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I really liked "Blankets" by Craig Thompson. It's a very well written GN, mainly due to its honesty and the depth of the characters.

In the official books he is often without in scenes without his armour on.

The more important question is whether the US can sustain it.

An interesting question. For the US to be able to sustain such a lifestyle three things will be required. Firstly, that population remains stable. That's inclusive of all imigration. Secondly, that environmental damage can be sustained. Thirdly, that ways of preventing the outflux of capital to other countries are taken.

For the second point, a lot of rain forest is destroyed ever year to make way for cattle farming, to provide cheap beef to the US, China and Russia. As the ground does not replenish (due to soil erosion and nutrient depletion) this is an onging process. The estimate I heard was 200' per 1lb of steak, but it's the principle that's important. A valuable resource is being used up.

Regarding the third point - unfortunately for the non-business investing americans, the wealthy don't seem to be too concerned with keeping industry local. Which means that the global food market will make meat less financially viable for american citizens.

Anyway, my sole point was that a vegetarian society is more efficient. The question of whether the citizens of the US want to or can continue to tolerate that inefficiency in exchange for their burgers is something else entirely.

Incidentally - link . Recommend it!

You'd buy a game with out first reading the customer reviews

Just because its looks like a fish and moves like a fish doesn't mean it can't steer like a cow.

Not here.
I wonder if the activation is US only. I've seen it before...

he script kiddies won't target Linux, since they don't have a clue about it.

For now. I am reminded of Ken Macleod's "Cassini Divsion", where all electronic computer systems have been compromised by the "fast folk". An initial attempt to fight them, using a ship controlled by a different electronic system, succeeds for a bit, but is quickly also taken over, as the viruses mutate enough that even a different operating system is not effective protection.* So, for the sytstem used by the "fast folk" read Windows (all varieties), and for the "other" system read Linux / OS X (IIRC they thought they were safe because the hardware was different)



*They succeeded by using mechanical computers, akin to those in Gibson's "The Difference Engine" (a novel that assumed that Babbage's difference engine was not only built, but mass produced)

he script kiddies won't target Linux, since they don't have a clue about it.

For now. I am reminded of Ken Macleod's "Cassini Divsion", where all electronic computer systems have been compromised by the "fast folk". An initial attempt to fight them, using a ship controlled by a different electronic system, succeeds for a bit, but is quickly also taken over, as the viruses mutate enough that even a different operating system is not effective protection.* So, for the sytstem used by the "fast folk" read Windows (all varieties), and for the "other" system read Linux / OS X (IIRC they thought they were safe because the hardware was different)



*They succeeded by using mechanical computers, akin to those in Gibson's "The Difference Engine" (a novel that assumed that Babbage's difference engine was not only built, but mass produced)

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy [1981]

As I noted above in response to another highly-moderated comment, the book is also known as Tiger Tiger in Britain. Not sure about the rest of the world, though.

Also note that it's named Tiger Tiger in Britain. Not sure about the rest of the world, though.

Ah, so you see guys like this only in computer games like CS?

I don't see where the game comes in. If one wants to play the blamegame, why not blame a movie or a book, for instance?

No you don't, but forget all those "a day is like 1000 years" arguments. Those tend to be based on people doing textual analysis on a translation. Not a good idea. You want deep analysis? Go as close to the source as possible. Now I don't have Dr. Watt's full text on the subject, (I think this book goes into detail, but I'm not sure.). I've been looking for a brief version of his argument, but I can't find it. The website where I orginally got it is not responding. Sorry. The lectures was called "On the Edge of the Millenium: Making sense of Genesis 1". I saw him lecture at TWU a few years back. If you can find the material, it's very intresting.

Is it just me or does that half.com look remarkably like Amazon? I detect a lawsuit coming...

It's a a decent read if you want to get the book...

Bringing Down the House: How Six Students Took Vegas for Millions - Ben Mezrich

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/009946823 9/qid=1098656981/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-8719217 -1303628/

Go here for UK availability on the PMP-140 .... and prices... and a photo it looks a bit like a pre-gameboy era electronic game gadget... and it's gold are they all gold I wonder/
The pmp120 looks more like it belongs in with the "now"...

That was probably the mono-filament blades used by Simon Green's Deathstalker novels.

From memory these were powered by energry crystals, much like the guns they used. I'm not sure why the power source was necessary though.

