Killing us with hope? Great advances in medicine don't occur overnight. They are often long slogs taking decades infrequently punctuated by a breakthrough that may or may not lead to cures. HIV used to be regarded as a death sentence and just over twenty years ago many feared a pandemic. It is now, and has been for a few years, regarded by HIV clinicians as a long-term treatable disease. It still isn't cured and a cure is probably still quite far off, but people afflicted with it have hope for a normal life.
Don't underestimate the value of hope. While something as dramatic as Christopher Reeves getting up and walking didn't occur in reality, it is important that people know advances are being made. A cure may not be available in our lifetime but the hope for one encourages scientists to pursue the research, people to fund it and patients to hang in for the results.
Frankly if people are too ill-informed/apathetic/stupid to vote, I'd rather we didn't encourage or force them to do so. I'd rather have a smaller voter turnout of informed citizens electing our leaders and leave shows like Pop Idol and Dancing With The Stars having the open call.
Politics too often trumps science and common sense. Here's a congressman who wants a lucrative deal in his district, that's the story.
I like how the congressman describes it as an "arbitrary" date for decomissioning and that the risks won't increase overnight. I say send a congressman up on every mission after the shuttle's sell by date.
They probably can be used effectively for many years, but that doesn't mean that they should. Every bit of extra maintenance and upkeep performed on an old system, every bit of extra testing to make sure parts still function and every investigation into a failure will slow the space program and new developments. This is pork politics no matter how it's dressed up.
Pick up a copy of "The Design of Everyday Things" - written by someone who reviewed the causes of the Three Mile Island accident. Accidents can happen. I'm definitely pro-nuclear-power at the moment, but we still need to take the safety extremely seriously. Keep the pressure on that industry; we can't afford any accidents.
That's a great book. The reason there was an incident at TMI was a stuck sentinel valve. The reason there wasn't an *accident* at TMI was because of double redundancy. Incident and accident are an important distinction.
I spent six years doing nuclear power in the US Navy. A Chernobyl would never occur in the US Navy, who uses more nuclear power plants than anybody and has been doing so for 40 years, because they use a different design with multiple safety features built in. Things like negative temperature coefficients, automatic control rod insertion and many, many more. The more critical difference is that the people running the plant are well trained and aware of what they are doing.
And the CO2 emissions we're generating now? That won't be a lasting problem at all, eh?
So the waste lasts a long time. It isn't nearly as bad as you think, because it's fairly easy to contain. It doesn't take much to avoid radiation; a bit of shielding and distance and you'd never know it's there. I guarantee you are exposed to far more natural radiation than any that would be coming from nuclear waste.
You've covered just about every knee-jerk opposition to nuclear power there is. It creates nuclear waste which will kill everything it comes into contact with, it's too expensive, makes greedy assholes richer and will be the doom of humanity. You left out creating mutants with superpowers though.
Nuclear power isn't perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than much of the other options. There isn't a perfect method of generating power yet and so they will all have drawbacks. Ther isn't any *one* solution yet that will solve all of the problems. I actually spent six years in the Navy on a submarine doing nuclear power. I do have training in nuclear power and real world hands on experience. It can be done safely and the waste isn't nearly the problem that CO2 emissions are.
I always assumed the easily laid women in chat rooms were just lonely, fat forty-year-old programmers indulging in their "curious" side. Fembots is a step up.
I care about dark matter, and so should you. Based on the research of a Dr. Hubert Farnsworth, I have used it to create an engine that moves the entire universe around my car. This allows me to travel to any location in an instant.
I have been using Macs since 1998 and would never go back to Windows. Over the years I've managed to convert my family because they were impressed with Apple's ease of use and stability. This Thanksgiving when I went home to the States, I installed Leopard on two Macbook Pros, one Mac Pro, an iMac and a Mac G5. Not a single hitch. Upon returning to London I installed Leopard on my Macbook Pro and Mac Pro and not a problem either.
It's all anecdotal evidence. I've had no problems, some other people have had problems. That's quite a shock with a new operating system isn't it? I see many slashdotters who apparently are unfamiliar with OS and upgrading problems, so more power and good luck to them.
I like Leopard. I like Leopard a lot.
I'm a graphic designer and have been using Photoshop since 1999. There are other programs, and some might have merit, but Photoshop is the industry standard. I personally don't see the point in switching to an unknown program, because I have become very familiar with Photoshop. I'm comfortable with it, and it works very well. I find that every time I have a complaint about something I can't do in Photoshop, it turns out that I can do it, I just didn't know how at the time.
It's a capable program even in the hands of somebody who only spends 30 minutes learning a couple basic tools. If you really delve into Photoshop you can do almost anything. Like I said, I've used it for years. I'm a Photoshop nerd, and I'd be surprised if I knew even 80% of it. I'm always discovering something new that makes working with it faster and easier.
I can't predict what will happen in the future. Apple has thrown in Aperture to compete with Photoshop, and eventually it, or another program, might replace it. I used to use QuarkXpress for page layouts, because it was the industry standard. Then InDesign came along and is rapidly rendering Quark obsolete.
Slashdot Mirror
Killing us with hope? Great advances in medicine don't occur overnight. They are often long slogs taking decades infrequently punctuated by a breakthrough that may or may not lead to cures. HIV used to be regarded as a death sentence and just over twenty years ago many feared a pandemic. It is now, and has been for a few years, regarded by HIV clinicians as a long-term treatable disease. It still isn't cured and a cure is probably still quite far off, but people afflicted with it have hope for a normal life.
Don't underestimate the value of hope. While something as dramatic as Christopher Reeves getting up and walking didn't occur in reality, it is important that people know advances are being made. A cure may not be available in our lifetime but the hope for one encourages scientists to pursue the research, people to fund it and patients to hang in for the results.
Frankly if people are too ill-informed/apathetic/stupid to vote, I'd rather we didn't encourage or force them to do so. I'd rather have a smaller voter turnout of informed citizens electing our leaders and leave shows like Pop Idol and Dancing With The Stars having the open call.
Politics too often trumps science and common sense. Here's a congressman who wants a lucrative deal in his district, that's the story.
I like how the congressman describes it as an "arbitrary" date for decomissioning and that the risks won't increase overnight. I say send a congressman up on every mission after the shuttle's sell by date.
They probably can be used effectively for many years, but that doesn't mean that they should. Every bit of extra maintenance and upkeep performed on an old system, every bit of extra testing to make sure parts still function and every investigation into a failure will slow the space program and new developments. This is pork politics no matter how it's dressed up.
Yeah, Slashdot posters are renowned for their consistency in logic.
This is why we can't have nice things.
OMFG! dat so kewl evolution is da r0xx0r! we r the 1337!!!11 LOLZ
I only recently moved to London. Sadly, I missed the opportunity to rear Ms. LeBrock.
It's simpler than that.
Convert to slavery, whip until your hands bleed. We'll have hotels on Alpha Centauri in no time.
That's a great book. The reason there was an incident at TMI was a stuck sentinel valve. The reason there wasn't an *accident* at TMI was because of double redundancy. Incident and accident are an important distinction.
I spent six years doing nuclear power in the US Navy. A Chernobyl would never occur in the US Navy, who uses more nuclear power plants than anybody and has been doing so for 40 years, because they use a different design with multiple safety features built in. Things like negative temperature coefficients, automatic control rod insertion and many, many more. The more critical difference is that the people running the plant are well trained and aware of what they are doing.
And the CO2 emissions we're generating now? That won't be a lasting problem at all, eh?
So the waste lasts a long time. It isn't nearly as bad as you think, because it's fairly easy to contain. It doesn't take much to avoid radiation; a bit of shielding and distance and you'd never know it's there. I guarantee you are exposed to far more natural radiation than any that would be coming from nuclear waste.
You've covered just about every knee-jerk opposition to nuclear power there is. It creates nuclear waste which will kill everything it comes into contact with, it's too expensive, makes greedy assholes richer and will be the doom of humanity. You left out creating mutants with superpowers though.
Nuclear power isn't perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than much of the other options. There isn't a perfect method of generating power yet and so they will all have drawbacks. Ther isn't any *one* solution yet that will solve all of the problems. I actually spent six years in the Navy on a submarine doing nuclear power. I do have training in nuclear power and real world hands on experience. It can be done safely and the waste isn't nearly the problem that CO2 emissions are.
It was about rampant commercialism? I thought it was about a guy getting kicked in the balls a lot. And an ass movie.
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.
I always assumed the easily laid women in chat rooms were just lonely, fat forty-year-old programmers indulging in their "curious" side. Fembots is a step up.
Now I know why so many politicians get re-elected: Too few D2 receptors in the voting population.
We teach robots how to play chess and the violin. No wonder they're getting kicked.
That and the fact, as Chris Rock pointed out, those streets are always in the shittiest part of town. Kind of a dubious "honour" really.
I used to live pretty close to MLK Way in Seattle and can verify it wasn't a nice place.
Let's use the real collegiate measure. How good is their football team?
Firefox is spyware. At least according to Microsoft. http://img405.imageshack.us/my.php?image=msasmfph6.gif
Remove it immediately to prevent harm to your computer and protect your privacy!
I care about dark matter, and so should you. Based on the research of a Dr. Hubert Farnsworth, I have used it to create an engine that moves the entire universe around my car. This allows me to travel to any location in an instant.
It has noticeably reduced my commute.
I have been using Macs since 1998 and would never go back to Windows. Over the years I've managed to convert my family because they were impressed with Apple's ease of use and stability. This Thanksgiving when I went home to the States, I installed Leopard on two Macbook Pros, one Mac Pro, an iMac and a Mac G5. Not a single hitch. Upon returning to London I installed Leopard on my Macbook Pro and Mac Pro and not a problem either. It's all anecdotal evidence. I've had no problems, some other people have had problems. That's quite a shock with a new operating system isn't it? I see many slashdotters who apparently are unfamiliar with OS and upgrading problems, so more power and good luck to them. I like Leopard. I like Leopard a lot.
You're right. Google is probably stealing technology for the upcoming Gune and Gbox 720.
I'm a graphic designer and have been using Photoshop since 1999. There are other programs, and some might have merit, but Photoshop is the industry standard. I personally don't see the point in switching to an unknown program, because I have become very familiar with Photoshop. I'm comfortable with it, and it works very well. I find that every time I have a complaint about something I can't do in Photoshop, it turns out that I can do it, I just didn't know how at the time. It's a capable program even in the hands of somebody who only spends 30 minutes learning a couple basic tools. If you really delve into Photoshop you can do almost anything. Like I said, I've used it for years. I'm a Photoshop nerd, and I'd be surprised if I knew even 80% of it. I'm always discovering something new that makes working with it faster and easier. I can't predict what will happen in the future. Apple has thrown in Aperture to compete with Photoshop, and eventually it, or another program, might replace it. I used to use QuarkXpress for page layouts, because it was the industry standard. Then InDesign came along and is rapidly rendering Quark obsolete.
Yep, only in USA. I live in London and there aren't any stupid people here at all.
The worst will be the new talking ads above the urinal. "Small pen is? Get a biggur thiker d1ck now!"
I swear I read about this a few years ago too. I had hoped this time around that we were talking about animals with superpowers.