Viewing profile — pigboy

Out of all those advanced civilizations in the universe, what fraction use electromagnetic radiation for communication? We are like ants waiting for other civilizations to communic…

The statement "space is cold" doesn't make much sense, since space, being a vacuum, is lacking any _thing_ to have a temperature at all. What little matter does exist in the vacuum…

I love this, but I would like to be able to return to my solved puzzles after I've done them (assumed that's what the "Save" button did). Quite happy to finally get level 11 done.

That used to motivate me too. But when I found myself in a job where my work no longer made that happen, I quit and changed careers (mid-40s). I just turned 50 and I am in my third…

Energy density is a critical issue for aircraft because lift/drag ratios are capped at around 15 to 30. For every 15-30 N of fuel weight, you must supply at least 1 N of additional…

I'm finding I generate very few "personal files" these days, compared with, say, ten years ago. Most personal files are produced/archived with Google Docs. Yes, that is scary. I al…

The capsule and heat shield do deplete virtually all of its speed. With Mars' thin atmosphere, the terminal velocity is still quite high and the parachute/rocket combination is nee…

Anouncing: the Chromebook of media players!

I started using Opera in the days when its free version was supported by adware (I actually purchased a license). It was always a technical innovator, so the question of why it fai…

American "free enterprise" at work. Why some people worship this nonsense is beyond me.

Principal Software Designer for embedded systems at Simplex Time Recorder, a subsidiary of Tyco International. The dot-com bubble involved more than Internet companies as Tyco's st…