whats-his-name physicist who complained about Cassini.
Michio Kaku. Wrote a very interesting book called Hyperspace. Turned into a treehugger some time in the late '90s. Can't figure out why--decent guy otherwise.
Came from an author named Brad Cox, in book that's sitting on my floor called Object Oriented Programming: An Evolutionary Approach.
NeXT made a decision that it would be the next big thing due to its dynamic binding qualities, required for the AppKit and other kits, so they licensed it............ kris
Whoever modded this up as funny doesn't understand the nature of what this bozo is saying. It's really not at all funny if you think about it for five seconds.
James Watson proposed genetically engineering "pretty" women. The problem is: who defines the standard of beauty? Genetic diversity means different people have differing standards of beauty. Genetically engineering so-called "pretty" women is unethical and smacks of a eugenics program, something that the US rejected back in the 1930s.
With a crippled product for Thailand, Microsoft is indeed differentiating its traditional market, which implies its monopoly power is slipping. Consequently this post should be modded +5, Insightful.
I was television-free from 1995 to 2001. I felt self-righteous about it, too. I read books, rented movies, went to the symphony, hung out with friends, etc. Underneath it all, I was wearing the no-TV hair shirt.
I made a mistake not watching television for so long--I missed out on some good shows--I could have always turned the thing off when the show was over. Instead, I felt like a hero for resisting the temptation to watch Seinfeld or Star Trek. It was misplaced self-discipline.
Finally, I figured out that not watching good shows on TV is like not going to good movies or not reading good books. Resist the temptation to wear the hair shirt.
I didn't need to call Comcast to get the Super Bowl in hi-def. Comcast provides CBS in hi-def by default.
I have an RCA MM36100 hi-def set and I am using a Comcast-provided Motorola HD receiver. I get all the major networks in hi-def, two "show-off" channels that basically show flowers and other scenery, a local PBS station that broadcasts hi-def part-time, and hi-def HBO and Showtime. The big fun is that my wife and I get to watch Law and Order variants in letterbox format with blindingly clear resolution. Plus the Tonight Show hi-def is broadcast in letterbox format. NBC seems to be pretty good about letterbox. For some reason CBS isn't--for example, Letterman is broadcast in 420p in 4:3.
All of this said, If I didn't get a better deal using Comcast HDTV with the cable modem (it's a screamingly good deal to combine the two here in the North Bay of SF) I would have selected DirecTV to get the occasional terrestrial over-the-air broadcasts in addition to the major network channels. You don't get terrestrial over-the-air broadcasts with cable, and Comcast doesn't carry UPN in hi-def, so Star Trek: Enterprise (and Smallville?) doesn't (don't) look any better to me, which is a bummer.
1. Fuck the ISS. It's a money sink. Screw our international commitments. We can't afford it. Bring the crew home.
2. Kill the Shuttle program now. If we can't operate it safely, then we shouldn't be operating it.
3. Start immediately on the Crew Exploration Vehicle. We need to get to the moon ASAP.
4. Ramp up Prometheus. We need nuclear propulsion in the next ten years for Mars transit. By the time we're ready to launch, we should have VASIMR or a GCNR ready for use.
5. Get the military involved. They have their shit together, and they will force NASA to stay on schedule.
8. The writers can't handle story arcs--they fail to resolve one story arc before another one starts (e.g., Xindi and Temporal Cold War) 7. Most episode premises suck (like we care about a lonely telepathic alien when the survival of Earth is at stake) 6. Changing the mix of Enterprise characters didn't add an interesting new element to the show (e.g., adding the military) 5. Breaking continuity with existing Trek timeline was a bad idea because it makes Enterprise feel unbelievable 4. Many plot elements are unbelievable (e.g., a religious group could take over the ship without security firing a shot) 3. No meaningful character development other than Archer becomes willing to torture bad guys to save Earth 2. The franchise is simply wearing thin due to writers' inability to pull it together with intriguing characters, captivating episode premises, and story arc continuity 1. The writers aren't up to the task of producing a top-flight sci-fi show from a franchise with a long history
It's a pedantic point, but all corporations have monopolies on the goods they produce. That's the benefit of being a corporation--monopolizing your own goods and services. That's why Apple and Microsoft get to decide that no one else can make Macintosh computers or Windows software.
Note that having a monopoly on the goods and services you produce does not necessarily make you a monopoly of an entire marketplace like Microsoft, which is what most people think of when they hear the word "monopoly." (Used to be Standard Oil or ALCOA.)
My friend, John Terpstra, wrote those docs. Way to go, John! Your long hours paid off with a compliment on Slashdot! Your life is redeemed!................ kris
There's been a purge. Several employees that I know of have been given their walking papers, with draconian exit contracts forbidding them from talking about any of the circumstances of their exits. Sucks.
