And what will those ions do to your DNA?
I'm sure at least some people would have an issue with riding a giant stream of charged particles, with unknown effects to their DNA / general health.
People already have problems living next to high-voltage transmission lines and nuclear power plants, and regardless (or irregardless, take your pick:D) of whether those problems are real or psychosomatic (feel free to start a flamewar on this one too) - the nature of the concept itself will frighten many. "You mean I have to ride a stream of invisible particles that will do god-knows-what to me? Oh hell no."
Note that this isn't my opinion, just a prediction of the general response to an idea like this if it's ever proposed.
...this SO reminds me of a high-school science project - a submersible, somewhat-terrain-independent vehicle prototype, using brushes instead of wheels or tracks.
Take a small electric motor, attach an offset weight to the shaft, install the motor + battery + switch inside a suitable watertight plastic enclosure. Cut the handle off a brush with semi-soft bristles, glue the bristle part to the plastic enclosure.
Set the thing on any relatively level surface, flip the switch, and watch it roll around *on brushes*. Offset weight on motor bounces the vehicle up & down, bristles propel it forward with each jump.
Directional control can be accomplished by using 2 independent motors and 2 sets of bristle pads.
Totally self-contained, no openings that must be sealed, no tires that can rupture, no tracks that can misalign. Not only suitable for space elevators, but also as potential chassis for extreme-environment exploration probes.
Everything old is new again.
Agree wholeheartedly. It's not the lack of financial incentive that causes the vast majority of reg. users to be inactive, it's fighting against the clique of "core users", the experienced and invested "Wiki Wizards", who treat the site as if it was their own private domain.
And no, this isn't just a hunch. I've been contributing to WP almost since its inception, mostly in the form of making minor edits on grammar/spelling/translation (I'm fluent in 3 languages and proficient in 2 more) as I'm browsing through articles. However, I've also written several articles, and contributed some hard-to-find industry-insider info, so it's not all "grammar nazi" work.
You would not believe how much effort you have to put in, in order to defend your contributions. There are SO many ways that the "clique users" and "page watchers" can annoy the hell out of a contributor... let me enumerate just a few:
Seemingly random reverts, without any explanation, of course.
Reverts that do not consider previous additions, i.e. your contrib + someone else's later questionable contrib get reverted EN MASSE.
Contrib removed with an "explanation" that is contrary to the article purpose, making it apparent that the "page watcher" has a personal stake in what's displayed.
Researched, cited, referenced, and well-written content replaced with mass-copy-paste, including a link to a commercial website. Crude, blatant, easy to detect, but nonetheless annoying as hell.
There are a lot more, but I think I've made my point. It's not the lack of financial reward, it's the continued frustration of having to monitor your contributions, and explain (sometimes over quite a few iterations) why the content is relevant, why it should be kept, etc.
They're already asking for contributions (notice the big banner on top of the page), and using both negative and positive psychological factors to try and get you to donate.
Nagging every user for 1 cent doesn't work as well as politely asking those who really love the site to contribute $ 10 - $ 20 - $ 50, which works according to the testimonials (which themselves are "nagging" other users (albeit politely)).
I would go 2 steps further:
1.) Somehow, come up with a way to disable the USB ports *in the hardware* except for devices that I specifically authorize (i.e. keyboard/mouse/camera). Sure, it's security-by-obscurity, but realistically, how many people would even think of a hidden BIOS switch / hardware overlay that kills USB port access unless it's a Logitech/Microsoft/Kensington/other-whitelisted device?
Or, a self-destruct switch for the USB controller.
2.) Set up a self-destruct device *on the drive* itself? And link its operation to a "heartbeat signal" coming from a hidden embedded RFID chip (just cruising ideas here, don't rip my head off about the details, mmmm-kay.) - take the drive 50 ft (or w/e other arbitrary distance) from the heartbeat, the little circuit goes into action, wiping the data permanently, or physically killing the platters.
"What's that, Officer? There was a strange grinding noise from the drive as soon as you walked out of the house? Well, I don't know, those damn {Brand Name Here} drives are SO unreliable! I'm glad I didn't use it to store anything *important*!"
And of course, the self-destruct device would have a cryptex function, that would activate it if pried open by brute force. But then again, how many cops would realize what the device is? And how many of them would even think to physically screw with the evidence before bringing it to the lab?
Lawl chobits. Yeah, I hope so too, otherwise the whole s3x0rz thing would be a bit uncomfortable. Not to mention the constant switching off & rebooting.
