Posts by Momiji

Encryption...

...won't really work when they detain you until you unlock your encrypted partitions.

Also, what TBW said. Don't feed the Tea Party trolls more than they already are.

A sad end

What a sad end for a nice phone. I got a N1 back in March, and I love it.

Active/Passive Sonar

Just a heads up, your bit about active sonar isn't exactly accurate. Pretty much every single military submarine pre-WWII has had both active (pinging) and passive (listening) sonar. In fact, nowadays, the active part is generally just the pinger part, using the passive section (which can listen on multiple selectable frequency bands) as the listening part.

Second of all, most diesel-electric submarines (whether equipped with AIP or not) don't have their diesels connected to the propshafts in any way except the electric motors. Diesels are most efficient when they run at a constant speed, so it saves fuel by keeping them decoupled even while recharging the batteries. The US Navy figured this out in the late 1920s, and pioneered the "true" decoupled diesel-electric with their S-class, but other navies didn't really adopt it 'till the end of WWII.

Although these subs seem dated and some relic from a more archaic time, they're actually packed with a lot of technology and automation, requiring an incredibly small crew and much lower development, building, and operational costs than a nuclear sub. While they may not be something you want to take out into the open ocean, they're perfect for coastal areas. And even then, the Indians have their Shchuka (NATO: Akula) boats for their blue water sub force.

Whelp...

I guess our country truly is leading the world in "fastest mass-retardation ever."