If you've ever heard of the chemicals known as "PCBs" (used in electrical tranformers), it was Monsanto who originally told everyone they were harmless.
Now they're known as one of the nastiest carcinogens that exists.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
"Explain to me why it is good that third world farmers have access to better seeds?
Are you under the impression that world hunger is caused by farmers not growing enough food?
I can assure you that is not the reason, even though the liberal media will tell you otherwise."
Just bumping some important content up in score with my Karma, - just because the guy was an AC, and all the moderators have finished with this discussion, doesn't mean this statement deserves to languish at 0. Saw a news report on CNN about the Monsanto thing, the closing statement was by Greenpeace guy - saying basically that GM foods are unnecessary, starvation in the world is caused not by a shortage of food or surplus of people, not by a longshot, but instead by inequality and economic hardship - factors which are not affected by genetic engineered crops.
I guess CNN wasn't hoping for a renewal for advertisements from Monsanto and ADM. ..
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
The term should be changed to "Pharmaceutical salespeople".
It's like those financial planners, who help sort out your bills and finances, to figure out what corners you could cut to afford a life-insurance policy.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Re:Yes, Intel does want to kill Firewire
on
USB2 Specs Are In
·
· Score: 1
ah - no wonder IDE won out against SCSI in the long haul. More Intel bullshit.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
USB 2.0 is a marketing spec. It's vaporware and FUD designed as a prophylaxis to FireWire catching on.
If they could really execute a technology to these specs, don't you think they would have done it with USB 1.0, or at least have made it much faster so 2.0 would have been incrementally closer?
I hope nobody believes this crap - unfortunately, they will. Personally I think USB and FireWire can exist side-by-side as two complementing technologies. Obviously, Apple believes in this philosophy, otherwise the new iMac would not have USB and FireWire. It would have only FireWire.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Great, so I'll have better long-term memory, I'll be cranky, short-tempered, not sleep well, have headaches when I can't get my fix, my hands will shake so that it's impossible to do fine work, and I'll get anxiety attacks.
No thanks. I'm not going back. Some people can "do" 'ffeine. Others can't.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Well, this might be good for cheaply and reliably lobbing oxygen and other durable supplies into orbit for the ISS, without negatively impacting Space Shuttle launch schedules for satellite maintenance, recrewing, etc..
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
I'm nearsighted, and can't play sports, so I read a lot and got smart.
I'm smart, and read a lot, and consequently ruined my eyes so I can't play sports.
Someday it's going to be: there are only 24 hours in a day, and even though my parents engineered sleeplessness into me, I still don't have time to practice for the Football team, Triathalon, Quake2040, do my photo modeling, finish my sculpture, collate my dissertaion on the evolution of languages among south pacific indigenous people, - if I could, I'd have a splitting stress headache.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
If you think about it, health insurance companies HAVE to pay for this. First, they can't discriminate based on genes, so they obviously don't want to support Joe People's genetically defective kids through their costly medical corrections, so they offer free genetic prophylaxis, at least for the costly diseases.
Most insurance companies cover infertility treatments. I think this is something that will be easy for them to support - I don't see it as being all that costly compared to say, in-vitro. There will be a split, but I think a lot of folks here have needlessly raised the bar to "only the super-rich". If this is widely accepted in society, then probably folks down to the lower-middle class will be able to take advantage of some of this technology.
Unfortunately, there are those hordes in the third world countries who will not.
And then again, you might see some totalitarian regimes (like China), enforcing such technology's use. . .
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Disney's MGM Studios has a ride called "Rock-n-Rollercoaster", I rode it, and they said it pulled about 3.8 Gs. It goes from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds (you do the math, I'm too lazy). It runs on rails like any other rollercoaster, but it's powered by a linear magnetic motor, that is, pretty much the same as maglev, only there's no levitation. No big hill climb. No big drop. Kind of sacriligeous as far as rollercoasters go, but then that kick at the start. Man! So I'd have to say, 3.8 Gs was a lot for me, especially in a plastic rollercoaster seat that was a tad too small, but I felt I could have taken a lot more. 6? ehhhhh, I don't know. . . maybe. 9? definately not.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Folks who adopt kids may keep inside, a desire to have perpetuated their genes, even if they were unable to reproduce because of defects in those genes, but they still love their adopted kids, and still protect them, and do everything they can to insure that the adopted kid's genes get passed on.
