I just found it. $329M for FY 2003. That is an increase of 35% over FY 2002. That is all the money going to nuclear power research, not necessarily nuclear fusion research.
Amen! Excellent point. You can completely eliminate the problem of Nuclear waste, and use it indefinately as a source of electricity generation. Then we can get rid of all those dirty coal plants which spew ash, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides (and other compounds which I don't know of)
I've been saying that for years. Someone else pointed out that if they put $58B into fusion reasearch, we'd be there by now. Very true. I think the amount of anual federal funding is $100M. Could be wrong, I don't remember the exact number.
Politics is the same reason we are not walking on Mars or have a moon base. No one wants to use Nuclear energy to power spacecraft. The evil "N" word.
What new plants? A new Nuclear power plant hasn't been built in over 20 years! And no company is even applying for a permit to build another!
Additionally, All the plants that we currently own will be decomissioned in the next 20 years as their licenses run out. So tell me, ignoring the anual increases in power, how are we going to make up for the 20% reduction in our electricity generation? Dirty Coal Plants? Clean natural Gas plants? (oh, and as we run low on natural gas and the price starts to rise....)
Personally, I'm casting my vote by using Green Mountain as my electric provider. Of course, you have to live in a state which has deregulated the electricity industry (somehow California screwed up a very simple thing....Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Ohio, & Oregon successfully deregulated)
Where do you get number like "60 to 100" years? We won't even have any working nuclear reactors then.
Oh, and seismic events are registerd everywhere. New York City even sits over a fault line. Just it is far below the surface. Can you show me a area where there are no seismic events?
I'm still confused. Lets assume you successfully shut down Yucca Mtn. Where will you put the waste we have currently? Do you have an alternative solution?
Normally I don't respond, but I must in this case. The National Debt isn't a byproduct of the cold war, the National Debt is a byproduct of politians going rampant and spending $$$ needlessly. For example, the $180B farm subsity bill. And Bush calls himself a "free trader".
If the USSR never existed, the $$$ would have been spent. And probably not on a national transit system (remember, the car companies have powerful lobbies behind them)
We have a $2.1T budget this year, and we still can't find a way to stay in the black.
First, I like you post, I agree with most of it. But one comment bugs me.
"One well placed technician who knows his stuff could find a way to empty that pool or disable the cooling system and you've got three mile island all over again as teh rods boil off the water and start a reaction - remember, these things aren't inside a cement surrounded reactor vessel - they're open on top for access. "
How could the waste rods (not the active ones) boil off all the water? They are not hot, they are just radioactive. But that would not start a nuclear reaction. How could it? They are just sitting there, there is no critial mass. Nothing to start the reaction.
This sounds like the rumor I was once told a long time ago in high school. If one nuclear bomb was detonated near another one, it would set off the second one, which could set off a 3rd one, etc, creating a chain reaction destroying the earth.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see how a bunch of rods sitting in a pool, could start a nuclear reaction. (Of course the water IS radioactive, so if that was released, you would have problems in that respect.)
This article just reminds me of the complete lack of direction the US has had for a long time in its energy policy. Bush has recognized this, but hasn't really proposed a solution.
I agree completely. We haven't had an Energy Policy since Carter.
Why on earth isn't US Energy Policy pushing hard for the development of fusion based technology? Isn't it obvious this should be the centerpiece of our effort? Unlike fission, fusion is clean, safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. It's just hard technically.
I have no clue. But congress has authorized over $279B in pork THIS YEAR!
I bet that ROI is less than 1% in the end. As stated, it is almost as much as the whole defense budget. $8B for some missile shield doesn't seem that wasteful.
I believe the environmental movement has fallen into the trap of being against things, but not for anything. If you are worried about global warming, advocate fusion research.
Dito.
Similarly, dependence on foreign oil is a great security risk and results in mideast leaders being a little to big for their britches. Iran, Iraq, etc... The mideast is extremely volatile and if it wasn't for oil, the US wouldn't have to care.
Actually, as a % of imports, we import less oil than we used to during the 70's, when the oil crisis occured. Plus we have the huge National Stratigic Petrolium Reserve in Texas and Oklahoma, and now, thanks to Iraq, troops in the area. I am not so much worried about our oil supply being disrupted, as much as global warming and pollution in general. But yes, if the Middle east didn't have so much oil, we wouldn't care about their well being (like Africa, or Central America)
There is a BJ's that installed solar panels on their roof in Consohocken, PA. I think it was in cooperation with Green Mountain Power They are getting 43KW hours out if it a day. I'm trying to find the article but can't....
Of course the NE is not the best spot to get solar energy, and with electricy being sold for $0.0557/KWH, it can't get much cheaper than that. Of course, in PA 60% of our electricity is coal produced.
