The announcement page has a link to the problems from last year's qualification round, but that leads to a sign-up page for the contest. I'm curious to see the problems, but not planning to compete. Can someone who's already signed up post them here, and save the rest of us some time? Cheers.
Useful sometimes, but not others. I'd much rather have it as an optional feature. I'm just wondering if there's any way to "turn it off" without the hassle of logging out.
We may very well have a satellite in geostationary orbit over the middle-east, but what good would it do? Spy-sats typically fly at an altitude of a couple-hundred miles... geostationary orbit is roughly 100 times farther away, which makes it practically useless for most "spy" applications.
Well, TDF may be the only gene that determines gender, it's certainly not the only thing that determines how a fetus develops. The hormonal environment in the womb also has a huge effect, and seems to have a significant impact on sexual orientation as well as physiology. IANA biologist, but I suspect that the number of "natural" hermaphrodites resulting from chimeric mergers is vanishingly small.
The operative word here is "ground", and even that is not much use without a suitable energy source. In Heinlein's book, the earth is pummeled by "cargo" loads of moon rocks launched from a giant rail-gun on the moon. There would be little advantage in "pre-launching" a space station full of ordnance over the more traditional method of using ICBMs for delivery. Unlike an airplane, you can't just "drop" a bomb from a space station.
Rival countries spying on each other's technology... what else is new? According to TFA the X37-B launched before Tiangong, and later shifted its orbit to track the Chinese station. If true, that would be an impressive trick.
This. The problem with "state mandated" open-source anything is that it's (by definition) not "open" anymore. Apart from that, it's a great idea.
In fact, it's such a great idea, that you almost don't need the "school" part anymore. Between wikipedia (et. al.) and the plethora of lecture videos on various topics available online, the only thing left is interaction with a teacher/mentor for any questions or skill-building exercises, and even that is probably available online these days too.
The only problem is: this is only enough to actually learn the material... you still don't get that "accredited" piece of paper. Given the skyrocketing costs of modern education (in the USA at least), how long will it be before people start leapfrogging the bricks-and-mortar education system altogether?
I checked the Fraunhofer website but I don't see any links to vendors. I think this must still be in the research stage. Does anyone know of a similar product on the market? (Or how to build your own?)
Yes and no... if it is a fake, then presumably there'd be no great loss in destroying it. However, it could also be that the buyer is mistaken, and the article is authentic. In that case, it makes more sense to nullify the deal (ie: return the merchandise and refund the money) rather than "nullifying" the merchandise.
Where I live (Taiwan) we have "unlocked" phones, so I was surprised when my dad (in the USA) finally got a cell phone, and I discovered that it was possible to have a cell phone without a removable SIM card.
Me: "Let's try your SIM card in my phone, and see if that fixes the problem..." Him: "My what?" Me: "Your SIM card... you know, that little chip-thing that they put in your phone when you buy it..." Him: "Uuuhhh.... what?"
I still find it hard to wrap my head around this notion of buying a phone that's tethered to a particular provider.
[taiwanjohn: posting as AC to preserve mod-points]
After taking the time to actually watch the video, I'm impressed (and not just by the cute chick). I'm also surprised that the current model still requires remote-control input from the therapist, though they say that will be sorted out in the next version. In the end, it's all about the user experience, and this girl seems to be pretty enthusiastic about it. Kudos!
> The early days of TV were full of hope for its widespread educational potential, too.
Same thing: depends on how you use it. TV can be tremendously educational if you use it for that purpose, and it's only gotten more so with the plethora of cable channels and the convenience of DVRs. I just watched a bunch of excellent PBS documentaries about Roman, Egyptian, and Japanese history on YouTube.
As for iPads in the classroom, that's the equivalent of letting kids watch sit-coms in school. The Khan Academy is all about e-learning, but they do NOT recommend computers in the classroom. On the contrary, students are given e-lectures as homework assignments. (In his TED talk, Khan calls this "flipping" the classroom.) Students absorb the lecture at home, at their own pace, then the next day they go through the "work" part at school where they can interact with the teacher and other students. In this way, the teacher can focus his/her energy on individual students' needs, without the headaches of trying to lecture at a pace that doesn't either bore the smart kids or lose the "challenged" kids. Students get the benefit of "on-demand" lectures... they can pause and replay any parts they don't understand, without the embarrassment of holding up the class with a "dumb" question.
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately it's too late for my grandma, but she made it to 102, so I'm not complaining. I just always thought she could have lived longer if she'd kept her sight. Frankly, by the time the MD started, I doubt she would have accepted such treatment anyway. At 99, she was already "satisfied" with life, and "ready" to move on.
Anyone know if this would be effective for macular degeneration? This, more than anything else, led to my grandmother's decline in her final years (IMO). Even as her body grew frail and her hearing went bad, her mind stayed sharp because she loved to read, work crosswords, play cards, etc.. But once her sight failed, she was basically locked in her own little world. She only lasted a few more years after that.
Slashdot Mirror
Very interesting. Thanks!
The announcement page has a link to the problems from last year's qualification round, but that leads to a sign-up page for the contest. I'm curious to see the problems, but not planning to compete. Can someone who's already signed up post them here, and save the rest of us some time? Cheers.
Useful sometimes, but not others. I'd much rather have it as an optional feature. I'm just wondering if there's any way to "turn it off" without the hassle of logging out.
