Recent Comments:
SnoMote robots could autonomously explore Antarctic {Engadget}
May 30th 2008 6:52AM Fool! Yeti are "found" in the Himalayas, not in either the Arctic or Antarctic.
However I can imagine penguins hijacking these for a quick race round a glacier.
UK planning to monitor and record every phone call, web page, and email sent by citizens {Engadget}
May 21st 2008 11:08AM "Data can be used in detection of many crimes or potential crimes."
Spot on - We have loads & loads of CCTV cameras all over the country, do people seriously think each one is connected to a monitor with a human watching it 24/7? Of course not, the vast bulk gets recorded and if no call is made on that footage the media gets re-used after a month or 2. If there is an incident the footage is used forensically to help solve whatever criminal activity was recorded - I can't see any rational objection to that usage, and the more CCTV installed the more it can only be used in this fashion.
The same with this, there will not be people looking at everybody’s data everyday, that would require half the population to be employed watching the other half. The data if collected can only be used forensically after the fact, real-time use just is not practical.
However the chance of the government and any of the preferred contractors being able to get this to work is so remote I really wouldn’t worry about it.
Carbon nanotubes causing asbestos-like effects in lab mice {Engadget}
May 21st 2008 6:51AM Carbon Fibre and Carbon Nanotubes are not the same thing.
Nanotubes are (currently) VERY expensive and there’s no way they'd be used for something like a skylight.
Carbon Fibre however is relatively cheap, certainly cheap enough to make lightweight fittings out of.
UK planning to monitor and record every phone call, web page, and email sent by citizens {Engadget}
May 21st 2008 4:48AM What would you prefer?
A country like the UK where they make crazy announcements and then fail to implement them because either they have bitten off more than they can chew or they used a consultant like EDS who always screw up on big jobs like this.
A country where no such announcements are made but they do instigate mass surveillance but deny it exists.
To précis:
A) Honest but incompetent
B) Dishonest and competent
Major wireless carriers all slapped with text-messaging class-action lawsuit {Engadget}
May 20th 2008 11:58AM Publius
I agree with some of what you say, but not all. Capitalism works for a while, but if left to its own devices it will always overheat and self destruct. The current problems in America are due to capitalist greed, some people got rich by lending money they did not have to people who could not afford it (gross over-simplification, but close enough).
For Capitalism to function long-term it needs regulation, right wing governments like your Republicans or Democrats (seriously, on a global reference the Democrats are a right wing party, America does not have a left wing party - excluding Nader) will not enforce adequate legislation as it hurts themselves and their friends, at least not until it is much too late. Also the American electoral system seems to have corruption built in, dump the Electoral College, it is superfluous and an invitation to ignore the voters wishes.
A common mistake is to regard Socialism and Capitalism as opposites, they are not and a Venn diagram is a better visualization than a compass. Europe works because it has capital based economy and socialist leaning governments who do enforce legislation to try to avoid the problems apparent in America, admittedly with limited success, but at least they try. I just hope we can keep it going with the increased diversity we’re seeing with EU expansion.
Major wireless carriers all slapped with text-messaging class-action lawsuit {Engadget}
May 20th 2008 9:11AM Poke4Christ
"socialism sounds nice, it doesn't work in practice. That's why most of the countries using it colapsed (sic) or are not on the fiscial (sic) world map."
WHAT?????
I suggest you look at the world:
America which is the most capitalist country around has a collapsing economy.
Europe where almost all the countries have socialist governments (even the "right wing" ones are far more socialist than your Democrats) has a far healthier economy than the US
China, the next largest economy is seriously left wing and they will very soon economically overtake America.
I really suggest you actually have a look around instead of swallowing what your politicians tell you, it is possible for them to be less than 100% honest.
eMachines launches two new desktops, puts your pennies into play {Engadget}
Apr 17th 2008 11:17AM It is a good thing if you already own an adequate display.
Darwin meets PC gold-stripping alchemist, Darwin wins {Engadget}
Apr 4th 2008 11:29AM "Mercury dust, don't breathe this!"
You couldn't even if you wanted to, the melting/freezing point of Mercury is -38.83 °C (-37.89 °F) anything entering your lungs at that temperature is going to cause more thermal problems than chemical ones.
You can solidify Mercury at higher temperatures but the pressure would turn you into an amorphous blob.
Mischievous teen arrested for turning camera into taser {Engadget}
Apr 4th 2008 11:22AM So it's all right to have an automatic machine pistol, protected by the constitution no less. But a relatively harmless broken camera will get you arrested.
Sheesh, America certainly has a screwed sense of priorities!
Heat from data center used to warm Swiss swimming pool {Engadget}
Apr 4th 2008 6:08AM oops, the commenting is a bit messed up, the above was meant to be somewhere else - sorry!
