The real threat is not from the occasional asteroid, but from swarms of small cometary rocks. Such swarms do not provide any single, easy target to spot and attempt to take out in advance.
They have struck before on a larger scale - with regularity - as documented e.g. by Clube and Napier. Much of their research focused on the long-past break-up of a very large comet and the periodic intersection of Earth's orbit with its remains - which has led to cometary showers, with their impact on societies in more ways than one, also leading among other things to religious developments - ideas of gods and their actions and judgments.
Historically, peoples have looked to their leaders to protect them from catastrophe - and when their leaders fail to do so, i.e. something happens that they simply cannot control, such as a rain of fireballs and meteorites exploding in the atmosphere, then a people will blame its leaders and get rid of them - often violently. This seems to be a basic feature of human psychology, one repeatedly seen in action throughout history.
Knowing this, the leaders have the need to reassure their people that they have things under control - historically, there have e.g. been systems of ritual and sacrifice. Nowadays, reassurances come in a different form: That the sky is watched, that major events only happen "once in a lifetime" (or, earlier, that such things simply couldn't happen - which was long the consensus), coupled with simplistic ideas of weapons and other solutions to take out the threat - solutions that will never be adequate if/when the time comes for real. People are only too happy to play along with such reassurances, to develop them and then to take them and run with them, since the alternative is not too pleasant - recognizing that there is no way to avert such disasters when they arrive.
A very recent book by a historian, "Comets and the Horns of Moses", discusses this whole subject, and much more connected to it. It goes into the history of cometary interaction with our planet - which has long seemed to follow cycles - and both how it has affected life on Earth and how humanity has responded to it - the social, cultural, and political dynamics involved, both in-between and during times of cometary disasters. Looking at the history and the present, it further goes into what seems likely to be coming up. I'd recommend it for the interested.
In the present time, one of several clues is the reported sightings collected by the American Meteor Society, which have increased roughly exponentially since 2005 - with 463 events on record for 2005, the increase accelerating year by year with 1628 for 2011 and then 2219 for 2012. Thus far this year - i.e. in one and a half month - there's been 322.
According to the American Meteor Society, there were 2219 sighted meteors in 2012; in 2005 there were 463. With a roughly exponential increase in-between. (e.g. 1628 in 2011) Thus far this year - i.e. in one and a half month - there's been 322.
There is historical evidence that impact events - including major ones - are not rare in human history. There's the research of Clube and Napier on the long-past break-up of a giant comet and the periodic intersection of Earth with its remains - and how fireballs and meteorites and their impact on societies seem to have led to religious developments. Recently, a new book by a historian - "Comets and the Horns of Moses" - was published on the subject of the history of cometary interaction with our planet, and both how it has affected life on Earth and how humanity has reacted to it. It goes into the evidence for repeated cometary catastrophes in the past and, looking at the history and the present, it goes into what seems likely to be coming up. I'd recommend it for the interested.
The FRA will only spy on traffic going across Sweden's borders.
NOT on domestic traffic.
Even when the communication has both endpoints within Swedish borders, traffic will often pass through the borders according to the whim of the 'net at the present time. Accessing something hosted by your next-door neighbor very well might take the packets on a ride through France, England, the US, etc. The bulk of Swedish Internet traffic ends up taking a turn or two through the border, and so the bulk of domestic traffic will be tapped.
It is called "pathocracy" - rule by the psychopathological (psychopaths, narcissists and other manipulative, selfish critters who by nature often are very skilled at rising to high positions). Do look it up.
There was research into the nature of how they shape and influence ideological movements and societies by a team of Polish psychologists working during the Communist times (indeed, the Nazi and Soviet era was a prime subject. the same sort of societal disease has long since taken root in our modern societies, though it seems to be developing more slowly and subtly this time around).
The last-survivng one, Andrzej Lobaczewski, finally re-rewrote (the first had to be destroyed due to a search when authorities in Communist Poland were alerted to the dissident nature of the research, and the second was "lost" when sent off to the Vatican) the manuscript of a book of the research in 1984 and tried - Zbigniew Brzezinski then blocking it - to get it published. Two decades later during his last years, he finally did get it published, though it remains rather obscure.
No longer in Sweden, for the government did cave, and so they are now all over the world, they themselves not knowing the locations of all their servers.
Indeed, and here is an article that goes at length in describing the wonders of caffeine. Judging by your writing, you should have no trouble reading it.
Perhaps, over time, you have fallen into the trap of conditioning yourself into latching your attention onto whatever you hear, whereas you used to ignore it as far as conscious focus is concerned? With time, mental habits change - it might be possible to re-learn just letting the music "flow" in the background.
Note though, that being or wanting to be "too focused" is considered abnormal and antisocial by most people - distraction is the norm.
Slashdot Mirror
The real threat is not from the occasional asteroid, but from swarms of small cometary rocks. Such swarms do not provide any single, easy target to spot and attempt to take out in advance.
They have struck before on a larger scale - with regularity - as documented e.g. by Clube and Napier. Much of their research focused on the long-past break-up of a very large comet and the periodic intersection of Earth's orbit with its remains - which has led to cometary showers, with their impact on societies in more ways than one, also leading among other things to religious developments - ideas of gods and their actions and judgments.
