* Posts by Pyros

185 publicly visible posts • joined 12 Nov 2007

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Minnesota store CUPBOARD was full of rocks FOUND ON MOON

Pyros
Boffin

Re: Re: ...really?

Well, yeah, but here's the thing: Only "common" fossils get holes and iron bars stuck into them--given how we still don't know a whole lot about Dinosauria and the eras they lived it, many are exceedingly valuable to the scientific literati. I bet you didn't know about the bonehouses that hold the actual fossils in storage--even the Smithsonian has one quietly sitting somewhere in DC.

Anyways, we're getting off-track.

Pyros
WTF?

...really?

*looks at his copy of "Sex On The Moon" by Ben Mezrich*

The monetary values of those rocks would give NASA some extra funding, that's for sure. And they're letting little grubby kids finger them?

Right, best break out the actual dinosaur bones for public fondling, not the plaster casts they put out for display...

Austrians drool over 15th-century jub buckets

Pyros
Boffin

That's probably the European viewpoint...

Given known pictorial depiction of Japanese art predating 15th centry (and I can confirm if you're interested,) both men and women of Edo did wear tighty-whities (and it's rather clever, when you think about the fact it's just one fairly long sheet of fabric.) I suspect it's primarily for support for men, and extra blottage for the women. Underwear status *never* did enter the picture for them; the Japanese were generally practical for the times then.

Which makes you wonder, did they really have panties in Norman times? One suspects they burned those because they don't have any really good way of removing menstrual staining back then, I suppose.

BOFH: The back-up backdown smackdown

Pyros
Joke

Re: Great story

Of who's--Simon's or the (l)user?

Money's on the obvious. :D

Ten... gaming mice

Pyros

Is it me or...

...does the MadCatz Cyborgs look like something you'd find in EVE Online?

I do know I'd spring for that Naga, as this mouse is experiencing bounce-back issues lately.

OFFICIAL: Last Western Black rhino snuffs it

Pyros
Alert

Hey, the last line gave me an idea...

Why don't they, uh, "buy" the horn at a higher price, with the "stipulation" that they want to "harvest" the horn themselves right off a live animal at a time of their own choosing?

Ergo, you're buying the animal out from under them while they think it's a great steal from "the silly white people?"

Laptop shoots spike into owner's hand

Pyros
Joke

Look on the bright side.

I'd bite the hand that feeds you if it kept putting in Carrot Top DVDs into your drive...

NASA: Beam me up some power, Scotty

Pyros

Hrmm...

There's several ways to do this, but the most feastible would be a multi-stage setup.

One lower-powered one on an equatorial country (I'm claiming Baja California as a good one.)

Another on the moon, this time far more powerful thanks to far easier power collection in the form of solar arrays in stragetic places.

Schedule the launches appropriately, and you can chuck stuff up to the lunar facility. From there, you can hold it til launch windows open and el blammo! You have an accelerating mass towards Elipson Erdani. Or whereever.

The tricky part is the deacceleration at the end...

Neurogaming set to be launched by Disney

Pyros
Linux

Hey, give it time.

Sooner or later they'll release bits and bobs to third-party profiteers--by then we'll see it on the floor of the annual expo in LV.

You know which one.

Truck nuts swing onto US freedom of speech agenda

Pyros
Joke

Wait, wait...

So they're having trouble with these *now*? Geez, next thing you know we'll have to rebrand them as "funtional alternatives" for robots and ennuchi.

I think I hear the Mazin-Bros coming...

http://www.neomonsterisland.com/tktarkv/vol4/031/1533/1.html

Moons, rings PROBED by interplanetary space robot

Pyros
Joke

Question

Lewis, did you borrow Lester for a bit? The title/header is a bit much, even for you...

New Taser made to take down angry bears, moose

Pyros
Joke

Looks like we'll have to update the classics.

YOGI: Don't tase me, bro!

V-22 Osprey, stealth jumpjet 'need refrigerated landing pads'

Pyros

Another way to reduce heat from exhaust

is to add vertical vents around most of the engine itself.

See, it doesn't need to vent much downward to land--the propellers do that job already--but with this addition, they can achieve greater amounts of stability in landing as well. All they have to do it close it tightly during flying procedures, and they're golden.

Granted, there's plenty of (very warm) prop-wash if they do this, but the heat won't be so focused.

I still vote on NASA's ceramic shuttle plating--it's less trouble than this. Don't they layer insulation foam underneath as well?

Fungal invader bites Spanish ham

Pyros
Boffin

Has anyone tried other oak varieties?

We could do an interesting taste study based on hammys who were fed acorns from other particular species, such as live oak or what not.

Hey, we've got an abundance of live oaks in Florida, they're not really useful for anything but half-way decent firewood...

Melting ice sheets create new carbon sink, say boffins

Pyros
Boffin

Well, at least it's a bit comforting.

Of course, I should look up my father's old data on marine snow*, as he pioneered that particular data-sampling method back in the late 80's.

Would be rather illuminating, in a dry sort of sense.

*Marine snow--another name for dead phytoplankton; underwater they drift down to the seafloor not unlike a gentle snowfall.

