Second law of thermodynamics; Learn it, Live it, Love it.
When you drop an egg on the ground, the raw materials that constituted the egg are not destroyed, but the egg is no longer useful. It would require a considerable amount of energy to reconstruct the egg into a useful condition. This is called ENTROPY.
Nature stores and makes use of energy in various forms, including fossil fuels, but also in the form of minerals etc-- Using these resources improperly destroys the resource faster than it is produced.
EG, it takes nature X years to produce a large tree; Cutting it down takes only a few minutes. Once the tree is used, you don't magically get a new tree from the resources after they have been processed. Those resources have to be broken down (requires energy), recirculated in the environment (requires energy), and reconstituted as a new tree by another seedling (requires lots of energy and time.)
In the meantime, humans are greedily hunting for energy sources to exploit. the exploitation of these energy sources causes another problem; The earth can only eliminate thermal waste (biproduct of entropy) at a maximum theoretical rate- (the rate it can radiate that heat into space as IR radiation)
Right now, "Global Warming" is a 2 factor beast-- the consumption of energy resources produces a biproduct that is energy intensive to recycle by mother nature, which also has the added effect of reducing the rate at which the earth expels waste heat into space. This has the net effect of causing the earth to heat up.
Now, if we couple this with some of the proposed solutions to the energy crisis (Space based solar power, Fusion energy, etc--) we end up creating NEW problems:
Space based power: We increase the amount of energy reaching the planet, and consequently increase the baseline thermal energy production of the planet. This will cause global warming faster than you can imagine. The earth's current temperature (sans global warming effects) is the result of an equilibrium of energy in VS energy out. Fucking with that causes the equilibrium to shift, so dont do it.
Fusion energy: Requires "light" atomic nuclei. This is most commonly extracted from seawater right now in the form of exotic deuterium, but widespread use of fusion would mean use of ordinary hydrogen; the most widely available source being water. Water is already a limited resource on this planet. You just trade fossil fuels for water, and unlike CO2, mother nature cannot turn heavy atoms into lighter ones on anything close to a human timetable.
Really, the ONLY viable option is to stick with being inside the energy equilibrium budget our planet affords us-- Sorry Apple hipsters; that means no iPhones for you unless you can create, power, and recycle the device using NOTHING but solar energy, and without releasing any effluents.
Any technological solution to the power problem will only create additional problems. The Mathusian catastrophe WILL happen. Technology is NOT magic; it obeys the fundamental laws of nature, namely the thermodynamic ones. Technology will NOT save you, unless you intend to LEAVE the earth to support your population growth. If that's the case, I strongly suggest that you spend more money on space programs, since by current propulsion strategies it would take several thousand years to reach the closest earth-like planet in the Gliese star system.
In short-- Your argument falls flat on it's face; Venus has all the raw materials for a good earth, but the devil is in the details. It cannot support life, because of the kinds of problems I just cited above. (It absorbs more energy than it can easily radiate back into space, causing runaway greenhouse effects, and making the planet WAAAAAAY too hot.)
The earth simply cannot sustain the human civilization as it currently exists. Own up to it. Science screams it at us from every corner, but we refuse to listen, and in the end, we will destroy everything with our hubris.
Unfortunately for many americans (And not all of them are rural!), they have a choice between Dialup, Cellular, and Satellite for internet connectivity.
My mother happens to be one of them. Forked out a 2 year contract for a USB modem dongle, and hooked her up. Sadly, she lives in a depressed area (a bit like a valley, but not very deep-- just enough to impede signal), so I am saving up to buy a multi-frequency cellular repeater that I can put on top of a utility pole for her. Even at the impeded signal, she still gets better connects than she did using the dialup modem she previously had to use. (a whole whopping 2.4k connect, on a GOOD day, thanks to the Telco being consistent in providing bare minimum service to keep voice calls going through, and those with lots of crackles and pops.)
Since she uses the internet to do "Motherly" things, like look up recipes, quilt patterns, and order seeds and plants off ebay, the monthly data cap from verizon should be no problem at all; the issue is that this is really the ONLY viable solution.
I expect she will have quite nice service after the repeater's installation. (Just a short drive away to the local hilltop, the signal is 4 bars. The degree of slope is very slight, and a tall utility pole will reach the same elevation.) The neighbors might get better cell reception as an added bonus.
While the cellular networks that currently exist might not be intended for use as a general purpose ISP, I am greatful that it is at least an option. It took an act of congress to get telephone in rural communities in the 40s and 50s; and it certainly looks like it will take another one to force any kind of bare minimum internet service in such areas.
"works with Windows(TM)" and "Designed for Windows(TM)" are not the same thing.
Yes, the latter branding DOES exist. Check the packaging on a PCI Winmodem some time. (Yeah, I know, everyone here uses dedicated fiber to their house on a gigabit or FDDI network instead, but living in the midwestern US, and dealing with the non-existant broadband offerings out here, I STILL get people trying to use old PCI modems, and having driver troubles.)
The creation of the patriot act, and associated bundle of dung due to a terrorist act is exactly the kind of thing that terrorists want; to disrupt ordinary life after the fact.
The best way to combat terrorism, is to not react with terror.
US government officals are angry that Wikileaks is revealing their secret abuses of power.
So, they respond by publicly abusing thier power, where everyone can see, Because "Darn it, We just CANT let people know what we are REALLY doing here!"
My dad was a police officer for 26 years. he fits GGP's profile for egomaniac quite well. He is also paranoid, and an "end of the world" nutter.
I grew up hearing stories from his work that would make any sensible person cringe concering civil rights violations of people based on the simple "gut instincts" of police officers, as well as even scarier stories of corruption, racketeering, and conspiracy. (I firmly believe that my dad is a paranoid, power abusing crank BECAUSE of the experiences in his life. Becoming a policeman AFTER being in Korea does NOT a sane mind make.)