Did that include battery back up? I thought costs should be around $20k-$25k.
Personally I think Solar power in the U.S. should be supplemental power. Durning the day, the solar panels feed extra electricity into the grid, and at night, a home draws from the grid. They you wouldn't have to worry about batteries and all their hazardous materials.
You probably already have checked out this website if you were in the market for a solar solution, but in case you haven't Homepower
Good luck in your quest. Check out GreenMountain and purchase "cleaner" electricity. It's a start (if you are in on of the deregulated states.)
Think for a moment about what you are saying. Battery backup? It almost doubles the cost of a solar power solution, plus it greatly increases the risk of something going wrong. Batteries aren't exactaly environmentally friendly.
How can a few KW from Solar panels and a inverter compare to the MW's produced from Coal, Gas, & Nuclear plants? (little know fact, when modern scrubbers are installed in smoke stacks, coal becomes as clean as gas, but until the government forces generators to take that route, or we start a pollution credit program, we are not going to see cleaner air.)
It is my understanding that the DR was receiving the solar panels for low cost (or free). DR is a small country, I don't see how the rest of the world would benefit from what we give them, or how the rest of the world could afford a solar solution.
Finally, oil isn't used to generate electricity. Oil generators make up 1% of the electricity generated in the US. Wind power makes up a similar percentage.
Check out Homepower for a real world look at the cost of solar.
The U.S. Government's budget this year includes $280 Billion in PORK! By contrast NASA's budget is $14B this year. If only some of that money went into energy research or 1000's of good causes which would reap better returns.
Southern California has power but there is a bottleneck somewhere between LA and San Fran (I know, that's about 500 miles apart, not exactally precise)
Northern California is plagued by lack of rain (hydro), maintenance on current plants, huge demand (biggest factor) and the worst deregulation procedure ever. Funny how in PA, NJ, TX, and other states that have deregulated they haven't even seen a hint of a crisis. In fact, they now have choices in how "clean" there power is (coal, hydro, wind, bio-mass, gas, etc) and have seen rates drop slightly due to open competition.
Normally, power plants only transmit power about 300 miles (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) after that losses become too big. But I read in the U.S. News and world report, that b/c prices are so high, some power is being transmitted from as much as 600 miles away. (disclaimer, I don't know how accurate this info is, if someone has any more insight, please post)
Okay, while offtopic a little I love getting into these kinds of discussions.
1) I agree with you that Scientists should consider social impact, but ultimately it is the consumers responsibility.
2) Excellent point about "reserve the right of moral indignation". Ignorance is NO excuse. People who smoke, chose to smoke (I don't force them, the government doens't force them, you don't force them, etc)
3) What do you mean by "ostrich technique"? I've never heard of it before.
4) Consider this, without the Nike factory in the 3rd world country, would those people even have jobs? You do realize that the U.S. Employment had a similar structure from 1820's to the 1920's. Low wages and overworked women and children.
5) Being a vegitarian and feeding the world are mutually exlusive. Having enough food and giving it away is poor thinking b/c you are forcing someone to be dependent on you for food. See Ethiopia in the late 80's. The USA gave away food to the country throughout the 70's and early 80's. This caused priced to fall putting local farmers out of business. When the US stopped shipments, there were no local farmers in the country, and massive famine ensued. Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can feed him for a lifetime.
6) Humans we not ment to be vegitarians. We have to clean our vegtibles b/f eating, or else the dirt would scrape the enamle off our teeth (unlike Cows for example, which have much harder teeth) While we definately eat too many McDonalds hambergers, I fail to see the moral convictioon about why we should be vegitarians. Isn't that a personal choice? What we eat?
First, please tell me where you learned that the U.S. Started Negotiations one week before dropping the bomb. If that is true, then the situation changes. To my knowledge that is not true.
I think in WWII we did learn from our mistakes. We occupied the agressor countries, and helped rebuild them. (I also think now we should leave Germany and Japan, but that's beside the point) The mistake was this, after WWI we did not occupy Germany. (we also forced them to pay war reparaitions sp? to the tune of $20B)
Please expand your arguement on why the U.S. should have to risk something in order for it to be war and not murder. By not dropping the bomb, America risked fighting a prolonged invasion of the Japanese homeland, which we can only speculate about the outcome. You looked at it from a Tactical perspective (the single plane), not a Strategic one (further fighting, which could have taken months)
What is wrong with a deeterministic view of history? I was just quoting casualty figures. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't see what that has to do with free choice. Free choice for who?
Look what happened last time we "negotiated" peace and left an aggressor nation unoccupied. It was as I recall from my history classes, that was the end of WWI.
