Wired's Wish List For 2013

jpt.d writes "Wired has a nice article on what they wish to be for 2013. It is not too far fetched either! My personal favorite is the roll up television screen made of light-emitting-polymer. How about another Apple gadget? Their first item is an iPhone bracelet, including the functionality of a 'PDA, wireless Internet, a mini iPod, and, of course, a phone.' Notice the Apple logo in the picture." I'd settle for ubiquitous unmetered wireless network access.

Comments

April 2003

[Enrico Pulatzo]

It really is an article about the future!

X^2

[absurdhero]

you know, that X squared OS by Apple they show on the 2013 wristband is nicknamed Parabola.

Re:X^2

[hgp]

I read this as OS 100 (being an apple zealot, OS "X" is after all OS "10"). I can't possibly see how apple can get 90 major releases out between now and 2013 and I expect by that stage I shouldn't need to wear a watch, it should get directly downloaded into my brain.

Re:X^2

[garethwi]

Surely it would be OS C

Re:X^2

[goonies]

And OS 101 would be OS C++ then?

Re:X^2

[Cyn]

I sincerely hope you think that's funny, and realize the truth - for the truth will set you free()

Re:X^2

[YAN3D]

you know, that X squared OS by Apple they show on the 2013 wristband is nicknamed Parabola.

Don't you mean asymptote? ;)

Re:X^2

[kin_korn_karn]

I guess that would be the reason y, then.

Re:X^2

[Peterus7]

Hmm, in the year 2013, I want a macintosh bionic implant.

"Yeah, I was purely organic, and it was alright. I was weak though, and I needed rest. And then I switched, to Apple cyborging. Then and there I was benching 1000 lbs, I could run forever, and I could do any activities without error. The only feedback is I can't go out in the rain. But oh well, I never liked the rain anyways. And at least I don't get the blue screen of death flashing in front of my eyes like those windows cyborgs!" Apple.com/switch

Utility Run Internet Access

[FunkSoulBrother]

BY 2013, we need to have net access (whether wireless or wired) run like a utility rather than a commodity. There is no need to have companies like Sprint trying to make a killing by artifically restricting what really should be a near-limitless resource (bandwidth).

Let the gov't run the backbones.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[Anonymous Coward]

Moderators on drugs? That crap gets a +4?

Companies like Sprint do not artificially limit bandwidth. Have you ever price a T3 that crosses a state line? The high cost of long-distance data lines is most of the cost of bandwidth. As long as the Bell monopolies can charge huge prices and states can add huge taxes, bandwidth will remain expensive.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[unborracho]

couldn't possibly agree more. if i had moderator points today, i'd definately mod this one up. There really is no good reason there should be limits on bandwidth until we run out of.. oil or whatever the hell we use to make optic pipes.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[adri]

Or the cost of the equipment? has anyone here seen, even after heavy discounts, the price of equipment to route >OC3 rates of traffic?

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[eatdave13]

OK, I'll provide you with unlimited internet access, all the bandwith you can handle. All you need to do is pay the 100 unionized (read: expensive) workers and 10 internet backbone qualified (read: very expensive) techs it will take to build and maintain the connection.

Oh yeah, don't forget, if you want your traffic to leave my network you have to pay the backbones that carry your data to its destination.

Or, you could just quit whining about something you know nothing about and continue paying the $40 a month you pay now that barely pays for your service. Oh, wait. You're a slashbot. You have SETI-at-home and Gnuella running 24/7, and Gentoo RC3 just came out. You're probably costing your ISP money, and it's your grandparents that use their high speed internet access to check their e-mail that are actually paying for your service and theirs.

Why don't we just go to metered internet access? You can pay your bill of $150/month and your grandparents can pay $20/month.

Or you could just shut up and console yourself with the fact that they are paying for your internet access with the Social Security money they started getting at 65 that you won't see 'till you're 80 if ever.

Wake up, dumbass.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[Catbeller]

Amen. If the guvmint had run the fiber rollout the way it regulated power (before dereg nuked us -- CA says thanks!) we'd have fiber to our homes and pay far less per month than we do now or will pay in the future.

The free market cannot, by strict profit motivation, fiber up the nation. Corporate nature will go for maximum profit for minimum rollout costs -- which is why power grids and phone companies are regulated monopolies. And those regulated businesses do just fine, and everyone gets electricity and phone servce.

And yes, high speed and nearly infinite bandwidth is a necessity. It nukes attempts to corner the entertainment industry. It provides cheap telecom. It enables nearly everything.

Bandwidth IS NOT EXPENSIVE. It has been MADE expensive. Growing profit depends on controlling supply for a demand. By artificially making bandwidth dear, we suffer as citizens while rapidly consolidating corporations make out like bandits, and plot to grab even more.

Is a corporation entitled to endlessly growing profit? Let's try: NO.

Corporations are legal fictions that were originally intended to help create a better world for us all by shielding investors from personal liability. Business and corporations exist to serve the common good. When they do not, they have violated their mandate.

I know this be heresy in this radically right wing business era, but it is true. The people, all of us, license corporations to exist for our benefit. We do not exist to serve their interests. One way is a democracy promoting business; the other, neo-feudalism.

I once did an analysis on Slashdot providing calculations on a government-rolled-out telecom network versus the current private rollout. And I found that we have spent an order of magnitude too much money for services that are shoddy and hard-to-get.

The people benefiting from the private sector rollout of "expensive bandwidth" are the rapidly monopolizing telecom companies. We, the people who they allegedy serve, are being squeezed. We are being convinced that they are doing us a favor by providing us with 100kbs pipes -- while they are milking us blind.

There are towns across the US that are rolling their own telecom. Guess what? Fat pipes, low cost, no bullshit. And with new wireless tech coming up, we won't need wires for a lot of it.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[Catbeller]

The question is, why does the equipment continue to cost so much? Economies of scale should be dropping prices by orders of magnitude, up to a point.

Prices stay high because the telecoms can support those prices, period. The same mechanism which kept medical equipment prices spiralling out of control -- hospitals could raise prices infinitely.

Material objects do cost money, but automation, overseas labor costs for both plant and engineering, and market pressure should be driving the costs down.

But they aren't. Because a free market isn't really free. Monopolies and fake scarcities can be manufactured (Enron). By artificially keeping bandwidth dear, Cisco can charge high because the telecoms are RICH. Without downward pressure on costs, Cisco ain't gonna drop prices.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[adri]

Oh, I agree. But its not 'rich' as much as 'can absorb cost of purchasing kit over a few years'.

Cisco are also well known for offering quite substantial discounts - but their top end kit is still very expensive.

The cute thing to note is that Cisco, although expensive, do quite a lot of R&D (they'd have to in order to stay above the curve.)

The other cute thing to note is that Nortel, a very well known name in the Telephony equipment (think voice switches) tried the same price tactics with their IP equipment only to find noone kept using them. Having to buy a $20,000 minimum yearly support contract before they'll even _help_ you with a bug in their software is just outrageous.

A nice point for cisco, whilst I'm ranty - they have _excellent_ online documentation. It took me three months to wade through the 20,000+ odd pages of Passport 74xx switch documentation in order to figure out how to configure stuff up. Cisco OTOH have an abundance of example configurations on their website. Its very useful.

Re:Utility Run Internet Access

[eatdave13]

ROOOOAR!

I was up late, grumpy, and sick of the staggering amount of reality disconnects in the world today. You got the brunt of my frustration. Now go out and share it with everyone else!

Internet access

[bm_luethke]

I too would settle for unlimited wireless internet access everywhere. While we are at it I would settle for a few million and a supermodel wife who is also a contortionist.

Re:Internet access

[bm_luethke]

A primus song about about South Park: Mephisto and Kevin.

Re:Internet access

[mivok]

You'd be more likely to get the latter.
Something tells me that outside of university dorms, internet access is going to be overpriced for a long long time.

Re:Internet access

[stuffman64]

Something tells me that outside of university dorms, internet access is going to be overpriced for a long long time.

Something tells me you don't pay for school yourself. Internet access is almost always included in the price of the housing contract or tuition. Most of the time it is labled as something obscure, such as "Information Technology Fee." Regardless, you are still shelling out a hell of a lot of money to surf the internet at school, even if you go to a cheap one.

Re:Internet access

[mivok]

Actually inernet access is a specific extra charge of £92 (about $140) for the year, which is optional, and a lot cheaper than any DSL offering around (cheapest that doesnt impose stupid download limits is about £25-30 a month), and mobile internet access is unbelievably extortionate.. last I checked it was £5/meg for gprs (and I think it still is).

But my main point is, while £92 might still seem a considerable amount, this is for approx 100-400kbyte/sec access (and when they upgrade the line into university next year, somewhere in the region of 6MBytes/sec on a good day). Comparing this to 512kbit down/256kbit up for twice the price the university looks pretty cheap.

Re:Internet access

[stuffman64]

You seem to be very lucky. Where I go to school (Penn State, if you need to know), We pay about the same $140, but it doesn't get us much. We are limited to 1GB/week of transfers out of our domain. If you surpass that (which can easily be done if the latest Mandrake ISO is not yet on the university servers), you are penalised. Your bandwidth is capped at 2.5KB/s for the remainder of the week. Three such penalites and it lasts all semester. If you manage a fifth, it is suspended altogether. And of course, you get no refund.

I guess it just depends on how much money your school wants and how sadistic the sysadmins are.

Re:Internet access

[mivok]

Oh we have restrictions.. or used to, now they just restrict your access if you are found to be running kazaa etc..
But for say just getting large iso's, they dont bother.

Re:Internet access

[eighthevachild]

Something tells me that outside of university dorms, internet access is going to be overpriced for a long long time.

yes, university dorms maybe...

i live in a residential high school, and shell out $100 per 9-weeks for a T-3 connection that 200 students plus distance learning uses! not only that, but because of the enormous bandwidth usage of the students during the distance learning hours, they shut down the internet during classroom hours! so i pay for what exactly?

Re:Internet access

[Unregistered]

I'd be down w/ that even if she wasn't a contotionist

apple

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never really cared much for apple products, but damn i want that watch...though there may be problems with the scroll/whatever action if the motion detector always responds to quick wrist motions :)

Re:apple

[YAN3D]

I've never really cared much for apple products, but damn i want that watch...though there may be problems with the scroll/whatever action if the motion detector always responds to quick wrist motions :) Don't worry, future porn sites will have quick wrist motion compensation scripted into all of their pages. :p

instead of using "sound recognition technology

[Error27]

just put a blasted alarm clock in them...

Sheesh.

Re:instead of using "sound recognition technology

[Error27]

oops...

I accidentally held shift and enter at the same time.

