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Comment: Re:epic hex fail (Score 1) 326

by bs7rphb (#31198042) Attached to: <em>Civilization V</em> Announced For This Fall

You COULD move an infantry unit through a forested hex with aircraft overflight in most historical periods

And you CAN do so in Civ 4. Air units don't behave like ground-based units - they are based in cities and fly missions (which take a turn) then return to their home cities, or are set to defend the city and environs from other aircraft. It makes much more sense and is much more fun. I hope this mechanic stays the same in Civ 5.

Comment: Re:Mandelson (Score 1) 382

by bs7rphb (#29111775) Attached to: In the UK, a Plan To Criminalize Illegal Downloaders

No-one voted for Brown, and two-thirds of the country voted against the ruling party in the last election yet they were returned with a large majority.

Whilst I understand your wider point, the fact is that Gordon Brown was elected by the people of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath to be their MP. He is an elected politician. Mandelson was appointed as a Lord by Gordon Brown, and given the Minister position by him. Nobody at all voted for Mandelson, except perhaps Brown.

To my mind, this is a gross violation of democracy; much more so than the lack of proportional representation in our country.

Comment: Re:Dang! Things were just getting fun (Score 1) 756

by bs7rphb (#29034723) Attached to: Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over

The pesticides are not sprayed on, they are grown by the plant. But after you harvest your corn, the pesticides made in that corn plant are still there.

Sorry, I was talking about herbicide-resistant crops. I don't know what you're talking about.

And they were now in your body, too, as you can't simply wash them off. They are IN the plant.

Okay... let's explore that. Why would a low level of insecticide necessarily harm you? Are you an insect?

How do you suppose GM "foods" are chasing away insects? Magic?

Who said the crops were chasing away insects? Not me - I said they were attracting them. Maybe you meant to reply to a different post?

Comment: Re:Dang! Things were just getting fun (Score 2, Interesting) 756

by bs7rphb (#29024703) Attached to: Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over

Just like being environmentally conscious and opposed to GM crops. Absolute madness. Herbicide-resistant GM crops are fantastic for the local environment - they need much less herbicide use than either conventionally- or organically-grown crops to produce a decent yield, which means more green weeds, more flowers; more bees, butterflies and birds.

I used to work on the UK GM crop split-field trials, where half the field was conventionally-treated conventional crop, and half was herbicide-resistant crop treated with less herbicide (as designed). The GM side was always green, buzzing with insects, and had noticeably more bird-life; the conventional side was bare earth until the crop came through, then stayed much less verdant. The farmers loved the GM crop, as it needed less work (fewer sprayings) and less costly herbicide.

The 'environmental' protesters would always ruin the conventional half of the field. They saw the brown, ugly side and thought 'well that must be the evil GM side'. Of course, once half the split-field trial was trashed, the whole trial was wasted. The experiment didn't provide any useful data, and we in the UK are still spraying our fields with herbicide.

Greenpeace? Wankers.

Long computations which yield zero are probably all for naught.