dmatos

Recent Actions

• Commented on Biography of the last Chinese eunuch
  Correction - he was castrated in 1911....
• Commented on On Darwin's birthday, 4 in 10 believe in evolution
  I think the question asked is too simple. 1. There is the fact of evolution. We have observed speciation occurring. Things evolve, that is a fact. 2. There is Darwin's theory of evolution, a no longer accepted theory to explain...
• Commented on Judge says that "attempted copyright infringement" is bogus
  @shmengie Here in Canada, at least, the "making available" argument was struck down by a judge with the following analogy: Putting files in a shared folder on a computer network is akin to a library putting a photocopier next to...
• Commented on Bad judgment in choice of kids' book cover
  Not to mention that the cow at the back of the line is female. I guess we can't rule out bovine strap-ons, but if that's the case, where are the straps....
• Commented on Human waste as fertilizer and irrigation in developing regions
  Sewage is not generally used as waste in North America because it is too hard to get people to not dump toxins down the drain. Improper disposal of old paint thinner, bleach, or any other flushable liquid will contaminate what...
• Commented on Police warn UK man that taking photos of "hooded teenagers" is illegal
  *stops to RTF article* I think that the Daily Fail has exaggerated their headline. The actual quote from Green: 'A couple of hours later, a Police Community Support Officer told me I had been accused of assault, though no such...
• Commented on Quintessential TSA stupidity: taking airline cutlery away from a pilot
  @41: I have gone through airport security several times over the past year with an empty water bottle. I've even gone so far as to go into the washroom immediately before the security checkpoint, dump the remaining water out of...
• Commented on Canadian musicians hate the Canadian DMCA
  @#3 Yes, there are. And how many times do we have to apologize for Celine Dion and Bryan Adams?...
• Commented on Bounty offered to anyone who can prove homeopathy outperforms placebos
  @#10 Re: proving evolution If you're talking about this offer: http://www.drdino.com/articles.php?spec=67&kws=250,000 This dude has a fundamental misconception about science. The scientific method never _proves_ anything. Scientific theories are never _proved_. An accepted scientific theory is one that explains all observed...
• Commented on Italian tourist detained by Homeland Security for visiting his American girlfriend
  Okay, if I was trying to visit my girlfriend, say, for her birthday, and she'd made all kinds of plans for the trip, and I got sent back to Italy and wasn't allowed to get through to see her, I...
• Commented on Curator euthanizes living leather jacket made from <s>human</s> <em>mouse</em> stem-cells
  I ate my liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti....
• Commented on Curator euthanizes living leather jacket made from <s>human</s> <em>mouse</em> stem-cells
  @#16 - what if I voluntarily donated some of my own stem cells to be grown into delicious human burgers in test tubes?...
• Commented on Ontario bakery succeeds with honor payment system
  @34: I've been to the City Cafe Bakery. If you need change, you do have to ask one of the people working there. They'll give you whatever change you require, but you have to tell them what you want. Got...
• Commented on CCTVs don't solve crime in UK; Scotland Yard's answer: more CCTVs!
  @11: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchers? How would you know if the CCTV system were being misused? There is no public oversight of its use. There have also been many cases of the police fraternity covering for...
• Commented on Free marrow-donor kit and registration
  @Disneyboy (#7) As #9 pointed out, I don't think being homosexual will preclude you from joining the marrow donor list. I am not permitted to give blood, because I've spent too much time in the UK (moo! I've got mad...
• Commented on Free marrow-donor kit and registration
  And for those that live in Canada, http://onematch.ca/ This is the Canadian bone marrow and stem cell sign-up site. Always has been free. Fill out an application online, someone will call you to confirm your address, then you'll be sent...
• Commented on Flinstones car victory in court
  @Lansell: What on earth are you doing trying to drive a car on Queen street at rush hour? I have fond memories of walking west on Queen street, and passing three streetcars in the ten blocks I went, the traffic...
• Commented on Tokyo dog-rental service
  @ATOMISCHE: They've got that kind of thing in our city. Try looking for "Doggie Day-care." Most of the time, it's a pack of dogs in some hapless human's house (always avoid annoying alliteration), rather than romping in a park....
• Commented on Seeking marrow donor for animation writer/blogger Emru Townsend
  For those asking about eligibility, I offer the following anecdote: I am ineligible for giving blood, because I have spent more than three months cumulative in the UK between 1983 and 1999. I might be a carrier of vCJD (the...
• Commented on Seeking marrow donor for animation writer/blogger Emru Townsend
  Signing up for the bone marrow and stem cell donor program in Canada is dead simple. Simply go to this website: http://www.onematch.ca/ and fill out the application form. In a couple of weeks, you'll be contacted by phone to confirm...
• Commented on Man builds giant chicken manure catapult to battle vandals
  Now, I don't know about the laws in the UK, but here in Canada: 1. It is illegal to build booby-traps. Period. End of discussion. 2. Trespass at Night is an indictable offense. If you are the owner of a...
• Commented on Loony evangelical claims credit for Canadian film tax-credit changes that will doom edgy indie movies
  The biggest problem with this proposed legislation is that the funding can be withdrawn retroactively. Imagine this - you want to make a neat-o film. You pitch your idea to the government, and they think it's pretty cool. They give...
• Commented on More Abu Ghraib torture photos
  To all those people asking why the tortures perpetrated by the Iraqis at Abu Ghraib are being ignored, and those perpetrated by the American military are getting all of the attention, I posit the following: The American military follows a...
• Commented on Infrared LEDs make you invisible to CCTV cameras
  Here's what's happening: Most digital cameras will have a filter that will cut off long-wavelength IR light. However, since light is a continuous spectrum, and filters do not have perfect cut-off, some IR light, just barely outside of the visible...
• Commented on Neat house uses water tank to hold up roof, cool interior
  I'm going to echo a lot of the comments here, questioning how a big blob of water in the middle of your home is going to keep it cool. I see two possible explanations: 1. It's really just a big...
• Commented on URGENT: Canadians need to take action on Canadian DMCA NOW
  @ #6: Nope. The conservatives cannot pass a bill into law without the support of at least 50% of the house. Ratifying a treaty, though, is not passing a bill. Ratifying a treaty just says that we will agree to...
• Commented on Premier of Alberta threatens to sue blogging uni student for registering a domain with his name in it
  Quoth the wikipedia article on Ed Stelmach: Ed Stelmach's rise to power in the long standing Progressive Conservative government, and recent troubles have led to comparisons with historical political leaders. Stelmach has often been compared to Harry Strom due to...
• Commented on Canadian DMCA to be reintroduced -- your action needed NOW!
  Svein@7: technically, what the courts decided was that kidnapping a person on foreign soil does not break any US laws, as US law has no jurisdiction on foreign soil. If the US government were to kidnap someone in the UK,...