When CBS and the Washington Post are covering something like this, it tells me two things. First, MMOGs are definitely mainstream now.
Parent post is partly meaningless since neither of these media outlets are mainstream anymore. Free broadcast news ratings are a fraction of what they used to be and continue to drop, the Washington Compost's numbers have been dropping for years and will continue to drop (as are all hardcopy paper's numbers).
Perhaps this only a good sign in that both outlets might be starting to wake up and realize they've screwed the pooch, alienated a majority of possible readers/viewers and are starting to seek new audiences.
At least for those of us who have been asking NASA to rid itself of the shuttle for a decade, way back when Mike Griffin was doing really neat things at DoD. It was a neat experimental craft. Should have never been an operational one. Shouldn't ever fly again.
The final judge if you are qualified to drive and talk on the phone isn't you, but the person driving behind you. Even if the two of you are the only people within three hundred miles.
Nah, radar is for lazy people who didn't look when they had a small car and, after all, can't turn their head because their cell phone would fall off their shoulder.
I've always been struck (pun intended) how the day I grew up and traded my SUV in for a mini-van that is about the same weight and gets about the same miles per gallon, I suddenly became more policitically correct, safer and less of a risk to everyone one else on the road.
And they say there is no free lunch.
Funny thing is, other then the "coolness factor," I do everything I used to do in the SUV with the van, and the van is actually better at it since it carries more. This likely includes more off road travel then most SUV's ever see.
I'm with you... but put the HST money into a bigger, better telescope... at this rate, Slashdot will still be debating if Hubble should be decommissioned after I'm retired and in a rest home. "By GOD, does that 1970's technology just keep on ticking...":-)
A world wide group of amateurs have been making images and drawings of Mars for several months and regularly - daily - post new images on several websites:
Studies of earth based photos/images and drawings over decades have also suggested the South Polar Cap has been shrinking for a couple of decades. Nice to see the MO data supports this.
Those of us who image and track Mars with amatuer telescopes have known this for quite a long time.
Currently, the North Polar Hood, a blank of clouds that form over the north polar area during the start of the Martian winter has become larger and more complex then any of us have seen going back to the 1950's.
I've just always found it amazing most pro global warming folks toss aside with little worry solar effects. Measuring solar energy output is not very easy and hasn't been done over long periods of time.
It's amazing how easy the SS1 folks make the achivement appear. Clearly the SS1 team had done their homework and benefited from what was learned in the X-15 program. Whereas the X-15 program built up speed and altitude flights slowly, with each pilot getting experience at every point, the SS1 made large jumps on each flight, often trading off pilots along the way. No doubt Mike Adams was smiling down on the SS1 flights.
It's great to see the private sector advancing technologies like this; what was so hard in the 1950/60's is easier with 21st century materials, engine technology and computer controls (BTW the X-15 was one of the first air/spacecraft to depend on 1st generation flight controls).
Because the camera only shoots in black and white. To take a color pix, they shoot the same scene three times with three filters and combine the images later. The wavelength of the filters were carefully selected to show different mineral deposits on the surface. That there are three filters close enough to allow some color pix is just gravy.
In other words, don't expect to see color pix from the rovers of moving objects. Specially if it's the natives.
So you suggest just talking half of it because you are strong enough to do it? Do you have any idea of provoking this idea would be towards the rest of the world?
No, not because we are strong and can do it, but because current treaty/agreements mean the Moon will never be developed or occupied. It means we'll continue to have our DNA in this single basket forever and thus doom the long term future of mankind. This needs to happen so a precedent is set for Mars.
That said, there is historical precedent for doing this, and in this case, there isn't even a culture to destroy in the process.
It also would encourage other countries to invest in space... to claim the _other_ half (could take the entire thing). This is exactly what happened as the "new" world was developed (oh, I mean exploited).
Besides, if you think about it, long term, if any Moon colony is successful, it evolves into it's own country/world anyway and the politics of today - those driving your comments - are long, long forgotten.
Having sat through a briefing by a technical staff member of the Columbia review board and seen just what a freakin mess the shuttle program was in, this doesn't surprise me in the least.
They couldn't document even the placement of wires in the wings. I got the impression most of the IT projects I've worked on have better documenation, and that's scary. This guy compared NASA's documenation to the US Navy's documentation of reactors on submarines. Where the Navy has a record of every piece of plumbing that's ever been changed on any of their reactors, NASA didn't have hardly anything.
My first reaction at the end of the briefing was to think "that thing shouldn't fly again".