Due to its draconian viral characteristics, GPL software is open for use by only a subset of those who paid for the development of the software, namely the GNU and GNU/Linux community. Conversely, BSD software with its simplicity and freedom is open for use by the entire population. Only a GPL bigot would suggest that the government release code that only a percentage of the population will use. For government open source work it's BSD all the way, baby. It's the only rational choice.
Last week I attended a seminar held in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies at 1800 K St. Some high-up Bush administration officials from the Dep't of Commerce and the Dep't of Energy spoke. One thing that they drilled into our heads is that the Bush administration is neutral about open source procurement--you won't see any open source mandates taking place in the Federal government. (You might see them in the states, though--the Bushies vowed to fight them, however.) So sip a latte and relax.
So the South African government believes in a neutral procurement policy wrt proprietary and open source software. Then why is it phasing in an open source software procurement policy over the long run? The government might as well just implement an open source procurement policy now. It would be a lot more honest.
The FDA approved a study on MDMA to be performed at the University of North Carolina. IIRC, it's been ongoing for some months now. So we're seeing at least one crack in the war on drugs. If we're lucky, they'll reschedule it in the next couple of years so psychiatrists can prescribe it for use with psychotherapy.
#3 is wrong. NASA is developing the new Delta rocket, which will have a lifting capacity of 7 tons, the highest of any launch vehicle on the market upon its release in 2006.
This is like when Kramer spilled a cafe latte down his pants and scalded his stomach. God forbid the Linux community run into the Maestro and put the balm on. It might mean SCO might have to settle for free espresso drinks for life.
The only problem I see with Sun's Project Orion is that the heat and blast from the nuclear pulse propulsion drive will make it hard to administer the system effectively.
Slashdot Mirror
This idea always comes up when there is a /. discussion that has anything to do with space.
............... kris
The facts are that a space elevator is decades away at best, not just for materials sciences deficiencies but because of political indifference.
Nothing against the poster, but we might as well stop talking about it for now as the answer to all space transportation problems.
whats-his-name physicist who complained about Cassini.
......... kris
Michio Kaku. Wrote a very interesting book called Hyperspace. Turned into a treehugger some time in the late '90s. Can't figure out why--decent guy otherwise.
Came from an author named Brad Cox, in book that's sitting on my floor called Object Oriented Programming: An Evolutionary Approach.
........... kris
NeXT made a decision that it would be the next big thing due to its dynamic binding qualities, required for the AppKit and other kits, so they licensed it.
Whoever modded this up as funny doesn't understand the nature of what this bozo is saying. It's really not at all funny if you think about it for five seconds.
.......... kris
James Watson proposed genetically engineering "pretty" women. The problem is: who defines the standard of beauty? Genetic diversity means different people have differing standards of beauty. Genetically engineering so-called "pretty" women is unethical and smacks of a eugenics program, something that the US rejected back in the 1930s.
Kris Magnusson
Advocate for the Mentally Ill
As a side note, your spelling is attrocious. I suppose you went to a government school, didn't you? Or are you even out of school yet?
.......... kris
"Attrocious" -> "Atrocious"
Well, I don't see any catapults and seige towers in our military inventory, so you're wrong there.
"Seige" -> "Siege"
if you're going to criticize someone's spelling, make sure yours is perfect, especially if you're attacking someone else's position.
With a crippled product for Thailand, Microsoft is indeed differentiating its traditional market, which implies its monopoly power is slipping. Consequently this post should be modded +5, Insightful.
.......... kris
I was television-free from 1995 to 2001. I felt self-righteous about it, too. I read books, rented movies, went to the symphony, hung out with friends, etc. Underneath it all, I was wearing the no-TV hair shirt.
.............. kris
I made a mistake not watching television for so long--I missed out on some good shows--I could have always turned the thing off when the show was over. Instead, I felt like a hero for resisting the temptation to watch Seinfeld or Star Trek. It was misplaced self-discipline.
Finally, I figured out that not watching good shows on TV is like not going to good movies or not reading good books. Resist the temptation to wear the hair shirt.
I didn't need to call Comcast to get the Super Bowl in hi-def. Comcast provides CBS in hi-def by default.
............. kris
I have an RCA MM36100 hi-def set and I am using a Comcast-provided Motorola HD receiver. I get all the major networks in hi-def, two "show-off" channels that basically show flowers and other scenery, a local PBS station that broadcasts hi-def part-time, and hi-def HBO and Showtime. The big fun is that my wife and I get to watch Law and Order variants in letterbox format with blindingly clear resolution. Plus the Tonight Show hi-def is broadcast in letterbox format. NBC seems to be pretty good about letterbox. For some reason CBS isn't--for example, Letterman is broadcast in 420p in 4:3.