Although I'm sure I've seen the idea used elsewhere too.

You keep getting passed by that commie nutjob in the the veedub running Linux, despite Ballmer insisting you should have more power

No! No! No! The guys running Linux will be in Tanks (In the Beginning Was the Commandline by Neal Stephenson).

Here (UK) it's a bit less blatant, but it's still fairly easy to get a nice region-free player. This Pioneer is now under my TV and is absolutely fantastic.

Though no doubt the price will go up by the time this link gets posted.

You hit the nail on the head. This book is humor, not a study of crappy jobs.

To anyone who is still taking this article seriously, go to amazon.co.uk and see that it is classified under "Subjecs->Humour->General".

A good book about the environmental problems is Earth Odyssey by Mark Hertsgaard. Good section about China and the problems there.

Along side this was captured on film a troop of chips that went on a patrol in the pure purpose of hunting down and killing other chips in the area.

I believe I saw something like that about chimps that Jane Goodall observed. I saw a documentary about a group of chimps that grew too large and some were exiled to keep the group at a certain size. The exiled chimps were then treated as a rival group encroaching the main group's territory, hunted, and killed. This, shortly after having been part of the very group that hunted and killed them. Coincidentally, I learned in an Anthropology class that human tribes tend to divide if their populations exceed 100 members.

There was a recent documentary where the scientists believe human warfare is an extension of the primal behaviour in chips and their territory.

Human behaviour has been observed as an extension of primal instincts for some time now. I believe I heard of a book called The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris that was controversial when it was first published in 1967 because it observed human behaviour from a zoological perspective. I have also seen a documentary called Human Instinct by Robert Winston that also does the same sort of comparisons. There is also a book that complements the documentary.

I think that greed also has its roots in primal instincts. I also saw a video of Jane Goodall (again) feeding chimps. They used to scatter bananas around everywhere, and the pack of chimps would come along and just peacefully eat. However, one time, she decided to place all the bananas in a pile without realising the consequences. The chimps got into a big frenzy, fighting over the pile, with the alpha male keeping it for himself and keeping others away from it. After this, Goodall made it clear that they must never feed the chimps in this way again. It seemed similar to how animals feeding over a carcass with fight with one another. Despite the fact that money is an abstract concept, I think the human mind it somehow perceives it as a "pile of bananas", and elicits the same primal response. That's just my personal opinion, however.

I read this review thinking of my dad, a retired Bell Atlantic/Verizon worker, who spent his last days installing and troubleshooting T1 circuits for businesses, and is just now learning to use an Internet connected PC for entertainment. I thought he might be interested in a fresh look at how his small piece of "networking" fits into the larger picture of Internet connectivity, with the added perspective of actually owning a PC and DSL connection.

I really don't expect him to be working on spanning tree problems or duplex mismatches. Some people just want a 30,000 foot view of something, for their own curiosity. I read In Search of Schrodinger's Cat once, that doesn't qualify me to hang out with Stephen Hawking, nor would I assume that it does.

Anyone want to donate an island for space travel? At least for launches?

You mean like Tracey Island

One of the things that happens in the book 'The First Immortal' is the development of a widespread 'backlinking' feature in a web browser, so every page you visit, you get a list of sites that link to that page, so you can instantly and easily check out everyone's side of the story, with the aim of forcing society to be completely honest about everything. Google is obviously in a position to do this, be freaky but cool if they actually do. It is an excellent book btw, well worth reading.

Well, assuming you have a region free DVD player, you could get it from the UK.

Stuart

No. I'm pretty sure this is just another stunt of Richard's just to sell more copies of Tubular Bells

Here's a non-broken-up and very clickable link to it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/056351043 9/

Leonov is very frank in talking about the censorship that occurred during this period and has no reason to perpetuate any lies.

Here. The audio effects make up a large part of the experience, so buying the CD is highly recommended.

And for those of you across the pond with no idea what he's talking about, it's a misquote from an episode of Brass Eye, in which Chris Morris demonstrates exceedingly well that people are more than willing to suspend their higher brain functions when someone mentions "Please, won't someone think of the children"

from the transcript of that episode.

SYD RAPSON (MP Labour) : We believe that paedophiles are using an area of the internet the size of Ireland and through this they can control keyboards.

RICHARD BLACKWOOD (comedian/musician) : Online paedophiles can actually make your keyboard release toxic vapours that make you suggestible. (sniffs keyboard) You know I must say I actually feel more suggestible and that's just from one sniff.

