riddler

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/03/bushs-glib-waterboarding_n_599893.html Seems an odd thing to admit to, considering the gravity of the statement Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

My guess is they simply wouldn't use it in heavy rain. I doubt they would use a machine gun either - it's too hard to see what you're shooting at. Most ships of war have several weapons options, and they'll use the best ones for the situation, weather included. This still blows me away. OK, I get it's the 21st century. But Ray Guns? Really? And it's not like these prototype flying cars and jet packs that none of us will ever have in our lifetimes - the Army and Navy really are buying these things and intend on using them. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Interesting, but maybe not the best comparison. Takes a tree 20 years to grow back. Oil takes a few million years, and a lot of old plants or dinosaurs, or oil executives Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I don't buy it. How often do you see oil and tarballs washing up on the beaches of three states? This is not a normal occurrence, and the normal environmental response isn't going to make it all better. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Why do expect the government to fix the problems of this private company? Are you a socialist now? Lousiana Governor Bobby Jindal sponsored the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (H.R. 4761), which allowed for this offshore drilling which has now polluted his very own coastline and our Gulf. I personally don't think the politicians are responsible for what private corporations are doing, but if you want to blame a pol, blame this guy. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

No joke. http://www.switched.com/2010/06/02/navys-anti-missile-laser-cannon-successfully-tested-at-sea/ Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwbxEfy7fg Had to do it. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

"plants need water" "You mean, like, from the toilet?" Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Chuck Norris believes in Biblical creationism. Debate on the subject is now closed. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

It seems like using the general word "ban" is the logical error here. In GB, only handguns and semi-autos have been under intense scrutiny, but it is still possible to own them. Many other types of guns seem perfectly legal and easily obtainable. The only way one could draw any conclusions about the effect of a gun "ban" is if every type of gun was banned or rendered useless, no exceptions. That doesn't happen in any country. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I know that the shooter used a .22 rifle with a scope, and a shotgun. I've heard that shotguns are easily obtained in Britain, with very little (or no) control. Is that true? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Why should we keep drilling when we obviously learn nothing about how to handle the damaging results? Here is a video documenting the same scenario from 31 years ago. The failures were almost identical - the response almost identical - the results almost identical. In the end, it took 9 months for them to drill relief wells. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBYlK0KOiDo&feature=player_embedded If we can't do better in a disaster after 31 years, we'll never do better. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Scott Adams (author of Dilbert cartoons) predicted that in the future, the majority of human deaths will come from bad technology. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I'm willing to cut down the tree - in this case big oil - in order to preserve the orchard of capitalism. I'm just tired of hearing about "socialism is wrong because the government can't do anything right." News flash - private corporations are every bit as screwed up as government. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

is exceeded only by their greed. Anytime in the future that I hear some right-winger proclaim that the government screws everything up, I am going to point out how BP has been trying for over a month to stop an oil leak Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Furries were around before these recent films, although it may be getting more popular because of them. Not much different than kids getting tattoos, smoking cigarettes or dying their hair blue (hey! I used to do that ). No harm at all, kids want to dress up and wear tails, it's fine by me. One more thing for everyone to laugh about at the 20-year reunion. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Still blaming Obama for Bush's recession? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I remember them saying the same thing about Netscape. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've been mauled by a few cougars in my time. No regrets Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

+1. It's free, it's well supported (Microsoft), and it works. Anti-virus companies like Symantec and McAffee just got a death sentence from Microsoft. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Absolutely true. Interviewing for a job is exacly like dating. People have 30 minutes to determine if you're worthy of a long-term commitment. In their rush to make a snap judgement, they overlook a lot of well-qualified people based on completely erroneous data, like "body language", clothing, speech impediments, etc, that have nothing to do with the job. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I can't speak for PADI, but I know that SSI has moved the dive tables to an appendix in the open water manual (as a reference), and no longer requires that tables are taught. Doesn't bother me one bit. I am willing to bet that 90% of certified, current scuba divers (that are not instructors) can't do dive tables anyway. I can, only because I teach them. At my dive shop, we still teach tables. I think they're outmoded, personally, but I do encourage my students to carry two computers if they aren't willing to abort remaining dives in the event one computer fails. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

That is the very first thing I thought of, too. Empower your kids, but keep them safe; know where to draw the line between the two. As I am not an expert on climbing really large mountains (I only climb 14ers, here in CO), and I do not know the skill of this young man, I will not comment on the safety aspect of his climbing Everest. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Sole proprietorship, so I am my business. The IRS doesn't distinguish between an SP account and a personal one. Every year, for the last several years, it's the same - same numbers, same bank account, same direct deposit. About 5 weeks to get the refund. No problems. Until this year. Right at the very time they are issuing me a direct deposit refund, they send me a letter instead that says I have to wait another month. Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the government, people are running around like mad trying to print more money. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I guess I'm somewhat predictable Truth is, neither organization is "better". I teach SSI, which together with NAUI and PADI, make up the three most popular training organizations in the US. All of the training organizations follow the WRSTC guidelines about the most important procedures (recommended ascent time, etc). WRSTC is an umbrella organization that advises safety, based on diving statistics. You won't have any problems if you show one cert-card vs. another - all dive operations want your money, so as long as you have a valid C-card anywhere, you can dive. The best thing is to find people you really like, and get certified with them. Go visit the dive shops at least a few times, and talk to them about buying gear and their program. They will offer certification courses at different times, for different prices, and have different requirements. Find people you like and are willing to offer you choices. I really think you can get a sense of the attitude at the shop by visiting once or twice. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD