edj

Details and citations in case anyone is curious...

"December 23, 2008 – NASA today announced its selection of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS) Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) contract award. The contract is for a guaranteed minimum of 20,000 kg to be carried to the International Space Station. The firm contracted value is $1.6 billion and NASA may elect to order additional missions for a cumulative total contract value of up to $3.1 billion."

http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20081223

and:

"The $1.6 billion contract represents a minimum of 12 flights..."

http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php

This sounds scarier than it really is. Why? Because credit card companies focus on identifying fraudulent transactions rather than verifying your id.

From Bruce Scheier's blog[1]:

"But once you understand that the problem is fraudulent transactions, you quickly realize that authenticating the transaction, not the person, is the way to proceed.

"Again, think about credit cards. Store clerks barely verify signatures when people use cards. People can use credit cards to buy things by mail, phone or Internet, where no one verifies the signature or even that you have possession of the card.

"Even worse, no credit card company mandates secure storage requirements for credit cards. They don't demand that cardholders secure their wallets in any particular way. Credit card companies simply don't worry about verifying the cardholder or putting requirements on what he does. They concentrate on verifying the transaction."

[1]:http://www.schneier.com/essay-153.html

Except as an emulsion...

From Wikipedia[1]: "The northern Central Valley has a hot Mediterranean climate (Koppen climate classification Csa); the more southerly parts in rainshadow zones are dry enough to be Mediterranean steppe (BShs, as around Fresno) or even low-latitude desert (BWh, as in areas southeast of Bakersfield)."

Central Valley farms and the coastal cities are mostly fed by water from the Sierra's, via either rivers or one of California's many aquifers (e.g. Hetch Hetchy, Los Angeles, Colorado, California).

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_(California)#Cli...

The more we know the better. Research should not be banned.

That said, caution should be present with the application of radical new technologies. The nuclear test ban treaty seems like a net-win, for example.

Excellent 45 minute ACLU documentary on how to interact with police in three situations: traffic stop, in your house, and on foot.

BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA

tldr:

-say as little as possible.

-be courteous and don't argue or complain.

-memorize the phrase "I do not consent to any searches."

-do not invite police in your house.

In parts it looks and reads more like a scholarly journal than like the modern Nattional Geographic. Particularly the article on the Mayans.

The 4th comment reads: "That picture appeared in the May '22 NatGeo with the caption 'A Mongolian Woman Condemned to Die of Starvation'"

People investing in futures do this every day, and some of them are most certainly credible. Southwest Airlines, e.g., seems to be pretty good at saving a buck with aviation gas futures (though that is a step removed from crude oil).

The Panchatantra: a collection of ancient Hindu tales [PDF] http://books.google.com/books?id=jB0YAAAAYAAJ

This one is "Weaver as Vishnu" on page 46.

Note: the HTML version is in Sanskrit, the PDF in English.

Edit: Of course, there are many other works of Indian mythology. The big two being the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which if you consider it a single work, is the longest text ever written. The heart of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita.

The problem with nuclear power nowadays is not so much the safety, but the cost.

It's not clear what nuclear power costs[1] and so it's difficult to say if it's a better investment of public resources than wind, solar, geothermal, etc.

[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_new_nuclear_power_...

It's been approved, so the fight is nearly over. Of course, the not-in-my-backyard types will appeal, but, according to news outlets, will probably lose the appeal.

Another good alternative is emusic.

$10/month for 30 DRM-free downloads. Only downside is it's only independent labels, so no Rolling Stones. Lots to choose among, though. Their website says they've got 6 million tracks from 60,000 record labels.

"Don't pretty much all bills work this way?"

Yes. That's why they're generally such train wrecks.

This is about how much money I made when I lived in San Francisco for a few years mid-decade.

It was doable primarily because I always lived with people who had rent controlled apartments or houses they'd lived in for some time. The cheapest rent I paid--and where I lived longest--was $550/mo. My girlfriend lived with me there and we split it 50/50.

Other things contributing to low living expenses: no car (huge savings); no TV; aggressive (but perfectly legal) tax deductions; choosing fun activities over costly purchases; freegan friends who gave us loads of food; and, of course, two buck chuck...

It's certainly doable.

Same here. Comcast in Portland, a city that allegedly has competition among ISPs.