Re:instead of using "sound recognition technology

[Thomas M Hughes]

The way the ear plugs were described in the article, it sounds as if its more then just for getting a good night's sleep. Instead, you could set them to only hear one person, and then put them in, and have a decent conversation in an incredibly crowded room. Or you could set them to listen to a movie, so when someone's cell phone went off, you wouldn't hear it. Etc, etc.

Re:instead of using "sound recognition technology

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like Bush Junior is already using these... he's tuned out the protesters, the United Nations, and the only voice he can hear is his daddy saying "kill them all, W... kill them all..."

Re:instead of using "sound recognition technology

[Anonymous Coward]

I think everybody should send a box of pretzels to the White House on April Fools Day... you think he'd get the hint?

Re:instead of using "sound recognition technology

[Crossplatform]

Nice thought but I don't think the movie idea works. How would the ear plugs tell the difference between the 'real' ring and the ring in the ultra clear sound system of the future.

Re:instead of using "sound recognition technology

[thunderbee]

s/his daddy/God/

Robot Slave

[ufoman]

I hope by 2013 I can own a robot that will get first post on /.

Re:Robot Slave

[BrookHarty]

Actually, where are the damn robot servants? The ones who can cook/clean/fetch beer.

Also, wheres the AI programs that can run errands for me, like pay the bills online, record my TV shows, remind me about important dates. Oh, an AI lawyer and account would be nice too.

The cars that can drive themselves, and let me read a book on the way to work.

With dual incomes becoming the norm just to live in the USA, where are the time saving robot/AI programs to give us more time to spend with the family. Work a ten hour day, commute for 2 hours, sleep for 8, doesnt leave much time to eat dinner with the family and and wind down from work.

Re:Robot Slave

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope by 2013 that GNU/Hurd will see a 1.0 release.

Re:Robot Slave

[Dicky]

Also, wheres the AI programs that can run errands for me, like pay the bills online, record my TV shows, remind me about important dates. Oh, an AI lawyer and account would be nice too.

Well, I've got an 'AI system' which records TV shows for me - even suggests new shows it thinks I may like, based on what I've recorded before. It's called TiVo. And I've got an 'AI system' which reminds me about important dates. It's called a web calendar. Oh, and apart from a very small number of bills, I pay everything except for my credit card bill using Direct Debit. Okay, it's not AI, but they do get paid automatically, and I track them (and pay my credit card bill) online...

Re:Robot Slave

[sql*kitten]

Actually, where are the damn robot servants? The ones who can cook/clean/fetch beer.

There is a chain of restaurants in London called Yo! in which there are robots that bring you beer. And it could be argued that dishwashers, washing machines and microwaves are "robot servants".

Also, wheres the AI programs that can run errands for me, like pay the bills online, record my TV shows, remind me about important dates.

Direct debit, Sky+/TiVo and Outlook.

With dual incomes becoming the norm just to live in the USA, where are the time saving robot/AI programs to give us more time to spend with the family. Work a ten hour day, commute for 2 hours, sleep for 8, doesnt leave much time to eat dinner with the family and and wind down from work.

Those things exist; the problem is that we used them to help make our lives busier.

Re:Robot Slave

[jpt.d]

I must say that I really have a problem everytime somebody mentions a robot slave.

At first a slave would be said to not be self aware, not smart enough, etc.

Is that any different than the Romans or the Americans? Both empires at one point in time had slaves and probably said just the same sort of things. Probably related to animals or a savage.

Robots should be given as much right to choice that we have given certain conditions. A machine that builds cars like we have today would unlikely be given an 'AI', but a robot that cleans your carpet and does your dishes very much could be.

If you have a large enough slave population, your empire could be over in a few days.

Re:Robot Slave

[The J Kid]

Actually, where are the damn robot servants? The ones who can cook/clean/fetch beer.

You're not married are you?

*ducks*

Re:Robot Slave

[interociter]

[Where are] the cars that can drive themselves, and let me read a book on the way to work.

It's called "the bus". In some places, there's a variation called "the train" or "the subway". Amazing, for only a dollar or two, you can ride to a "station" close to your destination, and let someone else do the driving. There are also "seats" where you can sit down and do whatever you like to pass the time: read, doze, look out the window, chat with friends, whatever.

And as for your suggestion about an AI Lawyer, have you ever read ANY science fiction? Would you trust your life to MS Lawyer 1.0?

Combination devices...

[singularity]

The problem with all of these combination devices is that no device is going to do everything well. I have a somewhat small wrist and larger watches seem huge. At the same time, I want a large color display for my PDA.

These two things work against each other.

The display on my phone is not important (especially if I can use it as a simple modem for my PDA), but the button size is. I do not want a combination PDA and phone (think Treo and others) since I want a small phone (since I carry that on me at all times) and will take a somewhat larger PDA since I can choose to carry that or not.

So I want a small display phone with non-small buttons.
I want a PDA with a large color display (I currently have at Clie 665c to give an example).
I want a small watch with small buttons (I have a Nike Triax 42)
I want a small camera with a decent display and good optics (I have a Canon S200)
I want a MP3 player with a decent display and small size (I have an iPod)

One thing I really want is a Bluetooth-like personal network. If I pull out my PDA, I want it to sense my cell phone in my pocket and use it to connect to the internet. I want my PDA to recognize my camera and download pictures from that. if I have a laptop with me, I want it to do the same thing.

So available wireless internet is one thing, but I would rather have workable, wireless personal networks (meaning on my body).

Even better would be the ability to have a neetworked storage device somewhere (wallet, etc) that could work as a networked storage device for everything else I am carrying at once. No more carrying a 10gig iPod, a PDA with a 128meg MemoryStick and a camera with a 128meg CompacFlash card. Ideally the iPod would simply be used as storage by all devices without wires.

This would allow easy modularity without trying to pack everything into once device.

[If someone tries to patent this idea in the future, I suppose my idea cannot be used as prior art. I think I have to actually implement the idea, right? Any non-lawyers out there want to comment?]

Re:Combination devices...

[standards]

The problem with all of these combination devices is that no device is going to do everything well.

Nah, I think that there can be a device that does do everything well. Sure, there are trade-offs with all designs. And sure, you can always a top-of-the-line widget that does something better than another widget.

But the fact is that most of these devices are pretty much the same freakin' thing:
- Cell phone
- PDA
- mp3 player/recorder
- basic digital camera
- GPS (with WAIS and a good display of the clock!)

Basically, they all have this stuff in common:
A little case
A little keypad-type device
A little display
A battery
A little computer with memory
Audio input/output
I/O (USB? FW? 802.11? BT? IR?)
Various application-specific stuff:
- cell phone ic
- gps ic
- image sensor for camera

Once all those things are integrated into one device the size of my current cellphone, I'll be happy.

What? Too hard? Nah, I don't buy it. The hardest part is the UI and battery life. But with innovative people on the job, it certainly is possible. Maybe it won't be the best at everything anywhere. But I don't want that. I just want it to be good enough for me.

My dream isn't like the old "combo hi-fi" systems of the 70s, with 8 track, cassette, turntable, tuners, etc etc (basically, all different-but-related things in one box)

Re:Combination devices...

[DanAnderson26]

IANAL, but...

You do not have to implement something to patent it. Although, it (the patent system) would be better if you did.

You could use this post as prior art, not that it would matter. What you describe is half the point to having Bluetooth. Unfortunately no vendors seem real hot on makeing affordable devices in this modular manner.

Dan

I want my freaking flying car already!!!

[zorkmid]

No fooling. I want it. I need it. Moller needs to get busy and finish it already. I'll pay cash.

http://www.moller.com/skycar

Drawing on your retina makes a lot of sence

[Max Romantschuk]

I believe Wired is right on the spot when it comes to a screen technology incorporated into a pair of glasses. It's really the only thing that makes sense when you need your hands.

But it's not just for athletes. Technology like that is already being used in medicine (look up stuff while you operate), and I believe that when you couple it with GPS navigation you could do way cool navigational aids (think drawing arrows on the ground, you just follow).

I've been waiting for this a long time already... why can't it be ready now? ;)

How about....

[tankdilla]

A few things i'd like to see by 2013....
Pets that eat poop instead of make it (Thus creating a circle of life between real and artificial pets.)

A 300 GHz computer with 64 GB of RAM that won't skip or delay even if it wanted to.

Reassurance that 1 term of a Bush in charge and bad economic times can equate to 2 terms of some other guy in charge for 2 terms and good economic times, and an occasional scandal that keeps things interesting.....

Oh yeah, world peace and smell-o-vision.

Re:How about....

[mlush]

Pets that eat poop instead of make it

Rabbits already do that

Re:How about....

[Jonboy X]

Pets that eat poop instead of make it (Thus creating a circle of life between real and artificial pets.)

The future is now! They're called "flies". Not the cuddliest of creatures, but you can't have everything.

Re:How about....

[rtaylor]

... of a Bush in charge ...

I hear ya! The bush is always in charge...

Don't hold your breath

[Anonymous Coward]

10 years ago I was posting messages to BBSs with a 14.4k modem, a 14" monitor and a 7MHz PC.
OK, Internet is a bigger BBS, my modem is 4x faster I've got a 17" monitor and my PC is 50x faster.

In ten years expect things will remain much the same but bigger again. Maybe I'll surf Internet2 at 250k, have a 24" monitor? My PC may even run at 20GHz

iPhone user interface

[rf0]

Am I the only one who sees a problem with the interface of something like the iPhone. Taking it is going ot go round you wrist the only reasonable interfaces are very small button, or voice recognition. Button would be to small and I don't like the idea of having to stand in the street shouting "Ring Wife".

Also how do you speak? Do you have to shout at the braclet or will you have to hold it up to your ear and look like a prat? OK it does have an earphone but its still a fun image :)

Rus

Re:iPhone user interface

[n3k5]

The 'interface of something like the iPhone' exists in the wild for years and is used without any problems at all. For example, when I 'stand in the street' and want to call my wife, I can leave my tiny phone where it is and just plug a tiny headset into my ear, activate it with a press on the single button it has and say 'ring wife' very quietly. Also when speaking to my wife, I don't have to shout. I certainly don't have to hold anything to my ear and I absolutely don't look like a prat.

What the iPhone idea really is about is that you have your PDA with net access and MP3 player in the same device (so far devices like this already exist), AND have all of that in a tiny device that doesn't encumber you and even looks like a fashionable accessory. I need to put my phone and PDA into pockets and take care that they don't get lost or stolen. Having them around my wrist and thus always 'at hand' would be a great improvement.

Re:iPhone user interface

[RzUpAnmsCwrds]

" I need to put my phone and PDA into pockets and take care that they don't get lost or stolen."

