SH3RL0CK

I think it is more likely due to the fact that much of Ethiopia is actually at a high altitude. High altitude training is used by serious athletes to improve their performance; this is maximized when the athletes (such as the Ethiopians) are always at a high altitude.

You should realize that Rush, like virtually all media, isn't interested in facts, fairness nor politeness. The media (liberal and conservative both) are interested in money; and to get money they each have their "shtick" to attract and audience and the advertising revenue that accompanies said audience. As such, Rush will only be attacking those on the left, never those on the right. There are liberal media people who do the same; attacking only those on the right of the political spectrum, never those on the left. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/schtick Rush's "shtick" or gimmick is obvious, as are those of those on the left (but hey, maybe they really do believe everything they say).

Just because someone, such as ecoli, believes in the free market doesn't make that person dogmatic, nor brainwashed by the Cato institute. I don't see where he was butting in; nor did I take his comments as a lecture. Edit - just realized I cross-posted with ecoli...

I take it then that you won't be huffing H2? Excellent!

Didn't the world already come to an end on Dec. 31, 1999 because of the Y2K software bug?

But how much slower would this progress be? And how many additional people would die as the progress slows down? How much additional pain and suffering would people have as they do not have access to miracle drugs that otherwise would be available? To quote Mokele (since I can't say it any better): No, you haven't.

No, the Swiss copied the Chinese watches and sold them in mass quantities for far less money per watch.

I didn't vote, none of the catagories fits my thoughts very well. I can't really assign right or wrong to this catagory. I don't think he, or any actor for that matter, is worth what he gets paid and it is pathetic that society will pay him so much, but so very little for the guy working just as hard down the street. But the movie studios are willing to pay him...so he should take it. I'd take the money too if I could get it. That said, the movie studios make good money off movies he stars in, so in their eyes he is probably worth what they pay him.

Clearly, these particular Chinese individuals were 300 years ahead of their time.

You have a valid point, IMO, but one thing to keep in mind is that as the majority elects the candidate (and when people vote for others similar to themselves) this tends to elect only the individuals most like the typical (or majority) voter. In other words; with 10 voters (6 green and 4 blue) and two candidates green and blue, the green candidate will win office. With 100 districts just like this will produce 100 office-holders who are green despite 40% of the population being blue. Minorities should therefore be greatly under-represented if people only vote for those "like" themselves...I hope I am not being confusing here... As such, I think it is impressive that there are as many "minorities" in office as currently exist. This makes me think that, for at least most identifiable voting blocks, while race, religion, etc. are important to voters; other factors are much more important. Refreshing to think people get elected on the basis of their values, character and ideas.

Would the effectiveness of the springs be related to temperature (i.e. could the springs store more energy if cold)? Once you have settled on your design, I wonder if you could increase performance by putting the glider in the freezer? This might be worth looking into... Merged post follows: Consecutive posts mergedAnother thought I had was to consider making wings out of thin plastic material...such as seran wrap. If you can keep these in tension with an appropriate frame, you can probably reduce the weight/(wing area = lift) ratio.

I'll grant that in certain districts, it is nearly impossible to get elected if you are (or are not) of a certain race, religion, etc. This is primarily because people want to vote for people like themselves; or at the very least vote for people who "speak their language." When it comes down to national appointments, the same political impulses exist, but these are mostly cancelled out by the fact that these districts are overwhelmed by the districts which are more demographically balanced and by the fact that these unbalanced districts somewhat tend to cancel each other out. Still, some bias exists and I suppose it is inevitable on some level (I personally think everyone has a bias). And sometimes these biases work in ways which can harm or benefit individuals. For example, I seriously doubt that Justice Thomas would have been confirmed by the Senate had he not been a black man. Politics can be a strange thing sometimes.

Here is an example: G. W. Bush appointed a white male to replace Justice O'Conner...there didn't seem to be any great outcry about that.

Maybe this is a convenient size for an atomic bomb? To get smaller or larger requires additional work and technology.

I think you mean 463 m/s; or 0.463 km/s.

Be that as it may, the wiki article describes some of the techniques used; and links for additional information on these. See for example from the wiki article: Being massively parallel gave Deep Blue its computational power. The differences pointed out by Pangloss allude to the "larger" architecture which may provide the computational difference you notice. Maybe someone else might have more insight.

How can you call the program crappy when it beat the reigning world champion? Do you think Kasparov would struggle to beat Rybka 3? Maybe the software wasn't as elegant as todays versions, but you cannot deny its victory over Kasparov.

Bascule, I think Obama is keeping his options open. Also, from a practical perspective, we may have no choice. The other options available in a given circumstance may be highly undesirable...and this is permitted by the US Constitution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus_in_the_United_States Now I'll grant that some of these detainees have been detained for a considerable period of time, which I believe is unwarranted. Hopefully this will be worked out in the next year after Gitmo closes (although I foresee what will actually happen is these people will simply be moved to a different detention facility; perhaps in Afghanistan or Iraq).

Hmm, I'd keep the "runway" as short as possible since you can only lose energy by staying on it. But I can see why some "runway" might be necessary.

You might gain some insights by reading up on the most powerful chess program ever developed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer)

That changes things; for one you will need some kind of strong frame to support the mouse trap spring and any other mechanical parts you need. This will necessitate a larger "wing" surface. I see two choices in how to convert the energy of the spring to mechanical motion: 1) use the "snap" to quickly launch a glider, or 2) let the spring slowly unwind, through some gears and a propeller to provide energy for lift. Option 1 seems easiest to build, but I'm not sure it will provide the best horizontal distance. One thought I do have is that the spring itself should be carefully selected. Springs can wear out and lose their ability to store energy; as such I would recommend that you use a new spring in the device once you have it working the way you want.

The question of how long it will take to suffocate someone, is to me a moot point. Inhaling anything which is even questionable is a very, VERY stupid thing to do and I don't think we should in anyway encourage this on this forum.

Something similar has been discussed before: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38612&highlight=mouse+trap This is a different problem however. I would suggest you use the mouse trap spring to launch a very small glider. Any light weight materials with some physical stength would work. Balsa wood would work great. So would styrofoam, which might be better. There is also no reason not to use a combination of materials (you might need to add small weights to get the best glider). Edit: You could even try paper to make your glider (it would be cheaper and quicker than carving balsa or styrofoam); at least to get a good idea of the size and dimensions for your glider.

The Mythbusters people, while entertainers and not scientists, usually get things right IMO. I cannot see how the air pressure could 1) move the tumbers significantly and 2) align them correctly. Seems impossible to me. I think a brick is more like to gain you access to the car than a tennis ball

Well, its all speculation. Depending on how you fill out the unknown variables in the Drake equation, you can pretty much get any answer you want. Of course, the classical answer to the Drake equation is there isn't any other intelligent life - intelligent life is extremely rare. Because if there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, why aren't they here already? This is based upon the supposition that there has been more than plenty of time for intelligent life to develop elsewhere (anywhere) in the galaxy and colonize (even if only by generation ships) the entire galaxy, including our solar system. My view on the matter is that there is intelligent life apart from the earth. But that this life is not being permitted (by whoever is in charge) to interfere with the affairs on earth, except in very specific, and non-intrusive ways.