Party Balloons Will Become Extinct

Party balloons might disappear in the future in order to preserve limited supplies of helium, slashdot article Scientists Speak Out Against Wasting Helium In Balloons, BBC report Helium shortage prompts scientist's balloon use warning.

Of course once breeder reactors are available maybe helium can be created by splitting hydrogen. The wold needs to invest heavily in nuclear technology so we can escape the carbon trap we are currently in.

Best comment in the slashdot thread was by cellocgw, also the first comment in the thread. 

There may be a free-market solution. Let's float a trial balloon and see how everyone reacts.

The Killer Within - At Microsoft

The first time we met face-to-face, I thought, This guy looks like an operative for the N.K.V.D. (sic)

Paul Allen, quoted in  Microsoft’s Odd Couple

describing Steve Ballmer.

Interesting article about the early years of Microsoft by its co founder Paul Allen, Microsoft’s Odd Couple, linked from slashdot, Microsoft's 'Cannibalistic Culture'. I also read the Isaacson biography of Jobs recently. The major similarity between Jobs and Gates is that they are/were complete and total bastards willing to screw their friends/partners for just a little more money/power.  

Disclaimer: I use a PC.

Super Cool Sci-Fi Weapons and Realty

Games Radar has story comparing the the wanked out weapons and gear in computer games, Fantastic video game weapons vs their real-life equivalents.

I was surprised that the entry on power armor didn't make reference to Project Grizzly.

from slashdot's. Real-Life Equivalents

 of Video Game Weapons.

The Professional Trolls Who are Congressional Critters

Does anyone else just feel worn out by all political BS in the U.S these days? I mean, it seems like Congress is nothing more than a group of professional trolls at this point. They never, ever seem capable of doing anything useful, or beneficial for the citizens of this country anymore. It's exhausting. Every single time a story pops up (on Slashdot or anywhere else) that involves politics or a political decision, you can basically just assume that it's going to screw over everyone in the country that isn't already a politician.

Being a U.S. citizen today feels just like playing the role of Sisiphus [wikipedia.org], consistently pushing a boulder uphill (trying to improve the world by being a responsible citizen, voting, jury duty, etc.) only to realize that you have to push it up again when you reach the top (Congress critters keep passing bills that fuck things up even more). It's exhausting, to keep reading about how those folks we elect to power just stumble around and fuck things up so badly....It's so consistent that it very nearly serves as a dataset to debunk that old meme of, "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence."

Our leaders are just fucking terrible. It's exhausting.

Bradley C Jackson posting as
BJ Covert Actionin
slashdot thread
House Passes Amendment
To Block Funds For Net Neutrality.

Home Appliances Fed On Rotting Flesh.

Carnivorous Domestic Entertainment Robots from Auger-Loizeau on Vimeo.

Years ago there was a bug zapper ad featuring Vincent Price. As the bugs were consumed he would chortle an evil laugh. Unfortunately I can't find it on Youtube. These innovative designs are part of an experiment in "predatory cyborg furniture". The only design that seems really gross is the coffee table that eats mice.

This is also got a mention on NPR, Meat-Eating Furniture, and slashdot, Designers Create Meat Eating Furniture.

Steam Punk Photography

slashdot's recent poll, My Camera is..., is a little dismissive about non pixel based photography.

The Contrast Between Google versus Microsoft

Don't be Evil.

Google

Just following orders

Microsoft

"You've got to decide: do you want to obey the laws of the countries you're in or not? If not, you may not end up doing business there"

Bill Gates recently gave this explanation/excuse of dealing with Chinese Communist regime. As quoted in The Guardian article, Web censorship in China? Not a problem, says Bill Gates. For more discussion see slashdot, Ballmer Defends Microsoft In China.

New Port Of M.U.L.E

M.U.L.E was an early economic computer game from way back in 1983. I remember playing it until my eyes bled, hands cramps, until Crystite pirates terrorized my waking dreams. The children of the original designer has brought back M.U.L.E as a free game playable solo or multiplayer.

Here is the slashdot story on the return of M.U.L.E , M.U.L.E. Is Back.

Planet Mule, site of the reborn M.U.L.E .

I'm Dreaming of a Nerd Christmas

slashdot has a story on the engineering of Santa Claus, The Science of Santa. It is a discussion based on a New Scientist article, The Science of Santa. And based on the book, The Truth about Santa. The article and nook are both written by Gregory Mone.

There are some amusing comments on slashdot.

yanyan provides a link to a previous calculations of Santa, Santa Claus: an Engineering Analysis.

girlintraining gives this acidic cimment on nerds:

Amazing. They believe in advanced quantum physics AND Santa. Most ordinary people would just say "he doesn't exist" around the age of 9 and move on. But not geeks!

What's Wrong with the "New" Star Wars

The Craptracular Phantom Menace shocked and disappointed many fan boys. Here is the definite 70 minute review of why the first Star Wars prequel sucked sobadly.

Discovered on a slashdot thread, The Definitive Evisceration of The Phantom Menace *NSFW*.


Above is part one of seven. Below are links to the other 6 parts in the series.

part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7

Ancient Computer Graphics in Star Wars

slashdot has a link to an an old film explaining the computer graphics in the Star Wars briefing scene, 1977 Star Wars Computer Graphics. The Topless Robot found this gem and has this wonderful comment from Nonish on the terrible and declining taste of one George Lucas.

"Stick around. I'm sure Lucas is close to unveiling plans to refilm the classic trilogy.

