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Comment Re:Make sense (Score 1) 530

I love that the first post is exactly what I would have posted, amen brother. This is what you do when times change RIM, you adapt. Microsoft realizes that unified architecture and a consistent experience is what consumers want, and what makes Apple devices so stable and easy to develop for. Very impressed with Microsoft's move here.

Comment And the Catholic church continues it's lost ways (Score 1) 286

The Catholic church has been lost for a long time, and this is just a sign it's never going to change. They changed the commandments to suit them for goodness sake! Changed the day of worship to suit them. Hid the bible from their followers because they didn't think their congregation could properly interpret the word of God (and also see the truth). Now in a long list of other atrocities, they banish someone for showing what's going on rather than commending them for helping identify a problem. Sorry if this comes across as an attack, but the Catholic church is scary. I think a lot of the people who are Catholic just don't know any better, and I feel for them.

Comment Re:Best of Luck (Score 1) 500

Yeah, throwing money down a hole for the lulz. Just like space travel always was!

Seriously, are you so short-sighted that you cannot see how useful mining asteroids for water, air, and eventually precious minerals is? I'll give you a hint: absolutely, 100% vital to the continued development of the human race. This has nothing to do with doing something "for the lulz." It is all about advancing the state of the human race. Not for profit, but because humanity can and should expand. Asteroid mining is one step forwards in our expansion towards other planets, and if we intend to not go extinct, we need to do that. We may not need to now. We may not need to in a hundred years, but we will in a thousand, or a million, and we are only going to get there if we start at some point. Might as well do it now.

To quote from the article: "[Planetary Resources] want to make sure there are available resources in place to ensure a permanent future in space." Our future, eventually, is in space. Whether from global warming, resource exhaustion, or nuclear war, Earth will eventually not be enough. When that day comes, we will be glad some billionaires chose to spend their money on space expansion, instead of building/buying shiny new toys, or hookers and blow.

Not to mention that no matter how far off, we have a finite amount of resources, nobody can dispute that. Even if something won't run out for 100 years, how will we make advances and learn how to mine in space if we don't start now? It's the whole mindset of people that think we can just ignore something for a 100 years and then magically have the technology in 100 years. You can't from A to C without going through B. We wouldn't have any of the amazing things we have today if it was for people who accepted "It can't be done" or people that couldn't see past the short term and see the long term goal.

Comment News flash, people in the office are lazy too (Score 1) 230

It's probably easier to skate by in an office environment and go unnoticed than telecommuting. To say 10% of telecommuters aren't working means that chances are, 10% of your office workers aren't working. Lazy is lazy, people don't just magically become productive when you force them into an office. I'd venture to say because of improved morale, you're probably getting more work out of telecommuters than office zombies.

Comment Great to see (Score 1) 230

It's great to see so many people extolling the virtues of working from home. I got very ill back in December, and was kind of forced to be allowed to work from home and now it's kind of an open option for me. I usually do it one or two days a week, and I get a lot done those days. I also usually put in more hours, because it's easy to just pop on the TV around quitting time, and work less efficiently, but keep on working since I have my laptop out and I'm already logged into things. Saving the miles on my car, the gas, the commute time, etc is all awesome. Losing an hour or more of my day to commuting is such a waste for me and the company I work for.

Comment Re:What about the stress of hazardous flight? (Score 1) 201

I think the night landing thing is because of a lack of control over the situation. Fighter pilots are cocky, and they need to be, they can't be second guessing themselves. They need to be confident in their abilities, just like a race car driver, otherwise the self doubt will get you killed. So because of that, you raise good point. The astronauts would have little control over the risks in space flight, and thus would be under added stress from that alone, not to mention other things that have been mentioned like if you had a health problem, etc. I can relate to the lack of control thing from personal experience. I quit riding sportbikes not because of a doubt in my abilities, but because of unknown variables like other drivers, debris on roads, poor roads, etc. Once you start worrying about that stuff, you lose your edge and willingness to commit.
Politics

Submission + - Wikileaks stops publishing classified files (bbc.co.uk)

lee1 writes: "Wikileaks has had to cease publishing classified files due to what the
organization calls a "blockade by US-based finance companies" that, according
to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has "destroyed 95% of our revenue." Assange
also opined that "A handful of US finance companies cannot be allowed to decide
how the whole world votes with its pocket." According to Assange the group was
taking "pre-litigation action" against the financial blockade in Iceland,
Denmark, the UK, Brussels, the United States and Australia. They have also
filed an anti-trust complaint with the European Commission."

Games

Submission + - Is online property real? Lawyer says no. (mnginteractive.com)

Bob the Super Hamste writes: "The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting on an analysis by lawyer Justin Kwong in the William Mitchell Law Review about virtual property and ownership. Justin Kwong asserts that virtual items are not real items and that you do not own them but only have a license. The analysis stems from a 2008 case of a Blane, MN man who filed a police report for the online theft of approximately $3800 of virtual goods. Justin Kwong compares virtual items to a mug club at a bar where patrons purchase rights to a specific numbered mug but cannot remove the mug from the premises. He does note that if in game items are purchased there needs to be clear language stating:
"the transaction is a license, not a sale, and that traditional consumer protections afforded by sales of goods do not necessarily apply""

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