Posts by Big John
55 posts • joined Wednesday 28th October 2009 00:48 GMT
Re: Proof?
"You're obviously not understanding how this science actually works. There's nothing quasi-religious about increased flooding, increased drought, and increased weather damage, rising food prices[1], and all the other non-rhetorical effects that AGW is creating..."
Increased droughts and flooding have been shown to be caused by desertification (chopping too many trees). As for flooding, that's mostly down to the building of river levees that prevent rivers from occupying their natural floodplains, now occupied by houses. The levees drive the river crest to unprecedented heights, where they finally breach the levees and cause massive damage. Increased weather damage is to be expected with the rising population, and the tendency to build in risky but pretty areas like coastlines.
Funny you should mention rising food prices; the big green push for biofuels account for the biggest chunk of that, and biofuels are a pet project of the left, just like carbon taxation. Want to try once more?
Re: Proof?
"An idea that has a consensus of experts backing it has a far higher chance of being right, and therefore carries more credibility to outside observers, than an idea that doesn't have a consensus of experts backing it."
That works well for ideas, but AGW is more than an 'idea,' it's a social, political, and even quasi-religous meme too. And that meme swings a vast financial and 'moral' tail behind it. Thus a 97% 'consensus' is insufficiently credible to be included in the argument. Try again.
A good read about what happened at CERN
"How the Web was Born" by James Gillies and Robert Cailliau, both at CERN at the time and involved with Berners Lee. Covers all the little details, like how Cailliau had to hide Berners Lee's 20K salary from the physists who would otherwise complain about diverting funds from the real research. Heh.
http://tinyurl.com/ckbzf2h
Posted in Bitcoin prices spike on Euro woes
"By not putting exchanges under regulation, that means you've got nowhere to turn if your bitcoin bank fails or is simply embezzeled from. It's like trusting Eve online players with your bank account."
So why has Bitcoin continued for so long? Simple stupidity? I mean yeah, it was fun and cool when it was new, but that's long past. Is it just momentum?
Re: Not the usual suspects!
"This isn't a typical bunch of tree-hugging hippies: it's a petrol vehicle manufacturer, an oil company, and an oil-rich Arab state. That these three are taking solar seriously is noteworthy."
Who do you think are building all those other solar projects, the tree huggers? Uh uh, it's the corporations, and they only do it because of the tax subsidies that put them in the black.
I see a similarity between the dreams of renewable energy and fusion energy; They are always just a few years away from becoming viable. Dream on...
Follow the money
Let's run the numbers. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shams_solar_power_station) the plant will supply power to 20,000 homes. Total cost to build it is US$600 million.
600M/20K = 30K USD per home, just to cover the startup costs. Seems pretty pricey, particularly considering the very cheap land and blazing sunlight available. Over the 25 year life of the plant, I would suppose the running costs would possibly equal the build costs (guessing here), so they need to recoup at least 2400 USD per year per home, under ideal conditions (yeah right). Clearly this won't happen without subsidies.
And apparently a big chunk of the required tax subsidies are coming out of the pockets of Europeans?! Sounds like a sweet deal for those 20,000 homeowners...
Re: The politics of it
"Except nobody is paying the pro-global-warming scientists for their opinions !"
A rather lopsided percentage of global government research grant money is now going to climate research, far more than just a few years ago. The only reasonable explanation for this change is fear of a warmer world that will cause expensive trouble down the road.
Logically, if that fear dissipates, so will the new grant monies. Therefore, there is a strong incentive for those receiving those grants to maintain the fear of warming.. er, "climate change."
Maybe those scientists aren't being paid directly to lie, but the conflict of interest is huge.
Re: Scientific Terminology
"You mean I shouldn't be building a bunker right now! Oh my god! What should I do! Please SAVE ME!"
You're confusing Global Warming with Nuclear War, a common mistake. For GW you should build a strong tower to escape the rising seas, along with anti-wind hardening for existing structures in higher locations. Make sure you go off-grid and rely on solar cells/batteries, and recycle your brains out. Don't forget to save your 'night soil' for use in the veggie garden. If you're in a flood plain (as so many are these days), just let the flood have its way, it's for the best.
Lessee, did I forget anything?
Scientific Terminology
Note that these hard-core 'scientists' begin by calling Hurricane Sandy "Superstorm Sandy" in line with the freak-out media, then proceed to baldly assert as fact the claim of increased 'extreme weather,' as if that were simple reality rather than unsupported IPCC fear mongering. Need we bother to read further?
Re: What about plant cover?
"When the permafrost is exposed and warmed, does ground cover move in to absorb quantities of CO2?"
Well, yes. And don't forget the moisture release that leads to more reflective cloud cover too.
But there's something strange here. Most permafrost is below ground level, sometimes several meters below. That's what puzzles me, since the study claims that "exposure" to the sun can cause the C02 acceleration. Just how is the sun supposed to get to that deep permafrost layer anyway?