Now with poop jokes and Jar Jar Binks™"

No. NO! Don't even go there. I've been scared pretty much shitless over this ever since this let's-refilm-and-gangrape-classics fad caught on at Hollywood.

Stupidity in Real Life and Online

In a slashdot article complaining about tech support, Easing the Job of Family Tech Support? Chapter80 gives this analogy for how easily people forget basic streetwise survival skills when online.

My usual approach is in the form of an analogy.

"You're driving down the road, and you stop at a traffic light. A man, dressed like a mechanic, approaches your car and says 'I think your car has a problem. Please pop the hood, and let me do a free analysis." Do you let him?"

"You get a package in the mail. You don't recognize the return address. You open it, and inside is a device with a note that says 'want a good laugh? press this button'. Do you press it?"

"A stranger walks up to you on the bus, and says 'My name is Rev. Kwame. I want a reliable person who could assist us to transfer the sum of Twenty Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ( $20,500,000 ) into his / her account.This fund resulted by way of gratification from a contract awarded by us under the budget allocation to my Ministry and this bill has been approved for payment by the concerned Ministries.' Do you give them your bank account number?"

Etc.

Plug for Plugs

slashdot has a good discussion of electrical plugs and why there are so many varying plug standards. There is also a link to gizmodo article about plug standards, where the above map is from, Giz Explains: Why Every Country Has a Different F#$%ing Plug.

Soviet / American Anthem Mashup

While following up a story on slashdot about Russian attempts to enforce their IP for the AK47 design I ended up on a page of Russian/Soviet anthems. Here is a version of the American anthem the Star Spangled Banner sung to the tune of the Soviet Anthem — by Iron Curtain. To me this song like everything associated with Stalin is tainted. It is an anthem not of dying for your country, or living for it, by the anthem to be sung while being murdered by your country for some grand and meaningless purpose.

Update
Repaired the broken link.
09/21/08

A Supervillian's Datacenter

In a slashdot story, Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space? Anonymous Coward linked to this article of a data center in Stockholm in a surplus nuclear bunker, The World's most super-designed data center - Fit for a James Bond Villain. This what CEO that paid for this site, sounding in no way a little nerdy, wanted.

“I’m personally a big fan of old science fiction movies. Especially ones from the 70s like Logan’s Run, Silent Running, Star Wars (especially The Empire Strikes Back) so these were an influence,“ said Karlung. “James Bond movies have also had an impact on the design. I was actually looking for the same outfit as the villain ‘Blofeld’ in Bond and even considered getting a white cat, but that might have been going a bit far!”

Half Life With Real Guns

Waterloo Labs is a group from a laboratory near Austin Texas. They have figured out a (cheap) way to play Half Life with real guns. They are also able to kill zombies with shovels using the same setup. Check out the discussion of this technological break through at slashdot, Playing a First-Person Shooter Using Real Guns.

Intoxication: A Comparison

In a slashdot thread about a roadside drug detector, Philips Develops Roadside Drug-Testing Device, Shakrai gives this joke about the relative dangers of drunk or doped up drivers.

What's the difference between a drunk driver and a stoned driver? The drunk driver runs right through the stop sign without even looking. The stoned driver stops at the stop sign and waits for it to turn green.

Those Devilish Canadian Sheet Music Pirates

slashdot has a story, originally from BestActEver, originally from a New York Times report from 1897, about Canadian sheet music pirates. The current concern that Americans have about IP is ironic since for much of the 19th it was place that observed no foreign, no non-American, copyright. The slashdot commentators outdo themselves in making comments as if this was contemporary news report.

mangu points out the damage that Canadian pirates have already done to the music industry.

• The more things change, the more they stay the same. Did these "evil pirates" kill the music industry, as was proclaimed they would?

They sure did! In the 1890s there was a great market for piano rolls [wikipedia.org]. Where can you buy piano rolls today? Conclusion: pirates killed the music industry.

sakdoctor complains about the marketing tactics of printer makers.

I hate the way they sell those Gutenberg presses as a loss leader, then gouge you on printing plates and ink refills.

Finally HungryHobo gets to problem that improved communication technologies pose to existing media companies.

I think these PaperSharing M2M(Mailbox2Mailbox) systems which allow just anyone to swap files, folders and even whole books should be banned immediately before they destroy all that is good and pure with our country!

Computers Blown Up Real Good

Today's slashdot has a story, When Servers Explode, about poor hard hardworking computers being bent, spindled and mutilated unto to death after years of faithful service. "Blown up real good". The article has links to many, many horrible tech snuff films.

Black Box Debt Instruments and Particle Physics

In a thread on slashdot about teething problems are the LHC, Photos of the Damage To the Large Hadron Collider, see here for photos, there is also comment at the recent failure of American physics. There was a plan in the late 20th century by the Americans to build the SSC, an even bigger particle accellerator than the LHC, however when the cost was going to exceed $12 billion, a third the cost of the B-2 bombers, it was cancelled. This has led to a lost generation of american physicists, or worse the use of physicists to design complicated financial structures on Wall Street.

On the posters in this thread, idontgno, provides a cautionary tale.

And by another odd coincidence, other particle physicists took a detour into Wall Street, where they applied their advanced mathematical knowledge to creating exotic derivatives like Credit Default Swaps

That's the scariest correlation I've heard in a long time.

(credit bank VP) : "'Morning, Erwin, how's the CDO hedge working out? Makin' the firm some megabux?"
(ex-physicist) : "Maybe we did, maybe we didn't."

In the end, the VP opened Erwin Schrödinger's books, collapsed the quantum superposition of mortgage debt obligations, and found that the economy was dead.