Funny how if there is a I, there needs to at least be a II. Of course, 52 Million dead later, that war came to a close.
Fact, 80,000 killed in the first bomb and 70,000 killed in the second bomb.
Fact, for 3 weeks (in early 1945) american bombers firebombed Tokyo, attacking CIVILIANS, leaving 120,000 dead. While the A-bomb did it in one moment, extreme casualties could have still been inflicted using regular munitions.
If you take the 1:1 Casualty ratio of the invasions of Okinowa (sp?) and Iwo Jima, and estimate that Japan had 6 million solders on the home islands, with there mountainous terrain, it paints a grip picture. The U.S. only lost about 317,000 dead in WWII.
Finally Where is your "proof" that the American Government requested peace negotiations one week before they dropped the bomb? Negotiations were attempted before Germany fell (early May, 1945) but with no luck. Where is your evidence that the generals were going to allow their country to "give up"? I would love to see it (or point me in the right direction)
Disclaimer-I wish the 2nd world war had never happend. IMO-no good came out of it, and it COULD have easily been prevented if the U.S. was a little more proactive in world affairs instead of sitting on there hands for 5+ years. Yes, Hindsight is 20/20, but if the murder of millions of Jews and the invasion of Poland, France, and Russia isn't a sign, then nothing is.
Check out the last line, they said Wednesday May 10th, 2001. Actually Wednesday was May 9th, today (Thursday) is May 10th. I should know, it's my birthday!
I'd add some relevant comments, but most of what I feel has already been represented in this form.
I completely agree. It was completely irrelevant to the whole arguement and makes no sense in relation to the context that the case is about.
What bothers me is the attorney probably wouldn't have stated it, unless he thought that it would have some sort of impact. Or maybe the judges are ignorant of the implications of the DMCA.
I didn't like the article, but you are right. Although I find it hard to believe that you have been offered $4M in credit. Probably $100,000-250,000 is a more reasonable number.
Okay, bad joke. The funny thing about personal debt is that it is personal choice. That's what's great about america, that we can purchase whatever we want, whenever we want, provided we have the $$$.
Let me get back to my original point about the article. Temporary workers are not a sign of weakness for the U.S. economy, but a sign of strength. Mobility in the workforce is a huge asset, the ability to transfer labor from one sector to another sector on demand.
The reason that the "sosring cost of credit" is due to the fact that there is so little money to lend out b/c it has already been lended out. Money is just like any other thing you purchase, it has a supply and a demand. When the demand goes up and the supply stays the same, interest rates rise. That is why those second tier banks can charge 400% annual interest rate.
The article is poorly worded. It should talk about how much future earnings people are throwing away b/c they are spending now (we are really screwing ourselves) Debt is good (when used for investment) but frivilous debt is bad.
China currently has an 84 Billion Dollar trade surplus with us. That means every year, 84 Billion dollars flows from the U.S. to China, over and above what they buy from us!
Now, I love free trade, it is a wonderful idea that is lifting millions out of poverty, but why would China jepordise it! Add to the fact that pissing us off might cause us to sell MORE weapons to Tawain (sp?) or stonewall their attempt to hold the 2008 summer Olympics, or develop a missile shield (need I go on?)
Maybe the U.S. should apologize, do it in a childish sort of way, the way 2 siblings apologize to one another, before the "parent" makes them say it again. Since there is no "parent" for nation states, China will either have to release the hostages (ops, I mean crew) or demand ANOTHER appology. Give that to them too! The chinesse government will look ridiculous in front of the world.
Okay, I'll admit that the paragraph above is childish, but so is the Chinesse Government. If they would have released the crew imeadiately and kept the plane (say something like they wanted to be sure there were no illegal drugs on it) the international community would have applauded, the Chinesse would have gotten the plane, the amaerican crew would be home by now (or back in Okinowa where there were stationed) and the U.S. would have no strong position. But the longer the crew is held, the more people are going to be claiming that they are hostages and much more is at risk than egos and national pride.
Corporations most of the time just meet the demands of the consumers. The folks who read/. are a very specialized niche and don't represent the whole market. We read something like this and automatically assume that it is being shoved down our throat. But that's not true. Consumers like replacing and getting "new" items every couple of years.
Just look at the automobile industry. How many people lease cars? Millions! A lease is not the best financial decision, it's a horrible financial decision. But people don't buy a new car based on finances, they purchase it b/c they want to look cool, get a new vehicle every 3 years, and enjoy that "new car smell". It allows them to keep up with the Jones.