Scots slam Germans for 'tight-arsed' slur

Pyros
Joke

They should use a different sterotype.

Like, say... Polish?

*runs away from the horde of sausage-weilding, Kow-a-zaki-riding maniacs*

Denver website seeks dope critic

Pyros
Badgers

re: Robert Carnegie

Yeah, I'm sure it's just THAT easy to get arthritis in under a week--two if it's the cheaper method. </sarcasm>

Barnes & Noble whips out Nook e-reader

Pyros
Coat

...the name suggest something.

Think you can get pr0n on this? :D

My coat's the one with the dirty rag in the back pocket...

Federal boffins: 'Giant invading snakes' will soon rule USA

Pyros
Flame

@Robert Hill

You'll want to thouroughly cook the meat first, though--they easily carry parasites like freshwater eel do. :)

Mmm, BBQ snake on an open flame. :D

Pyros
Boffin

Lester needs to stick to mammals on the Biology page.

There's actually a lower risk of injury from constrictors than from, say, water moccasins (which are plentiful up and down the US East.) The trick is to stay out of their coils--they kill by crushing with their bodies, not biting with their mouths. I'd only be more concerned if they can fall out of tall trees and on top of me.

I'd be more worried about the small but growing population of monitor lizards in Dade County--and this was revealed after a spirited discussion about a post-apocolyptic Florida using the Fallout continuity.

'Stop NASA bombing the Moon!'

Pyros
Alien

Whatta buncha loons.

Think they should have a crack at colonization first?

(Think about it. Mean, I know, but it's worth the effort sometimes. >) )

Geordi LaForge video-to-brain rig built at MIT

Pyros

Induction isn't new.

Cochlear implants are powered the same way, for quite a few years now. (Who do you think is getting one? I'm just waiting on the approval of the funding, the doohickey ain't cheap.)

The only difference is that the body has less chance of rejecting the implant, as it's inserted into the hollow cochlear, as opposed to directly on the nerve cells. (And even then that's not stopping them from doing the same thing on the audiological nerves as an improvement/bypass for cochlear implants.)

US deputies taze traffic dodging rogue emu

Pyros
Thumb Up

Something tells me...

...that I should insert some "Sesame Street" in this article, thanks to the subtitles.

And I still have *no* idea why tazing Big Bird is so danged funny.

Swedish bloke attempts lactation

Pyros
Thumb Down

...he forgot something.

Estrogen hormonal treatments.

Lots of it.

There's no way a man can lactate--it's primarily a hormonal response triggered by estrogen. (This is also why women have those growths on their chests, too--it's called an organic production & storage facility for human milk.)

Japan gives the wheelchair a hi-tech overhaul

Pyros
Thumb Up

Looks suspiciously like Prof. X's hoverchair.

Just turn the seating around and paint it yellow...

Still, it's a good one-revolution-of-the-wheel towards a better motorized wheelchair that doesn't look like it belonged on the set of The Lawnmower Man.

The Prisoner of Blogger

Pyros
Boffin

Strange

If you're knowledgeable in pHp, you can, given a day or two of nothing else to do, hack up a simple blog-like system with your webserver and mySQL database. (Not that I'm interested--I already have a different pHp project.)

I used to briefly run a Blogspot (see Blogger) name, but I no longer really see the point of a blog--forums are more fun, and when you're a moderator, you can permanently pin and lock a journal thread of your own if you desire to.

Gamers gun down Half-Life

Pyros
Grenade

Half-life?

Wouldn't it be better to ask Midway for a copy of Time Crisis 3? At least you don't have to worry about moving--you can execute a "stop time" for reloading and a secondary sensor to tell if you're under cover.

Grenade launchers makes everything better, IMO. :D

Authorities release Nuremberg Nazi gnome

Pyros

Just for the anti-Nazi law pundits

Please keep in mind that this is a relic of the post-war Germany mindset; the Stazi were pretty keen in stomping out as much as possible the "embarrassing" spectacle of Germany's recent history, in order to satisfy their then-current Allied watchers. (Including Russia--to be honest, I never liked the Wall that much, it caused a lot of internal problems long after West Germany got its act together.)

Don't call me Ishmael

Pyros
Go

At least I try to be orignal, too.

My current lappy is named Little Sister--I had gotten BioShock around the time I got her, too.

My old one was, interestingly enough, named Zodiac--that was also the name of my very first PC, an Aries 365. He still runs (and, strangely enough, boots faster than XP, given it's a 3.1 machine.)

I've also named the cars I've driven as well--Dingo was a crappy old beige Jeep Cherokee, followed by Elftor the White, a nice little Nissan XL pickup, with crurrently Queen of Spades, a '03 Nissan Titan pickup.

Japanese pop pineapple recovers from Swede mashing

Pyros
Joke

Perfidious perps pound pop pinapple into purple potash

(It was a given--I *had* to do it... :D )

Cartoon lion urges Lancs kids to dob in terrorist classmates

Pyros

1984 not quite the litterary ref here...

It's plenty of shades of John Ringo's "Road to Damascus," given the article.