The most galling thing for me is that my parents get 100 Mbps fiber with phone service at their house for around $60 or $70 month. And this is in a small town (<10,000 people) in the midwest. The difference is they're lucky enough to have a visionary small ISP that chooses to reinvest in its product rather than sit back and milk a quasi-monopoly.

This is so depressing. I pay $25 for 12mbps. And even that's a half-off special only good for the first six months.

Same old Core 2 Duo wouldn't stop me from buying one. The 1280 by 800 resolution, on the other hand, is much more of a bummer.

Looks like an awkward riding position.

E.g. when you approach a pothole or curb on a regular bicycle or motorcycle you can easily stand on the pegs/pedals. But it looks like if you tried that with this thing you'd have to thrust your pelvis forward, lean back, and put your weight on the handle bars behind you.

I didn't know that...

It's probably always a good idea to study up on your rights as a tenant in the state and city you live. That ought to be a factor in the buy vs. rent decision.

> your landlord/agent has the right to enter your house for an inspection

You should demand that your rental agreement stipulates that your landlord must give at least 24 hours notice before entering your home. This is pretty standard, but in cases where it's not yet in the contract make sure to have it added.

> and they can sell or occupy it, requiring you to move

Depends where you live. In California (at least in SF and LA; don't know about elsewhere), landlords can only do this if they or a family member will be moving in. In SF in particular tenant rights are strong and it's practically impossible to evict tenants.

Though in my opinion they go too far there; non-paying tenants can linger for months, and creepy d-bags who sexually harass other tenants can't be kicked out even if the landlord and everyone in the building wants them gone (true story).

Perhaps that's a reason to have a non-technical (or at least non-programmer) co-founder; different perspectives, different life histories, different work histories.

> do only the things that you are capable of doing

..if you want to never challenge yourself, learn anything new, or push the boundaries of the possible.

This is what I've always done. I managed to keep my first Mac (a TiBook) feeling fresh for 6 years, and my second (a MacBook) still seems basically new at 2 years.

But can you do this with the unibody MBPs? The battery's not user replaceable, right? What about the HD and RAM?

>They just don't hold up build quality wise.

Really? I have a black MB that just passed the 2 year mark and it looks pristine. I carry it in my backpack every day, I took it with me on a three month trip through South America, and yet it has no scratches, cracks, or other signs of damage.

Talk about lock in. I wasn't able to back-button back to HN.

That's a guilt-by-association argument that doesn't really hold water.

In its early days Aljazeera was known for broadcasting dissenting views and was perceived as more objective than state run Middle Eastern media entities. Many of its staff were former BBC. Aljazeer was shut down by the Saudi government because it failed to stick with the party line. It had to relocate to Qatar as a result, where it seems to enjoy more independence.

Sources: Control Room (documentary about Aljazeera); Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aljazeera]

"While it clearly isn't considered offensive in the US, it's still a pretty rude gesture."

Who says? I live in the US, I'm not Indian, and I find it quite offensive when people put their feet up on tables pointing towards me.

If you like a thicker broth, go for it. My preference is to consider that first round of veggies as flavor enhancers.

When I cook thicker soups I blend, e.g. with butternut squash soup, I always blend the sauteed onions and garlic, as well as a portion of the squash.

A few of things I do:

1) Leftovers. I often cook chili, dal, chana masala, or soups in large quantities. I eat them fresh, then from the fridge for a day or two, then freeze the rest. Anything flavorful and goopy works (since textures degrade with freezing and reheating).

2) Rice cooker. Most useful kitchen appliance I've ever owned. They really are fire and forget. I bought mine for $13 at target. It only has one button (maybe Apple should get into this market?). It's pretty forgiving--I don't even measure the water anymore.

3) Whole pre-cooked chickens. They can cost as little as $3 or as much as $10 (for the organic ones). I get 2-4 meals from one chicken depending on its size and what I eat with it. Then I throw the carcass in a pot of water with onions and celery and make soup stock. (Throw away the bones, onions, and celery before making soup).

4) Instant oatmeal is the cheapest good breakfast I know of. I use fancy steel cut organic instant oats with organic milk and the cost is around $0.50 per meal. Adding fresh berries brings it to around $1.50. (That said, my current favorite breakfast is whole wheat bread, scrambled eggs, and sauteed kale or spinach.)