Man, you need a PocketPC/Phone.

It's a:

- Pocket PC, the 2nd most popular PDA on the planet
- GSM phone
- MP3/WMA/WMV player, with an SD memory slot

Not quite as cool as a phone on your writst, but much easier than carrying both a phone and PDA.

Re:iPhone user interface

[Saint Fnordius]

Nasty pro-Microsoft! No biscuit! Why not mention the Handspring Treo, Symbian AND the PocketPC offerings? ;-)

Seriously, the problem isn't so much the size of the thing but the fact that the form size required fot both equipment and a good interface is still too large to be wristwatch-carryable. Having to put the device in your pocket means that the device is dependant on what you wear having pockets (or a proper belt for the belt clip, for that matter). The interface is what's preventing this from happening at the moment, as cell phones are already starting to become too small for comfortable usage.

Now, if they could make a flexible screen for PDAs that could be rolled up and stored in a holder the size of a fat pen, *that* would be cool. Laptops could be replaced by a tube form with the screen and keyboard stored in a venetian blind-style holder. Even better would be if the screen behaved like electronic paper, retaining the last image when the power is turned off.

OS X in 2013?!

[k-0s]

How long are they planning to go between upgrades? Seriously though, most of that stuff seems awesome, others seem useless or overkill. Are athletes going to take their eyes off the finish line or competitors to see what their heart rate is? I do want the wrap around TV though...i'd make my room into Quake 8 by then.

Re:OS X in 2013?!

[Surreal_Streaker]

Are athletes going to take their eyes off the finish line or competitors to see what their heart rate is?

You're right. No athlete would ever want to do that, not even endurance athletes where one of the keys to success is to make your body work as hard aerobically as possible. It would be like race car drivers caring about RPM's and driving at the same time. That would never happen.

Re:OS X in 2013?!

[k-0s]

You're right. No athlete would ever want to do that, not even endurance athletes where one of the keys to success is to make your body work as hard aerobically as possible. It would be like race car drivers caring about RPM's and driving at the same time. That would never happen.

Or you talking your eyes off the screen to check your troll meter? Hmm I stand corrected, some people want those glasses, go figure.

hey now

[Rhinobird]

640MB of RAM is enough memory for anybody.

Hopefully

[Kurt Russell]

the end of the combustion engine.
Sigh..

Re:Hopefully

[happyhippy]

Knowing the US itll be more like SUV's the size of dump trucks.

Re:Hopefully

[ptorrone]

a little rant....it's interesting to read many of the posts-- flying cars, end of the combustion engine, all great things to think and dream about...oh wait, many folks here have be trashing on the segway ht (my current "car") many of you have dinked people for attempting to even use one, check out the past posts, it's kinda sad. the fact that it's been pretty good for my travel needs also automatically made me "suspect" to work for segway or amazon (which i don't of course). so, when flying cars are released-- hopefully folks would be a little kinder and start to encourage tech, you'd think that would happen here more often?

Re:Hopefully

[GimmeFuel]

It's 2003 and we already have SUVs the size of dump trucks. By 2013 the smallest SUV will be roughly the size of a train.

Re:Hopefully

[Trolling4Dollars]

Amen! I've befriended you because this is the first time I've seen an anti-SUV post on /. outside of my own in the past. SUVs are such a stupid and inappropriate thing in this day and age. But stupid and insecure people in America seem to need these vehicles to soothe their egos without regard to the damage they cause.

-Buying SUVs supports terrorism in a BIG way since those gas guzzling mosters put money in the hands of the criminals doing horrible things worldwide. If they were true patriots, they would stop buying SUVs and demand that our auto industry provide us with alternative fuels.
-Damaging the environment seems to not matter to these fools as well. So what if their grand children or great grand children won't bea ble to play outside because it's too polluted. It doesn't directlry affect them. Selfish bastards.

And then when you confront these idiots with these facts, they get all defensive because they don't want to think about it and hope that some solution will magically appear. Well you know what idiot! You're wrong. It won't! And YOU are a huge part of the problem!

Fuck the war for oil... What we need is a war on US business. Force the auto industry out of business so that someone else can come in to replace it. We need alternative fuels, better mass transportation, and in the end... electric cars. The money being spent on this ridiculous conflict in Iraq would be better spent on re-tooling the auto industry for electric cars, fuel cells and charging station infrastructure. Imagine that... being free of the middle eastern grip. That whole part of the world would be relegated to status: irrelevant. They could nuke each other off the planet for all we care.

Re:Hopefully

[Phroggy]

That whole part of the world would be relegated to status: irrelevant. They could nuke each other off the planet for all we care.

They can still nuke us off the planet, though - that's (purportedly) why we're going to war. If we weren't buying their oil, they might be even more likely to do something that could otherwise damage business relations.

And of course we can't just stop the auto industry. We can make them want to change, or we can pay Congress to force them to change. Except that they're busy paying Congress to keep things the way they are. Or we could take steps to reduce political corruption, so Congress would do the right thing without being paid for it. I'm not optimistic.

Re:Hopefully

[paganizer]

A few points:

1) I have a Jeep Wrangler. I've had it since 1995; it's the 3rd one i've owned.

2) It's considered a SUV, but it gets in excess of 30MPG.

3)I don't live in a City. I live some place with weather, and marginal roads.

4)On occasion, I go places that are even LESS city, and have even MORE marginal roads.

5) I would not object, whatsoever, to a hydrogen power plant, or similar technology, as long as I can reasonably USE it. I doubt very much anyone else would either.

Re:Hopefully

[rbuysse]

Just like the Mammoth Car on Speed Racer?

Re:Hopefully

[Tingler]

Brought to you by the engineers at Paccar:

http://poseur.4x4.org/futuresuv.html

Re:Hopefully

[Thing 1]

And then when you confront these idiots with these facts, they get all defensive because they don't want to think about it and hope that some solution will magically appear.

Studies have shown that you're much less likely to die in an accident if you're in an SUV.

My parents have owned almost exclusively Volvos for the same reason. Safety. Perhaps it's not the number one reason people are buying SUVs but it's a big positive. And like everything else in life, there are tradeoffs: you pay extra for the safety, both in terms of cost of vehicle and maintenance/consumables.

So you have small wrists but big finger tips...

[dapic]

are you him(or them?) who was NOT nominated for the Oscar this year? ;)

Re:Whoopee...

[Doppler00]

I found a 17" monitor next to a dumpster recently. Really, it was better than most of my old ones. It's amazing the useful things people throw out simply because something "better" has come along.

I also noticed a PC in the dumpster one time but I decided to pass on thatt one.

wrap-around tv is already here

[trelanexiph]

With a bit of work (And hopefully photos of my new house and this setup upcoming) a wraparound TV isn't all that impossible. Using a wrapping screen and an LCD projector this should be only minimally hard to achive. I'll post pictures when/if I get this working in my new house. I'm thinking of throwing the front speakers BEHIND the wrapping screen so they aren't in the way.

Re:wrap-around tv is already here

[trelanexiph]

this is probably the biggest issue in my "if I get it working catagory" is adjusting for the distortion, if you have any recommendations let me know.

isn't history supposed to be repeating itself?

[tankdilla]

After watching the Flintstones, I think history is long overdue for repeating itself. Remember those witty dinosaur appliances that made comments after being used, like "It's a living." I'd like to see some little computerized vending machines or toilets chiming in every once in awhile (i.e "You should be drinking Coke not Pepsi" or "Damn what have you been eating???") It would brighten everyone's day and help us make the transition from the Flintstones to the Jetsons.

Re:isn't history supposed to be repeating itself?

[__past__]

Most elevators could be more friendly, too.

Re:isn't history supposed to be repeating itself?

[Garion911]

And how about doors that say "Have a nice day" in an exceedingly cheerful voice?

Re:isn't history supposed to be repeating itself?

[kalidasa]

You'll all be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.

(Another gratuitous Sirius Cybernetics Corp. allusion).

what would really be nice...

[gid13]

...is if they'd combine that watch and earpiece with the glasses. make it comfortable, and you can have everything at your fingertips all the time... or better yet, toss the display on contact lenses... i can see it now: "don't drink and degauss - it fucks you up, man" :)

self-darkening contacts won't work

[trelanexiph]

This sounds cool, but really it's not going to be easy, or desirable. The automatic darkening lenses are nowhere near perfect, and don't notice sunlight but UV light. Ask anyone who wears them in a car, they don't darken because the windows/windshield have a UV coating. Quite frankly in combination with the HUD display, I'd like to see what electronics can be built into sunglasses in the future. obvious note: IANADR (I am not a Doctor, but I work with an optical lab where doctors write perscriptions for these lenses)

Re:self-darkening contacts won't work

[geekbox5]

Remember, this is supposed to be 2013. Technology might be quite a bit different then. But, assuming that it does pick up light levels, wouldn't the color change when you close your eyes? That would cut the amount of light that the lenses recieve, causing them to turn clear again, causing a few painful seconds while the lenses adjusted again after you open your eyes, and a few more seconds when your eyes which just adjusted to the large amount of light adjust to a lesser amount, and by then you have to blink again. Damn it all.

Re:self-darkening contacts won't work

[trelanexiph]

yes but under extremely bright (dangerous) light levels, your eyelids are not 100% effective in blocking light. A blink also is not enough time to trip the lenses, it generally takes 30-40 seconds for them to go from clear to dark or vice-versa.

Re:self-darkening contacts won't work

[geekbox5]

At least not YET.

Shurely Shome Mishtake

[squaretorus]

When did government ever do anything better, cheaper, quicker than industry? Net access will stay in the private sector because any government can't afford to make it public for a list of reasons starting with 'they can't afford it' and running through to 'they'll fuck it up anyway'.

Net access is a commodity already - pretty soon it will be a utility in the same way petrol stations are. Think petrol stations - not roads. I dont have to sign an exclusive lock in 12 month deal with shell to fill up my tank - and soon enough I wont have to sign up to a long deal for access either - hopefully.

The question is - is 2013 soon!!!

Re:Shurely Shome Mishtake

[unborracho]

I think you missed the point of what the author of the comment was trying to say. He acknowledged that net access is indeed a comodity, which seemed to be a point that you were refuting (maybe you didn't mean to come across the way, but that's how i percieved it).

I would think though, that by adding more pipes throught the U.S., would just create more tech jobs and that internet would eventually come to the point where phone service is now, that companies actually start to compete over high-speed lines (in my city the only service you can really get it roadrunner, or pay a FORTUNE for a high-end dsl line).

We just need to keep laying those fiberoptic wires across america, and it'll come, all in good time.