The icing on the shitcake you just spun, is that I have had a front seat view of the behind the scenes goings on of these "oh so misunderstood, and noble policepeople." As scary as my dad is, he really WAS one of the LEAST corrupt; That doesnt excuse his behavior any, it is merely a frightening observation. People who are sworn to protect citizens and enforce the law were actively engaged in beating first, and asking questions later, extorting money and information from known prostitues, Covering up criminal activities of wealthy citizens--including murder--etc.
Do I have proof? No. Did these things really happen? Who knows. there is no evidence; and that is kinda the point. I simply know I have heard officers joking and laughing about such things, the way geeks joke about their encrypted porn collections.
Law enforcement attracts a specific kind of person; People that LIKE to enforce. The problem is that these peopel dont always enforce the LAW, but rather their own personal version of it. Again, my dad was no exception.
So, forgive me if I tell you to take your candy coated version of the poor, misunderstood and downtrodden civil servant, and stuff it were the sun doesnt shine. IF such officers still exist, they comprise FAR less than 1% of the active force.
A society that harbors and maintains a class disequilibrium creates by default an underclass of disenfranchised people. These are people that are every bit as "Intelligent", (but may or may not be less educated. But that is a different kettle of fish.) but are systemically prevented from advancing outside of the underclass.
This creates a pressure cooker of boiling social tensions between the two (or more?) social classes until a revolution occurs, French Revolution style. (Also communist revolution style, but meh.)
Naturally, it is in ANY self-preserving society's best interests to AVOID having this happen.
THAT is why the abolition of systems and sentiments that create the volatile underclass/overclass problem is much more than just moralist preaching. It has a tangible value to the survival of a society.
Perhaps we arent speaking the same language, but when I see "Value-Added features" when relating to proprietary software, I immediately think "It will spam the shit out of me with adverts, and then sell my personal information behind my back."
If by "Value Added", you mean "inclusion of our super proprietary, patented, and trademarked process!", then I would counter by saying that such "added value" is designed to destroy or thwart competition since it actively uses political and legal means to suppress alternative implementations of the same conceptual ideal. The subversion of competition is harmful to both the market at large and to the consumer, benefiting only lawyers and corporate CEOs, since it promotes stagnation and inflationary price spirals due to monopolies.
I accept that a counter argument would be that allowing unregulated competition would result in tyranny against creators, which is exactly WHY we have copyright, Patents, and pals-- the problem is that this regulation has been captured, and now no longer serves its original purpose. Considering the development timetable for new, innovative features in software-- a 5 year patent for software only ideas would be barely tolerable, but much more so than the completely "insanely intolerable" 20+ year patents that they currently enjoy in the US. In 20 years, computers have gone from something that can barely eek out 20mhz with less than 2mb of RAM, to systems with multiple 2ghz cores and several gigabytes of RAM; in short, more than 4 hardware generations have come and gone in that time; trying to hold software to such an extended timetable is ludicrous, since the rate of turnover is getting SHORTER, not longer. It would be like automotive manufacturers patenting gravity based spacewarp engines, while the patents on buggy whips JUST now are expiring.
In light of this, I accept RMS's contributions and defiance against these captured regulatory systems, because those contributions and that very same defiance helps to push the current state of affairs back toward a more sensible solution.
Properly populated, that system board would make a very very nice hobby rendering node. (granted, rather pricy to fully populate one just for hobby use, and it WOULD snarf down electricty like a starving villager at an all you can eat buffet... But you would only run it when you needed to start doing production quality rendering, which is one of the final stages of CG production.)
I have already decided that such a system is going to be my next "Upgrade", and had done so far before this short film came out. I kinda like the idea of having 256GB of available system RAM. I am fairly confident that it could run Crysis at full specs. (I could be mistaken though-- I mean, it IS crysis afterall..)
For the dedicated professional, I could easily see somebody building one.
Judging from several scenery cues, I'd say this short is supposed to have taken place in late bronze-age/Early iron-age asia (probably china). At the beginning when she first encounters "scales", you find her rummaging through refuse in the alleyway; one of the items she investigates is a Durian. These would have ONLY been available in local markets in asia at the suspected time. (While durian does have a hard covering, it would never survive being shipped over the silk road. (Modern shipments of durian overseas often freeze them first to prolong storage life) Even then, few people of non-asian origin would have found it very appealing-- Durians have a rather "pungent" odor.) After that, you see her walking through a bamboo forest, and later is attacked by a Hun barbarian, carrying a Chinese halberd (looks like a Guan Dao).
And yes, there are mountains in asia. (Tibetan monks on snowy mountains ring any bells?)
The "Dense jungle" and the "snowcapped mountains" can indeed be within hiking distance of each other in some places in Asia. Dunno about the desert though; Barren Steppes, yes--- Desert... thats a toughie.
Besides, it's JUST a short story. It has flippin DRAGONS in it for crying out loud!
Uhm, No. This is NOT my first time around the block, so to speak.
I USED to work a day job. I no longer do, for exactly the reasons I cited.
As for the latter, it seems apparent to me that you have never worked near people that are in positions of power. I'll just leave it at that.
What I am curious about is why you feel so argumentative about this particular issue? As I pointed out 2 posts up, this is based on my personal experiences; I am simply stating an obvservation-- Why are you so insistant that "I am wrong", that you need to pull an XKCD like stunt?
Further, since you state that it is wrong, what alternative explanations do you have for the well documented "People who drive fancy cars have more sex", and the notorious "iPod" popularity issues, or the origins behind the practice of "Dressing for success?"
It is one thing to claim that I am wrong, but forgive me if I ask you to put up some proof. I am willing to change my viewpoint, but it needs more than just your assertions.
I am also wildly underpaid for my vocation (I get paid 50% less than baseline pay for that vocation in my area.), thus actually proving only that I am "stupid" by the metrics most people use to measure success.
What I have "Actually" shown the director of quality assurance (the one who spotted that I could make crazy-good looking promotional materials, and has since been pimping me out to do it without any pay increase left and right) is that I was a previously unleveraged resource that is fairly reliable.