Computers will probably ultimately end up the same way. With fewer people getting into technology, or actually caring what goes on inside a computer (as long as it has e-mail and AIM they're happy) they will be glad to throw out the "old" model every 2-3 years, and get a brand new one! "It must work better, it's newer than the old model!"
Of course, my examples are in reference to hardware. Software is slightly different. Most users will like the automatic upgrades. They don't know enough to try it themselves, and when they do they spend most of their time on the phone with tech support. The/. community won't like this, but we won't purchase software like this. Someone will supply our demand for stable software, whether we write it ourselves or let someone else do it.
Not everyone that flies for NASA is in the military. "Civilians" (by definition) have already traveled in space.
How else will a "civilian" get into space if they don't pay their own way? Is the government going to pay for it? Who gets to go? Do we hold a lottery or something? What would be the purpose?
How often is there a free seat on the space shuttle or Soyuz spacecraft? Not very often. Although I'm not totally opposed to selling "rides" on the Space Shuttle, I am concerned about the safety of the crew and the main mission.
I've got Covad DSL, and I have never had a problem with it. I know 3 other people who claim the same high level of service. The only problem (that everyone is facing) is the Baby Bells not switching people fast enough to the Covad network.
It's ironic, the Bells would rather you have 2 phone lines than a DSL and phone line, b/c they have higher proffit margins on the phone lines. They are in no rush to switch you over, and they know that they have (Covad, Northpoint, any other provider) at their mercies with the speed of there "response" (or lack of response)
Covad is also running a promotions to "grab" the northpoint customers. I don't know the details, I guess if you have compatable equipment they just switch ISP's, or if you ISP is in their network they just move you to Covad's. I'm not sure.
I agree with your first paragraph, too many/. ers take this way to personal. It's one thing to disagree, but to have your life revolve around what MS does (or doesn't do?) Well, lets just say it's not for me.
I would like to comment on the second part of your post. The part about the impending US recession. There is no impending US recession(or at least no proof). Stock prices (and the stock market in general) is NOT a measurement of how the economy is doing, but more of a measurement of speculation. Right now, speculation is low.
Factors that make up a recession are unemployment (4.2% and steady), GDP (yearly growth is about 4%, still too high from an economists point of view in relation to a developed economy), inflation (the evil "I" word, but that has been kept very low >5%, probably closer to 3% after we get better numbers for the year)
Other things to consider is the number of jobs that the economy is creating vs. new layoffs. If you look at the difference, it has been constantly higher the last 4-5 years (that's why McD's workers get $8 an hour, labor shortage)
Remember, economist are famous for predicting the last 10 out of 2 recessions. In other words, they cry wolf often, probably to get attention and feel wanted.
Disclaimer-This isn't a personal attack. I'm venting more than anything else. I'm sick of hearing the MSNBC reports ("the sky is falling!") and the CNN-fn reports ("put your money in bonds and gold")
Are you ignorant? Blind? Did you check the date on that article?!?!?!
Sorry. I'm having a bad day. Check recent stock prices (or look at the bottom of the URL you just posted, it gives recent prices). Orcle stock is now around $15-16 a share, while MSFT is still above $55.
And do you really feel that he is going to backstab his boss and say something that we are all going to love? (i.e. Did you know that he secretly runs Red Hat on his personal machine?) I don't think so, unless he's planning to find other employment soon.
Well, what is the maximum amount of bandwidth required for Streaming video, a telephone call or 2, and a few web connections? I'm thinking of a family of 4, one watching a movie, 1-2 on the phone, and 2-3 surfing the web (the family members can be doing more than one item at a time.)
Someone before posted 768Kbps for a video, voice is 64kbps so that gives us 768 + 64 + 64 = 896Kbps, or We'll round up to 1Mbps. If you had a 10Mbps, it seems that connection would/could easily satisfy your needs, provided that the ISP could handle the traffic.
It also depends on the type of traffic that a web brousing session would sustain. It wouldn't be a constant or even exponential distribution, it probably would be more like a pareto distribution, must more bursty.
Who knows the bandwidth requirements of the future? I can only speculate. I'd say 10Mbps is a major improvement for all of us. Heck, a 768K DSL connection would be a major improvement for most everyone, saying cable modems have 5% of the online market, DSL has 2+%, and I guess a small amount is LANs and direct connections, but most people (80%? just a guess) still dial up the old fassion way.
BTW- I hate it when a analog modem dials up. Too much freakin sound. I'll be much happier in a quiet world.
Slashdot Mirror
I just found it. $329M for FY 2003. That is an increase of 35% over FY 2002. That is all the money going to nuclear power research, not necessarily nuclear fusion research.