And I'm a raving space exploration nut and think the US should withdraw from the Space Treaty and claim half of the Moon and offer homestead rights to private citizens and companies.
And I fully accept there is always risk in space travel, but not THAT much risk.
And as others have pointed out, the risk is higher then ever now. One more accident and...
A large public website I work with is likely going to drop using java applets in the future now that the new versions of the plugin display a very large ad for Sun - and even seem to delay the running of the applet to ensure you get a good 10 or 15 second stare at the ad.
I once wanted to be the first guy ashore from a seven month deployment on an aircraft carrier. I talked the chain of command into letting use one of the helos to shoot pix of the ship going pierside at NOB Norfork, then talked the helo crew into dropping me off at the Naval Air Station.
After hitching a ride to the pier, I walked up behind friends and family waiting for me while the ship was still tieing up.
My ship, USS America, was towed out to sea last week and will be
sunk this week.
The moon will be well up and very bright... they won't gain much from having the street lights off. They should have waited until a couple of day past the next new moon. Nonetheless, assuming it's clear, they'll see some craters on the Moon, Saturn and perhaps the Orion Nebula. I wish them all the luck in the world.
a.. That wants to rewrite the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act protecting rare plant and animal species and their habitats, as well as the National Environmental Policy
The endangered species act has been so badly hijacked that it's a nightmare for many, many people. It's now run out of the courts with little or no review or recourse. To make the point, a bipartsan group of elected officials from western states have filed to use the act to
protect the Snakehead fish in the Potomac:.
Smart Americans understand Kyoto is ONLY about damaging the American economy and giving Europe an edge. And the Europeans know this and push it accordingly.
This explains why something like 95 out of 100 US Senators voted against Kyoto. (gasp, the President doesn't approve American entry into a treaty?).
Some of the best long range hurricane forecasters (Grey and Sealand and others) in the world will openingly tell you global warming has little or no effect on the 40 year hurricane cycle.
What? Yes, we are just about at the max of a 40 year cycle of hurricanes. In fact, what's been interesting is untill 2004, the up cycle has been very weak... meaning we've experienced less then expected activity. Hardly what you'd expect if GW was as active and a big impactor of tropical storm activity.
Finally, 2003 was hardly a tough year in the Gulf as you suggest. There was one major storm (Isabel), but it was an Atlantic storm.
As to the red states in the path, as long as the federal dollars flow in, insurance rates don't fly through the roof, the people will be happy.
There is also an interesting side affect. After each storm, old buildings not built to code are trashed and rebuilt to modern code, where they ride out all but the very worst (a small cat 5 right at the coast - something that's pretty rare) with some ease. Damages (not in dollars, since inflation always causes new storms to increase in dollar damage) actually go down.
Slashdot Mirror
Parent post is partly meaningless since neither of these media outlets are mainstream anymore. Free broadcast news ratings are a fraction of what they used to be and continue to drop, the Washington Compost's numbers have been dropping for years and will continue to drop (as are all hardcopy paper's numbers).
Perhaps this only a good sign in that both outlets might be starting to wake up and realize they've screwed the pooch, alienated a majority of possible readers/viewers and are starting to seek new audiences.
Gads. This has been the case for the past decade. You blind, been living in a hole or what?
At least for those of us who have been asking NASA to rid itself of the shuttle for a decade, way back when Mike Griffin was doing really neat things at DoD. It was a neat experimental craft. Should have never been an operational one. Shouldn't ever fly again.
The final judge if you are qualified to drive and talk on the phone isn't you, but the person driving behind you. Even if the two of you are the only people within three hundred miles.
Nah, radar is for lazy people who didn't look when they had a small car and, after all, can't turn their head because their cell phone would fall off their shoulder.
And they say there is no free lunch.
Funny thing is, other then the "coolness factor," I do everything I used to do in the SUV with the van, and the van is actually better at it since it carries more. This likely includes more off road travel then most SUV's ever see.
I'm with you... but put the HST money into a bigger, better telescope... at this rate, Slashdot will still be debating if Hubble should be decommissioned after I'm retired and in a rest home. "By GOD, does that 1970's technology just keep on ticking..." :-)
Joy Joy, billion dollar wall paper.
Please spend my money elsewhere.
Nah, over the years, I've routinely used a 4-inch to see plenty of detail on Mars. Here's example from 2003.
CMO
ALPO
Of most interest is over the past three weeks there has been a nice dust storm that was visible with small telescopes from the US.
Are the damn squirrels dead yet?