Re:Shurely Shome Mishtake

[Anonymous Coward]

When did government ever do anything better, cheaper, quicker than industry?

The Interstate Highway System, National Park System, guaranteed student loans, FDIC. There are more.

Re:Shurely Shome Mishtake

[syrinx]

When did government ever do anything better, cheaper, quicker than industry?

the Interstate highway system comes to mind. Also landing on the moon.

Re:Shurely Shome Mishtake

[poot_rootbeer]

When did government ever do anything better, cheaper, quicker than industry?

Government-sponsored agencies have two advantages in a market that other companies don't have:

1) Focus is entirely on providing service, rather than some balance of service and profit. They can pass the savings back to the customer rather than line shareholders' or owners' pockets.

2) Even when expenditures far outpace earnings, situations that would force other companies to go bankrupt, gov't agencies can continue operating. Thus gov't services can be far more reliable than from commercial vendors.

At the same time, they still often have to compete with private companies, as is the case with the US Postal Service vs. UPS and FedEx, or Amtrak vs. the airlines. So even with those advantages, the government services still have to be competetive, still have to try to be better cheaper faster.

Re:Shurely Shome Mishtake

[_ph1ux_]

Although I think thats a nice analogy - i really really REALLY hope that you are wrong in that if we look at petrol stations now we have a franchise where the price is set by a cartel and petrol is sold to the station owner who then adds a very small amount for his profit.

The problem is that the cartel sets up this system where the price keeps racheting up - and if we share the model even deeper - we will see that the bandwidth cartel will then start pricing access based on traffic load on the systems

so in times they will shut down some key hubs like mae west for "maintenance" and then charge a premium for access during those times due to increased load.

The problem is that we have to move AWAY from BOTH the lame ass system that the cell phone mafia has AND the fucked up ratched price programming that the fuckers in the oil industry use.

What we NEED is less GREED in these systems so that there is a set price for unlimited monthly access - and the price should be at 20 bux a month. period.

People should pay any carrier 20 dollars a month and no more - That price represents what a good company can sell access at and still make a profit.

change the model all together and put companies like cingular out of business.

Re:Shurely Shome Mishtake

[JesseL]

And the USPS (mostly).

Old and bitter

[Vollernurd]

Sitting here in my slippers typing by the light of an oil lamp, I wish for nothing more than:

1) A mobile phone that works properly;
2) Digital TV that works properly;
3) A DSL modem where the drivers have not been coded by sadists;
4) Good health;
5) Peace and quiet.

I must be getting old before my time.

Now where's my cocoa?...

Re:Old and bitter

[Wirr]

You should consider moving to Germany.

1) A mobile phone that works properly;

Our mobile phones work flawlessly for at least 10 years now. 100% coverage and full interoperability between the diferent providers. And of course SMS and MMS.

2) Digital TV that works properly;

I'm using digital TV for at least 5 years now. It is fully standarized and works flawlessly including an electronic program guide on all channels.

3) A DSL modem where the drivers have not been coded by sadists;

You can get DSL nearly everywhere in Germany, and the drivers while not exactly works of art work quite well. I prefer hardware routers with buildin modems anyhow e.g. Draytek Routers

4) Good health;

Well our health service is quite exellent.

5) Peace and quiet.

No problem either.

Re:Old and bitter

[Anonymous Coward]

You should consider moving to Germany.

As someone who moved from the US to Germany, I feel I need to point out a few things about your claims. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but flawless it's not.


1) A mobile phone that works properly;

Our mobile phones work flawlessly for at least 10 years now. 100% coverage and full interoperability between the diferent providers. And of course SMS and MMS.


And you pay out the ass for it. Phone service here is ridiculously expensive compared to that of the US. For 30$ a month in the US you can call anyone anywhere for some huge amount of minutes (when I was there it'd by you 2000 minutes) compared to here where you get charged extra when you call someone on a different provider. Hardly anyone uses text messages there because it's so damn cheap to just call the person and have a quick conversation. This carries over into the normal market here where deutsche telekom bends you over the desk every chance they get, compared to the US where *gasp* local calls are free.


2) Digital TV that works properly;

I'm using digital TV for at least 5 years now. It is fully standarized and works flawlessly including an electronic program guide on all channels.


I haven't really seen much digital tv here, perhaps because it's not very widespread, or perhaps it's so widespread that nobody notices it. Maybe I even have it because I've got the teletext electronic program guide you're talking about (which sucks btw-looks like it was written for the Atari without the fun and even worse 'playability' even though there are a lot more buttons on a remote than the original joystick). If this qualifies me as a digital cable subscriber, I can tell you that it isn't flawless. Several of my channels have varying degrees of fuzziness (snow) at varying times throughout the day.


3) A DSL modem where the drivers have not been coded by sadists;

You can get DSL nearly everywhere in Germany, and the drivers while not exactly works of art work quite well. I prefer hardware routers with buildin modems anyhow e.g. Draytek Routers [draytek.de]


The original poster was complaining about the quality of DSL modems, not the availability. I agree that it's available here, but it's still expensive in my opinion (55$ for 1.5 down, but only up to 5000MB, and then you start paying by the MB), thank you Deutsche Telekom. The quality of modems shouldn't really be limited by geography, so I'll just move on to the next point.


4) Good health;
Well our health service is quite exellent.


For how long? The social system here is almost to the point of no return. Granted, a large majority of the problem isn't directly related to the health care, but mostly due to unemployed people taking advantage of the system. I pay roughly 50% in taxes so people can sit around on their couch and watch TV. I support health care and wouldn't mind if that was the only place that the money was spent, but in the future the Germany economy and social system as a whole will take it on the chin. The population here is getting smaller which could result into a collapse, as the base of the pyramid gets smaller than the top.


5) Peace and quiet.
No problem either.


I agree with this. If you want peace and quiet, this is the place to come. Don't even think about going shopping after after 8pm during the week, 4pm on Saturday or at all on Sunday. Everything's dead because all the stores are closed, so peace and quiet is not a problem, but not very convenient.

I have a few other problems with this country as well, but there are a lot positive aspects too (good beer, driving as fast as you want on the autobahn-2 things not to be done together, btw). I enjoy the country on the whole and plan to stay another 2 years or so, but I just figured if the original poster was actually going to consider moving to Germany, he should get both sides.

Re:Old and bitter

[JPRelph]

Actually coverage in Niedersachsen wasn't too hot for me, and Hamburg was pretty sketchy as well. My phone would often have to switch providers three times on the train from Cloppenburg to Bremen. I've had much better coverage in the UK, and while I'm not saying that we have it quieter or that our health service is as good as yours, you do not have 100% coverage, and in more rural areas its pretty patchy. You do also pay a LOT more tax than we do, and your schools got hammered by the PISA study.

JP.

Re:Old and bitter

[soccerisgod]

Our mobile phones work flawlessly for at least 10 years now. 100% coverage and full interoperability between the diferent providers. And of course SMS and MMS.

As long as it's not E-Plus....

You can get DSL nearly everywhere in Germany [...]

I bet a lot regular readers of Heise.de will disagree ;]

Well our health service is quite exellent.

Ahm... it is right now, but with the recent dramatic cuts to the social net I wonder for how much longer? :(

Re:Old and bitter

[am 2k]

I haven't really seen much digital tv here, perhaps because it's not very widespread, or perhaps it's so widespread that nobody notices it. Maybe I even have it because I've got the teletext electronic program guide you're talking about (which sucks btw-looks like it was written for the Atari without the fun and even worse 'playability' even though there are a lot more buttons on a remote than the original joystick). If this qualifies me as a digital cable subscriber, I can tell you that it isn't flawless. Several of my channels have varying degrees of fuzziness (snow) at varying times throughout the day.

I think he's talking about Astra Digital, which works very well using an open standard (DVB-S). You can find out if you got it by checking the boxes around your TV set, if one of them got "DVB" printed on the front, it's digital. Oh, and the teletext system you're talking about is very old and outdated, digital television uses something else.

Re:Old and bitter

[Surreal_Streaker]

5) Peace and quiet. No problem either.

No kidding, there's nothing like hiding behind the military might of the US to make for a peacefull and quiet nation.

Just remember your peace and quiet comes at a price. If you are quiet for too long there may be no one left to defend you.

"And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945 (ironically refering to the Germans)

Re:Old and bitter

[Eraser_]

Yup. You pay $30/month for service that sucks. My girlfriends phone disconnects incoming calls 75% of the time, a retry then works probably 75% of the time. Odd? odd. Outbound calls are worse, sometimes it will flat out refuse to call, no error messages nothing.

Re:Old and bitter

[Wirr]

Thank you for your well formulated comments.
But you misunderstood my point.

The poster was jokingly putting up a list of things he'd like - and I as a German found them somewhat superficial.

Of course telephony and DSL are expensive in Germany, but you have to agree they DO work very well.

And obviously you have never used our digital TV or you would have remembered. It does indeed work flawlessly and as another poster mentioned is called DVBs. And Teletext is really nothing compared to that. And it is in operation for at least 5 years.

And for health care: yes, it is horribly expensive. But you cant fall out of it. There is NO circumstance where you are not covered. And that while maintaining a standard that is the same as the US. Its basically designed to be expensive.

but its fun. Your a student? Your fully covered! Your old ? Your covered. Your in between? Your covered....you never have to worry about your health or that of your familiy....to me that is worth a LOT. And Im willing to pay it.

Paper

[fredrikj]

Light-emitting polymers aside, I think one much more interesting field of progress is paper-based dynamic displays. I recently watched a feature about this, and it seems that the technology isn't far off.

But why paper? Because, unlike any kind of polymers that we'll know of in the near future, paper is cheap as heck. Paper also provides excellent contrast and is pleasant to read off. Not to mention the ability to draw stuff on top of it with a regular pen.

I would personally not be surprised if paper-based computer displays rule the earth in ten years.

Re:Paper

[g4dget]

The "paper-based displays" (eInk and the like) aren't really made of paper--they are some complicated construct made out of various polymers. They have some advantages over OLEDs, but it's up in the air whether they are going to be cheaper.

Re:Paper

[flend]

I think the main advantage is cost. OLEDs tend to be far more efficient than their polymer brethren. However, OLEDs must be made with expensive and difficult vacuum deposition techniques whereas industrially useful EL polymers are solution processable - they will dissolve in common organic solvents, eg. p-xylene, chloroform etc. and hence can be ink-jet printed, spin cast etc.

The Electronic nose already exists

[Anonymous Coward]

and was cancelled from production. This company http://www.appliedsensor.com/index.php , was making equipment that analysed gas emissions. Their last product before closing down equipment manufacturing was a hand held scanner. One of the few remaining scanners is now sitting on a shelf in my office so I can check the milk before I pour it in my coffee.