All of this said, If I didn't get a better deal using Comcast HDTV with the cable modem (it's a screamingly good deal to combine the two here in the North Bay of SF) I would have selected DirecTV to get the occasional terrestrial over-the-air broadcasts in addition to the major network channels. You don't get terrestrial over-the-air broadcasts with cable, and Comcast doesn't carry UPN in hi-def, so Star Trek: Enterprise (and Smallville?) doesn't (don't) look any better to me, which is a bummer.
1. Fuck the ISS. It's a money sink. Screw our international commitments. We can't afford it. Bring the crew home.
2. Kill the Shuttle program now. If we can't operate it safely, then we shouldn't be operating it.
3. Start immediately on the Crew Exploration Vehicle. We need to get to the moon ASAP.
4. Ramp up Prometheus. We need nuclear propulsion in the next ten years for Mars transit. By the time we're ready to launch, we should have VASIMR or a GCNR ready for use.
5. Get the military involved. They have their shit together, and they will force NASA to stay on schedule.
8. The writers can't handle story arcs--they fail to resolve one story arc before another one starts (e.g., Xindi and Temporal Cold War)
7. Most episode premises suck (like we care about a lonely telepathic alien when the survival of Earth is at stake)
6. Changing the mix of Enterprise characters didn't add an interesting new element to the show (e.g., adding the military)
5. Breaking continuity with existing Trek timeline was a bad idea because it makes Enterprise feel unbelievable
4. Many plot elements are unbelievable (e.g., a religious group could take over the ship without security firing a shot)
3. No meaningful character development other than Archer becomes willing to torture bad guys to save Earth
2. The franchise is simply wearing thin due to writers' inability to pull it together with intriguing characters, captivating episode premises, and story arc continuity
1. The writers aren't up to the task of producing a top-flight sci-fi show from a franchise with a long history
ha ha . . . i live in sonoma and used to live in petaluma . . . i know exactly what you're talking about. ......... kris
It's a pedantic point, but all corporations have monopolies on the goods they produce. That's the benefit of being a corporation--monopolizing your own goods and services. That's why Apple and Microsoft get to decide that no one else can make Macintosh computers or Windows software.
Note that having a monopoly on the goods and services you produce does not necessarily make you a monopoly of an entire marketplace like Microsoft, which is what most people think of when they hear the word "monopoly." (Used to be Standard Oil or ALCOA.)
My friend, John Terpstra, wrote those docs. Way to go, John! Your long hours paid off with a compliment on Slashdot! Your life is redeemed! ................ kris
There's been a purge. Several employees that I know of have been given their walking papers, with draconian exit contracts forbidding them from talking about any of the circumstances of their exits. Sucks.
............. kris
Due to its draconian viral characteristics, GPL software is open for use by only a subset of those who paid for the development of the software, namely the GNU and GNU/Linux community. Conversely, BSD software with its simplicity and freedom is open for use by the entire population. Only a GPL bigot would suggest that the government release code that only a percentage of the population will use. For government open source work it's BSD all the way, baby. It's the only rational choice.
................ kris
Last week I attended a seminar held in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies at 1800 K St. Some high-up Bush administration officials from the Dep't of Commerce and the Dep't of Energy spoke. One thing that they drilled into our heads is that the Bush administration is neutral about open source procurement--you won't see any open source mandates taking place in the Federal government. (You might see them in the states, though--the Bushies vowed to fight them, however.) So sip a latte and relax.
.................... kris
So the South African government believes in a neutral procurement policy wrt proprietary and open source software. Then why is it phasing in an open source software procurement policy over the long run? The government might as well just implement an open source procurement policy now. It would be a lot more honest.
.............. kris
It's more like a long blurb. Where's the beef?
............. kris
just sayin' hi.
........... kris
Kris Magnusson
The FDA approved a study on MDMA to be performed at the University of North Carolina. IIRC, it's been ongoing for some months now. So we're seeing at least one crack in the war on drugs. If we're lucky, they'll reschedule it in the next couple of years so psychiatrists can prescribe it for use with psychotherapy.
............... kris
#3 is wrong. NASA is developing the new Delta rocket, which will have a lifting capacity of 7 tons, the highest of any launch vehicle on the market upon its release in 2006.
.............. kris
This is like when Kramer spilled a cafe latte down his pants and scalded his stomach. God forbid the Linux community run into the Maestro and put the balm on. It might mean SCO might have to settle for free espresso drinks for life.
............ kris
I thought they were going to use a real car
.............. kris
The only problem I see with Sun's Project Orion is that the heat and blast from the nuclear pulse propulsion drive will make it hard to administer the system effectively.
IN SOVIET RUSSIA world superpower screws over you.