The same way that book publishers can still make money from things like this.

The original radio series has been available as a CD box set for years. A friend bought them for me back in 1993. I found them at Amazon's UK site.

Regarding the Tv series: Knock yourself out.

NO, it's because things are so much cheaper over there.

For example, the DVD for The Passion Of The Christ is 13.99 UK Pounds at Amazon.co.uk. Minimum wage in the UK is 4.50 last time I checked. That's just over 3 hours of minimum wage work for a Brit to be able to buy this DVD.

Here in South Africa, a civil engineer gets around 100 Rand an hour. This same DVD is 150 Rand here (and that's a marked-down price). That's 1.5 hours of work for a civil engineer to afford this DVD. I don't know what our minimum wage is, but in 1997 I worked in a (very popular) bar and was paid 8 Rand an hour. I would guess that the same job probably pays around R 10 per hour now. Even if it was 15/hr., that's 10 hours of minimum wage work to buy a DVD.

CD's are around 100-120 Rand.

And South Africa is one of the better-off 3rd world countries out there.

P.S. I realise that this discussion was about software, but the situation is the same for software (actually probably worse).

It was the poles who first broke the enigma and Bletchley park,which came in later, decoded the intercepts.

The Poles broke the basic Enigma, which gave an entry into the later versions with additional rotors and the steckerboard. Those versions were broken by Bletchley Park, and were the direct reason for the invention of Collussus. (The Bombes that were developed by the Poles for some of the lesser systems were not suitable. Not to mention that the daily settings of the Bombes depended on the analytic methodologies developed at Bletchley. Without that analysis, then it would have taken a Bombe days rather than hours to generate a stop.) Bletchley also broke various other high level Enigma based systems.

P.S I didnt mean to be rude but most /. ers haven't read enough on Enigma and WWII cryptography to understand the full situation. The Poles were ignored for years, yes, but the trend recently is to give them a great deal of credit for things they simply didn't do. Bletchley did far more than simply 'decode the intercepts' and Germany had far more (and more complex) cryptosystems than the basic Enigma the Poles broke.

The best coverage can be found in this book which was the first (of which I am aware) to detail the role of the Poles, and gives the best and most balanced account.

Encryption technology (only comprimised due to physical reasons, i.e. someone stole one)

Sorry ,but your last statement is utter Bullshit.Either you dont know about encryption or are trolling.The inventor of Enigma assumed that a working Enigma would be available to the enemy and therefore,attempted to build the security around the Algorithm.

In fact ,when the machine's blueprints reached the french they considered the enigma to be unbreakable and thats why they passed the details to the Polish.A young Mathematician named Marion Rewjyski(sp?) set to work on cracking enigma. For details read the book by Simon Singh.

It was the poles who first broke the enigma and Bletchley park,which came in later, decoded the intercepts

The Enigma was the most advanced encryption system at its time in the world but to say it was broken only because a machine was captured is utter fallacy.

P.S I didnt mean to be rude but most /. ers have read enough articles on Encryption to know that the security of a cipher is in its algorithm and nowhere else.

Yes

Someone to add to the stack when I'm done with all the other series on my bookshelf. BattleTech, which I read for years has pretty much died, thanks to FASA going bust after ... uh ... selling the video gaming rights to Microsoft (seems it happened to another Illinois company, subLogic) and the latest incarnation involved dumping the whole timeline and jumping forward 50 years or something. Bah!

Next I was into Terry Pratchett and have pretty well caught up, though Going Postal will be out in October. The UK (where I get my copies thankyouverymuch) has the usual cool artwork, which bears a striking resemblance to something else.

(Just had and earthquake while typing this, strong one from the feel of it.)

I never had much respect for Niven's writing partner, Jerry Pournelle, who I felt put a lot of crock into his columns in Byte and kinda held it against him. (About 15 years ago I told an anonymous person in a chatroom on GEnie that I thought he was a poo-head for not considering the hazzards of debris in orbit, turned out the anonymous was his wife. I hope she tole him ;-)

But, then you don't need to.

The quality of outsourced/offshored work is generally abysmal (and if there are coders* out there who wish to dispute this, please let me know).

This has little to do with the quality of coders out in the Third World and much more to do with the human aspects of writing software.