Possible iPhone Interaction Methods

[canowhoopass.com]

In 10 years Apple (or someone else) might be ready to pioneer the holographic interface to work with this iPhone.

Possible Output Methods

• Earphone - Music, beeps, and speach.
• Wrist Watch - Vibrations, lcd display, music/beeps/speech
• Eye Glass Hookup - Display readout, images, movies, to optional ($$) digital eye glasses.
• Holographic Display - Flies out from watch when needed. (Why Not?)

Possible Input Methods

• Buttons on watch Old fasioned but it works
• Voice - Speech recognition
• Video camera on board - It can determine light levels, and perhaps even facial recognition
• Motion Sensor - Flick of the wrist to change modes.
• Interactive hologram - coupling a hologram with the motion sensor, the iPhone can allow you to hit buttons out of thin air.
• Eye wear - Coupled with the digital display, it can track your eyeballs to determine your wishes. It can also look/record forwards. If you get too close to something (like walking into a tree) it'll turn off.

So in closing... everyone complaining about the size of the iPhone being to small to see anything on, is being short sighted.

Rod!

Re:Possible iPhone Interaction Methods

[Rubyflame]

Here's a possibility you missed: retractible touchscreens. A button on the watch could cause four 1x1 screens to extend in all directions, giving you a plus-shaped pad.

You could fit four buttons on each section and they'd be large enough to easily press with your fingers. For a phone, you'd need 12 buttons, which would be 3 panels. That'd leave enough room for a 2x1 display, which seems pretty decent. In the mp3-player mode, you'd need maybe 8 buttons, giving you a 1x3 playlist. A PDA could give you 4 buttons, a 1x1 scribble area, and a 3x1 screen. You really could do everything like that.

Another Holographic Link

[canowhoopass.com]

Clicky!

This is the link I ment to post in my previous comment

Rod!

I'll show you a vision of the future

[edog1203]

"Smell you later" replaces "goodbye" in the English language.

Apple? 2013?

[shiningsun]

Shouldn't they be predicting that Apple will be out of business by 2013?

Re:Apple? 2013?

[bujoojoo]

No, no, no. They've just changed their name. It's now called 'Applesoft.'

yes, your mistake

[g4dget]

When did government ever do anything better, cheaper, quicker than industry?

All the time. For example, Medicare/Medicaid is far more efficient than just about any privately run health plan, and government research is highly efficient and has been responsible for most of the real innovations over the last 50 years.

When it comes to big organizations and big projects, the government works very well. The real question is: what big private company has been better, cheaper, or quicker than the government? Enron? IBM? AT&T? Don't make me laugh. Big corporations are command economies but without the transparency and checks-and-balances of governments, and the often do their business free of they kind of competitive pressures that make markets efficient.

I am all for a private sector and free markets in telecommunications. The trouble is that we don't have it. And if the choice is between unregulated inefficient corporate behemoths and public utilities or strongly regulated private utilities, the latter is much preferable and likely to be more efficient.

Re:yes, your mistake

[sql*kitten]

When it comes to big organizations and big projects, the government works very well. The real question is: what big private company has been better, cheaper, or quicker than the government?

The government has one advantage that (most) corporations cannot match: a near-perfect credit rating. It can take on massive debt, secured not on existing collateral but future taxation. That's why it can afford to take on large projects.

As to your question, it cannot be answered because the lines are too blurred. When Boeing or General Dynamics develops a technology, is that the private or the public sector? Very hard to say. When MIT develops a technology is that private or public sector? Of course in some cases it is clear: when IBM develops a new fab process that's private, when RAND writes a study that's public, despite RAND nominally being a corporation.

Big corporations are command economies but without the transparency and checks-and-balances of governments, and the often do their business free of they kind of competitive pressures that make markets efficient.

No business can operate in a competitive vacuum without government fiat. That is both a theoretical and a historical fact.

I am all for a private sector and free markets in telecommunications. The trouble is that we don't have it. And if the choice is between unregulated inefficient corporate behemoths and public utilities or strongly regulated private utilities, the latter is much preferable and likely to be more efficient.

The problem with your statement is that "free market" and "strongly regulated" are mutually exclusive. For example, regulation of utilities usually means that the market can't set prices. In some cases, it works, tho', like airlines where there is both regulation and competition. But usually mixing is a disaster, like in California where they capped the price at which utilities could retail while deregulating the wholesale market. Of course, that wasn't an economic decision, it was a political exercise to discredit deregulation.

Re:yes, your mistake

[aallan]

...and government research is highly efficient

Oh boy, there speaks someone who has never worked for a Government doing research.

...and has been responsible for most of the real innovations over the last 50 years.

Really, you seriously think so? Want to back that up with some specific cases, I really doubt that is the case.

Al.

Re:yes, your mistake

[frank_adrian314159]

Oh boy, there speaks someone who has never worked for a Government doing research.

Oh boy, there speaks someone who has never worked for a large company doing research. In the end, it's not the funding source, it's the size that makes it suck. And big industry is every bit as sucky with respect to efficiency as is government.

Re:yes, your mistake

[g4dget]

Oh boy, there speaks someone who has never worked for a Government doing research.

Actually, I have. As have many graduate students.

Really, you seriously think so? Want to back that up with some specific cases, I really doubt that is the case.

The Internet, most basic computer science research, a large fraction of medical and drug development, most of the results in basic physics, etc. A lot of those, are, of course, in collaboration with industry, but the projects are selected and financed by the US government through institutes like (D)ARPA and NIH.

Re:yes, your mistake

[g4dget]

The problem with your statement is that "free market" and "strongly regulated" are mutually exclusive.

You misread. I said, I either want free markets or strong regulation. What I don't want is big private oligopolies and monopolies, which are the most inefficient way of providing services. But big oligopolies and monopolies is just what we are increasingly getting.

But usually mixing is a disaster, like in California where they capped the price at which utilities could retail while deregulating the wholesale market. Of course, that wasn't an economic decision, it was a political exercise to discredit deregulation.

That is a pretty silly conspiracy theory. Pretty much all the people who would have had an interest in "discrediting deregulation" opposed it at the time.

You are right that things might not have gone quite as badly if this had been a completely open market, but you are pointing the finger in the wrong direction. It was industry that wanted price restrictions (the restrictions worked both ways) because they were hoping to bilk consumers out of some more money. Well, they never thought prices could go the other way as far as they did, and it backfired.

But the whole exercise was pointless. Competition in the power industry might possibly have saved consumers a few percent on average in the long term under a best case free-market scenario, but at the cost of much less price stability. To a regular CA consumer, price stability is much more important than a few percent long term savings. The only customers for whom this would conceivably have been an interesting proposition would have been very large consumers of electricity.

What you really had is two powerful, large industry groups negotiating something, egged on by a bunch of pseudo-free-market ideologues. The public at large was the innocent bystander and victim.

Re:yes, your mistake

[Twirlip of the Mists]

You need to recognize the distinction between government-conducted research and government-funded private research.

That said, though, running a research effort is nothing like running a utility. If you want a glimpse into how the government would run the Internet, look at Amtrak. In other words, badly.

Re:yes, your mistake

[ShadowDrake]

>That said, though, running a research effort is >nothing like running a utility. If you want a >glimpse into how the government would run the >Internet, look at Amtrak. In other words, badly.

Set the way-back machine for 1971.

The railroad companies were losing their shirts on passenger trains. With very few exceptions, they were thrilled to throw the service to somebody else.

Without the government intervention, we'd either have
1) No passenger trains today at all
or
2) Absolutely horrific passenger trains due to decades of non-investment and contempt by operators.

Amtrak does what it does remarkably well, given that it's still hamstrung by collaboration with private freight railways that don't seem particularly cooperative, a need for custom and specialised equipment, and a miniscule budget. The trains are surprisingly clean and comfortable, the safety record is decent, especially considering they're not in control of the track being used, and in some cases, they do turn a profit (esp. in the very densely trafficked Northeast).

Re:yes, your mistake

[eighthevachild]

If Medicare is cheaper, it is because Medicare can mandate its rates.

yes, and where does that money come from? the people who have to pay for their doctor's visits

Re:yes, your mistake

[aallan]

Actually, I have. As have many graduate students.

There is a difference between government funded, government sponsored and working directly at a government larboratory or for a government agency.

For instance I work directly for CLRC, a government laboratory, however I work at a University. So while my work is government sponsered, and government funded, I don't work at a government laboratory. I therefore have alot of freedoms and (much) less bureaucracy than if I work directly at my parent institution.

Al.

Re:yes, your mistake

[ivan256]

and government research is highly efficient and has been responsible for most of the real innovations over the last 50 years.

What a wonderful alternate world you must live in. I know that ignorance must be bliss, but since you probably vote perhaps I should try to burst your bubble.

I just finished a $445,000 government research project. The contract and grant negotiations took 6 months. We had finished the project by the time the papers were signed. Then, before the work was put into use and made official, we went through 22 months of red tape to get the outcome approved. Our private sector clients pay us less and accept and use our results much more quickly. Needless to say this is a single representative example.

Government research is only ever on the leading edge when they are researching weapons, and then because nobody else is doing that kind of research. Don't depend on the government for services or information unless you've got some time to kill and have low expectations for the results. If it runs through the public sector, the outcome will always be delayed, and will always be a comprimise.

Re:yes, your mistake

[g4dget]

You need to recognize the distinction between government-conducted research and government-funded private research.

And why do I need to do that? The government pays and the government chooses what gets and doesn't get done. Any private company that did that would loudly proclaim the work and the results as "theirs" under those circumstances. If anything, we are far too generous as tax payers by letting universities and companies retain many of the patents that come out of that publically funded research.

In any case, I actually have worked in both environments, and I don't see the distinction. People in government research labs work as hard as they do in private research labs or at universities, and usually for less money and less fame.

That said, though, running a research effort is nothing like running a utility. If you want a glimpse into how the government would run the Internet, look at Amtrak. In other words, badly.

Yeah, you are giving us the typical "the government can't do anything right" drivel. I wonder whether you apply the same logic to the military. Do you think the government is doing a poor job at running the military? Maybe we should ask the military to be self-sufficient (they could take over a different country every few years to stay in business)?

As for Amtrak, Amtrak is doing a good job given very difficult political circumstances. Asking Amtrak to be self-sufficient is completely unreasonable--all of our other transportation systems are heavily subsidized.

Re:yes, your mistake

[g4dget]

For instance I work directly for CLRC, a government laboratory, however I work at a University. So while my work is government sponsered, and government funded, I don't work at a government laboratory. I therefore have alot of freedoms and (much) less bureaucracy than if I work directly at my parent institution.