Studies of earth based photos/images and drawings over decades have also suggested the South Polar Cap has been shrinking for a couple of decades. Nice to see the MO data supports this.
Those of us who image and track Mars with amatuer telescopes have known this for quite a long time.
Currently, the North Polar Hood, a blank of clouds that form over the north polar area during the start of the Martian winter has become larger and more complex then any of us have seen going back to the 1950's.
I've just always found it amazing most pro global warming folks toss aside with little worry solar effects. Measuring solar energy output is not very easy and hasn't been done over long periods of time.
It's amazing how easy the SS1 folks make the achivement appear. Clearly the SS1 team had done their homework and benefited from what was learned in the X-15 program. Whereas the X-15 program built up speed and altitude flights slowly, with each pilot getting experience at every point, the SS1 made large jumps on each flight, often trading off pilots along the way. No doubt Mike Adams was smiling down on the SS1 flights.
It's great to see the private sector advancing technologies like this; what was so hard in the 1950/60's is easier with 21st century materials, engine technology and computer controls (BTW the X-15 was one of the first air/spacecraft to depend on 1st generation flight controls).
In other words, don't expect to see color pix from the rovers of moving objects. Specially if it's the natives.
No, not because we are strong and can do it, but because current treaty/agreements mean the Moon will never be developed or occupied. It means we'll continue to have our DNA in this single basket forever and thus doom the long term future of mankind. This needs to happen so a precedent is set for Mars.
That said, there is historical precedent for doing this, and in this case, there isn't even a culture to destroy in the process.
It also would encourage other countries to invest in space... to claim the _other_ half (could take the entire thing). This is exactly what happened as the "new" world was developed (oh, I mean exploited).
Besides, if you think about it, long term, if any Moon colony is successful, it evolves into it's own country/world anyway and the politics of today - those driving your comments - are long, long forgotten.
They couldn't document even the placement of wires in the wings. I got the impression most of the IT projects I've worked on have better documenation, and that's scary. This guy compared NASA's documenation to the US Navy's documentation of reactors on submarines. Where the Navy has a record of every piece of plumbing that's ever been changed on any of their reactors, NASA didn't have hardly anything.
My first reaction at the end of the briefing was to think "that thing shouldn't fly again".
And I'm a raving space exploration nut and think the US should withdraw from the Space Treaty and claim half of the Moon and offer homestead rights to private citizens and companies.
And I fully accept there is always risk in space travel, but not THAT much risk.
And as others have pointed out, the risk is higher then ever now. One more accident and...
A large public website I work with is likely going to drop using java applets in the future now that the new versions of the plugin display a very large ad for Sun - and even seem to delay the running of the applet to ensure you get a good 10 or 15 second stare at the ad.
Last new moon, I made this visual visual drawing of the comet using this telescope.
I stepped on an ant today. I bet I altered the life force of the planet. I hope I get sued.
After hitching a ride to the pier, I walked up behind friends and family waiting for me while the ship was still tieing up.
My ship, USS America, was towed out to sea last week and will be sunk this week.
ha, craters on Saturn would be pretty impressive too!
The moon will be well up and very bright... they won't gain much from having the street lights off. They should have waited until a couple of day past the next new moon. Nonetheless, assuming it's clear, they'll see some craters on the Moon, Saturn and perhaps the Orion Nebula. I wish them all the luck in the world.
The endangered species act has been so badly hijacked that it's a nightmare for many, many people. It's now run out of the courts with little or no review or recourse. To make the point, a bipartsan group of elected officials from western states have filed to use the act to protect the Snakehead fish in the Potomac:.
What a great way to make the point!!!!!!
This explains why something like 95 out of 100 US Senators voted against Kyoto. (gasp, the President doesn't approve American entry into a treaty?).
Go here for more details.
What? Yes, we are just about at the max of a 40 year cycle of hurricanes. In fact, what's been interesting is untill 2004, the up cycle has been very weak... meaning we've experienced less then expected activity. Hardly what you'd expect if GW was as active and a big impactor of tropical storm activity.
Finally, 2003 was hardly a tough year in the Gulf as you suggest. There was one major storm (Isabel), but it was an Atlantic storm.
As to the red states in the path, as long as the federal dollars flow in, insurance rates don't fly through the roof, the people will be happy.
There is also an interesting side affect. After each storm, old buildings not built to code are trashed and rebuilt to modern code, where they ride out all but the very worst (a small cat 5 right at the coast - something that's pretty rare) with some ease. Damages (not in dollars, since inflation always causes new storms to increase in dollar damage) actually go down.