The last project I did for him was in creating a virtual representation of a machining cell with high resolution nurbs models, and doing it in under 3 days. The only compensation I get for this work, is the occasional email telling me how awesome things looked, and how well the presentations went. I know I have won contracts, because I have subsequently gotten work to do that is related to the materials I was making for the presentations, and I know they are worth millions of dollars because I have access to Planning. (Need it to do my job.)
That is to say, I am the exception that proves the rule.
to me "Success" does not come attached to $. "Success" comes attached to a reduced stress environment (Second shift baby-- I have the WHOLE damn cube farm to MYSELF, and can crank the radio up without some bitch whining! Likewise, I dont have a direct supervisor on my shift; and work totally unsupervised! SCORE!), and overall happiness (I enjoy doing good work.). As far as money goes, I am happy as long as I have enough to pay my bills, buy my food, and have some left over for some fun every now and again. Before you suggest that the reason I am underpaid is because I am not aggressive about it, I will point out that EVERYONE in our company is statistically underpaid, because we are only a single location enterprise, doing business with multinational ones.
(as for humanity killing itself off; I suggest you take a more detailed look at the annals of human history. We have nearly been wiped out several times already, the cold war just being one of the most recent. "War" is OLDER than human kind, and being an asshat is FAR older.)
What if the planet's rotational axis is parallel to the planetary system's rotation plane? (like say, Uranus?)
(That is to say, the rotational pole is pointing at the sun.)
Then the precession that normally causes tidelock would be substantially less applicable, or rather, that it being tidelocked (sun always shines on the same side) has no impact on it's rate of rotation. (still spins on it's axis.)
It's not the sunlight that causes techtonic activity; it's the gravitational tug of war that does.
As the earth rotates about its axis, its skin gets tugged on un-eavenly by the sun's gravity due to the inverse square law. this has the effect of 'kneading' the planet, so to speak, and is part of what helps keep the core hot.
Now, this planet MIGHT have some kind of techtonics cause by centrepital forces vs gravitational forces:
If this planet DOES rotate, but not in the way most planets do (instead, like Uranus, where the rotational pole faces the sun)-- it would STILL be tidally locked, but would have rotation. That rotation would billow out the equator of the planet's axis, which would be tugged on by the sun's gravity, causing techtonic stresses.
Sadly, decisions based on ACTUAL value are rare in mid to large size enterprises. This is precisely the reason why the phrase "Dress for success" remains applicable, even today. It is ironically also one of the reasons why so many people in the upper tiers of corporate power are statistically sociopathic. (they are actively looking for means to gain an edge over their more capable peers; physical attractiveness and "image" are powerful tools to do this with.)
This sad truth is not just applicable to office politics, but also to consumer purchasing as well. Take for instance, the domainance of the iPod over other, technologically superior or equivilent offerings. Being "trendy looking" provides a powerful edge.
Same thing with expensive cars and the rate a person has sex per month.
They all revolve around image, and similarly, imply a degree of sleezyness to use that image to your advantage. It is not a large step for somebody already walking that road to use pirate software, especially if they are not yet "really successful."
People who actually try to shine via the quality of their work are often upstaged by the handsome young man with the iPhone. This is because we focus all our energy into our work, while they focus it into their image, and into being manipulative. When it comes time for your boss to show off the star employee who's hard work landed the company the contract, they want to show off the "Hip" "charasmatic", and "attractive" person; not the cubicle troll. (doesnt matter if that cube troll can spin straw into gold or not.)
That being said, I *STILL* choose to be the cube troll. I do however accept that the dashing young asshats of the world have an advantage over me, but I dont care. I have real skills, and they don't. (I have created presentation materials that have won multi million dollar contracts for my company. I really dont care about rubbing elbows or driving mazzarattis. I work second shift, and CHOSE it.)
TLDR; the point is that for many people, in order to get ahead in the world they HAVE to be unscrupulous. For such people, I am able to see how pirating "useless" software for an already useless iPhone becomes "vitally important" to their way of life.
The issue then, is that people like you and I disagree with their way of life.
It has been my experience that most MBAs dont ask questions about the gritty details of "how" something gets done, unless there has been a round of corporate scare mongering. (EG, the BSA has sent its legal drones to give powerpoint presentations.)
As such, the MBA operates in a knowledge vacuum; What they see:
Persona A is "trendy", has enthusiasm for technology (that I dont understand\have patience for), and is constantly finding creative uses for things.
Person B is constatnly using outdated software and hardware, and always seems behind the curve.
What is REALLY going on:
Person A has misallocated their personal finance budget for image reasons, and has splurged on an expensive smart phone that they don't actually "need", Jailbroke it, then loaded it up with pirate software. (We presume it is their personal phone, not a company one.)
Person B is much more financially frugal, and has bought a cheap 30$ prepaid phone, then got a cheap T-Mobile contract that doesnt have a data plan, because they dont need it on that phone. They are unconcerned about their "Image", and just use their phone to recieve calls and important text messages.
The point, is that the MBA does not KNOW that person A is a consumate software pirate, and does not care to know. That is outside the scope of their world-view. They judge mostly by appearances, since that is what they know. Unless person A is a blabber mouth, and blabs about being a pirate, the MBA doesnt know; Thus they PRESUME that person A is more productive than B, because A has more symbols of status than does B. As such A gets the job, and B does not.
"necessary" in terms of "I will die without it", No.
"necessary" in terms of "I will lose standing with my peers, and lose out on potentially valuable opportunities"-- Possibly quite true.
Software on mobile phones is more than just "idle entertainment", and/or "productivity inclined"-- it is also a status symbol in and of itself.
"Not only do I have this BOSS new phone, I have all these awesome apps! I am obviously more software literate than my peers; choose me to do the project, and give ME the raise."
It is also possible that there is a cultural disparity between "antisocial geeks", and their more "normal" peers; That to the geeks like us, fitting in with the crowd is NOT considered a vital aspect of one's life or livelihood; However, to the more socially inclined this may be VERY untrue.