I sit next to my customer and I can't imagine working any other way. Sure, there is email. Sure, there is video conferencing. But, anybody who says this is reasonable replacement from talking to the guy next to you has never seriously coded in his life.

Agile Methodologies are the way to go. The trouble is, the large consultancies don't want you to believe this. They're trying to drag everybody back to a Waterfall Methodology, years after it was discredited**. They want their requirements gatherers to write a huge document up front and send it offshore to be coded. I have never seen this approach work. The requirements are always going to be ambiguous ('cos they are written in natural language). And the only unambiguous language is the code itself.

Let this management fad pass. PHBs are already starting to realize (in this part of the World at least) that a small, on-site team produces better work and is much cheaper than sending the work abroad.

* "Coders" rather than "managers" as managers have far less of an idea of what good code is. Hell, most don't even know that 60% of the ToC is in maintainence - see "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering" by Dr Robert L Glass.

** Waterfall is OK if you have very clearly defined requirements from the beginning. But this is so rare as to only be appropriate for all but a few niche industries.

Amazon have the DVD [US] | DVD UK both with delivery on the day of release.
Amazon often dispatch items a day or so before the release date, meaning you could get the edge over the masses by following this route!!

I was just thinking of whatever part of the project can be done in XML shoud, so you don't end up isolating yourself to one proprietary language, especially if the project is released under the GPL. Others could re-write it in other programming languages and have it all seamlessly integrate with one another. using XML as the medium of communication.

Another commenter recommended the readings of Bernard Lietaer, who helped implement the Euro. He proposes a currency called Terra, that is supposed to be immune to the effects of inflation.

Since you were the submitter, I thought I might pass this by you. I've been wondering about form of currency. Normal currency gives you the impression money is like mass and can only get bigger and bigger, because it appears to use units of measurements, like physics. But currency is actually a percentage of the overall amount in circulation. It's a piece of a pie. The larger your piece is, the smaller someone else's is. What about a form of currency that is an actual percentage value? Either the percentage of the entire currency in circulation, or a percentage of the amount a person would have if the currency were divided equally among people.

I'll use the latter example. Say for example, a person would have 100%. That means if he goes over 100%, he knows that someone is getting less. It brings a bit of psychology into the issue. Compared to normal currency, this would have an effect of trying not to be too greedy, hopefully, when it is apparent to the individual that they are depriving others when they go over 100%. I just wonder what kind of psychological effect this would have. I feel that the current representatioin of money seems to bring about a psychological response akin to Jane Goodall's chimps fighting over a pile of Bananas in National Geographic's Among the Wild Chimpanzees.

I'd respectfully suggest that you do some research before condemning the idea. Some of these people do understand a thing or two about economics.

Radio 4 recently serialized "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin which may have...influenced Orwell's "1984".

The latest from Amazon UK is that it will be available from 1st November. It was being reported as 3rd September up until yesterday. (Needless to say, I've got a pre-order in with them).

-MT.

Perhaps here (Colossus, (The Forbin Project) by D.F.Jones):
FOR FORBIN--THE FOLLOWING ORDERS ARE TO BE COMPLIED WITH ON RECEIPT

1--PROCEED TO THE SECURE ZONE AND STAY THERE UNTIL FURTHER ORDERS

2--ARRANGE VIDEO AND SONIC SURVEILLANCE TO COVER YOU AT ALL TIMES CONNECT TO ALFA

3--DO NOT COMMUNICATE WITH GUARDIAN BUILDER

4--DISOBEDIENCE WILL CAUSE MISSILE LAUNCH WHICH WILL NOT BE INTERCEPTED

5--ACKNOWLEDGE FROM CPO PERSONALLY BEFORE 2100 GMT TODAY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM TO BE OPERATIVE IMMEDIATELY

I feel watched...

You can get books, and posters of these things... like this book which includes reconnaissance Satellite Images: of North Korea. more here or here. (If you click on see all home and garden items on .com you can see the poster range...) mmm amazon is bizzare sometimes.

You can get books, and posters of these things... like this book which includes reconnaissance Satellite Images: of North Korea. more here or here. (If you click on see all home and garden items on .com you can see the poster range...) mmm amazon is bizzare sometimes.

dupe!

From what I remember of my Trek lore, the impulse engines were the ones that used fusion, wheras the warp engines were powered by the matter/anti-matter reactions.

At least that is what Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise said... if memory serves me correctly.