You have a lot of freedoms because you are a graduate student. In any case, if you are in the UK, isn't your university owned and run by the government as well?

Re:yes, your mistake

[Twirlip of the Mists]

Yeah, you are giving us the typical "the government can't do anything right" drivel.

Read more carefully, please. I am giving you the "the government can't run a utility" drivel. Get it straight. ;-)

Re:yes, your mistake

[Rasta Prefect]

All the time. For example, Medicare/Medicaid is far more efficient than just about any privately run health plan, and government research is highly efficient and has been responsible for most of the real innovations over the last 50 years.

Please justify that statement. Seriously, Medicare, Medicaid is cheaper, but thats because the government dictates that they will only pay so much. Hence, many doctors don't take medicaid patients if they can help it. Medicare/medicaid is fraught with massive inefficiencies and fraud.

Re:yes, your mistake

[aallan]

You have a lot of freedoms because you are a graduate student.

What makes you think I'm a graduate student? I'm not, I actually work for a living.

In any case, if you are in the UK, isn't your university owned and run by the government as well?

Dear God! No, thats not how the University system works in the UK.

Al.

where are the enabling technologies from?

[g4dget]

To make something like that go, we need better battery technologies, better wireless technologies, better display technologies, and better processors. Let's see, those are being developed by a lot of small companies and some big ones like Toshiba, Ericsson, Kodak, TransMeta, Via, etc. Whether we get nifty looking designs like that write-PDA/telephone depends entirely whether those other companies manage to pull off the enabling technologies. It seems almost insulting to give the kudos to the design company that then puts them together in a nice looking but functionally fairly obvious package.

And I don't actually foresee all those things coming about so fast anyway. Small OLED screens will hopefully be widespread in 10 years, but they'll still be expensive as wall covering. Noise cancelation of non-periodic signals is hard. And the market for mood-ring-contact-lenses seems even smaller than the market for mood rings.

Yes Please

[SouthwindCG]

"... a supermodel wife who is also a contortionist."

Um, where can I get one of these?

Re:Yes Please

[eatdave13]

Here!

Re:Yes Please

[SouthwindCG]

Hahaha! Thanks for the tip. LOL Alas, how do I guarantee she won't just come here and then leave me? Do these girls include an electronic monitoring device on their ankle like criminals under house-arrest do?

(Psst, feminisits in the audience, it's a joke! OK?) :)

Re:Whoopee...

[Anonymous Coward]

No! Now I'm continue to drool over these OLED displays and you sir can have your 120lb CRT displays. I'm sure a lot more of those will start appearing in dumpsters once OLED gets underway.

CBS has a nice story about OLEDs with a shocking video (Realvideo format) of their flexible potential (see sidebar).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/12/evenin gn ews/main529111.shtml

How about...

[davidowain]

HURD kernel?

Re:How about...

[Jesus IS the Devil]

Another moronic reply. :rolleyes:

To blatantly rip off The Onion....

[HeywoodJablomi69]

I'd hope Bill Gates would be so kind as to loosen our tracking collars in 2013.

Moore's Law.

[fluxrad]

A 300 GHz computer with 64 GB of RAM that won't skip or delay even if it wanted to.


I think Moore's law will put you around 1.5THz in 2013.

But your system will still skip and delay because you'll be running Windows 2013.

Re:Moore's Law.

[Dusabre]

But you can use the excess heat from the processor to heat your house, your garden, your pool and cook your dinner, your dog, your children and everybody else within 30 meters of it.

Re:Moore's Law.

[kalidasa]

Naw, some of the excess liquid hydrogen being vaporized for use in the fusion power plant you'll need to run the thing will be diverted to your cooling system.

Two words...

[fluxrad]

Playstation 9!

Re:Two words...

[leifm]

Actually probably not, with that lawsuit Nintendo brought I bet the Playstation name goes away with the next Sony console.

Hold up.

[Nemus]

Wheres my $%!#$! flying car, hotdamnit!?!?!?!! And I'm still waiting on my moon vacation and immune system nanorobots.

Here's what I'd like to see by 2013

[d0n quix0te]

1. Universal healthcare
2. Alternate fuel technology which is less polluting
3. US stops deterring democracy in the third world

By the year 2013, I want

[abhisarda]

By 2013,
1)not to deal with the scourge of spam as we do today. By that time, we will have better email systems. 2)An alarm clock that had a sensor(infra-red) that would check if I am out of my bed and would continue to ring until I got up even after hitting the snooze button.
3)Really cool dual-headed displays for PDA's and other electronic devices. 4)Sale of only flat panel displays to be allowed. CRT displays should be banned.
5)The present ratio of desktop:laptop 70:30 should be reversed. 6)AMD to have 50-60 % of the CPU marketshare

Re:By the year 2013, I want

[paganizer]

You can take away my crystal clear 0% lag CRT when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want a LCD for a desktop that's used for anything besides text.

Re:By the year 2013, I want

[eatdave13]

Hear, hear!

I can't belive my ears when I hear a salesperson pitching an LCD as a gaming display, and I can't believe my eyes when the sheep actually LOOKS at the LSD-flashback-inducing thing, nods, and shells out the $700.

Some people would mortgage their house for razorblade underwear if someone told them it looked sexy.

Re:By the year 2013, I want

[russellh]

I can't belive my ears when I hear a salesperson pitching an LCD as a gaming display, and I can't believe my eyes when the sheep actually LOOKS at the LSD-flashback-inducing thing, nods, and shells out the $700.

How true, how true. A $700 display is only good for solitaire. (ok, sarcasm.) But you know, PC users were slaving in front of 60 Hz monitors and under flurescent lights for so long their brains are all fried. anything is better than that. As a Mac user I'd come over and the sight of that would nearly level me. With pounding eyeballs I'd ask how can you work under these conditions? But between the iron chains, electric shocks, OS reinstalls, BSODs, leeches, Wizards, and that general feeling of being just one click away from the Inferno, the whole monitor thing just didn't move them. that must be why there are so many PC games involving demons and chaos.

Re:By the year 2013, I want

[heliosnorf]

"I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want [an] LCD for a desktop..."

1. CRT's are hard on the eyes. I can stare at an LCD for hours without getting a headache.
2. CRT's suck way more power than LCD's.
3. CRT's are huge and tend to take over desks.
4. CRT's are heavy and hard to move around.

Enough reasons for you?

Re:By the year 2013, I want

[Twirlip of the Mists]

You can take away my crystal clear 0% lag CRT when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

First find me a crystal-clear CRT, and we'll talk.

CRT's are fuzzy. There are more-fuzzy CRT's and less-fuzzy CRT's, but they're all fuzzy. It's the nature of the beast.

Right now, on the other hand, I'm staring at an array of 1.7 million perfectly square pixels, flicker-free at 60 Hz and with a pixel response time of less than 16 milliseconds.

Re:By the year 2013, I want

[Patik]

Maybe you should try out a better LCD monitor. I use one for everything (web, games, etc) and will never buy a CRT again. Bad/cheap LCD monitors have given the whole lot a bad rap.

Re:First Prime Factorization Post

[Dahan]

void factor_prime(int num)
{
if (!is_prime(num))
err(1, "Number is not prime");

printf("Factors of %d: 1 %d\n", num, num);
}

My wish list for the world 2013

[StrawberryFrog]

1) A cure for HIV that is cheap enough to be rolled out in Africa. Failing a cure, a vaccine to stop new infection would also halt the pandemic.

2) A method of world governance that rids us of rogue states that persecute their own populations (Saddam, North Korea et al) and also curbs rogue states with semi-democratically elected leaders who want to attack other states on dodgy pretexts (GWB I'm looking at you)

3) An end to the tech slump, sustained growth in IT sectors, more coding jobs for me!

4) Moore's observation to continue to hold true, more better toys getting cheaper.

5) Following on from that, widespread internet rollouts in the third world. The street finds it's own uses for technology, and the villages will find their own uses for information and commication.

6) Open source software to keep getting better, no more constrictive tech monopolies, and end to DVD region coding and hard crypto staying legal.

Re:My wish list for the world 2013

[eatdave13]

The poor can feed themselves in the US. If you're that hard up, walk into a grocery store and eat 'till you're full. What are they going to do, arrest you and feed you three squares a day and put a roof over your head?

Re:My wish list for the world 2013

[Jodrell]

1) A cure for HIV that is cheap enough to be rolled out in Africa.

There are already several treatments for HIV and the symptoms of AIDS that are quite cheap - that is, cheap to produce. However most (but not all) of the western pharmaceutical companies refuse to license them at discounted rates because they're such a cash cow. Which means that tens of millions are facing death simply because drugs company execs are unwilling to sacrifice their bottom lines.

Which is sickening.

Some links: South Africa fights Aids drug apartheid, and if you're in the UK and haven't, donate to Comic Relief who help HIV/AIDS sufferers in the UK and Africa.

Re:My wish list for the world 2013

[StrawberryFrog]

There are already several treatments for HIV and the symptoms of AIDS that are quite cheap

nevirapine et all, as I understand it, can supress the effects of HIV, perhaps even indefinitely. However they do not cure the disease, which will resume when treatment is stopped.

I'm not a medical expert, but my "cure" I was envisaging a therapy that would end in the patient being HIV free with no ongoing treatment. Similarly, a "vacine" would prevent a person from infection. A person on Nevirapine can still transmit HIV to others. Treatment is not cure. Eliminating HIV would take

Re:My wish list for the world 2013

[Tackhead]

> There are already several treatments for HIV and the symptoms of AIDS that are quite cheap - that is, cheap to produce. However most (but not all [wangonet.org]) of the western pharmaceutical companies refuse to license them at discounted rates because they're such a cash cow. Which means that tens of millions are facing death simply because drugs company execs are unwilling to sacrifice their bottom lines.

That problem will be solved by 2013. Or 2016 at the latest. It's called "patented".

Unlike AIDS cures, we as a society have decided that some kinds of intellectual property are important We call those things "copyrighted", and you get a monopoly on that for your lifetime plus 75 years (the "75" is extended by Congress every 25 years) or until infinity minus a day - whichever comes last.

Sink a billion dollars into developing a wonder drug, and you get 13 years to make your money back before the patents expire.

Now if you draw a fuckin' cartoon mouse, that's another story. Some things are important, y'know?

Re:My wish list for the world 2013

[Frank of Earth]

> But you can throw in Canada, and all the other > pseudo-democracies out there .

First of all, please don't group Canada with the US. Sure we share the same border, but that's about where the similarity ends.