Amen! Excellent point. You can completely eliminate the problem of Nuclear waste, and use it indefinately as a source of electricity generation. Then we can get rid of all those dirty coal plants which spew ash, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides (and other compounds which I don't know of)
I've been saying that for years. Someone else pointed out that if they put $58B into fusion reasearch, we'd be there by now. Very true. I think the amount of anual federal funding is $100M. Could be wrong, I don't remember the exact number.
Politics is the same reason we are not walking on Mars or have a moon base. No one wants to use Nuclear energy to power spacecraft. The evil "N" word.
What new plants? A new Nuclear power plant hasn't been built in over 20 years! And no company is even applying for a permit to build another!
Additionally, All the plants that we currently own will be decomissioned in the next 20 years as their licenses run out. So tell me, ignoring the anual increases in power, how are we going to make up for the 20% reduction in our electricity generation? Dirty Coal Plants? Clean natural Gas plants? (oh, and as we run low on natural gas and the price starts to rise....)
Personally, I'm casting my vote by using Green Mountain as my electric provider. Of course, you have to live in a state which has deregulated the electricity industry (somehow California screwed up a very simple thing....Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Ohio, & Oregon successfully deregulated)
Where do you get number like "60 to 100" years? We won't even have any working nuclear reactors then.
Oh, and seismic events are registerd everywhere. New York City even sits over a fault line. Just it is far below the surface. Can you show me a area where there are no seismic events?
I'm still confused. Lets assume you successfully shut down Yucca Mtn. Where will you put the waste we have currently? Do you have an alternative solution?
From the article
"In the last 15 years alone, software defects have...induced a U.S. Navy ship to destroy a civilian airliner"
Will someone inform me as to what the author is implying? KAL Flight 007? TWA Flight 800?
I'll admit there is plenty of bad software out there, but what about all the benefits software has brought us? And technology in general?
Normally I don't respond, but I must in this case. The National Debt isn't a byproduct of the cold war, the National Debt is a byproduct of politians going rampant and spending $$$ needlessly. For example, the $180B farm subsity bill. And Bush calls himself a "free trader".
If the USSR never existed, the $$$ would have been spent. And probably not on a national transit system (remember, the car companies have powerful lobbies behind them)
We have a $2.1T budget this year, and we still can't find a way to stay in the black.
First, I like you post, I agree with most of it. But one comment bugs me.
"One well placed technician who knows his stuff could find a way to empty that pool or disable the cooling system and you've got three mile island all over again as teh rods boil off the water and start a reaction - remember, these things aren't inside a cement surrounded reactor vessel - they're open on top for access. "
How could the waste rods (not the active ones) boil off all the water? They are not hot, they are just radioactive. But that would not start a nuclear reaction. How could it? They are just sitting there, there is no critial mass. Nothing to start the reaction.
This sounds like the rumor I was once told a long time ago in high school. If one nuclear bomb was detonated near another one, it would set off the second one, which could set off a 3rd one, etc, creating a chain reaction destroying the earth.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see how a bunch of rods sitting in a pool, could start a nuclear reaction. (Of course the water IS radioactive, so if that was released, you would have problems in that respect.)
This article just reminds me of the complete lack of direction the US has had for a long time in its energy policy. Bush has recognized this, but hasn't really proposed a solution.
I agree completely. We haven't had an Energy Policy since Carter.
Why on earth isn't US Energy Policy pushing hard for the development of fusion based technology? Isn't it obvious this should be the centerpiece of our effort? Unlike fission, fusion is clean, safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. It's just hard technically.
I have no clue. But congress has authorized over $279B in pork THIS YEAR!
I bet that ROI is less than 1% in the end. As stated, it is almost as much as the whole defense budget. $8B for some missile shield doesn't seem that wasteful.
I believe the environmental movement has fallen into the trap of being against things, but not for anything. If you are worried about global warming, advocate fusion research.
Dito.
Similarly, dependence on foreign oil is a great security risk and results in mideast leaders being a little to big for their britches. Iran, Iraq, etc... The mideast is extremely volatile and if it wasn't for oil, the US wouldn't have to care.
Actually, as a % of imports, we import less oil than we used to during the 70's, when the oil crisis occured. Plus we have the huge National Stratigic Petrolium Reserve in Texas and Oklahoma, and now, thanks to Iraq, troops in the area. I am not so much worried about our oil supply being disrupted, as much as global warming and pollution in general. But yes, if the Middle east didn't have so much oil, we wouldn't care about their well being (like Africa, or Central America)
There is a BJ's that installed solar panels on their roof in Consohocken, PA. I think it was in cooperation with Green Mountain Power They are getting 43KW hours out if it a day. I'm trying to find the article but can't....
