Posts by OrientalHero

Re: El Reg comparators for temperature?

I think the last one is also called the "gom jabbar"

but unless you're carrying it, the SLR will be moot... The phone wins unless you're in the habit of going out on a photo shoot...

Hence my preference for compact like the Sony RX100 (although the latter models are too expensive for me!).

Re: Never Heard of...

Actually, don't most ppl get courtesy cars (and bicycles - when your main mode is a bike obvs!) in their road side assistance service or insurance?

Same thing goes for building insurance in that they will house you if there is a flood etc.

I guess the point is that some ppl don't consider the possibility so don't arrange any cover for it.

Re: they'd just have high levels of knife crime

It's not just the societal guard rails, it's also having none of the monetary pitfalls/spears pushing ppl over the edge. I just read an article in the Economist about Electronic Tagging and I'm a bit flabbergasted about the way it works in the US.

So this lady has spent 3 weeks in jail because she got into an argument whilst on probation and the other party called the cops. 3 weeks cos she can't afford the 500USD bail.

A charity pays the bail at that point, and she has to wear electronic tagging.

She's charged 13USD per day and 50USD initial.

After several weeks and no-shows by the claimant, the charges are dismissed and the lady is released as innocent as she was when she went in, but now in debt for X hundreds of USD...

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/09/26/an-alternative-to-cash-bail-comes-with-its-own-costs

The tagging costs the authorities far less than keeping someone locked up, so I'm not sure why they don't foot the bill.

Re: Of course they'd like to implement this

"in this case by smiling nicely for the cameras"

I thought one of the guidelines of an eligible passport photo is that you're not supposed to smile.

(looked it up - "have a plain expression and your mouth closed")

So you must be advocating the "public disobedience" option ;)

Re: YES

Heh, I always ask my daughter which party icon is the prettiest on the ballot sheet in the voting booth in a loud voice.

And just because you're asking doesn't mean it's influencing your choice.

funnily enough, I bought a Switch for my kids because it's very much about the co-op play...!

But rather than do the gut feel about games losing that couch playability, do a search here...

https://www.co-optimus.com/system/24/xbox-one.html#

Re: "data warfare"

As an aside to the OP, you might think the exercise and diet algorithms simplify into calories out and calories in.

But the whole point of the HIIT regime is to change the underlying metabolism so that even out of the active exercise period, the increased metabolism at rest has a higher calories out effect.

And then you get the whole sprint vs marathon calorie output........

Re: America : the #1 hypocrite

NATO countries with the F35 will be using them in many non NATO operations.

Historically, we've had operations in Bosnia, Falklands and Suez to pick differing examples of where Jolly NATO isn't involved. In fact Suez illustrates where the US is actively against the action. Yes it was a while back, but the joint efforts of WWII were much fresher then, but of no import.

Re: Missing the obvious

Humans have to pass a country's driving test before they are allowed on the roads of that country.

Has either the human safety or even the AI passed that test?

Re: Proof of ownership?

I think everyone is leery of being on an automated suspect list.

Is it a bit like being at a party with a policeman, but they're actually not off duty/there to party... They're looking for a suspect?

Or is it the thought of being on the Occam's Razor of well, you were at the crime scene, you are a suspect. If your's is the only DNA and you don't have a water tight alibi, does that make you Prime Suspect?

Even if you do have nothing to hide, the more investigations you are in, the more suspicious it will seem. Or a mistake in processing will be made, resulting in a miscarriage of justice (which is only a miscarriage once it's discovered/acted upon).

cheap Persian knock offs

perhaps the Antikythera Mechanism was much more popular than we know as the very widespread adoption of the larger cheap wooden Persian knock offs didn't last. The Persian Wars were likely started because the Xerxes model was being forcibly marketed to the Greeks and the introduction of either trade tariffs or an Intellectual Property Rights dispute over the rounded shape of the device being derivative of the Athenian Brass model...

Great book about this

Neal Stephenson wrote a great book about the period (amongst another story set in modern times), in the Cryptonomicon.

Made that point precisely about having to not get 100% but also to give the Axis forces enough clues to think other means were the reason the Axis losses occurred.

Re: They remind me of...

Snap!

I've seen one in in the Red Sea too! Only in the day time.

Our dive master pointed out two little shrimps wandering over it.

Hmmm, should they ape nature to that extent by having generic maintenance bots wandering over it?

Re: yep

Didn't the Harrier not do VTO when fully armed/loaded? They used the "ski ramp" to "boost lift" and presumably once finished with a mission were able to VTL as there was less weight.

But I haven't seen any mention of ramps on F35 aircraft carriers... It's all catapults.

Re: Started at Prog 13...

I got it.

Turning into a fly is proof of mutant powers. Mutants were illegal in Megacity One.

Although if he co-operated, he'd probably just get exiled to the Cursed Earth.

Hmmm, maybe LG only reserved the HDMI ports for the higher end TVs. The OLED55E6V does have 4 x 2.0a HDMI ports (http://www.lg.com/uk/tvs/lg-OLED55E6V).

Re: Make something new

Yeah, I'd love a Lensman movie. Perhaps it's been done already in Anime! I keep seeing animes about Arisia and Lensman but never had the chance to explore. (seems it was really bad).

Re: I'm no rocket scientist

Yes, well the breed that actually does the propulsion chemicals research usually have missing fingers!

Woah, that's quite skewed. Also indefensible with the "only what is most popularly searched on" arguement...

Re: "In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love..."

Looks like you've picked up on some or Hari Seldon's Psychohistory from Foundation (funnily enough from Issac Asimov!).

Yes, religion is the first step, but what is the second? And the ones after?

Re: talent upgrade

so the "redundancies" aren't. Isn't there any recourse to litigation for the employees if that's the reason given? I'm sure you can do that in the UK if they hire someone for the same role/purpose having made the original employee "redundant".

Re: I've seen...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3620110/The-police-must-end-their-abuse-of-anti-terror-legislation.html

Heckling protester at a Labour political party conference in Brighton arrested under Terrorism act.

They mention other instances in the article.

Re: Simply fascinating...

I thought there were thought experiments which didn't mention any numbers at all.... Indeed, wasn't that the whole point to conceptually work things out?

Perhaps I'm thinking too hard :)

Re: Repeat after me:

heh, I thought Microsoft got there first with those....

Re: Leatherman

I too carry the leatherman micra (since discontinued) instead of the much bulkier Swiss Army knife. Maybe it's because I did go for the camping version which had a wood saw and metal file/hacksaw (which I probably used as much as the corkscrew).

NB: it does have the phillips screwdriver (albeit singleblade version).

Re: I always thought...

Heh, there's a lost white walled city in Syria called Al Resafa.

It looks red in the pictures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resafa) but 1500 years of sand blasting by the desert will do that to white walls.

Re: I wonder ...

China is set on the Moon, India seems to be set on Mars.

Prior to those objectives, the US was doing long term biomes and the Russians were investigating year long zero g both of which could have been focused on the roughly 9 month trip to Mars.

But how come no-one's tried Venus?

Heh, noticed in the credits at the end that the music was recorded before he went up.

But still, I'd love to have those problems of how to play in zero/micro G.