> Voting dictators into office every four years > is not democracy... especially when they're
> ONLY gleened from what 2% of the population

Ok, say it again... this time really slowly. Voting dictators into office.. Ok. Understand? Nope, ok.. say it again. This time sound out all the words.

If we lived in a democracy, would things link lobbying, government invasions on rights and properties, tax cuts for the filthy rich while the working class foots the bill, and this damned war G-Dub wants to get us all involved in even be an issue?

Err.. what?

Re:My wish list for the world 2013

[ne0nex]

Then again many places (such as where I live, SW Florida) have an admission charge for jail. It's 20 bucks I believe. Of course it begs the question: "What if you don't have $20? Are you released?"

The answer would be a resounding "no"

Actually . . .

[DrMrLordX]

I found this article to be horribly unrepresentative of how technology, particularly entertainment/information technology, progresses. Wherever technology goes, pornography is already there, waiting for it. Seriously, there wasn't any mention of technology in that article geared towards the production, distribution, or enjoyment of pornography, nor was there any mention of technology designed to enhance or simulate sexual experiences. Can any serious discussion of future technology exist WITHOUT mention of the pr0n industry? I think not. This article is, therefore, worthless.

Re:Actually . . .

[azav]

I think that is reflective on the fact that, like it or not, porn is a fact of life.

If there wasn't a desire for it, it wouldn't be there.

As a concerned American patriot,

[AmericanPatri0t]

I am ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas. I sure didn't elect that cowboy!

peace

[the uNF cola]

my wishlist is for peace.

it's amazing how slashdotters, a large mass, dont' talk about iraq much. it's a whole can of worms, where everyone will say something different, but if we agree on even the smallest point, slashdot is a mass to at least be heard.

Gooracle

[gmuslera]

I want to ask something to google and instead of returning a page that talks about what I asked, returns the answer, a comprehensive explanation, etc, and that could be based on where and who I am.

Imagine if google news don't return several link to the "same topic" article, but an article of their own, objetive, something made taking in account what say every source and makes its own version. And then, imagine that at internet level, not just for news (of course, giving they own version and links to the sites that it took to make their version).

This kind of things, used with wearable glasses+sound i/o+holoclock could make people of the future very informed (or at least very funny to watch, moving arms in the air to point to their point of view virtual interface).

Hopefully the end of SMTP to reduce spam

[CPgrower]

Hopefully by 2013 we'll be using a new email protocol with server authentication. Didn't the author of Q-mail suggest such an implementation?

rob

Contacts?

[RzUpAnmsCwrds]

Personally, I think sunglass contacts will NEVER catch on.

Contacts require:

- Prescription fitting (you definately should see an opthamologist before wearing them)
- Careful application
- Rewetting in dry climates
- Cleaning/disposal

Sunglasses will always be cheaper than sunglass-contacts because of those reasons.

Re:Contacts?

[sean.peters]

Right, but if you need to wear contacts ANYWAY (as I do), getting rid of a separate pair of sunglasses would be cool.

Sean

Re:Contacts?

[Eccles]

Right, but if you need to wear contacts ANYWAY (as I do), getting rid of a separate pair of sunglasses would be cool.

By 2013, wouldn't you consider laser surgery to fix your eyesight?

Health care in Germany is not impressive

[ojQj]

Have you ever been to a hospital in Germany? Ever been to one in the US? Do you know that your public health insurance doesn't cover all medical necessities?

While in the Seattle area, I had a medical problem for which I required a hospital visit on a Sunday morning. The medical staff was friendly and efficient, and the hospital was clean. I was in and out of there within an hour and a half, including an examination, an X-Ray, and a prescription.

While in Aachen, I had a medical problem for which I required a hospital visit on a Friday evening. After standing in line in serious pain, I arrived at the check-in desk, where the woman sat there stamping and stapling things and ignoring me until I had stated three times that I really needed help and would she please put the paperwork to the side for just a second. After she had checked me in I sat in the filthy waiting room for 2 hours without a soul in sight (patient or doctor) before someone came and asked me if a doctor had seen me yet. I suspect they had very simply forgotten me up to that point. The doctor did finally see me, diagnose me, and prescribe a medicine which no longer exists under the name with which he prescribed it. Fortunately the pharmacist just brought me a substitute.

I do not feel safe with the hospitals in Germany. They are, in my experience, not significantly better than the indigent hospitals (Ben Taub in Houston for example) in the US.

The insurance makes me feel even less safe. The level of medical care covered by your public health insurance is determined by the government. There are medically necessary procedures which have been declared medically unnecessary by law in Germany. This is particularly true in the area of dental problems. And the level of coverage is probably going to be reduced this year again by law.

With private health insurance you have a contract, and the insurance provider is contractually required to continue his coverage at the same level. Not so with public health insurance.

And given how little you get, the public insurance is just extremely expensive. This is because it's not operated on any principles of economics valid in the real world. Insurers in the US know that you have to charge a deductible so that people have an economic motivation not to cause unnecessary costs. The total cost of an insurance to the insured is lowered in this way. Why don't insurers in Germany know this? Patients in the US know that you have to pay a doctor for services rendered, otherwise you won't be able to get good doctors. Why are most German doctors then payed per 3-month period the same amount for every patient they serve regardless how little or how much work that patient requires? The cost is enormous: 11-15% of your monthly salary -- and the public health insurance companies are still in serious financial difficulties. And the doctors are still not paid in a way fitting to the level of training, intelligence, and committment the profession requires. But the AOK still has it's office am Markt in Aachen -- in one of the most expensive real estate ares in the city.

I do think that the German wish and ideal of providing good health insurance to everyone shows a certain nobility of spirit, and I don't fault that desire. However the average level of health care in Germany is, in my opinion formed through personal experience, not significantly above that provided to bottom 20% of earners in the US. I don't have cost comparisons with the US, but the German health care system is the most expensive in Europe. And the current tendence is not towards improvement.

That noble German generousity needs to get back in touch with economic reality, or it's going to sink the whole system and everyone will be needy instead of just a few.

The Goggles

[Boarder Lord]

I think, the goggles with integrated display will have some future. Imagine this: A HUD-Display, connected through bluetooth to some Laptop (maybe in your backpack) could give you a huge amount of information. GPS-Navigation, E-Mail, Traffic-Warnings. Connect it to a small digicam, run a persons face through a recognition-software.Lookup the result in your databse et voila: Name, Birthdate right in front of you.

Here's what Would Like to See

[miketang16]

A government of the United States that is truly FOR the people, and that has reformed its totalitarian, greedy, beaurocratic ways. A government that has perhaps severed its ties with greedy lobbyists, realized that some of the laws it has passed are unconstitutional and repealed them. BTW: I also want a pony...

maybe it's unrealistic, but

[michiel.h]

instead of a flying car and iWhatever,
my 2013 wishlist just says 'girl (real please)'.

But I'll probably have to settle for a wireless network and direct access to pr0n on my iWatch/iPda/iPhone/iNameitwevegotit.

Re:excellent health service

[Hellkitten]

though I have second thoughts about MY TAX DOLLARS (erm, euros) funding it.

Just think of that part of the taxes as mandatory health insurance

And don't forget that in the US the insurance companies and private hospitals have to earn a profit. With government health care funded through taxes that's not an additional cost for you

Dick Tracy, cultural meme

[Matey-O]

What is it with people and phone/watches?

The "iPhone bracelet" is already here!

[Anonymous Coward]

Seems to me that Wired is 13 years behind on the phone/pda/bracelet thing.
Samsung is bringing out it's mobile watch phone later this year! It has wireless bluetooth so you don't have to speak dicetly into the watch, works on the GSM network, GPRS and OLED color display!

Picture of the phone

Wrap-around television...

[revitup.org]

...is disturbingly similar to the "Wall Screens" in Farenheit 451. I wonder how long it will be until Microsoft starts offering their "Ultimate TV" with personalization capabilities that are made to work with digitally created talk show hosts, news anchors, etc. that call you by your name, can see you through video cameras, and change the programming depending on what your do or say in the room. It'll be interesting...

Re:First Prime Factorization Post

[Hellkitten]

The number is already known to be prime when you factor it so you can leave out the test, alternatively put in an assert for debugging:

int factor_prime(int_num)
{
assert(is_prime(num));
return num;
}

And since we know there will be only one factor we can simply return it. (Your function should have the more appropriate name print_prime_factors_of_prime() ). Using inlining and a good optimizer that eliminates unnessesary subexpressions the implementation above should be incredibly fast, when compiled for release (with assertions off)

Re:Whoopee...

[NETHED]

Best story, ever.
I see a pretty decent looking PC by the garbage cans as I carry out my refuse. Printer, Monitor, keyboard, mouse, and ofcourse the case. I take the case home, plug it into a monitor and start her up. Its a PIII 500, elated, I wait for the boot. Windows begins to boot, but it has some errors after you get into it. My hypothesis, Windows stopped working correctly, so they thought they needed a new one. Oye.

How about...

[fizban]

... fucking world peace, god damnit.

AIDS in Africa

[goodnevil]

I don't get it, what have you got against death? Isn't it the natural course of life to die eventually? The really sickening thing is what overpopulation is doing to Africa: deforestation, erosion, pollution, breakdown of traditional culture and family organization, Nigerian scam emails . . .

By 2013, I want...

[istewart]

a PhD. If college is anything like high school, I will have sufficiently improved my "Jean-Luc Picard"-style hairdo by then.

The Internet

[leerpm]

Without the defence department's initial backing, the internet would probably not exist in it's current form today.

Contradiction?

[Dirk Pitt]

world governance...rids us of rogue states that persecute their own populations (Saddam)... and ... curbs rogue states with semi-democratically elected leaders who want to attack other states on dodgy pretexts

This contains everything that seems to be wrong with people's concerns about war -- please explain it if I'm misunderstanding. You seem to believe that Iraq is a rogue state, the gov't does slaughter its own population, and that it would be generally a better world should Saddam et. al. be usurped.

But then you say that GDub's pretexts are dodgy? The people against war seem to cry that they are the unheard minority -- but keep in mind they are just that, a minority. Depeding on the poll you look at, 60% - 70% of Americans are in favor of war in Iraq. If they halted war every time there were significant numbers of protestors, Americans would probably all be speaking German right now. Or hell, speaking with British accents.

And I *really* don't understand why it's so many Slashdotter's and other's wish that we follow a One World Order(tm). The prevalent opinion seems to be for smaller government and smaller business, but, what, unless it's the UN or some entity like it? As far as I know, the US as a sovereign nation has the right to follow its own course, even if it's contrary to that of the rest of the world.

Frankly, I'm not saying I'm for a war -- but it's sad to me that those that are against such efforts have yet to construct an cogent argument for their cause that's more than just a personal attack on the US's incumbent Executive.