"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemoeller
-------
First, they came for the warez, but I was using legal/free software so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the torrents, but I wasn't using torrents so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the "objectionable material", but I wasn't downloading any extreme porn, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the "politically dangerous" material, and still I did not speak out, since I'm not an extremist.
...
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.
Slashdot Mirror
What do you mean, *essentially* disposable? In a bathroom, darn right it's disposable!
And what will those ions do to your DNA? :D) of whether those problems are real or psychosomatic (feel free to start a flamewar on this one too) - the nature of the concept itself will frighten many. "You mean I have to ride a stream of invisible particles that will do god-knows-what to me? Oh hell no."
I'm sure at least some people would have an issue with riding a giant stream of charged particles, with unknown effects to their DNA / general health.
People already have problems living next to high-voltage transmission lines and nuclear power plants, and regardless (or irregardless, take your pick
Note that this isn't my opinion, just a prediction of the general response to an idea like this if it's ever proposed.
...this SO reminds me of a high-school science project - a submersible, somewhat-terrain-independent vehicle prototype, using brushes instead of wheels or tracks. Take a small electric motor, attach an offset weight to the shaft, install the motor + battery + switch inside a suitable watertight plastic enclosure. Cut the handle off a brush with semi-soft bristles, glue the bristle part to the plastic enclosure. Set the thing on any relatively level surface, flip the switch, and watch it roll around *on brushes*. Offset weight on motor bounces the vehicle up & down, bristles propel it forward with each jump. Directional control can be accomplished by using 2 independent motors and 2 sets of bristle pads. Totally self-contained, no openings that must be sealed, no tires that can rupture, no tracks that can misalign. Not only suitable for space elevators, but also as potential chassis for extreme-environment exploration probes. Everything old is new again.
And no, this isn't just a hunch. I've been contributing to WP almost since its inception, mostly in the form of making minor edits on grammar/spelling/translation (I'm fluent in 3 languages and proficient in 2 more) as I'm browsing through articles. However, I've also written several articles, and contributed some hard-to-find industry-insider info, so it's not all "grammar nazi" work.
You would not believe how much effort you have to put in, in order to defend your contributions. There are SO many ways that the "clique users" and "page watchers" can annoy the hell out of a contributor... let me enumerate just a few:
There are a lot more, but I think I've made my point. It's not the lack of financial reward, it's the continued frustration of having to monitor your contributions, and explain (sometimes over quite a few iterations) why the content is relevant, why it should be kept, etc.
They're already asking for contributions (notice the big banner on top of the page), and using both negative and positive psychological factors to try and get you to donate. Nagging every user for 1 cent doesn't work as well as politely asking those who really love the site to contribute $ 10 - $ 20 - $ 50, which works according to the testimonials (which themselves are "nagging" other users (albeit politely)).
I would go 2 steps further: 1.) Somehow, come up with a way to disable the USB ports *in the hardware* except for devices that I specifically authorize (i.e. keyboard/mouse/camera). Sure, it's security-by-obscurity, but realistically, how many people would even think of a hidden BIOS switch / hardware overlay that kills USB port access unless it's a Logitech/Microsoft/Kensington/other-whitelisted device? Or, a self-destruct switch for the USB controller. 2.) Set up a self-destruct device *on the drive* itself? And link its operation to a "heartbeat signal" coming from a hidden embedded RFID chip (just cruising ideas here, don't rip my head off about the details, mmmm-kay.) - take the drive 50 ft (or w/e other arbitrary distance) from the heartbeat, the little circuit goes into action, wiping the data permanently, or physically killing the platters. "What's that, Officer? There was a strange grinding noise from the drive as soon as you walked out of the house? Well, I don't know, those damn {Brand Name Here} drives are SO unreliable! I'm glad I didn't use it to store anything *important*!" And of course, the self-destruct device would have a cryptex function, that would activate it if pried open by brute force. But then again, how many cops would realize what the device is? And how many of them would even think to physically screw with the evidence before bringing it to the lab?
Lawl chobits. Yeah, I hope so too, otherwise the whole s3x0rz thing would be a bit uncomfortable. Not to mention the constant switching off & rebooting.
"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
...
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."
- Martin Niemoeller
-------
First, they came for the warez, but I was using legal/free software so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the torrents, but I wasn't using torrents so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the "objectionable material", but I wasn't downloading any extreme porn, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the "politically dangerous" material, and still I did not speak out, since I'm not an extremist.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.
Oh hai. My name is Bruce too. Nice to meet you, chaps.