We may very well have a satellite in geostationary orbit over the middle-east, but what good would it do? Spy-sats typically fly at an altitude of a couple-hundred miles... geostationary orbit is roughly 100 times farther away, which makes it practically useless for most "spy" applications.
Spy vs. Spy. Cool. ;-)
Well, TDF may be the only gene that determines gender, it's certainly not the only thing that determines how a fetus develops. The hormonal environment in the womb also has a huge effect, and seems to have a significant impact on sexual orientation as well as physiology. IANA biologist, but I suspect that the number of "natural" hermaphrodites resulting from chimeric mergers is vanishingly small.
The operative word here is "ground", and even that is not much use without a suitable energy source. In Heinlein's book, the earth is pummeled by "cargo" loads of moon rocks launched from a giant rail-gun on the moon. There would be little advantage in "pre-launching" a space station full of ordnance over the more traditional method of using ICBMs for delivery. Unlike an airplane, you can't just "drop" a bomb from a space station.
Rival countries spying on each other's technology... what else is new? According to TFA the X37-B launched before Tiangong, and later shifted its orbit to track the Chinese station. If true, that would be an impressive trick.
They would win a Nobel prize for discovering the only "niche" porn concept that doesn't yet have its own website.
The arctic has a lot of air traffic. Would that cause any light pollution issues?
This. The problem with "state mandated" open-source anything is that it's (by definition) not "open" anymore. Apart from that, it's a great idea.
In fact, it's such a great idea, that you almost don't need the "school" part anymore. Between wikipedia (et. al.) and the plethora of lecture videos on various topics available online, the only thing left is interaction with a teacher/mentor for any questions or skill-building exercises, and even that is probably available online these days too.
The only problem is: this is only enough to actually learn the material... you still don't get that "accredited" piece of paper. Given the skyrocketing costs of modern education (in the USA at least), how long will it be before people start leapfrogging the bricks-and-mortar education system altogether?
I checked the Fraunhofer website but I don't see any links to vendors. I think this must still be in the research stage. Does anyone know of a similar product on the market? (Or how to build your own?)
Made me LOL, thanks!
Yes and no... if it is a fake, then presumably there'd be no great loss in destroying it. However, it could also be that the buyer is mistaken, and the article is authentic. In that case, it makes more sense to nullify the deal (ie: return the merchandise and refund the money) rather than "nullifying" the merchandise.
Where I live (Taiwan) we have "unlocked" phones, so I was surprised when my dad (in the USA) finally got a cell phone, and I discovered that it was possible to have a cell phone without a removable SIM card.
Me: "Let's try your SIM card in my phone, and see if that fixes the problem..."
Him: "My what?"
Me: "Your SIM card... you know, that little chip-thing that they put in your phone when you buy it..."
Him: "Uuuhhh.... what?"
I still find it hard to wrap my head around this notion of buying a phone that's tethered to a particular provider.
[taiwanjohn: posting as AC to preserve mod-points]
After taking the time to actually watch the video, I'm impressed (and not just by the cute chick). I'm also surprised that the current model still requires remote-control input from the therapist, though they say that will be sorted out in the next version. In the end, it's all about the user experience, and this girl seems to be pretty enthusiastic about it. Kudos!
Call me when you have a flying exoskeleton.
> The early days of TV were full of hope for its widespread educational potential, too.
Same thing: depends on how you use it. TV can be tremendously educational if you use it for that purpose, and it's only gotten more so with the plethora of cable channels and the convenience of DVRs. I just watched a bunch of excellent PBS documentaries about Roman, Egyptian, and Japanese history on YouTube.
As for iPads in the classroom, that's the equivalent of letting kids watch sit-coms in school. The Khan Academy is all about e-learning, but they do NOT recommend computers in the classroom. On the contrary, students are given e-lectures as homework assignments. (In his TED talk, Khan calls this "flipping" the classroom.) Students absorb the lecture at home, at their own pace, then the next day they go through the "work" part at school where they can interact with the teacher and other students. In this way, the teacher can focus his/her energy on individual students' needs, without the headaches of trying to lecture at a pace that doesn't either bore the smart kids or lose the "challenged" kids. Students get the benefit of "on-demand" lectures... they can pause and replay any parts they don't understand, without the embarrassment of holding up the class with a "dumb" question.
Perhaps this video will illuminate his reasons for supporting the cause of ousting Saddam Hussein.
Hitchens himself was sharply critical of the execution of that war. What a strange coincidence that he died the day after it "officially" ended.
Well that's a coincidence. My grandma also passed in the month of February, back in 2008. Best wishes to them both.
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately it's too late for my grandma, but she made it to 102, so I'm not complaining. I just always thought she could have lived longer if she'd kept her sight. Frankly, by the time the MD started, I doubt she would have accepted such treatment anyway. At 99, she was already "satisfied" with life, and "ready" to move on.
Anyone know if this would be effective for macular degeneration? This, more than anything else, led to my grandmother's decline in her final years (IMO). Even as her body grew frail and her hearing went bad, her mind stayed sharp because she loved to read, work crosswords, play cards, etc.. But once her sight failed, she was basically locked in her own little world. She only lasted a few more years after that.
Damn right! We call it Terran Exceptionalism. I'm sick and tired of all these "elite" types running around apologizing for Earth all the time!
I got the triangle one right, but carelessly clicked the wrong answer anyway. D'oh!
Throw in some rabbits for zero-g sex, and you'd see the effects of the trip on fucking close to water.