(Not to mention the best possible BOLO book out there, IMO.)

David Carradine found dead in Bangkok

Pyros

...I'm confused.

The neck, I understand... but the privates?

Could it be a severe case of the blue balls in his old age?

Playboy to take on World of Warcraft with Bunny-themed MMORG

Pyros

Midgets, not gnomes.

Beyond that, can we label the skinny runway model waifs as Blood Elves? I'm sure they're all taking something as an appetite suppressant.

Seriously, though... what's the point? I can just aim my browser at some nice smutty site--like, say Playboy.com? I think some people are getting a wee bit *too* jaded...

Man turns finger into storage

Pyros
Joke

Betcha

that he can now give the finger to RIAA with all those ripped MP3 on board!

(Really, that's the best joke I can come up that doesn't involve "fondling.")

Geekerati brace for Unix timestamp milestone

Pyros
Joke

@skelband

In other words, an IT manager.

Carry on, wayward sons.

Oz man collared with pigeons down trousers

Pyros
Coat

Looks like the cute policema'am said to him...

"Sir, are you happy to see me, or is that a pigeon in your pants?"

Mine's the grey poncho with the whitish smears, please...

NASA working on boomless supersonic jets

Pyros

Mass Oppression Rotary Overhead New Initative Craft

Beat THAT acronym! (And it can be used on most crappy aircraft designs; I recall hearing "rotary" used on a jet aircraft once. :D )

Benjamin Button eyes 13 Oscars

Pyros

@ Sarah Bee

Wager a pint that he's still living in his parent's basement? >)

FCC kills Puritanical wireless vote

Pyros

Well...

If it DID pass... hey, free gaming access!

...sadly, that's the upside, and even I'm not sure it'll work that well with WoW.

Aussie protests over Great Firewall

Pyros
Stop

@Frank Thomas

Calling the Bible Belt the "heavily armed, heavily drunken, religious extremist belt" is a tad bit off... they're just wacko religious extremists who tend to like listening to evangelists moreso than healthy. (And the Bible Belt is located within mid-Great Plains (and occasionally slipping to Texas, IMO.))

Now heavily armed and heavily drunken... that'd describe half of the Eastern Starboard, from NY down to the Panhandle, and across the Appalachians. They're the best chance to keep the Consitution alive, even if they look like a bunch of rednecks every now and then.

Pret customers get free Wi-Fi

Pyros
Unhappy

T-Mobile needs better price plans.

I mean, I can get T-Zone on my cell, so why the heck do I need to buy extra just to surf on a laptop?

Yeesh--at least I can still get my Komodo with room.

Apple files 3D-interface patent

Pyros
Coat

Oh, hi!

Can we say "Microsoft Bob?"

Mine's the one with discounted '95 software in it....

Hawaii says 'aloha' to Phoenix electric SUVs, pick-ups

Pyros

Huh.

Those things actually look fairly decent--I'd be happy to take one for a spin.

Wonder what the tonnage limit is on the pickup version?

'Faith-based' investment firm fingers holiday's most sinful games

Pyros

I'm partially suprised

...that BioShock is high up on the list--but let's face it; it's a very dystopian Art Deco city, with lots of violently insane Splicers and other assorted nasties--so it comes with the territory. The fact that EVE use is fairly high is pretty much the bulk of the score, I know--it does look a lot like heroin use, but you do need to use one just to get past an important area early on. Can't avoid it, at first.

I do bet that there's some fundamentalists out there playing it, though, smirking at the thought that they're "doing DOG's work" by systimatically "weeding out the impure and saving the innocent."

Gamers voice NXE woes

Pyros
Thumb Down

On par

...for the course.

This is why the Wii is still #1 on my "new console" list.

Attorneys for Palin email hacker: 'Don't call him hacker'

Pyros

Silly buggers.

He never hacked--just applied social engineering to it and got suprising results.

Do what Las Vegas casino owners do--hire the kid and let him sniff the gov't network for obvious holes.

World's first AI birth achieved using frozen rhino sperm

Pyros

re:@Dave

Not if you've seen a live showing of "milking" thoroughbreds before... *shudders*

BBC has newsgasm over Obama's dog

Pyros

Bah

Get 'em a cat. A Cornish Rex to be exact--they're one step up from the hairless Sphinx and sorta look like Obama already, IMO.

Oh, and Sarah? Labradors are considered ideal Canine Companion dogs due to their selectively bred traits, such as their gentle mouths and high intelligence. We have a reject living with us--she only failed the last exam due to a shorter than ideal attenton span. (Canine ADD, we call it. Can't even properly focus to play with us for extended periods of time.)

MPs decry Heathrow T5 fiasco

Pyros

They're not alone.

Denver Int'l had a similar problem with their orignal automated baggage handling--but it took them several months to correct the problem, and is now a partialy automated system with human oversight for the occasional stray luggage.

At least they're all reliably going to the right planes, as it should be.

US Navy robot kill-choppers to drop auto-snort podules

Pyros
Joke

Nah...

I read it as "sniffing out sailors' butt-crack."

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