Athletes are under enormous amounts of pressure to win. For the Olympics, this is doubly true. Many have sacrificed a normal life for that single shot at winning a gold medal. There's also the unspoken carrot dangling in front of them: "Win a medal, get rich from endorsement contracts."
Is it any wonder that they start taking all sorts of performance-enhancing drugs, some with serious life-long consequences, just for that one chance at winning?
Now let's say that allowing artificial limbs into competition is allowed. I'd be willing to bet that someone would deliberately have their legs replaced.
It'd probably look like this:
There would be a news report of a tragic accident. A promising athlete, cut down just as they're about to hit their prime. They were running alongside a train track, but then tripped in front of the train. Both legs lost. It's a tragedy!
But wait! In an inspiring story, new artificial legs are fitted, allowing them to compete. And what a story! They triumph and win!
Your comment makes me sad. You're missing so much really beautiful stuff that will help you in ways that you can't even imagine, and you don't even know it.
I had Trade Wars running on my BBS back in the day.
It was a version that I wrote from scratch in Turbo Pascal, since I wasn't able to locate an official copy. It was harder to find stuff back in the pre-web, pre-search-engine days...
It wasn't the the number of species in the genus that prompted this. It was the genetic analysis of those species that revealed that they were not as closely related as people thought.
If someone walked down the street talking to themselves and waving their arms around, everyone else would give them a wide berth and think they had something wrong with them...
It's because so far, there haven't been any large-scale consequences resulting from the widely-publicized breaches.
Sure, a bunch of people's info got released, and some of those people had serious identity-theft issues resulting from it, but most of the people affected got new credit card numbers and moved on.
When there's a data breach that results in a bank going belly-up, or major stock fraud, or large loss of life, then a reputation for security might start to matter.
And if you came home and found such a note on your table, what would your reaction be?
Would it be "My my, I should really double check to make sure the door was locked. Thanks, Anonymous Note Writer!"
Probably not. Most likely, it would be something like "Holy crap, who does that guy think he is coming into my house and poking around without permission?" followed by vague feelings of unease and paranoia.
Yes, the systems should have been secured better. But that still doesn't give someone permission to go poking around in them, any more than someone has permission to go poking around in your house if the door is unlocked.
Imagine the workplace. Right now, if I hear anything from the surrounding cubes, it's a tap-tap-tap of keys that fades into the background.
Should someone be on a phone call, or heaven forbid, speakerphone, it's an active distraction.
Now imagine everyone around you talking to their computers. You'd never get anything done, especially if someone is dictating a requirements document. The horror...
Speech will never supplant the keyboard for the vast majority of current computer usage.
This isn't saying that some new paradigm or use won't come up. There might be something that uses speech to supplement something that you're using your hands and/or feet for. Changing the music or using your turn signal while driving, for example. In effect, allowing you to use your voice as a third hand.
... although a large part of the blame does rest with them.
The real problem with Windows security is that there are LOTS of programs out there that will not run unless the user is an administrator.
This is a relic of the old MS-DOS mindset, where any program could put anything anywhere on the disk that it wanted to, or mess with anything in memory that it wanted to. This attitude moved along with the coders to the Windows platform, so you have programs that try to put log files in the same directory as the executable instead of in the user's home directory. When the user calls support and asks how to fix this, the fastest way to get them off the phone is to say "run as administrator", so that's what happens.
Microsoft's part of problem is that rather than saying "Don't do that - fix your program so it can run under a normal user account", they made it so you can run as administrator, and then tried to intercept user actions that might hose things up.
You can cry all the BS you want, but I myself with my own ears heard the words "two thousand dollars" come out of the plumber's mouth.
The existing water heater is in the garage in a closet. The vent stack lets out on the roof, and it's a two-story house. An exhaust vent up the side of the house would need to extend up over the roof to meet code, but would look like crap. As I had just spent a huge pile of money getting the siding replaced, during which all the wires and cables and such that had accumulated outside the house were moved inside the walls, I was not about to have some ugly tin-plated monstrosity bolted on and risk the wrath of my neighborhood association.
And in fact, we -do- live in Texas. We -do- pay $15/month in summer. Winters can go up to $70 or $80, because of the gas heat. So yes, the payoff amount would only be $5/month. But even if it were more, let's say $10/month, it'd still take over 20 years to pay off. We'll have the whole house paid off before then.
