The technology thread

[Bada-Bing!]

You got to question how Trump's social media company is worth so much when it only has half a million or so users.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Elon Musk admits to running burner account where he pretended to be his 3-year-old

Musk also confirmed that he was on Twitter a lot.

www.dailydot.com

This guy is a very disturbed individual... How do people like him and Trump end up wealthy when they are clearly serial liars with a tentative grasp on reality and the emotional maturity of a particularly unstable child?

 

[Bada-Bing!]

‘Why wouldn’t you, if you can run faster?’: the unstoppable rise of the carbon-fibre super shoe

Hi-tech shoes have sent world records tumbling. Do they herald the end of the level playing field, or are they the saviour of long-distance racing?

www.theguardian.com

 

[BrokenWing]

Still a level playing field if everyone wears them.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Still a level playing field if everyone wears them.

It's not a level playing field for those already on all time lists who didn't have to opportunity to use them. I guess there have been other similar innovations in the past, but it sticks in the craw a bit.

 

[BrokenWing]

You can say the same about any sport when you reference former competitors. That's not really what's meant by a level playing field.

Bats, racquets, boots, balls, clothing, clubs and cars have all had technological advances that give users an advantage over previous iterations.

 

[ncurd]

Let everyone wear bear foot.

The cat is out of the bag in terms of carbon fibre shoes a bit like swimsuits way back. My thing 'new tech' should be approved by governing bodies they shouldn't be retroactively banning them.

The bigger issue is top end Amateur level. The trainers have half the life expectancy and cost twice as much. Its why I never bought a pair but my fastest half marathon was in the pure foam versions (and I wasn't good enough to compete top end). But to those on the top its a huge advantage and cost prohibitive for something wear there are (relatively) small prizes for winning as well the kudos for doing so. So not everyone is wearing them.

 

[BrokenWing]

I've had a few pairs but I don't run competitively anyway, and I certainly never pay full whack.
The main benefit for me is that it gives the sole a firmness while remaining cushioned if that makes sense.
The trouble is, manufacturers like Nike seem to be deliberately making the non carbon shoes worse to push people towards the £300 carbon ones.

 

[BrokenWing]

DragonFire: UK laser could be used against Russian drones on Ukraine front line

The defence secretary said the laser could be used to take down Russian drones as early as 2027.

www.bbc.co.uk

Never realised this was a thing…

Well it isn't yet.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

It's not a level playing field for those already on all time lists who didn't have to opportunity to use them. I guess there have been other similar innovations in the past, but it sticks in the craw a bit.

Fast synthetic tracks taking over from uneven, claggy cinder ones being a huge one.

The world never stands still and in some ways it's just another technical advancement. Trouble its a big one that's caused a huge leap in performances and records to be shattered with monotonous regularity. I don't particularly like it but there will be a new norm soon enough.

 

[Amiga500]

DragonFire: UK laser could be used against Russian drones on Ukraine front line

The defence secretary said the laser could be used to take down Russian drones as early as 2027.

www.bbc.co.uk

Never realised this was a thing…

Well it isn't yet.

As far as I know, its still very much PR stunt territory.

My knowledge is definitely out of date, but I don't think optical diffusion has gone away to a point you can target beyond a few km without pouring Mega Watts or even Giga Watts into the effort.

Then there is the question of dwell time. I don't know what it is, and you'd also need a big dedicated generator to give you a decent fire rate, even at the paltry 50 kW this thing operates at.

I don't see any of that going anywhere near a Russian position any time soon.

Grant Shapps being full of **** as usual.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

DragonFire: UK laser could be used against Russian drones on Ukraine front line

The defence secretary said the laser could be used to take down Russian drones as early as 2027.

www.bbc.co.uk

Never realised this was a thing…

Well it isn't yet.

Ah yes, the old "can you deliver what you said you were going to deliver, but just faster?" Always loved that on my projects.

 

[Which Tyler]

Ah yes, the old "can you deliver what you said you were going to deliver, but just faster?" Always loved that on my projects.

But surely, if one woman can gestate a baby in 9 months, then 2 women could get one out in 18 weeks!

 

[Amiga500]

But surely, if one woman can gestate a baby in 9 months, then 2 women could get one out in 18 weeks!

WTF you on about?

If that one woman worked harder and sought "efficiencies" and "streamlining", she'd be able to do it herself in 6 months.

Oh, actually, there is another priority job for that woman to do - mind the 2 year old - it should only take a couple of months. When that's done, we'll have a meeting to discuss how your going to deliver that other child in the remaining 4 months though.

[/mba_speak]

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Taylor Swift fans lose £1m in scams, Lloyds Bank estimates

Lloyds says thousands have fallen victim to ticket scams, with fans losing an average of £332 each.

www.bbc.co.uk

Easily done. I almost got scammed buying Wimbledon tickets online, then did get scammed getting my US Visa.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Tesla Autopilot feature was involved in 13 fatal crashes, US regulator says

Federal transportation agency finds Tesla’s claims about feature don’t match their findings and opens second investigation

www.theguardian.com