Historically, peoples have looked to their leaders to protect them from catastrophe - and when their leaders fail to do so, i.e. something happens that they simply cannot control, such as a rain of fireballs and meteorites exploding in the atmosphere, then a people will blame its leaders and get rid of them - often violently. This seems to be a basic feature of human psychology, one repeatedly seen in action throughout history.
Knowing this, the leaders have the need to reassure their people that they have things under control - historically, there have e.g. been systems of ritual and sacrifice. Nowadays, reassurances come in a different form: That the sky is watched, that major events only happen "once in a lifetime" (or, earlier, that such things simply couldn't happen - which was long the consensus), coupled with simplistic ideas of weapons and other solutions to take out the threat - solutions that will never be adequate if/when the time comes for real. People are only too happy to play along with such reassurances, to develop them and then to take them and run with them, since the alternative is not too pleasant - recognizing that there is no way to avert such disasters when they arrive.
A very recent book by a historian, "Comets and the Horns of Moses", discusses this whole subject, and much more connected to it. It goes into the history of cometary interaction with our planet - which has long seemed to follow cycles - and both how it has affected life on Earth and how humanity has responded to it - the social, cultural, and political dynamics involved, both in-between and during times of cometary disasters. Looking at the history and the present, it further goes into what seems likely to be coming up. I'd recommend it for the interested.
http://www.amazon.com/Comets-Horns-Moses-Laura-Knight-Jadczyk/dp/1897244835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360956345&sr=8-1&keywords=comets+and+the+horns+of+moses
In the present time, one of several clues is the reported sightings collected by the American Meteor Society, which have increased roughly exponentially since 2005 - with 463 events on record for 2005, the increase accelerating year by year with 1628 for 2011 and then 2219 for 2012. Thus far this year - i.e. in one and a half month - there's been 322.
According to the American Meteor Society, there were 2219 sighted meteors in 2012; in 2005 there were 463. With a roughly exponential increase in-between. (e.g. 1628 in 2011) Thus far this year - i.e. in one and a half month - there's been 322.
There is historical evidence that impact events - including major ones - are not rare in human history. There's the research of Clube and Napier on the long-past break-up of a giant comet and the periodic intersection of Earth with its remains - and how fireballs and meteorites and their impact on societies seem to have led to religious developments. Recently, a new book by a historian - "Comets and the Horns of Moses" - was published on the subject of the history of cometary interaction with our planet, and both how it has affected life on Earth and how humanity has reacted to it. It goes into the evidence for repeated cometary catastrophes in the past and, looking at the history and the present, it goes into what seems likely to be coming up. I'd recommend it for the interested.
http://www.amazon.com/Comets-Horns-Moses-Laura-Knight-Jadczyk/dp/1897244835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360956345&sr=8-1&keywords=comets+and+the+horns+of+moses
The FRA will only spy on traffic going across Sweden's borders. NOT on domestic traffic.
Even when the communication has both endpoints within Swedish borders, traffic will often pass through the borders according to the whim of the 'net at the present time. Accessing something hosted by your next-door neighbor very well might take the packets on a ride through France, England, the US, etc. The bulk of Swedish Internet traffic ends up taking a turn or two through the border, and so the bulk of domestic traffic will be tapped.
I am glad to see their politicians are as inept as my politicians!
Given that the politician in question is a politician, how is that a surprise?
It is called "pathocracy" - rule by the psychopathological (psychopaths, narcissists and other manipulative, selfish critters who by nature often are very skilled at rising to high positions). Do look it up.
There was research into the nature of how they shape and influence ideological movements and societies by a team of Polish psychologists working during the Communist times (indeed, the Nazi and Soviet era was a prime subject. the same sort of societal disease has long since taken root in our modern societies, though it seems to be developing more slowly and subtly this time around).
The last-survivng one, Andrzej Lobaczewski, finally re-rewrote (the first had to be destroyed due to a search when authorities in Communist Poland were alerted to the dissident nature of the research, and the second was "lost" when sent off to the Vatican) the manuscript of a book of the research in 1984 and tried - Zbigniew Brzezinski then blocking it - to get it published. Two decades later during his last years, he finally did get it published, though it remains rather obscure.
No longer in Sweden, for the government did cave, and so they are now all over the world, they themselves not knowing the locations of all their servers.
Indeed, and here is an article that goes at length in describing the wonders of caffeine. Judging by your writing, you should have no trouble reading it.
And how about LiU, Linköping university?
Perhaps, over time, you have fallen into the trap of conditioning yourself into latching your attention onto whatever you hear, whereas you used to ignore it as far as conscious focus is concerned? With time, mental habits change - it might be possible to re-learn just letting the music "flow" in the background.
Note though, that being or wanting to be "too focused" is considered abnormal and antisocial by most people - distraction is the norm.You are confusing bit rate with sample rate. 320kpbs is a rather sizable reduction compared to an uncompressed, plain 16-bit 44.1KHz CD.
When push comes to shove. I'm sure this robot will be here to protect us; the stairs of knowledge await!