Take for instance, somebody that HAS to work with the dreaded "Apple Hipsters." They might be able to scrounge up enough dough to get that new iPhone (like everyone else in the workplace, to keep from standing out and being ostracized.) but after doing so coughing up the dough to get $super_awesome_flavor_of_the_week_app that everyone else is raving about becomes much more difficult, but the pressure is still there.
This is especially true in vocations that revolve exclusively around interpersonal skills, such as lackeys in marketing. (No, not the marketing director that makes bank; I mean the lackey that actually makes the adverts, and probably gets shafted regularly.) Or, perhaps a sales consultant -- etc.
These people have a legitimate *need* to have that software, even if they dont USE it, because of social pressures that would otherwise exclude them from vital opportunities.
When you take into consideration the "Culture" being foisted onto the US population by the MSM and multinational corporations, this paints the whole "Filthy Pirates!" thing in a whole new light, at least concerning software that also doubles as a status symbol.
The point of an alternative multiplayer back-end is not to allow downloads to the console, but to allow existing legitimate games to be played with modifications. (done with things like Datel Xport for XBOX360, etc.)
Hacking the console's firmware to support non-branded hardware upgrades would fall outside the scope of this theoretical network service.
What MIGHT fall into it would be an alternative to the MSN store front, allowing direct download of homebrew games. (Possibly along with tricking the console into giving it a local signature so that it can run cleanly without modding.)
Offering a competing multiplayer backend (replacing WiiConnect24, PSN, and XBOX Live!) for "blacklisted" consoles would create an extensive reason to mod a console.
The issue that such a fledgling company (threatening to steal the apples from these company's walled gardens) would need to assert is that such a service is not geared toward allowing pirated games to be played. As such to be legitimate it would need to also ban people that are found to be using it for this purpose.
It's main function would be to allow people who have modified their consoles so that they can play modified multiplayer maps to continue to do so. (Currently this activity violates the PSN, XboxLive, and WiiConnect EULAs, resulting in being blacklisted.)
If I wasnt deathly afraid of blood sucking vampir^V^V^V -- "Lawyers", I would consider investing the time with a copy of Wireshark examining raw packet dumps of the Live, PSN, and WiiConnect protocols. (I have a PSP, a 360 and a Wii, so I should be able to investigate all 3 authentication methods.)
Once you have the language down, all you have to do is get the console to communicate with the new server; Something that might be doable by instructing it to use a "Special" proxy server. (IIRC, all of these consoles allow the use of a dedicated proxy for internet connectivity. Just point it at the rival service server's IP address, and it then masquarades as the real deal, by "internally" routing the target's IP address at itself, while opening the rest of the internet as a proxy is supposed to.)
All that this means is that somebody needs to create a competing service. Sounds like there is a very fertile industry for it, especially if it s more lax than the default platform creator's choice. (Such as, actually ALLOWING halo map mods, etc.)
See for instance, things like the successor to BnetD, and associated open servers. Creating an actual company geared toward servicing "blacklisted" consoles would fill a valid market niche. Last I checked, reverse engineering laws STILL provided safe habor for such practices when used for "Cross compatibility" and "Interoperability".
*would LOVE to see an alternative to sony's PSN and Microsoft's XBOX Live! service; Especially if that same service was console agnostic, and would permit multiplayer games from both consoles to have mixed matches.
This is similar to how the rest of the body regenerates. In the brain, the glial cells do indeed help guide neuronal connections, and the routing of axon bundles, among other functions.
In the rest of the body a similar structural function is accomplished using "Fibroblasts." These cells "Know" where they are (or where they 'should' be anyway...) in the body, and help guide tissue cells to divide and proliferate properly to repair damaged tissues.
There has been extensive study of fibroblasts in animals concerning limb regeneration; specifically, the mechanisms by which these cells know that they should be in a foot, an arm, or in the spleen--- etc. Several experiments in salamanders have been performed by translocating small colonies of these tissue cells to obscure parts of the animal's body, then stimulating the regeneration process; the results have been... "Interesting."
In humans the "regeneration" process is disrupted by anti-cancer genes that normally engage in tumor suppression, resulting in scar tissue being the primary product of such regeneration (essentially erratic/chaotic tissue replacement). (though with those genes disabled, human tissues in petri dishes have shown more salamander like regeneration, with orderly tissue replacement.)
It is likely that the brain has similar anti-tumor mechanisms to prevent glial cells from going crazy and wrapping neurons up like mummies, or their directing abnormal dendritic synthesis, and that they provide a similar template for neural restructuring that fibroblasts do for body tissue, since they seem to serve this function during embryonic development. This means that abnormal stimulation WOULD result in abnormal tissue growths in the brain if true.
A better approach would be to use biochemistry to temporarily suppress anti-tumor genes, and provide a nutrient rich solution of neuron progenitor cells to the injury site. The risk of neural scarring and the formation of a neurological tumor could be quite high, depending on the size and severity of the injury and the genetic health of the progenitor cells supplied, but you would have a much better chance of "properly" repairing the injury this way as opposed to putting wires in the brain. (which is KNOWN to cause localized neuronal necrosis and scar tissue formation where the wires intersect and interface with the tissue.)
The proper way to connect two brains would be to make a smarter interface, that connects to multiple areas.
(bear in mind I am not a neurosurgeon.)
Such as, you could attach some reference signals to the premotor cortex, so that the patient could then "actively" engage and disengage the connection, and perhaps even learn to "Dial" another discrete unit. This part of the rig controls the "switching" part of the interface. (Similar technology allows monkeys to play video games using only their brain.)
The second part would link the brocha's and wernicke's areas, along with the visual cortex with the same regions of other individuals over a wireless link of some sort.
The result would be technologically assisted telepathy.
Slashdot Mirror
Second law of thermodynamics; Learn it, Live it, Love it.
When you drop an egg on the ground, the raw materials that constituted the egg are not destroyed, but the egg is no longer useful. It would require a considerable amount of energy to reconstruct the egg into a useful condition. This is called ENTROPY.