And what happened during previous very warm periods in the past few hundred thousand years? How come we don't have a glaring record of runaway warming then?
Re: Hmm...
Gun nut: "You can't change the second amendment."
Reasonable person: "The second word sort of suggests you can"
Let's correct that dialog a bit...
Constitutionalist: "You can't change the second amendment."
Simple Liberal: "The second word sort of suggests you can."
Constitutionalist: "You're right, so why don't you start the constitutional ammendment process?"
Simple Liberal: "That takes too long and those dumb gun nuts will block us at the polls. We'll just get Obama to command it be done."
Doublespeak
"UEA also hosts the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which some social scientists have suggested could become the nerve centre of an Isaac Asimov "Psychohistory" style push to manipulate voters into endorsing urgent climate action."
Isn't the act of 'manipulating voters' usually termed "propaganda"? And besides, the Asimovian concept of Psychohistory necessarily requires that the population to be manipulated be large enough to smooth out the variations in behaviors, making it feasable in the first place. Galaxy-sized populations, actually. These little earth-bound social 'scientists' seem to have very high opinions of themselves.
Re: Buses, huh?
Wouldn't a line of busses that long be unstable due to self-gravity? Before you can finish placing them, they'd be getting all kinky...
Posted in Jokes of no more than 2 lines
Re: There's always Lightbulbs.....
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Only one, but the bulb must really want to change.
Posted in Happy birthday, Transistor
Dangerous heat
In the early 70's I tried to build a Theremin from a design out of an electronics magazine. I etched and drilled a circut board like they indicated, got all the required parts, and proceeded to cook half the transistors with my clumsy soldering. It would have helped if someone had mentioned something about heat sinks. This was in an actual electronics class at school, and right then I first realized the level of incompetence/indifference that exists in schools.
What's the problem?
Lessee, way cool indirect method to get rid of carbon 'pollution,' check. No NIMBY issues, check. Economically inefficient method, good for huge tax increases, check. Not required to show any real results, check.
Sounds perfect, what are we waiting for?
Tactile smachtile
Anyone who's played Foosball for real knows that 'touch' is an essential part of the game. The ball kenetics do translate thru the rods to your hands, providing critical feedback. Lose that feedback and it becomes a completely different game. Might be fun, but probably not for long.
Re: Whats the problem???
"The very fact that such forums exist, is proof enough that ..."
"Wow. Self-reinforcing paranoia. Forums exist. *You* know everything about *them* (the projections of your paranoia that is). You are *against* them (the projections of your paranoia that is)."
Ah, so the poster's problem is an unreasoning fear of forums in general? Glad you pointed it out, I hadn't quite caught that on the first reading. I simplistically assumed it was about the UN people getting themselves involved in discussions about the Internet, and how that naturally leads to the suspicion that they wish to change it in some way. Silly me.
Besides, they categorically deny it, so that's that.
Posted in Astroboffins spot smiley face on Mercury
Beware
You fools! It's just the angle of the light! When the sun shifts around that smile will turn upside down, and then...
Why do it the hard way?
IMO, it would be far easier to turn a man into an ape than a woman, but much less of an accomplishment. I mean, not much needed, what?
Re: Great opportunity
"A quick census by biomass suggests that if it is directed towards anything, it's producing bacteria, fungi, and green plants in that order."
And then come the worms!
Re: There are many ways to skin a cat...
All or nearly all the big outer system moons were probably formed out of acretion disks surrounding each gas giant, sort of like the solar system in miniature. Evidence of this is in the nearly parallel orbital planes of each moon system, and their close alignment with the equator of their parent planets. Also they all orbit in the same direction as that planet spins. One exception; Even tho the Uranian moons follow this pattern, Uranus has that huge tilt (>90deg). Seems those moons must have formed during/after the hit that knocked Uranus askew.
Most of the small outer system moons are captures and have all kinds of orbits.
Oddly, Earth's moon has a huge orbital tilt of 5 degrees, but compared to the ecliptic (Earth's orbital plane), NOT Earth's equator. Bizarre. Pluto's moon Charon is thought to also be a knock-off, but its orbital tilt in relation to Pluto's equator is 0.001 degree! What the heck?
I suspect our oceans, always sloshing around, causing trouble...
Re: Why the solstices idea
Precession doesn't change the sunrise/sunset solstice horizon points, but besides precession there is also an obliquity (tilt) variation of 2.4% over 40,000 years, and that would change the horizon point, a little. Not sure 5000 years would be enough to make a detectable difference using stony optics tho...
The GOP wants to eat your brain
I'm seeing a lot of juvenile insults hurled here, but not much reasoned discourse. Are you techies, or are you leftist parrots? I wasn't aware that net neutrality had achieved consensus as a 'good thing' yet. No pros and cons whatsoever? Is this really the Reg board? Weird...
