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Comment: Re:Wake me when the Voynich is cracked (Score 1) 141

by AhtirTano (#28566891) Attached to: 200-Year-Old Cipher Finally Cracked
Actually, natural native languages were not used as unbreakable cyphers. That's a myth. The code-talkers were trained to do this, and devised a code based on their language. (And actually, the program started in WWI and was so successful they revived it for WWII.) The Japanese figured out that Navajo was being used, and searched out Navajo speakers among POWs to translate. But because the code-talkers actually encoded their message during the translation into Navajo, even these POWs were unable to figure out what was going on.

Comment: Re:Right, that's the only reason (Score 4, Insightful) 467

by AhtirTano (#28395993) Attached to: Man Attacked In Ohio For Providing Iran Proxies
So Democracy in Iraq, neighbors to Iran, had no influence at all on Iranians *also* wanting real elections?

No. I had Iranian friends and roommates in grad school starting in the early 2000's. According to them, this is the most blatant the vote rigging has ever been. The guys fresh out of Iran before the last election (not the current one) told me point blank that Ahmadinajan was going to win for domestic economy reasons.

The problem with U.S. support is NOT that the Iranian regime will crack down harder. The problem is that the US government is so unpopular there, that if we support them openly, many influential people will abandon the movement. It happened back in the early 90s with Bush Sr., and it could happen again.

Comment: Re:Math. (Score 1) 803

by AhtirTano (#28244377) Attached to: How Do You Greet an Extraterrestrial?
Greg Bear's book "Anvil of Stars" has an alien species where non-sentient Cords come together to form aggregate, intelligent beings called Braids. Because sentience isn't available until multiple Cords have come together, and there does not appear to be a limit on the number of Cords that can aggregate, the Braids never developed a concept of "integers". One Braid (a collection of multiple Cords) can merge with another Braid to form a single Braid: 1 + 1 = 1. All math, therefore, is based on fractions, not whole numbers.

Comment: Re:really (Score 2, Insightful) 134

by AhtirTano (#28075797) Attached to: Circuit City Returns Under Systemax
Depends on what you are buying. Sometimes the design of a product feels more comfortable to you than anther. And preferences like this can vary from person to person. For example, I hate the button layout and display on Nikon DSLRs. I have a good friend who loves them. No review in the world can possibly sort this out-you have to hold the object in your hand to come to a decision.

Comment: Re:Oh this is gonna be fun :) (Score 1) 391


The word "belief" is a very useful word and "belief in evolution" is a true statement. Failing to use it just because disingenuous people will twist what you are saying is a losing strategy in the long run. Such people will always be able to find something you said to twist to their purpose. As soon as you stop using that phrase, they'll attack another one. Eventually everything you say is too technical or guarded, and you sound like a sound-bite robot or a weasely politician. Don't let them set the terms of the discourse. Publicly call them on their bullshit when it comes up. If appropriate at the time, present the surrounding context of the statement. That won't convince everyone, but you never can.

Comment: Re:Friggin' Utah. (Score 3, Insightful) 200

by AhtirTano (#27205209) Attached to: Utah Senate, House Pass Jack Thompson's Game Sales Bill
Are you joking? The ridiculous nature of Utah Mormons has been known for decades. My parents, both born and raised Mormon from parents who were also born and raised Mormon, left Utah, precisely because they did not want their children raised around Utah Mormons. That was over 30 years ago, and nothing has changed on that front. While I have met some great people in Utah, nowhere have I met more hypocrites and Holier-Than-Thou @&#%$%@s.

Comment: Re:What is wrong with the Linux GUIs? (Score 1) 936

by AhtirTano (#27150805) Attached to: Living Free With Linux, Round 2

Then things must have changed a whole lot in the past 2.5 years, since I gave up on Linux. I had that problem many times, and I wasn't going after obscure stuff only the Linux literate would want. I had that problem with several games, for example.

I started using Linux in 1998, I gave up in 2006, because I was sick and tired of dealing with the amount of work it took to install software and hardware. Not that I couldn't do it, I just didn't want to spend all that time doing it once I got a full time job. Especially since a Mac gives me all the Unix command-line stuff I love, without the driver problems or dependency hell.