Nature stores and makes use of energy in various forms, including fossil fuels, but also in the form of minerals etc-- Using these resources improperly destroys the resource faster than it is produced.
EG, it takes nature X years to produce a large tree; Cutting it down takes only a few minutes. Once the tree is used, you don't magically get a new tree from the resources after they have been processed. Those resources have to be broken down (requires energy), recirculated in the environment (requires energy), and reconstituted as a new tree by another seedling (requires lots of energy and time.)
In the meantime, humans are greedily hunting for energy sources to exploit. the exploitation of these energy sources causes another problem; The earth can only eliminate thermal waste (biproduct of entropy) at a maximum theoretical rate- (the rate it can radiate that heat into space as IR radiation)
Right now, "Global Warming" is a 2 factor beast-- the consumption of energy resources produces a biproduct that is energy intensive to recycle by mother nature, which also has the added effect of reducing the rate at which the earth expels waste heat into space. This has the net effect of causing the earth to heat up.
Now, if we couple this with some of the proposed solutions to the energy crisis (Space based solar power, Fusion energy, etc--) we end up creating NEW problems:
Space based power: We increase the amount of energy reaching the planet, and consequently increase the baseline thermal energy production of the planet. This will cause global warming faster than you can imagine. The earth's current temperature (sans global warming effects) is the result of an equilibrium of energy in VS energy out. Fucking with that causes the equilibrium to shift, so dont do it.
Fusion energy: Requires "light" atomic nuclei. This is most commonly extracted from seawater right now in the form of exotic deuterium, but widespread use of fusion would mean use of ordinary hydrogen; the most widely available source being water. Water is already a limited resource on this planet. You just trade fossil fuels for water, and unlike CO2, mother nature cannot turn heavy atoms into lighter ones on anything close to a human timetable.
Really, the ONLY viable option is to stick with being inside the energy equilibrium budget our planet affords us-- Sorry Apple hipsters; that means no iPhones for you unless you can create, power, and recycle the device using NOTHING but solar energy, and without releasing any effluents.
Any technological solution to the power problem will only create additional problems. The Mathusian catastrophe WILL happen.
Technology is NOT magic; it obeys the fundamental laws of nature, namely the thermodynamic ones. Technology will NOT save you, unless you intend to LEAVE the earth to support your population growth. If that's the case, I strongly suggest that you spend more money on space programs, since by current propulsion strategies it would take several thousand years to reach the closest earth-like planet in the Gliese star system.
In short-- Your argument falls flat on it's face; Venus has all the raw materials for a good earth, but the devil is in the details. It cannot support life, because of the kinds of problems I just cited above. (It absorbs more energy than it can easily radiate back into space, causing runaway greenhouse effects, and making the planet WAAAAAAY too hot.)
The earth simply cannot sustain the human civilization as it currently exists. Own up to it. Science screams it at us from every corner, but we refuse to listen, and in the end, we will destroy everything with our hubris.
Unfortunately for many americans (And not all of them are rural!), they have a choice between Dialup, Cellular, and Satellite for internet connectivity.
My mother happens to be one of them. Forked out a 2 year contract for a USB modem dongle, and hooked her up. Sadly, she lives in a depressed area (a bit like a valley, but not very deep-- just enough to impede signal), so I am saving up to buy a multi-frequency cellular repeater that I can put on top of a utility pole for her. Even at the impeded signal, she still gets better connects than she did using the dialup modem she previously had to use. (a whole whopping 2.4k connect, on a GOOD day, thanks to the Telco being consistent in providing bare minimum service to keep voice calls going through, and those with lots of crackles and pops.)
Since she uses the internet to do "Motherly" things, like look up recipes, quilt patterns, and order seeds and plants off ebay, the monthly data cap from verizon should be no problem at all; the issue is that this is really the ONLY viable solution.
I expect she will have quite nice service after the repeater's installation. (Just a short drive away to the local hilltop, the signal is 4 bars. The degree of slope is very slight, and a tall utility pole will reach the same elevation.) The neighbors might get better cell reception as an added bonus.
While the cellular networks that currently exist might not be intended for use as a general purpose ISP, I am greatful that it is at least an option. It took an act of congress to get telephone in rural communities in the 40s and 50s; and it certainly looks like it will take another one to force any kind of bare minimum internet service in such areas.
"works with Windows(TM)" and "Designed for Windows(TM)" are not the same thing.
Yes, the latter branding DOES exist. Check the packaging on a PCI Winmodem some time. (Yeah, I know, everyone here uses dedicated fiber to their house on a gigabit or FDDI network instead, but living in the midwestern US, and dealing with the non-existant broadband offerings out here, I STILL get people trying to use old PCI modems, and having driver troubles.)
Nevermind the actual purpose of terrorism;
Terrorism uses "Terror" to "Illicit changes".
The creation of the patriot act, and associated bundle of dung due to a terrorist act is exactly the kind of thing that terrorists want; to disrupt ordinary life after the fact.
The best way to combat terrorism, is to not react with terror.
Let's think about this..
US government officals are angry that Wikileaks is revealing their secret abuses of power.
So, they respond by publicly abusing thier power, where everyone can see, Because "Darn it, We just CANT let people know what we are REALLY doing here!"
I am at a complete loss for words.
The absurdity of the whole thing is staggering.
"Tumbling" == "End over end"
Rifling induces "Spiral", which gyroscopically reduces/eliminates "tumbling"-- Much like a properly thrown football.
appeal to authority fail.
Sorry AC, but I need to bust some chops here.
My dad was a police officer for 26 years. he fits GGP's profile for egomaniac quite well. He is also paranoid, and an "end of the world" nutter.
I grew up hearing stories from his work that would make any sensible person cringe concering civil rights violations of people based on the simple "gut instincts" of police officers, as well as even scarier stories of corruption, racketeering, and conspiracy. (I firmly believe that my dad is a paranoid, power abusing crank BECAUSE of the experiences in his life. Becoming a policeman AFTER being in Korea does NOT a sane mind make.)
