the sale.

Tho, if Japanese car manufacturers want to be "different", why not pack their electric or hybrid designs into retro replicas of old favorites? Nissan could put them into something like their old Datsun 510. Boxy, eclectic, and efficient in it's day. Honda could build it into a retro CVCC. Design it so that it looks very reminiscent of those older designs that proved to be effective over decades, throw in LED taillights, maybe round a few corners...take some ideas from the new Challenger for retro, and then maybe, maybe, consumers won't *puke* when they see some new battery car.

Brit couple divorce over Sadville infidelity

Rick Brasche
Thumb Up

I purposely create fat avatars in games

first, it's fun when Studly BiggusDickus gets killed by a character that's fat, fifty and balding. Second, you don't get hassled by women characters (and the men that play 'em) doing the old a/s/l or "cyber for loot" crap.

the few people or situations where I care about interacting with someone out of game, then they aren't disappointed:) At least I still have hair and am under 40 anyways

Apple unsheathes Jesus Phone 2.1

Rick Brasche
Jobs Horns

But it still doesn't RING!

if the iPhone is on a wifi network, the bloody handset doesn't ring until the caller has heard four rings-and it goes into voicemail after ring 5. What good is a phone if it doesn't work as a phone until I turn off all the fancy shite that my company paid up the @rse for in the first place?

I suppose it's better, under 2.02 it often didn't ring at all and went into voicemail more than half the time. Still, if I gotta turn off wifi just to know when someone is calling...that's an egregious oversight.

Tory proposes street-legal Segway legalisation

Rick Brasche
Flame

are there enough of these?

are there even enough of these overpriced toys to justify the time and expense to modify legislation to allow these? Not to mention the inherent stupidity of allowing slow, double-track powered vehicles on streets? What's next? Grandma's mobility scooter up and down the road?

Surely such ground breaking legislation will be a huge benefit to the dozen or so rich lazy folk or poseur wannabe trendsetters who bought into these crappy rigs.

But like in America, instead of addressing issues that affect thousands, spend time addressing and catering to the tiny self-defined minority...

Revealed! The new face of the Eee PC

Rick Brasche
Joke

@AC

both models of Eee? Whatever for? a Beowulf cluster? :P

It's time to apply the "Rayne Ratio":

http://www.licd.com/comic/20080520

A videogame that truly takes the p*ss

Rick Brasche

prior art

remember this?

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/superpiipii.html

Mobile phones cause bad behaviour in kids - report

Rick Brasche
Flame

I think they got the causality wrong

people who spend that much time on the phone during pregnancy are already proving they have issues...they're probably loud obnoxious folks who think their conversations are more important than the sanity of those around them-i.e.-showing they carry the genetic predisposition towards sociopathy and general @rseholeism.

If self centered dweebs, sociopathic antisocialites, and exhibitionist poseurs were drawn towards brightly colored hats with feathers, then we'd be seeing a report that "something" in the hats' manufacture or feather content was causing children to come out a lot like their folks. The nut doesn't often fall far from the tree.

To blame the phones themselves seems rather Lamarckian to me.

Sharp claims record mobile fuel cell power density

Rick Brasche
Flame

reminds me of a quote from a webcomic

"Mad Science means never having to say,'what's the worst that could happen?'"

I mean, come on, laptop batteries, flammable liquids, Sony...what could possibly go wrong there?

Flame icon, well, obviously.

Id Dooms gamers to new shoot-'em-up sequel

Rick Brasche
Thumb Up

ah, my introduction to network building

learning how to network PCs so Doom could be played multiplayer. Having to learn what IP addresses did and making sure the right cards and drivers were installed...much better than "Networking For Dummies" for a crash course in peer to peer communications.

Nintendo denies third-gen DS outing at E3

Rick Brasche
Happy

maybe

we'll finally get the Wii-DS integration that we've been teased with. Using the DS as a control device, patched in wirelessly. Now you get a configurable touch screen input device with a secondary display unit. Perfect for multiplayer, you see your own stats only..or card games, where you only see your hand and your friends see thiers...

Japanese geeks offered smaller-than-Eee little laptop

Rick Brasche

darned windows tax

can I get it without XP and the Windows Tax? That'd knock the price down almost $100 right there.

Sharp unwraps 'world first' Intel Atom phone

Rick Brasche

does it come with a chiropractor?

you're gonna need it holding that monster up to your ear for any length of time. Headset mandatory to keep from causing physical strain, not to mention the blind spot.

It'd be even funnier to see than the N-gage 'side talkin'"

Microsoft denies Lite-On Blu-ray rumour

Rick Brasche

blu ray addon?

I don't have a 360-but does the aftermarket make stuff for it like the Wii has? Perhaps Lite-On's just gonna sell independently an aftermarket add on drive device?

you could conceivably have both standards supported by the same box...hmmm.