Of course the NE is not the best spot to get solar energy, and with electricy being sold for $0.0557/KWH, it can't get much cheaper than that. Of course, in PA 60% of our electricity is coal produced.
Did that include battery back up? I thought costs should be around $20k-$25k.
Personally I think Solar power in the U.S. should be supplemental power. Durning the day, the solar panels feed extra electricity into the grid, and at night, a home draws from the grid. They you wouldn't have to worry about batteries and all their hazardous materials.
You probably already have checked out this website if you were in the market for a solar solution, but in case you haven't Homepower
Good luck in your quest. Check out GreenMountain and purchase "cleaner" electricity. It's a start (if you are in on of the deregulated states.)
Think for a moment about what you are saying. Battery backup? It almost doubles the cost of a solar power solution, plus it greatly increases the risk of something going wrong. Batteries aren't exactaly environmentally friendly.
How can a few KW from Solar panels and a inverter compare to the MW's produced from Coal, Gas, & Nuclear plants? (little know fact, when modern scrubbers are installed in smoke stacks, coal becomes as clean as gas, but until the government forces generators to take that route, or we start a pollution credit program, we are not going to see cleaner air.)
It is my understanding that the DR was receiving the solar panels for low cost (or free). DR is a small country, I don't see how the rest of the world would benefit from what we give them, or how the rest of the world could afford a solar solution.
Finally, oil isn't used to generate electricity. Oil generators make up 1% of the electricity generated in the US. Wind power makes up a similar percentage.
Check out Homepower for a real world look at the cost of solar.
The U.S. Government's budget this year includes $280 Billion in PORK! By contrast NASA's budget is $14B this year. If only some of that money went into energy research or 1000's of good causes which would reap better returns.
Both I think.
Southern California has power but there is a bottleneck somewhere between LA and San Fran (I know, that's about 500 miles apart, not exactally precise)
Northern California is plagued by lack of rain (hydro), maintenance on current plants, huge demand (biggest factor) and the worst deregulation procedure ever. Funny how in PA, NJ, TX, and other states that have deregulated they haven't even seen a hint of a crisis. In fact, they now have choices in how "clean" there power is (coal, hydro, wind, bio-mass, gas, etc) and have seen rates drop slightly due to open competition.
Normally, power plants only transmit power about 300 miles (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) after that losses become too big. But I read in the U.S. News and world report, that b/c prices are so high, some power is being transmitted from as much as 600 miles away. (disclaimer, I don't know how accurate this info is, if someone has any more insight, please post)
Okay, while offtopic a little I love getting into these kinds of discussions.
1) I agree with you that Scientists should consider social impact, but ultimately it is the consumers responsibility.
2) Excellent point about "reserve the right of moral indignation". Ignorance is NO excuse. People who smoke, chose to smoke (I don't force them, the government doens't force them, you don't force them, etc)
3) What do you mean by "ostrich technique"? I've never heard of it before.
4) Consider this, without the Nike factory in the 3rd world country, would those people even have jobs? You do realize that the U.S. Employment had a similar structure from 1820's to the 1920's. Low wages and overworked women and children.
5) Being a vegitarian and feeding the world are mutually exlusive. Having enough food and giving it away is poor thinking b/c you are forcing someone to be dependent on you for food. See Ethiopia in the late 80's. The USA gave away food to the country throughout the 70's and early 80's. This caused priced to fall putting local farmers out of business. When the US stopped shipments, there were no local farmers in the country, and massive famine ensued. Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can feed him for a lifetime.
6) Humans we not ment to be vegitarians. We have to clean our vegtibles b/f eating, or else the dirt would scrape the enamle off our teeth (unlike Cows for example, which have much harder teeth) While we definately eat too many McDonalds hambergers, I fail to see the moral convictioon about why we should be vegitarians. Isn't that a personal choice? What we eat?
First, please tell me where you learned that the U.S. Started Negotiations one week before dropping the bomb. If that is true, then the situation changes. To my knowledge that is not true.
I think in WWII we did learn from our mistakes. We occupied the agressor countries, and helped rebuild them. (I also think now we should leave Germany and Japan, but that's beside the point) The mistake was this, after WWI we did not occupy Germany. (we also forced them to pay war reparaitions sp? to the tune of $20B)
Please expand your arguement on why the U.S. should have to risk something in order for it to be war and not murder. By not dropping the bomb, America risked fighting a prolonged invasion of the Japanese homeland, which we can only speculate about the outcome. You looked at it from a Tactical perspective (the single plane), not a Strategic one (further fighting, which could have taken months)
What is wrong with a deeterministic view of history? I was just quoting casualty figures. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't see what that has to do with free choice. Free choice for who?
