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Submission + - Mysterious Dark Matter Blob Confounds Experts (msn.com) 1

mayberry42 writes: Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope are mystified by a merging galaxy cluster known as Abell 520 in which concentrations of visible matter and dark matter have apparently come unglued. A report on the Hubble observations, published in the Astrophysical Journal, raises more questions than answers about a cosmic pile-up that's occurring 2.4 billion light-years away.

"According to our current theory," says Arif Babul, the study team's senior theorist, "galaxies and dark matter are expected to stay together, even through a collision. But that's not what's happening in Abell 520. Here, the dark matter appears to have pooled to form the dark core, but most of the associated galaxies seem to have moved on."

Comment Re:What I do (Score 1) 647

1. Go for books with strong imagery over dense plot (e.g. Stross's Jennifer Morgue, Gaiman's Neverwhere, Lewis's Blind Side.) You get interrupted so much on planes that a 40 page idea is hard to enjoy: go for simple ideas done vividly. 2. Pack three unstarted paperbacks in carry-on. Don't be afraid to switch books if the current one isn't gripping you. 3. If all else fails, drink and then sleep. 4. Be in the first-class cabin.

Good ideas, but for 2, why not just get a Kindle or nook? They are fairly cheap, books are even cheaper than their dead-tree counterparts, and you can literally carry 1000's of thousand-page books with you (not that one would, but it's possible).

Comment Re:You can't go home again (Score 1) 138

Give it up. A new Zelda game will never recreate that experience of firing up The Legend of Zelda on your NES for the first time when you were 10 years-old.

Perhaps not, but then again no new games can reproduce the nostalgic effects of a 25 year old game, however good they may be. Having said that, classics do have to start somewhere. Give it time and it just may become the next A Link To The Past...or Twilight Princess.

Comment Re:I gave gifts like this once. Everyone hated the (Score 1) 377

They just don't care. And they surely don't want to receive it as a gift.

This says more about them (highly disrespectful and inconsiderate) than about you (thoughtful) and your gifts, to be honest. Dont be so quick to judge this as a bad idea - some families actually treat each other with kindness, courtesy and respect (something you may want to consider mentioning next time you talk to your niece) and thus will appreciate a custom-made gift - even if its something they dont like.

Comment What I use (legally) (Score 1) 377

I'd say add Ubuntu / Linux Mint (which people seem to really like, more so than Ubuntu it seems). Other software could be: TrueCrypt and KeePass for internet security, calibre for ebook management,Thunderbird for email and LibreOffice for office needs. While you're at it, Skype (full download) might be good as well - i always seem to need it at the most inopportune moment). This might be a bit of a cheat, but check out here. You know your friends, see for yourself what they might like from here and download accordingly.
Nintendo

Submission + - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is finally out

mayberry42 writes: Finally, the wait is over — for European fans, anyway. After months (well, over a year) of delays the latest adventure of Link is finally out. And the results are, to say the least, universally astounding. Famitsu magazine has given it a perfect score, and IGN stating "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the greatest Zelda game ever created. It's the best game for Wii and one of the finest video game accomplishments of the past 10 years." Of course, some of you may have already known this given that it has already been hacked (and yes, it looks even more fantastic in HD). I would love to hear what our European counterparts have to say about this game. Have you played it? Is it as good as they say? Why or why not?

Comment Re:what space is there for the Fire?" (Score 1) 381

If an E Ink Kindle or Nook is better for reading books, and a smartphone or iPad is better for watching movies or listening to music, what space is there for the Fire?

A $200 device that will do both.

You assume that the device can do the work equally well, or at least reasonably good, than both the iPad and the Kindle/Nook, which is not be the case given the current reviews. There's a reason that specialists get paid way more than "jack of all trades"-type peoples - they're better at what they do.

Comment Re:Nguv-be' Bas Boqrat (Score 1) 45

Like Shakespeare, this was better in the original klingon.

You joke, but I think it could make for an excellent movie thriller. Put Liam Neeson in it, add some conspiracy theories, women, and spy secrets and you have your next james bond/jason bourne character (except less action, more intrigue). As far as opera goes, though, we'll see. I was never a fan of the genre.

Comment Re:True to every corporation (Score 1) 548

This is a fundamental property of capitalism: when a corporation gets lucky it can dominate the market so strongly that when it gets unlucky it gets bailed out by the tax payers.

I'd mod you as -1 troll for this, but I think it would be more effective to post a reply. Simply put, you are utterly and entirely wrong and misinformed about what capitalism is and is not. The fact they are getting bailed out by the government implies, at best, government (that is, political) meddling with the market. At worst, it's indicative of systemic political corruption designed to protect the wealthy and powerful corporations, neither which is any part of capitalism. In fact, in a real capitalist system they would have failed, which is why they needed the bailout in the first place and that would have been the end of it. The fact that you confuse government involvement in the market as part of capitalism means either you are extremely naive, utterly dense or just plain trolling

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