Taking the piste: Wii to bring skiing to the living room

Rick Brasche

looks like fun

tho i might be a bit overweight for their controller pad. I love seeing the wii-hate crowd complaining of realism. Might as well as hate on Guitar Hero cuz it isn't "real" either. Or as other posters point to, *any* driving game.

And as for any references to any PS3 offering...how does tilting a gamepad make it significantly different than any other ski offering on the gamecube, or ps2?

Me, I'm still waiting for the new Mario Kart and Force Unleashed.

Asus to offer Linux-less Eee PCs globally

Rick Brasche

@ Tony

they might not be paying full price for XP on these, but you can bet good money that they'll be *charging* for this OS offering.

Nokia unwraps bendy nanotech phone

Rick Brasche
Joke

dude, where's my phone?

and heaven help you should it adapt to the tool you need most at any moment, or to shape itself to fit the owner's mood or disposition...

"Honest, I didn't have a knife a few minutes ago!" you proclaim as airport security summons Betty Bighands for that invasive body-cavity search...

Samsung laptop battery burns

Rick Brasche
Flame

my 3 and 5 year old Dell's are safe

they start beeping as they near thermal overload and shut down. Or they freeze up or crash from memory errors.

They should build laptops like the older Xbox360...it gets too warm, chips unseat and you get a Ring of Death shutdown.

And I don't care how much of a "genuis" someone may be in another field. If they're too stupid to learn how to use their tools (whether it be laptop, automobile, shovel, forklift or ball point pen) then they shouldn't be using them. Life isn't "Rain Man". I expect airline pilots to know how to operate their aircraft, I expect truck drivers to know how to drive, and I expect fast food employees to know how to make french fries without deep-frying themselves. Why should executive drones and artist-types be any different?

Yes! It's the vacuum cleaner mouse!

Rick Brasche
Joke

might just work here

people are really messy at the office and ruin ball type mice all the time. Looks like this one is optical tho, so isn't as affected by crumbage.

with a little more power, though, might make an unusual VR accessory for online pr0n...eeew

Miami cops trial 'hover and stare' ducted-fan Dalek

Rick Brasche

only an hour endurance

not very useful for a stake out. Plus, if commercial toy ducted fans are anything to judge, freakin' LOUD.

There's gonna be some interesting problems when these tangle with power lines or deal with pidgeon ingestion:P

Space shuttle descends: Satellite turkey-shoot to commence

Rick Brasche
Thumb Down

and if we *had* armed the Shuttle

the left wingers and anti-American concerns woulda been screaming and whinging about *that* instead.

damned if ya do, damned if ya don't.

Thigh-drive phone charger put through its paces

Rick Brasche
Thumb Up

cool

no worries about my Bushnell Holosight quitting when I'm in the field. If I get two, that's ten watts, enough to keep a GPS and maybe even comms gear charged.

Beats carrying a few more pounds of batteries-more room for ammo!

Nintendo patent profers wacky Wii add-ons

Rick Brasche

prior art

take a look into the webcomic "VG Cats". They had a few "interesting" wiimote add on concepts. May be NSFW.

as for gun addons, the Nyko PerfectShot is the best so far. and I'm waiting for the Light Saber add on this fall. I don't want the tennis or baseball bat addons because I'm already swinging hard enough as it is and don't need the extra mass speeding things up.

Bunker-nobbling US megabomb test delayed

Rick Brasche
Coat

but...

-"won't somebody think of the bunkers!"

-"Terrorists are people too!"

-"I for one welcome our bunker-busting overlords"

-and a few inane and politically inept anti-Bush remarks.

...and I'm spent. Mine's the one next to the concrete overshoes.

US Navy to test fire electric hypercannon

Rick Brasche
Go

niiice

armor piercing HV weapon that not only doesn't need DU to punch a hole thru anything manmade, but also works better with lighter, less toxic materials. Better for the environment, no toxic propellants..it's "Green"! for example, Barros of Powerlabs uses aluminum slugs for his test systems.

Accuracy problems? The USS Missouri could repeatedly lob 1 ton shells from sea to shore with GPS confirmed accuracy within yards. Better and much cheaper than cruise missiles. Plus, it's real hard to shoot down an artillery shell. Not as hard to hit it, but to destroy something designed to survive the hostile launch environment of a cannon? Lots more work.

What dingbats say there's no recoil? It may have a different "profile" as the device is pulsed, but if you watch test vids of even small kilowatt jobs then you'll see there's significant "kick". One of the first challenges the Navy's test team has is to develop a sufficient mounting system-this test cannon breaks it's mountings even more than it destroys barrels.

And for the amount of energy this thing delivers to target..if you put a megajoule in, and only lose a few kph to wind resistance, that means you get almost a megajoule out. Put in 30 or so, expect at minimum half that to make it to target.

What's the conversion for megajoules to tons TNT? Or in calories heat? Kinetic to thermal energy should be pretty easy to calculate.

Next up, hollowpoint hypervelocity KE rounds...sounds like a football thing.."HHYKE"!

"We don't think we're God, we just borrowed his "Smite!" button."

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