Look what happened last time we "negotiated" peace and left an aggressor nation unoccupied. It was as I recall from my history classes, that was the end of WWI.
Funny how if there is a I, there needs to at least be a II. Of course, 52 Million dead later, that war came to a close.
Fact, 80,000 killed in the first bomb and 70,000 killed in the second bomb.
Fact, for 3 weeks (in early 1945) american bombers firebombed Tokyo, attacking CIVILIANS, leaving 120,000 dead. While the A-bomb did it in one moment, extreme casualties could have still been inflicted using regular munitions.
If you take the 1:1 Casualty ratio of the invasions of Okinowa (sp?) and Iwo Jima, and estimate that Japan had 6 million solders on the home islands, with there mountainous terrain, it paints a grip picture. The U.S. only lost about 317,000 dead in WWII.
Finally Where is your "proof" that the American Government requested peace negotiations one week before they dropped the bomb? Negotiations were attempted before Germany fell (early May, 1945) but with no luck. Where is your evidence that the generals were going to allow their country to "give up"? I would love to see it (or point me in the right direction)
Disclaimer-I wish the 2nd world war had never happend. IMO-no good came out of it, and it COULD have easily been prevented if the U.S. was a little more proactive in world affairs instead of sitting on there hands for 5+ years. Yes, Hindsight is 20/20, but if the murder of millions of Jews and the invasion of Poland, France, and Russia isn't a sign, then nothing is.
Check out the last line, they said Wednesday May 10th, 2001. Actually Wednesday was May 9th, today (Thursday) is May 10th. I should know, it's my birthday!
I'd add some relevant comments, but most of what I feel has already been represented in this form.
I completely agree. It was completely irrelevant to the whole arguement and makes no sense in relation to the context that the case is about.
What bothers me is the attorney probably wouldn't have stated it, unless he thought that it would have some sort of impact. Or maybe the judges are ignorant of the implications of the DMCA.
$276.7 Billion.
e os /us.html
NASA's proposed 2002 budget. $14.x Billion
The WHOLE Appolo Program. $25 Billion.
Granted, the U.S. Military is over 2 Million strong.
References
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/g
I didn't like the article, but you are right. Although I find it hard to believe that you have been offered $4M in credit. Probably $100,000-250,000 is a more reasonable number.
Okay, bad joke. The funny thing about personal debt is that it is personal choice. That's what's great about america, that we can purchase whatever we want, whenever we want, provided we have the $$$.
Let me get back to my original point about the article. Temporary workers are not a sign of weakness for the U.S. economy, but a sign of strength. Mobility in the workforce is a huge asset, the ability to transfer labor from one sector to another sector on demand.
The reason that the "sosring cost of credit" is due to the fact that there is so little money to lend out b/c it has already been lended out. Money is just like any other thing you purchase, it has a supply and a demand. When the demand goes up and the supply stays the same, interest rates rise. That is why those second tier banks can charge 400% annual interest rate.
The article is poorly worded. It should talk about how much future earnings people are throwing away b/c they are spending now (we are really screwing ourselves) Debt is good (when used for investment) but frivilous debt is bad.
China currently has an 84 Billion Dollar trade surplus with us. That means every year, 84 Billion dollars flows from the U.S. to China, over and above what they buy from us!
Now, I love free trade, it is a wonderful idea that is lifting millions out of poverty, but why would China jepordise it! Add to the fact that pissing us off might cause us to sell MORE weapons to Tawain (sp?) or stonewall their attempt to hold the 2008 summer Olympics, or develop a missile shield (need I go on?)
Maybe the U.S. should apologize, do it in a childish sort of way, the way 2 siblings apologize to one another, before the "parent" makes them say it again. Since there is no "parent" for nation states, China will either have to release the hostages (ops, I mean crew) or demand ANOTHER appology. Give that to them too! The chinesse government will look ridiculous in front of the world.
Okay, I'll admit that the paragraph above is childish, but so is the Chinesse Government. If they would have released the crew imeadiately and kept the plane (say something like they wanted to be sure there were no illegal drugs on it) the international community would have applauded, the Chinesse would have gotten the plane, the amaerican crew would be home by now (or back in Okinowa where there were stationed) and the U.S. would have no strong position. But the longer the crew is held, the more people are going to be claiming that they are hostages and much more is at risk than egos and national pride.
Corporations most of the time just meet the demands of the consumers. The folks who read /. are a very specialized niche and don't represent the whole market. We read something like this and automatically assume that it is being shoved down our throat. But that's not true. Consumers like replacing and getting "new" items every couple of years.
/. community won't like this, but we won't purchase software like this. Someone will supply our demand for stable software, whether we write it ourselves or let someone else do it.