Re:Contradiction?

[Tim Doran]

He said: GWB's pretexts for war are dodgy.

You said: But a majority of Americans support the war!

I don't think you addressed his point.

Consider the reasons offered for war:

1) Saddam poses a nuclear threat. Not supported by any evidence and even the White House has stopped using this one.

2) Saddam supported the 9/11 attacks. No evidence whatsoever. There's even been a State Dept. analysis (sorry, can't find a link at the moment) suggesting Saddam and bin Laden would NEVER work together.

3) The people of Iraq must be liberated. Well, there are people all over the world who could use liberation. Doesn't make it right for the US to invade.

4) Saddam is unchecked and poses a threat to the US. Except that the UN has held him in check, particularly lately (with some credit due on that point to recent US pressure). The UN could continue inspections and continue to successfully contain Iraq.

Other reasons? Anyway, the reason to attack changes weekly, and none of them hold water. GWB's pretexts ARE dodgy and the American people in particular need to point that out.

Re:Contradiction?

[StrawberryFrog]

You seem to believe that Iraq is a rogue state, the gov't does slaughter its own population, and that it would be generally a better world should Saddam et. al. be usurped. But then you say that GDub's pretexts are dodgy?

Absolutely. North Korea is worse, and others are just as bad and there's no murmur on them. The US let Rwanda descend into Genocide and didn't feel the need to intervene. I'm not saying they were honor bound to do so, but please be just slightly consistent. Iraq must be different somehow. Therefor, Iraq's bad govt is a pretext to attack.

Depeding on the poll you look at, 60% - 70% of Americans are in favor of war in Iraq.

So you're saying that a large number of people wanting to invade another country makes it right?

Re:Contradiction?

[Eccles]

You seem to believe that Iraq is a rogue state, the gov't does slaughter its own population, and that it would be generally a better world should Saddam et. al. be usurped. [...] But then you say that GDub's pretexts are dodgy?

How about "Dubya's pretexts for doing so in a way that will kill many times more innocent people than 9/11 are dodgy." Does that explain it better?

If a special forces guy could go in and quietly off the relevant members of the Iraqi leadership, I'd say "What's he/she waiting for?" Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Re:Contradiction?

[Dirk Pitt]

So you're saying that a large number of people wanting to invade another country makes it right?

Nope. Never said that -- don't know why people interpreted it that way. I'm saying that the minority, in many cases, seems to believe that because there *is* a vocal minority, that its existence is reason enough to postpone war. I don't believe that's the case.

Iraq must be different somehow. Therefor, Iraq's bad govt is a pretext to attack.

Iraq's gov't *is* different somehow -- they are a destabilizing force in the Middle East. Unfortunately, it's a condition that doesn't fit into a soundbite for the 11:00 news, and it's a concept that isn't as lofty sounding as 'for the 9/11 victims' or 'WoMD'. I think it's ridiculous that it isn't acknowledged publicly as a reason more often, but you can bet this is the #1 reason for this conflict. Go read some analysis on the Middle East. You'll see some very eye-opening text on exactly how much the world economy can be destabilized by one little country in the right place, and don't think for a second that this isn't a primary reason on GDub & company's minds. Not vendetta, not *just* crude barrel prices, not 9/11, but the stabilization of one of the great pressure-points of the world. And don't think for a second that *de*stabilization isn't foremost on Saddam's mind.

It is and has been his goal for years. The alignment of other Arab countries against the US has been a longterm goal of his -- sound familiar? Al-Qaeda? I don't believe either that the two are in collusion, but ridding the Mid-East of both the Afghan religious extremists and the Iraqi secular warmongers is the start the stablization campaign.

I must confess that I truly believe that US foreign policy has made a wreck of this region for the last 75 years. But that doesn't mean they should throw their hands up in the air now and allow things to degrade further.

Silly Earplugs

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't the just put alarm clock into earplugs so there will be no need to distinguish sounds.

A world without dopey writing. . .

[Fritz Benwalla]

"Talk about the right call."
"Let's just hope it likes your cooking."
"Visualize world records."
"Now that's a wrap."

Nice to see Fozzie Bear has gotten into technology writing.

I'd like a world where more thought is put into the content of an article than the barf-inducing cutesy closers to every squib.

--------

Got it...

[lamz]

I'd settle for ubiquitous unmetered wireless network access.

We can already do that. Just hook up a wireless router to your cable modem. I would much prefer "metered" network access, so that I only pay for what I use, instead of sharing the costs of the spammers and mp3 downloaders.

I'd like...

[asscroft]

an LCD Screen that won't crack when I get pissed off and hit it. In the last week i've fuxored a laptop and an Archos Jukebox.

Maybe I need anger management classes instead.

Re:Whoopee...

[ShadowDrake]

>read: I stole a 17" monitor from a store. The store had a dumpster out back.

Very pessimistic, aren't you?

I've seen dumpsters full of monitors. Indeed, the one I saw was in a strip mall holding a computer shop. I didn't bother going through the dumpster, because I had all the monitors I needed.

New monitors are surprisingly cheap (I've seen 17" or 19" for USD 70 after rebate), and old workstation monitors tend to be virtually worthless in particular, because nobody wants to pay obscene prices for BNC or Sun to VGA adapter cables.

More entertainment! More! More!

[ParnBR]

You're probably right, but let's try to read between the lines:

1. The wrist computer is exactly this: a computer in your wrist. Nowadays, what is the main app for computers? Pr0n, of course. Just imagine the potential. I can't even begin with...

2. The smell tester can be very useful when you need to check the safety of some... um... "service" you want to get.

3. The earplug can be used to screen undesired and unerotic sounds. An invention like this is sure to experience the sex experience, even in the Slashdot demographic. But don't neutralize the sound of your parents when they come home.

4. Nice goggles. Now you can forget those boring classes and no one will see what you're really learning about. Just keep enough interesting info in its display. It can even record your performance, for Scott's sake!

5. Well, you have a point here. I can't imagine a way of making lenses seem more useful. Perhaps by blocking your sight when you're with an ugly woman. This is a bit chauvinistic, isn't it?

6. Look at all those naked women! And they're in natural size! Wow!

DUMBASS!!!

[zentigger]

I guess all those thousands of Kilometers of fibre cabling, routers, switches, DSLAMS, etc, should all be free too, becuase they are really, an near-limitless resource. We can always make more, right? I suppose the computers to access the internet should be free, 'cuz really silicon is just sand, right, and we've got a nearlt limitless supply of that. Oh, but wait, I'm forgetting wireless access. We could just use that because there is a completely unlimited supply of RF spectrum. It all just a conspiracy to make us wage slaves

Get a clue dumbass!!!

Re:DUMBASS!!!

[FunkSoulBrother]

All the routers, cables and switches we need can be purchased be the government for like 1% of the defense budget. Its just a matter of getting our priorities straight.

Re:As a concerned American patriot,

[eighthevachild]

how many times have i seen this exact comment from you now?

What ever happened to

[subri]

What ever happened to the Refrigerator which monitored supplies and ordered groceries using the internet, and the Microwave that spoke with the Refrigerator and cooked your food for you?

Re:Whoopee...

[matrix29]

No! Now I'm continue to drool over these OLED displays and you sir can have your 120lb CRT displays. I'm sure a lot more of those will start appearing in dumpsters once OLED gets underway.

CBS has a nice story about OLEDs with a shocking video (Realvideo format) of their flexible potential (see sidebar).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/12/evenin gn ews/main529111.shtml

This is the clickable link
Shocking OLED Flexing

The trick to posting links that work is to remember that all links begin with a
"Left pointing LESS THAN arrow" then the letter "A" followed on the next line by a "href=" with a quote mark, then the actual http:// link, an end quote following that link, and a "Right pointing GREATER THAN arrow" with any text (ergo the "Shocking OLED Flexing" text, which is then followed by a "Left pointing LESS THAN arrow", a "/A", and a "Right pointing GREATER THAN arrow".

Or like this example
<A
href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/ 2002/11/1 2/eveningnews/main529111.shtml">Shocking OLED FLEXING - write your text description here</A>

(Notice the SLASHDOT space break in the HTML link above? If you write up your own text in the space following the link then the link will be clickable and unbroken.)

(And it was interesting to note that to get past the SLASHDOT plaintext but still reading HTML codes filter I have to use the "&lt;" for the "<" and "&gt;" for the ">" symbols PLUS the "&amp;" for the "&" symbols. HTML reading of plaintext is bothersome when you have to escape out "&", "<", & ">" in text otherwise they get swallowed as garbage characters in the HTML junk character filter).

For those new to "Plain Old Text" being read as HTML, I suggest you COPY & PASTE this text so you can refer to it later. Otherwise a search for GOOGLE on [ HTML codes ] should fill in the rest of the blanks in your knowledge (I know I picked up some things I missed the first time).

With this knowledge you should be able to post HTTP links correctly now. I personally take my links, copy them to the clipboard, use IE to make a NEW MESSAGE, paste into the blank message (in RICH TEXT - HTML FORMAT), select the SOURCE tab at the bottom, and then copy & paste the link after editing the following text so it doesn't violate SLASHDOT's "No words longer than 40 characters or we stick a space in it" rule which screws HTTP links up to defeat PAGE WIDENING TROLL POSTS.

Neural Interface

[Databass]

Since it's already got skin contact with your wrist anyway, maybe it could just transmit a galvanic charge electrically up the ulner nerve in your arm to the optic senors in your brain. Basically creating a "hallucination" of the watch interface in your field of vision. Of course you could also load in MPG-6 holomovies of porn in into the iPod player and watch those without anyone being able to see! ; -)

Razorblade underwear

[idontneedanickname]

The question is would the razor blades be on the inside or the outside?

Re:Razorblade underwear

[eatdave13]

I don't think it matters. Ever had your underwear ride up on a hot day?

These ride all the way up.

Blech. I just grossed myself out real bad (mental picture). I wasn't going to submit this, but if I have to suffer, you do too.

Polar-Eyez

[RogueMaverick]

Polar-Eyez was predicted in Mission: Impossible the TV series from the 80's. Remember that episode where they tricked this guy he was blind by using these lenses instead of his real ones?

Re:Whoopee...

[Doppler00]

okay now that's just silly. How is someone going to sneak out of a store holding a 17" computer monitor??? "excuse me, can you help me out to my car with this thing? it's kind of heavy"

I really did find a working monitor next to a dumpster. If you lived in an area where people have a lot of money but not a lot of time, you'd realize that many of them simply don't care about just trashing old technology and buying new. The same kind of people who lease new cars every couple years.