It just did not make economic sense to install one.
The big advantage of the tankless water heater is not the energy savings, it's the not running out of hot water. For large families, this can be a lifesaver.
And believe it or not, the energy savings may or may not exist. It takes a lot of energy to raise the water temperature from cold to hot in just a few feet of pipe. A well-insulated standard water heater can use less energy by slowly heating the water, and then intermittently applying heat to maintain the temperature.
And there may be other expenses involved in installing one. Since the tankless heater uses more gas when in operation, you'll probably have to replace the exhaust vents. Because of this, we were quoted $2,000 (two thousand dollars) for just the installation of a tankless heater. This is on top of the $750 for the heater itself.
Now, keeping in mind that our gas bills are around $15 a month in the summer, and that we have a gas stove in addition to the gas water heater, any potential savings are going to be on the order of maybe $5 a month. It'd take a LONG time to pay off $2750 at that rate.
So we decided to forego the tankless heater. When our existing water heater finally dies, we'll probably replace it with another standard water heater.
Slashdot Mirror
Does this mean that if E Coli is found on the lettuce that they could do a recall on it and retroactively remove it from my system?
Athletes are under enormous amounts of pressure to win. For the Olympics, this is doubly true. Many have sacrificed a normal life for that single shot at winning a gold medal. There's also the unspoken carrot dangling in front of them: "Win a medal, get rich from endorsement contracts."
Is it any wonder that they start taking all sorts of performance-enhancing drugs, some with serious life-long consequences, just for that one chance at winning?
Now let's say that allowing artificial limbs into competition is allowed. I'd be willing to bet that someone would deliberately have their legs replaced.
It'd probably look like this:
There would be a news report of a tragic accident. A promising athlete, cut down just as they're about to hit their prime. They were running alongside a train track, but then tripped in front of the train. Both legs lost. It's a tragedy!
But wait! In an inspiring story, new artificial legs are fitted, allowing them to compete. And what a story! They triumph and win!
http://maps.google.com/?ll=30.083503,-97.13562&spn=0.105759,0.210114&t=h&z=13
Your comment makes me sad. You're missing so much really beautiful stuff that will help you in ways that you can't even imagine, and you don't even know it.
Oh, I remember the Rainbow.
Q: What's the difference between a DEC Rainbow and a bowling ball?
A: There's more software for the bowling ball.
I had Trade Wars running on my BBS back in the day.
It was a version that I wrote from scratch in Turbo Pascal, since I wasn't able to locate an official copy. It was harder to find stuff back in the pre-web, pre-search-engine days...
I still have a copy in my archives.
It wasn't the the number of species in the genus that prompted this. It was the genetic analysis of those species that revealed that they were not as closely related as people thought.
It's still Brontosaurus to me.
If someone walked down the street talking to themselves and waving their arms around, everyone else would give them a wide berth and think they had something wrong with them...
It's because so far, there haven't been any large-scale consequences resulting from the widely-publicized breaches.
Sure, a bunch of people's info got released, and some of those people had serious identity-theft issues resulting from it, but most of the people affected got new credit card numbers and moved on.
When there's a data breach that results in a bank going belly-up, or major stock fraud, or large loss of life, then a reputation for security might start to matter.
What did you say your address was?
And if you came home and found such a note on your table, what would your reaction be?
Would it be "My my, I should really double check to make sure the door was locked. Thanks, Anonymous Note Writer!"
Probably not. Most likely, it would be something like "Holy crap, who does that guy think he is coming into my house and poking around without permission?" followed by vague feelings of unease and paranoia.
Yes, the systems should have been secured better. But that still doesn't give someone permission to go poking around in them, any more than someone has permission to go poking around in your house if the door is unlocked.
I'm paying 10 cents per kWh. So at my rates, that's a whopping $3.00 per month they're saving.
How much did all that equipment cost? How long will it take to pay it off at that rate?
I'm thinking someone failed to do the cost/benefit analysis.
In a day when serious compilers cost $300 or more, most people used the free Basic that came with DOS.
Then Turbo Pascal came out at $49.95, and proved that there was more than a niche market for compilers.
In one trillionth of a second, light travels .3 millimeters.