Just look at the automobile industry. How many people lease cars? Millions! A lease is not the best financial decision, it's a horrible financial decision. But people don't buy a new car based on finances, they purchase it b/c they want to look cool, get a new vehicle every 3 years, and enjoy that "new car smell". It allows them to keep up with the Jones.
Computers will probably ultimately end up the same way. With fewer people getting into technology, or actually caring what goes on inside a computer (as long as it has e-mail and AIM they're happy) they will be glad to throw out the "old" model every 2-3 years, and get a brand new one! "It must work better, it's newer than the old model!"
Of course, my examples are in reference to hardware. Software is slightly different. Most users will like the automatic upgrades. They don't know enough to try it themselves, and when they do they spend most of their time on the phone with tech support. The
Not everyone that flies for NASA is in the military. "Civilians" (by definition) have already traveled in space.
How else will a "civilian" get into space if they don't pay their own way? Is the government going to pay for it? Who gets to go? Do we hold a lottery or something? What would be the purpose?
How often is there a free seat on the space shuttle or Soyuz spacecraft? Not very often. Although I'm not totally opposed to selling "rides" on the Space Shuttle, I am concerned about the safety of the crew and the main mission.
I've got Covad DSL, and I have never had a problem with it. I know 3 other people who claim the same high level of service. The only problem (that everyone is facing) is the Baby Bells not switching people fast enough to the Covad network.
It's ironic, the Bells would rather you have 2 phone lines than a DSL and phone line, b/c they have higher proffit margins on the phone lines. They are in no rush to switch you over, and they know that they have (Covad, Northpoint, any other provider) at their mercies with the speed of there "response" (or lack of response)
Covad is also running a promotions to "grab" the northpoint customers. I don't know the details, I guess if you have compatable equipment they just switch ISP's, or if you ISP is in their network they just move you to Covad's. I'm not sure.
I agree with your first paragraph, too many /. ers take this way to personal. It's one thing to disagree, but to have your life revolve around what MS does (or doesn't do?) Well, lets just say it's not for me.
I would like to comment on the second part of your post. The part about the impending US recession. There is no impending US recession(or at least no proof). Stock prices (and the stock market in general) is NOT a measurement of how the economy is doing, but more of a measurement of speculation. Right now, speculation is low.
Factors that make up a recession are unemployment (4.2% and steady), GDP (yearly growth is about 4%, still too high from an economists point of view in relation to a developed economy), inflation (the evil "I" word, but that has been kept very low >5%, probably closer to 3% after we get better numbers for the year)
Other things to consider is the number of jobs that the economy is creating vs. new layoffs. If you look at the difference, it has been constantly higher the last 4-5 years (that's why McD's workers get $8 an hour, labor shortage)
Remember, economist are famous for predicting the last 10 out of 2 recessions. In other words, they cry wolf often, probably to get attention and feel wanted.
Disclaimer-This isn't a personal attack. I'm venting more than anything else. I'm sick of hearing the MSNBC reports ("the sky is falling!") and the CNN-fn reports ("put your money in bonds and gold")
Are you ignorant? Blind? Did you check the date on that article?!?!?!
Sorry. I'm having a bad day. Check recent stock prices (or look at the bottom of the URL you just posted, it gives recent prices). Orcle stock is now around $15-16 a share, while MSFT is still above $55.
And do you really feel that he is going to backstab his boss and say something that we are all going to love? (i.e. Did you know that he secretly runs Red Hat on his personal machine?) I don't think so, unless he's planning to find other employment soon.
Well, what is the maximum amount of bandwidth required for Streaming video, a telephone call or 2, and a few web connections? I'm thinking of a family of 4, one watching a movie, 1-2 on the phone, and 2-3 surfing the web (the family members can be doing more than one item at a time.)
Someone before posted 768Kbps for a video, voice is 64kbps so that gives us 768 + 64 + 64 = 896Kbps, or We'll round up to 1Mbps. If you had a 10Mbps, it seems that connection would/could easily satisfy your needs, provided that the ISP could handle the traffic.
It also depends on the type of traffic that a web brousing session would sustain. It wouldn't be a constant or even exponential distribution, it probably would be more like a pareto distribution, must more bursty.
Who knows the bandwidth requirements of the future? I can only speculate. I'd say 10Mbps is a major improvement for all of us. Heck, a 768K DSL connection would be a major improvement for most everyone, saying cable modems have 5% of the online market, DSL has 2+%, and I guess a small amount is LANs and direct connections, but most people (80%? just a guess) still dial up the old fassion way.
BTW- I hate it when a analog modem dials up. Too much freakin sound. I'll be much happier in a quiet world.