The icing on the shitcake you just spun, is that I have had a front seat view of the behind the scenes goings on of these "oh so misunderstood, and noble policepeople." As scary as my dad is, he really WAS one of the LEAST corrupt; That doesnt excuse his behavior any, it is merely a frightening observation. People who are sworn to protect citizens and enforce the law were actively engaged in beating first, and asking questions later, extorting money and information from known prostitues, Covering up criminal activities of wealthy citizens--including murder--etc.
Do I have proof? No. Did these things really happen? Who knows. there is no evidence; and that is kinda the point. I simply know I have heard officers joking and laughing about such things, the way geeks joke about their encrypted porn collections.
Law enforcement attracts a specific kind of person; People that LIKE to enforce. The problem is that these peopel dont always enforce the LAW, but rather their own personal version of it. Again, my dad was no exception.
So, forgive me if I tell you to take your candy coated version of the poor, misunderstood and downtrodden civil servant, and stuff it were the sun doesnt shine. IF such officers still exist, they comprise FAR less than 1% of the active force.
Here's one for you:
A society that harbors and maintains a class disequilibrium creates by default an underclass of disenfranchised people. These are people that are every bit as "Intelligent", (but may or may not be less educated. But that is a different kettle of fish.) but are systemically prevented from advancing outside of the underclass.
This creates a pressure cooker of boiling social tensions between the two (or more?) social classes until a revolution occurs, French Revolution style. (Also communist revolution style, but meh.)
Naturally, it is in ANY self-preserving society's best interests to AVOID having this happen.
THAT is why the abolition of systems and sentiments that create the volatile underclass/overclass problem is much more than just moralist preaching. It has a tangible value to the survival of a society.
Perhaps we arent speaking the same language, but when I see "Value-Added features" when relating to proprietary software, I immediately think "It will spam the shit out of me with adverts, and then sell my personal information behind my back."
If by "Value Added", you mean "inclusion of our super proprietary, patented, and trademarked process!", then I would counter by saying that such "added value" is designed to destroy or thwart competition since it actively uses political and legal means to suppress alternative implementations of the same conceptual ideal. The subversion of competition is harmful to both the market at large and to the consumer, benefiting only lawyers and corporate CEOs, since it promotes stagnation and inflationary price spirals due to monopolies.
I accept that a counter argument would be that allowing unregulated competition would result in tyranny against creators, which is exactly WHY we have copyright, Patents, and pals-- the problem is that this regulation has been captured, and now no longer serves its original purpose. Considering the development timetable for new, innovative features in software-- a 5 year patent for software only ideas would be barely tolerable, but much more so than the completely "insanely intolerable" 20+ year patents that they currently enjoy in the US. In 20 years, computers have gone from something that can barely eek out 20mhz with less than 2mb of RAM, to systems with multiple 2ghz cores and several gigabytes of RAM; in short, more than 4 hardware generations have come and gone in that time; trying to hold software to such an extended timetable is ludicrous, since the rate of turnover is getting SHORTER, not longer. It would be like automotive manufacturers patenting gravity based spacewarp engines, while the patents on buggy whips JUST now are expiring.
In light of this, I accept RMS's contributions and defiance against these captured regulatory systems, because those contributions and that very same defiance helps to push the current state of affairs back toward a more sensible solution.
Props Richard, Props.
You can buy some really crazy system components these days you know.
Take for instance this particular gem from Tyan:
Properly populated, that system board would make a very very nice hobby rendering node. (granted, rather pricy to fully populate one just for hobby use, and it WOULD snarf down electricty like a starving villager at an all you can eat buffet... But you would only run it when you needed to start doing production quality rendering, which is one of the final stages of CG production.)
I have already decided that such a system is going to be my next "Upgrade", and had done so far before this short film came out. I kinda like the idea of having 256GB of available system RAM. I am fairly confident that it could run Crysis at full specs. (I could be mistaken though-- I mean, it IS crysis afterall..)
For the dedicated professional, I could easily see somebody building one.
Judging from several scenery cues, I'd say this short is supposed to have taken place in late bronze-age/Early iron-age asia (probably china). At the beginning when she first encounters "scales", you find her rummaging through refuse in the alleyway; one of the items she investigates is a Durian. These would have ONLY been available in local markets in asia at the suspected time. (While durian does have a hard covering, it would never survive being shipped over the silk road. (Modern shipments of durian overseas often freeze them first to prolong storage life) Even then, few people of non-asian origin would have found it very appealing-- Durians have a rather "pungent" odor.) After that, you see her walking through a bamboo forest, and later is attacked by a Hun barbarian, carrying a Chinese halberd (looks like a Guan Dao).
And yes, there are mountains in asia. (Tibetan monks on snowy mountains ring any bells?)
The "Dense jungle" and the "snowcapped mountains" can indeed be within hiking distance of each other in some places in Asia. Dunno about the desert though; Barren Steppes, yes--- Desert... thats a toughie.
Besides, it's JUST a short story. It has flippin DRAGONS in it for crying out loud!
Uhm, No. This is NOT my first time around the block, so to speak.
I USED to work a day job. I no longer do, for exactly the reasons I cited.
As for the latter, it seems apparent to me that you have never worked near people that are in positions of power. I'll just leave it at that.
What I am curious about is why you feel so argumentative about this particular issue? As I pointed out 2 posts up, this is based on my personal experiences; I am simply stating an obvservation-- Why are you so insistant that "I am wrong", that you need to pull an XKCD like stunt?
Further, since you state that it is wrong, what alternative explanations do you have for the well documented "People who drive fancy cars have more sex", and the notorious "iPod" popularity issues, or the origins behind the practice of "Dressing for success?"
It is one thing to claim that I am wrong, but forgive me if I ask you to put up some proof. I am willing to change my viewpoint, but it needs more than just your assertions.
I am also wildly underpaid for my vocation (I get paid 50% less than baseline pay for that vocation in my area.), thus actually proving only that I am "stupid" by the metrics most people use to measure success.