Important stuff at the end
Notice how the party affiliation of the perps is omitted until the very end of the article? Typically when it's a Republican it's splashed across the title. Just the usual non-biased journalism.
Legal Implications?
So, when a few persons decide to learn it and then refuse to speak anything else (see Klingon), will the courts use taxpayer monies to hire/train translators for them?
muscle vs metal
Hollywood aside, no robot can compete in strength against an equal weight of animal. Muscles are very strong for their weight. A robot that can wrestle against a human will need to weigh several times as much. Then there's animal coordination, honed over eons of evolutionary time with a very sophisticated vision system to match. Going mano a robot is a fool's game unless the robot is very big. Better stick to guns, gas, high voltage, lasers, etc.
Oh nasty man!
He's doing the right thing, but for all the wrong reasons! Aargh!!!
Posted in MIT student unicycles, Segway-style
..and go crab-style
The way a uni balances sideways is via torso twist, which changes wheel rolling direction, allowing the contact patch to be translated side to side (while the wheel is turning, anyway). Actual turning is difficult because total angular momentum must be added in one direction and then removed, using only a tiny friction patch in contact with the ground. The turn is achieved via a combination of friction and "carving." It's a bit hard to describe, but the rubber tread must do some scraping during each turn, which is actually audible if you listen closely.
A ball-wheel that can be driven in any direction is great, the payolad can stay balanced, but true turning becomes nearly impossibe due to the large friction patch preventing any actual angular change. Making the ball low-friction doesn't help because the turn-carving action depends on the wheel's shape to work, which won't be present on a radially symetric ball.
The result is that you can easily go any direction, but you can only face one way. Hmmm, sounds kinda cool, actually...
Not so much
The launch sequence would be:
1) Go to max speed and then lift the nose until there is a considerable upward vector
2) Let down the stick to become ballistic and release, then nose up a bit to separate
3) Roll and turn to the side, causing very rapid separation
4) Ignite rocket when safe, while it's still rising
At launch altitude the proper thrust angle for an orbital rocket is already quite tilted, so it won't take much time for the horizontal slow-moving rocket to turn up into that attitude, much like a Tomahawk missile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eevs2IL7y8
After that the small horizontal vector quickly becomes irrelevant compared to the hugely growing thrust vector velocity. The initial side drag loading on the rocket body at that low an air density and slow speed should not be enough to cause structural failure.
Paying?
How is it any different than TV? People are 'paid' for (theoretically) watching ads by getting to see (supposedly) interesting fare on the tube. Tech changes but the message remains the same: "See the pretty sparklies? You want?".
Personally I won't have those infernal tube thingies in the house. I know, I know, computers, but at least THEY enable me to have a good job in a location of my choice. Besides, who is FORCED to view sites with those new franken-ads? Plenty of other nodes out there, people.
Ordered to pay?
Landis is not a French citizen and does not reside there, and apparently they aren't trying to collect anyway, so what is this, exactly? Also consider that Landis did NOT perform the hack nor is it alleged that he did. His only (alledged) crime in this case was 'receiving illegally obtained data,' date which he then helped to diseminate to the public, a La Wikileaks. Is that so bad?
Okay, Landis has admitted to doping, but why the vindictive (but laughably toothless) attempt at a public takedown over this tangental association with a rather minor and certainly harmless hack job? Who are they trying to impress? Or are they just sore that someone had the temerity to expose the sordid inner workings of their little race and that less than competent dope testing lab?
Some particles are more equal than others
So these eggheads can now shoot scads of wispy little electrons at whatever. Great. The hadrons should get a charge out of it for sure, but they won't get smashed unless they start sniffing gluons.
I be totally confuzzled
Okay. The maintainers want us to stay away from the update, and the maintainers also released said update anyway. Can someone explain this to me, please?
Good idea, but a bit harsh
I would do a set of spring-loaded velcro blobs on short strings, aimed outward radially. At least one or two are bound to strike clothing, or at least something hairy...
Uh, officer, my computer crashed...
Consider a future where these cars are proved to have a much lower accident rate than people, what then? Does society allow them? Does society REQUIRE them??
And what about liability? Accidents will still occur. With human drivers the blame is clearly with the human (usually), but with a robo-crash the blame is less clear. Will survivors of the deceased get to sue the car maker every time it happens, despite the proven superior safety factor of such cars? " Your honor, my clients placed their safety and very lives in the hands of this companys' product, and that trust was unforgivably violated."
I don't see robo cars EVER being accepted, simply because it would expose the makers to enevitable ruin, unless they became universal and required, with shield laws for the car makers in place. That would require everyone to give up their personally controlled cars. Ain't gonna happen.
The perps
Who was on top in the browser/IQ ranking. Opera! THEY are behind this outrage!