So the receiver has to be able to not only detect that bit, but process it in time for the next bit that's right behind it.
Pretty impressive.
Imagine the workplace. Right now, if I hear anything from the surrounding cubes, it's a tap-tap-tap of keys that fades into the background.
Should someone be on a phone call, or heaven forbid, speakerphone, it's an active distraction.
Now imagine everyone around you talking to their computers. You'd never get anything done, especially if someone is dictating a requirements document. The horror...
Speech will never supplant the keyboard for the vast majority of current computer usage.
This isn't saying that some new paradigm or use won't come up. There might be something that uses speech to supplement something that you're using your hands and/or feet for. Changing the music or using your turn signal while driving, for example. In effect, allowing you to use your voice as a third hand.
And when he dies, on his deathbed, he will achieve total consciousness, so he's got that going for him.
I am shocked - SHOCKED - that a repressive totalitarian regime would censor something criticizing it.
Oh wait. I'm not.
I'm shocked that people keep forgetting that China is ruled by a repressive totalitarian regime.
... although a large part of the blame does rest with them.
The real problem with Windows security is that there are LOTS of programs out there that will not run unless the user is an administrator.
This is a relic of the old MS-DOS mindset, where any program could put anything anywhere on the disk that it wanted to, or mess with anything in memory that it wanted to. This attitude moved along with the coders to the Windows platform, so you have programs that try to put log files in the same directory as the executable instead of in the user's home directory. When the user calls support and asks how to fix this, the fastest way to get them off the phone is to say "run as administrator", so that's what happens.
Microsoft's part of problem is that rather than saying "Don't do that - fix your program so it can run under a normal user account", they made it so you can run as administrator, and then tried to intercept user actions that might hose things up.
Get back to me when they can use the robotic arm to fling poo.
No, it's not just an LED.
There's an RFID chip in the key. Even if someone makes a duplicate, it won't start the engine unless the chip is valid.
Touch the key to the ignition, without actually inserting it. The LED will stop blinking, indicating that the RFID check passed.
You can cry all the BS you want, but I myself with my own ears heard the words "two thousand dollars" come out of the plumber's mouth.
The existing water heater is in the garage in a closet. The vent stack lets out on the roof, and it's a two-story house. An exhaust vent up the side of the house would need to extend up over the roof to meet code, but would look like crap. As I had just spent a huge pile of money getting the siding replaced, during which all the wires and cables and such that had accumulated outside the house were moved inside the walls, I was not about to have some ugly tin-plated monstrosity bolted on and risk the wrath of my neighborhood association.
And in fact, we -do- live in Texas. We -do- pay $15/month in summer. Winters can go up to $70 or $80, because of the gas heat. So yes, the payoff amount would only be $5/month. But even if it were more, let's say $10/month, it'd still take over 20 years to pay off. We'll have the whole house paid off before then.
It just did not make economic sense to install one.
I looked into this awhile back.
The big advantage of the tankless water heater is not the energy savings, it's the not running out of hot water. For large families, this can be a lifesaver.
And believe it or not, the energy savings may or may not exist. It takes a lot of energy to raise the water temperature from cold to hot in just a few feet of pipe. A well-insulated standard water heater can use less energy by slowly heating the water, and then intermittently applying heat to maintain the temperature.
And there may be other expenses involved in installing one. Since the tankless heater uses more gas when in operation, you'll probably have to replace the exhaust vents. Because of this, we were quoted $2,000 (two thousand dollars) for just the installation of a tankless heater. This is on top of the $750 for the heater itself.
Now, keeping in mind that our gas bills are around $15 a month in the summer, and that we have a gas stove in addition to the gas water heater, any potential savings are going to be on the order of maybe $5 a month. It'd take a LONG time to pay off $2750 at that rate.
So we decided to forego the tankless heater. When our existing water heater finally dies, we'll probably replace it with another standard water heater.
PETA is an ANIMAL RIGHTS organization.
Some vegans don't eat meat because they think it's wrong to exploit animals.
Others don't eat meat because they feel that a vegan diet is healthier.
It's this second group that will be pissed off, but that's not what PETA's mission is.
Personally, I feel that if we weren't meant to eat animals, they wouldn't be made out of meat.
I guess this is time to repost that story about the billion-watt light bulb.
http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/humor/billion-watt-light-bulb