What I have "Actually" shown the director of quality assurance (the one who spotted that I could make crazy-good looking promotional materials, and has since been pimping me out to do it without any pay increase left and right) is that I was a previously unleveraged resource that is fairly reliable.
The last project I did for him was in creating a virtual representation of a machining cell with high resolution nurbs models, and doing it in under 3 days. The only compensation I get for this work, is the occasional email telling me how awesome things looked, and how well the presentations went. I know I have won contracts, because I have subsequently gotten work to do that is related to the materials I was making for the presentations, and I know they are worth millions of dollars because I have access to Planning. (Need it to do my job.)
That is to say, I am the exception that proves the rule.
to me "Success" does not come attached to $. "Success" comes attached to a reduced stress environment (Second shift baby-- I have the WHOLE damn cube farm to MYSELF, and can crank the radio up without some bitch whining! Likewise, I dont have a direct supervisor on my shift; and work totally unsupervised! SCORE!), and overall happiness (I enjoy doing good work.). As far as money goes, I am happy as long as I have enough to pay my bills, buy my food, and have some left over for some fun every now and again. Before you suggest that the reason I am underpaid is because I am not aggressive about it, I will point out that EVERYONE in our company is statistically underpaid, because we are only a single location enterprise, doing business with multinational ones.
(as for humanity killing itself off; I suggest you take a more detailed look at the annals of human history. We have nearly been wiped out several times already, the cold war just being one of the most recent. "War" is OLDER than human kind, and being an asshat is FAR older.)
What if the planet's rotational axis is parallel to the planetary system's rotation plane? (like say, Uranus?)
(That is to say, the rotational pole is pointing at the sun.)
Then the precession that normally causes tidelock would be substantially less applicable, or rather, that it being tidelocked (sun always shines on the same side) has no impact on it's rate of rotation. (still spins on it's axis.)
It's not the sunlight that causes techtonic activity; it's the gravitational tug of war that does.
As the earth rotates about its axis, its skin gets tugged on un-eavenly by the sun's gravity due to the inverse square law. this has the effect of 'kneading' the planet, so to speak, and is part of what helps keep the core hot.
Now, this planet MIGHT have some kind of techtonics cause by centrepital forces vs gravitational forces:
If this planet DOES rotate, but not in the way most planets do (instead, like Uranus, where the rotational pole faces the sun)-- it would STILL be tidally locked, but would have rotation. That rotation would billow out the equator of the planet's axis, which would be tugged on by the sun's gravity, causing techtonic stresses.
Sadly, decisions based on ACTUAL value are rare in mid to large size enterprises. This is precisely the reason why the phrase "Dress for success" remains applicable, even today. It is ironically also one of the reasons why so many people in the upper tiers of corporate power are statistically sociopathic. (they are actively looking for means to gain an edge over their more capable peers; physical attractiveness and "image" are powerful tools to do this with.)
This sad truth is not just applicable to office politics, but also to consumer purchasing as well. Take for instance, the domainance of the iPod over other, technologically superior or equivilent offerings. Being "trendy looking" provides a powerful edge.
Same thing with expensive cars and the rate a person has sex per month.
They all revolve around image, and similarly, imply a degree of sleezyness to use that image to your advantage. It is not a large step for somebody already walking that road to use pirate software, especially if they are not yet "really successful."
People who actually try to shine via the quality of their work are often upstaged by the handsome young man with the iPhone. This is because we focus all our energy into our work, while they focus it into their image, and into being manipulative. When it comes time for your boss to show off the star employee who's hard work landed the company the contract, they want to show off the "Hip" "charasmatic", and "attractive" person; not the cubicle troll. (doesnt matter if that cube troll can spin straw into gold or not.)
That being said, I *STILL* choose to be the cube troll. I do however accept that the dashing young asshats of the world have an advantage over me, but I dont care. I have real skills, and they don't. (I have created presentation materials that have won multi million dollar contracts for my company. I really dont care about rubbing elbows or driving mazzarattis. I work second shift, and CHOSE it.)
TLDR; the point is that for many people, in order to get ahead in the world they HAVE to be unscrupulous. For such people, I am able to see how pirating "useless" software for an already useless iPhone becomes "vitally important" to their way of life.
The issue then, is that people like you and I disagree with their way of life.
It has been my experience that most MBAs dont ask questions about the gritty details of "how" something gets done, unless there has been a round of corporate scare mongering. (EG, the BSA has sent its legal drones to give powerpoint presentations.)
As such, the MBA operates in a knowledge vacuum; What they see:
Persona A is "trendy", has enthusiasm for technology (that I dont understand\have patience for), and is constantly finding creative uses for things.
Person B is constatnly using outdated software and hardware, and always seems behind the curve.
What is REALLY going on:
Person A has misallocated their personal finance budget for image reasons, and has splurged on an expensive smart phone that they don't actually "need", Jailbroke it, then loaded it up with pirate software. (We presume it is their personal phone, not a company one.)
Person B is much more financially frugal, and has bought a cheap 30$ prepaid phone, then got a cheap T-Mobile contract that doesnt have a data plan, because they dont need it on that phone. They are unconcerned about their "Image", and just use their phone to recieve calls and important text messages.
The point, is that the MBA does not KNOW that person A is a consumate software pirate, and does not care to know. That is outside the scope of their world-view. They judge mostly by appearances, since that is what they know. Unless person A is a blabber mouth, and blabs about being a pirate, the MBA doesnt know; Thus they PRESUME that person A is more productive than B, because A has more symbols of status than does B. As such A gets the job, and B does not.
"necessary" in terms of "I will die without it", No.
"necessary" in terms of "I will lose standing with my peers, and lose out on potentially valuable opportunities"-- Possibly quite true.
Software on mobile phones is more than just "idle entertainment", and/or "productivity inclined"-- it is also a status symbol in and of itself.
"Not only do I have this BOSS new phone, I have all these awesome apps! I am obviously more software literate than my peers; choose me to do the project, and give ME the raise."
See where that's headed?
[potential flame alert! That is NOT my intent!]