Posted in Wallabies battle cattle farts
Other animals also fart
Okay, I know, Homo Sapiens doesn't predigest, but surely in this age of gene splicing SOMETHING could be done? A suffering humanity is waiting breathlessly...
Burning question
"2011MD isn't big enough to avoid burning up on its way down, there would be no surface impact"
Uh, not really, unless it was a long grazing pass thru the upper atmosphere. Most of the heating experienced by a big rock happens while striking air molecules that have a long 'free path,' thus preventing the formation of a protective air cap. Once the rock makes it down to the thicker air it gets the cap which drastically cuts the heating rate and also cuts the drag somewhat.
A vertical descent wouldn't allow much time in the high heating zone, and after that a 630 tonne rock would have little trouble arriving at the surface a few seconds later with most of its original speed, assuming it has high structural integrity. Kaboom.
And while it might only directly destroy a few city blocks, substantial damage would occur further out, not to mention all the rocks ejected from the impact landing all over the city. Oy, I hate it when that happens.
What's the frequency?
I thing the anonymous coward is missing the more interesting point. By asking the Mex Gov to not monitor the short range border patrol frequencies (from just across the border), they are pretty much revealing that they suspect said Gov of actually aiding Mexicans to illegally enter the US. Otherwise there would be no point in making the request.
I agree it was stupid thing to request, as it is sure to be taken as an insult, regardless of any facts. Perhaps it was a not-so-subtle way of letting the Mex Gov know that "We're on to you."
Crowd around, children!
http://www.reghardware.com/Design/graphics/icons/comment/flame_32.png
Child approaches the pretty pretty globe, said to be where we all live, presses button marked "Future Warming," sees humanity's home quickly become a flaming ball of destruction, is traumatized for life. Another AGW convert for the battles ahead. Mission accomplished!
Meanwhile...
..Obama continues to hide these:
1 Un-faked certified copy of original birth certificate
2 Columbia University transcripts
3 Columbia thesis paper
4 Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups
5 Harvard University transcripts
6 Illinois State Senate records
7 Illinois State Senate schedule
8 Law practice client list and billing records/summary
9 Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mother
10 Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)
11 Occidental College Transcripts
12 Parent’s marriage Certificate
13 Record of baptism
14 Selective Service registration records (Did Obama Actually Register for Selective Service?
15 Schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007
16 Passport records for all passports
17 Scholarly articles
18 SAT and LSAT test scores
19 Access to his grandmother in Kenya
20 List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists
21 Punahou grade school records
22 Noelani Kindergarten records are oddly missing from the the State of Hawaii Department of Education.
23 Page 11 of Stanley Ann Dunham's divorce decree.
Gliding reentry
The space shuttle actually uses its shape for lift during reentry, allowing it to remain higher that it otherwise could while shedding speed. It also does sweeping s-turns, probably to afford control over the distance traveled during the reentry. The g's and heating rate are much less than with a capsule descent but the heating time is a lot longer.
BTW, the energy ratio between a 'popup' flight like with SpaceShipTwo and a true flight to orbit is about 12:1, thus no huge fuel strapons and engines to match. Calling this thing a 'spaceship' is a bit like describing an obscene call as 'phone sex.'
Article has at least one bogus stat...
"Americans following the current congressional arguments about the effect or taxes on competitiveness might be interested to learn that although the US is ranked at a comparatively low 92 among 138 countries in total tax rate – meaning that 91 countries have lower overall rates – the report's number-one country, Sweden, scores significantly lower at 110."
This seemed a bit odd, so I went to nationmaster.com (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tax_tot_tax_as_of_gdp-taxation-total-as-of-gdp), and I find that Sweden rings the bell as the top nation in terms of taxation as % of GDP. Somebody is lying...
Semantic trouble?
Perhaps Hachamovitch just fails to grasp the meaning of "native" and thinks it means "without a plugin"? Could happen, the guy must be really busy.
hmmmm...
I like the html upgrade thing, but the new logo is, well, strange. What's with that shield motif and the rays? Rather heroic for a mere spec upgrade. On the other hand, the color scheme make me want to fall into a deep slumber. Sigh.
Perhaps the design is supposed to reflect the corporate battles raging all around the new spec?
like charges repel
Presumably a 20kv charge on the wires will keep them reasonably spaced, altho I suspect in practice it won't be quite so clean and easy. Resonance effects and such...
Who lit the vitriol lamp?
Rush gives kudos to the Reg and how is he thanked? A childish rant from the bowels of the staff room, followed by a tsunami of bilge from the so-called "geniuses" who inhabit the pages of the Reg. I suspect the causes are typical geeky ignorance of real politics along with unhealthy doses of mind-deadening socialism spoon-fed over a lifetime. Tsk.
Don't get me wrong tho, I peruse the Reg every day. The coverage to be found here is normally head and shoulders above other sources, but not today, alas.
