sleestack
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Posts
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Joined
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So apparently back in July Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, got stopped in an airport in Japan for trying to bring shuriken (throwing stars) onto his private airplane.
Here's a video reenactment of the event
Ok, I guess I better buy an iPod or something before Steve Jobs: American Ninja! kills me.
Oh, and whenever Steve Jobs: American Ninja! is mentioned from now on, it has to be his full title of Steve Jobs: American Ninja! -
Quote:From the article:Originally Posted by Rock_Crag
If all it does is push something... wouldn't it be closer to a 'pusher beam'?
Hell, I'd take this as a step closer to creating light sabers, not tractor beams... Especially is sleestack is right and it heats up the air around the object.
Quote:The device works by shining a hollow laser beam around tiny glass particles. The air surrounding the particle heats up, while the dark center of the beam stays cool. When the particle starts to drift out of the middle and into the bright laser beam, the force of heated air molecules bouncing around and hitting the particle's surface is enough to nudge it back to the center.
A small amount of light also seeps into the darker middle part of the beam, heating the air on one side of the particle and pushing it along the length of the laser beam. If another such laser is lined up on the opposite side of the beam, the speed and direction the particle moves can be easily manipulated by changing the brightness of the beams.
So the laser beam isn't actually touching the object, but heating the air around the object to move it. -
Quote:Covered quite well (imho) in the aptly-titled book Moving Mars, by Greg Bear.Originally Posted by starphoenix
Instantaneous travel would be even better assuming there is nothing required to protect the planet during flight.
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Actually it doesn't even hit the object. It heats the air around the object and that causes the object to move. So it can't be used in space, because there's no air.
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"Researchers from the Australian National University...."
Jeez...do they really have to go to all this trouble? Can't they just *walk* over and put another shrimp on the barbie? -
Quote:Smurfin' A! You're right. Thanks for setting me straight.Originally Posted by Lord_Nightblade
It's no more frelling stupid than any other gorram sci-fi profanity.
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Every time I hear reference to fracking (the oil-drilling term), it reminds me how utterly stupid it always sounds in BSG.
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I'd like to throw in my $0.02 on this subject (I'm a network manager/programmer/DB admin/all-around IT guy).
-ClamWIN - great program, but a little "wonky" in the user-interface, as je_saist mentioned.
-WinPatrol - This is not an anti-virus program, but it is very helpful in its own right. Its main function is that it monitors all of the startup locations in your PC, and asks you to authorize any programs that are registered in those areas. So if something tries to register itself to start when Windows starts, WinPatrol will catch it and allow you to deny it if you want. It also allows you to monitor your services and configure them, and monitors IE addons as well. The paid version has additional capabilities, such as HijackThis log generation, Killbox, and showing hidden files. Invaluable in combating a malware infestation. Oh, and the paid version is $30, and you can install it on every computer you own for that one $30 payment. http://www.winpatrol.com/
- NoScript - this is an addon for FireFox/SeaMonkey. What it does is what the name says: it blocks ALL scripts on web pages you visit. Flash scripts, Javascript, PDFs...none will run unless you allow them.
- FlashBlock - another FireFox/SeaMonkey addon. Blocks Flash. Nice second layer of defense behind NoScript.
- AdBlock Plus - yet another FireFox/SeaMonkey addon. This blocks ads on websites. Many "safe" websites may still be showing you infected ads, and that's where you get hit. Block the ads and cut off one more vector for infection. And as a bonus, your web browsing should be a bit faster as well, since you aren't downloading ads on every site.
These things won't make you 100% infection free, but I know for a fact that having them has saved me many infections in the past. -
Ibtd +1
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I'd kill my own grandmother if it would help this movie get made. Mind you, my grandmother's already dead, so I'd have to reanimate her corpse in order to kill her to help this movie get made. I'd totally do it.
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Quote:Well gee, Mr. Mad Scientist, do you really think so? "Beneficial and deleterious aspects," you say? I wonder what those could be. I'm drawing a blank on the beneficial. As to deleterious, how does SLAVING IN THE VENUSIAN DEUTERIUM MINES FOR OUR HEARTLESS, DECEPTIVE METAL OVERLORDS sound? Think that might be "deleterious"?
"We have been concerned from the very beginning with the ethical implications related to the creation of robots capable of deception and we understand that there are beneficial and deleterious aspects," explained Arkin. "We strongly encourage discussion about the appropriateness of deceptive robots to determine what, if any, regulations or guidelines should constrain the development of these systems."
Science...it's all about coulda' not shoulda'. -
Quote:Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
COME PLAY, MY LORD. THE PRINCESS NEEDS RESCUING.
DISCRETE MODE AVAILABLE.
I was pulled in by the exploding zombies, but it's the hot Freakshow-on-Freakshow action that keeps me coming back. -
Quote:Not to burst any bubbles, but they are listed in alphabetical order. City of Heroes comes after Age of Conan and before Dark Age of Camelot.Originally Posted by Psyte
...its the #2 slide and overall...
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What...what was wrong with those warrior's foreheads? They were all flat and smooth. Disgusting!
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Would Saw 8 be in 4D?
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*facepalm*
Unfortunately, it'll probably be a big hit and make tons of money. Then it will get made into a movie. -
Hey, do you want to see my new hockey mask and chainsaw?
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Quote:Originally Posted by Steelclaw
Rico-X: KILL!
StoneDTanker: Screw you Rico!
Rico-X: K Kill?
Poor Rico-X! LMAO! -
...don't mention it in your XBox Live profile, or your account will be suspended.
"...(Microsoft said) the city's name doesn't matter, the word "gay" is inappropriate content in any context."
Wow. Just...wow. At least M$ did reverse the ban on the guy's account. And I can sort-of understand M$'s action, as the word gay is frequently used in a pejorative manner. I'd just like to see a little bit of common sense used, and maybe a bit of human intervention before such bannings. Because computers can flag "inappropriate" words, but they are lousy at context. -
Quote:Ewwwww....you made a cap out of your ancestors?Originally Posted by Klatteja
Well played, sirrah. <doffs ancestral cap>
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There is also "Nobody Gets the Girl" by James Maxey. It's a decent read.
I'll definitely be picking up some of the titles listed here. -
Quote:Have you read the book that the movie is based on?Originally Posted by MaestroMavius
The Postman: I personally love this movie, despite it's critics. The ending was wonderful.
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Yogi Bear is science fiction?
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Quote:I really like this one:Originally Posted by Arnabas
This.Quote:Originally Posted by Kasoh
I'm going to miss devoting entire rooms of a house to a library.
Growing up, I always dreamed of having a library in my home with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on every wall. There is something about old, heavy, leather-bound books that strikes a chord with me. Maybe because they look like cool magical tomes from D&D?
I dunno.
But, yeah, I will miss printed books, even if it's better for the environment, cheaper, more portable, yadda yadda...
Staircase Library
(Link to more pics)
But this one one by far my favorite:
Yes, that.s in someone's house. Here.s a link to the article about it. I drool when I think about having a library like this. -
Watchmen
The Chronicles of Amber (the first 5 books)
Footfall
Cheers
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Preacher