It is also possible that there is a cultural disparity between "antisocial geeks", and their more "normal" peers; That to the geeks like us, fitting in with the crowd is NOT considered a vital aspect of one's life or livelihood; However, to the more socially inclined this may be VERY untrue.
Take for instance, somebody that HAS to work with the dreaded "Apple Hipsters." They might be able to scrounge up enough dough to get that new iPhone (like everyone else in the workplace, to keep from standing out and being ostracized.) but after doing so coughing up the dough to get $super_awesome_flavor_of_the_week_app that everyone else is raving about becomes much more difficult, but the pressure is still there.
This is especially true in vocations that revolve exclusively around interpersonal skills, such as lackeys in marketing. (No, not the marketing director that makes bank; I mean the lackey that actually makes the adverts, and probably gets shafted regularly.) Or, perhaps a sales consultant -- etc.
These people have a legitimate *need* to have that software, even if they dont USE it, because of social pressures that would otherwise exclude them from vital opportunities.
When you take into consideration the "Culture" being foisted onto the US population by the MSM and multinational corporations, this paints the whole "Filthy Pirates!" thing in a whole new light, at least concerning software that also doubles as a status symbol.
The point of an alternative multiplayer back-end is not to allow downloads to the console, but to allow existing legitimate games to be played with modifications. (done with things like Datel Xport for XBOX360, etc.)
Hacking the console's firmware to support non-branded hardware upgrades would fall outside the scope of this theoretical network service.
What MIGHT fall into it would be an alternative to the MSN store front, allowing direct download of homebrew games. (Possibly along with tricking the console into giving it a local signature so that it can run cleanly without modding.)
Mods:
What part of my post was flamebait?
(Seriously, I really want to know.)
Offering a competing multiplayer backend (replacing WiiConnect24, PSN, and XBOX Live!) for "blacklisted" consoles would create an extensive reason to mod a console.
The issue that such a fledgling company (threatening to steal the apples from these company's walled gardens) would need to assert is that such a service is not geared toward allowing pirated games to be played. As such to be legitimate it would need to also ban people that are found to be using it for this purpose.
It's main function would be to allow people who have modified their consoles so that they can play modified multiplayer maps to continue to do so. (Currently this activity violates the PSN, XboxLive, and WiiConnect EULAs, resulting in being blacklisted.)
If I wasnt deathly afraid of blood sucking vampir^V^V^V -- "Lawyers", I would consider investing the time with a copy of Wireshark examining raw packet dumps of the Live, PSN, and WiiConnect protocols. (I have a PSP, a 360 and a Wii, so I should be able to investigate all 3 authentication methods.)
Once you have the language down, all you have to do is get the console to communicate with the new server; Something that might be doable by instructing it to use a "Special" proxy server. (IIRC, all of these consoles allow the use of a dedicated proxy for internet connectivity. Just point it at the rival service server's IP address, and it then masquarades as the real deal, by "internally" routing the target's IP address at itself, while opening the rest of the internet as a proxy is supposed to.)
All that this means is that somebody needs to create a competing service. Sounds like there is a very fertile industry for it, especially if it s more lax than the default platform creator's choice. (Such as, actually ALLOWING halo map mods, etc.)
See for instance, things like the successor to BnetD, and associated open servers. Creating an actual company geared toward servicing "blacklisted" consoles would fill a valid market niche. Last I checked, reverse engineering laws STILL provided safe habor for such practices when used for "Cross compatibility" and "Interoperability".
*would LOVE to see an alternative to sony's PSN and Microsoft's XBOX Live! service; Especially if that same service was console agnostic, and would permit multiplayer games from both consoles to have mixed matches.
This is similar to how the rest of the body regenerates. In the brain, the glial cells do indeed help guide neuronal connections, and the routing of axon bundles, among other functions.
In the rest of the body a similar structural function is accomplished using "Fibroblasts." These cells "Know" where they are (or where they 'should' be anyway...) in the body, and help guide tissue cells to divide and proliferate properly to repair damaged tissues.
There has been extensive study of fibroblasts in animals concerning limb regeneration; specifically, the mechanisms by which these cells know that they should be in a foot, an arm, or in the spleen--- etc. Several experiments in salamanders have been performed by translocating small colonies of these tissue cells to obscure parts of the animal's body, then stimulating the regeneration process; the results have been... "Interesting."
In humans the "regeneration" process is disrupted by anti-cancer genes that normally engage in tumor suppression, resulting in scar tissue being the primary product of such regeneration (essentially erratic/chaotic tissue replacement). (though with those genes disabled, human tissues in petri dishes have shown more salamander like regeneration, with orderly tissue replacement.)
It is likely that the brain has similar anti-tumor mechanisms to prevent glial cells from going crazy and wrapping neurons up like mummies, or their directing abnormal dendritic synthesis, and that they provide a similar template for neural restructuring that fibroblasts do for body tissue, since they seem to serve this function during embryonic development. This means that abnormal stimulation WOULD result in abnormal tissue growths in the brain if true.
A better approach would be to use biochemistry to temporarily suppress anti-tumor genes, and provide a nutrient rich solution of neuron progenitor cells to the injury site. The risk of neural scarring and the formation of a neurological tumor could be quite high, depending on the size and severity of the injury and the genetic health of the progenitor cells supplied, but you would have a much better chance of "properly" repairing the injury this way as opposed to putting wires in the brain. (which is KNOWN to cause localized neuronal necrosis and scar tissue formation where the wires intersect and interface with the tissue.)
The proper way to connect two brains would be to make a smarter interface, that connects to multiple areas.
(bear in mind I am not a neurosurgeon.)
Such as, you could attach some reference signals to the premotor cortex, so that the patient could then "actively" engage and disengage the connection, and perhaps even learn to "Dial" another discrete unit. This part of the rig controls the "switching" part of the interface. (Similar technology allows monkeys to play video games using only their brain.)
The second part would link the brocha's and wernicke's areas, along with the visual cortex with the same regions of other individuals over a wireless link of some sort.
The result would be technologically assisted telepathy.