Perhaps this genetic perpetuity is the REASONING behind the phenomenon of parental love for their children, but there is no logical connection in practice. All the parent knows is that the parent loves that little person, and wants to care for it. All that Darwinian stuff doesn't enter into most peoples' minds most of the time.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
There was a study (correlational) done about two years ago that said that kids who had night lights in their rooms at an early age, were more likely to develop myopia.
The optometrists who did the study found this correlation accidentally, but they theorize that if there IS a connection, it could be that the presence of light during the sleep cycle (on a constant, daily basis), could have interfered somehow with the normal development.
Well, we'll see in 7 years, when my kids get older. We didn't use night lights.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
I thought a "rail-gun" was something different, something like an aluminum slug used as propellant, by being vaporized by a high intensity microwave source, otherwise fairly similar to a standard "gun". . .
Or do I have my technologies mixed up?
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Back when I was a member of the Chicago Society for Space Settlement (later to be integrated into the larger L5 society), the big thing was Mass Drivers (basically the same technology as Maglev), on the moon, to launch lunar material into space, for construction of space stations, spacecraft, etc.
This can propel things MUCH faster than 600MPH - I think that the difference is that Maglev is focussed more on a magnetic levitation, to eliminate mechanical drag, but getting to 600MPH does not seem to be much of a boon to me - since the launch vehicle is eventually going to have to reach much faster speeds, thousands of miles per hour - how much would the first 600 save? The Mass Driver would have been on the lunar surface, so air friction would have been almost nonexistant, but the models we saw rode on rails, so there was mechanical friction.
Seems to me they're probably using "Maglev" as a term people who have read Popular Science would be familliar with, but they must be really talking about a Mass Driver. The other problem is - accelleration. You wouldn't necessarily want to put a manned vehicle up with this thing, otherwise you'd have to build a VERY long track to stretch the accelleration out over a longer distance to reduce the Gs. Longer track = extreme cost (when you're talking about supercooled magnets and very sensitive sensors, and super-straight track).
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Funny you should mention smallpox, because that's exactly THE first biological weapon history recalls being used.
A certain british commander (in Canada, I think?) intentionally sent smallpox-infested blankets to the natives. It was highly effective. I really wish I could find the URL, it was on memepool.com a few weeks back - they had scans of letters this guy wrote about how he wanted to exterminate the savages.
As far as humans go - if it's possible, it can and will be done. Or as Walt Disney said; "If you can dream it, you can do it."
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
"People looking for mates will have a stronger incentive to seek someone with high wealth or income"
There's already a strong incentive for this. But why would someone want this? Say I'm an economically poor, genetically inferior person, looking for a mate to have offspring with. I'm going to love my offspring right? So I want the best for my offspring. But going for some rich dude - who's going to genetically alter my kids to the point where they're not really my kids anymore - what is the incentive to love these kids? You may as well adopt.
I think there's going to be appeal for at least the illusion of "the old fashioned way" for some time to come.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
This kind of reminds me of the Batman Forever episode (okay, I watch cartoons with my kids on Saturday morning, so shoot me), where some guy develops this gene splicing technology, that lets teens alter their bodies, with animal parts. Horns, wings, fangs, snake-eyes, etc. While one mother is telling her son that this practice is wrong, she's covering up the tatoo on her ankle.
I think with all the freaky weird people out there, who can basically do with their money whatever is possible and doable, humanity is going to be one strange species in the space of two or three generations. Whatever "generations" means.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
I don't really think that this would lead to a narrowing of the gene pool. The current stock of people on this rock is 6 billion strong, and we're not all the same, and our ideals are definately not all the same. While Michael Jackson would probably want his kids to be white (sarcastically extending the goofy rumor that he had plastic surgery to appear more white), Jesse Jackson, given the opportunity genetic engineering presents (presumably in the absence of his very conservative biblical views), would probably want his kids black, no matter what color chips were in the brochure. The "ideal model" of humanity is nearly as diverse as humanity is today. There are some universally desirable features, as well as some that may be desireable in some cultures, not in others, but tastes vary.
Personally, I and my wife are pretty good looking, and I think, given the opportunity to pick features on our offspring, I wouldn't alter much. Just my bad back, bad eyes, unsteady hands, tendancy towards overweightness, um, that's probably it, then my wife would probably select larger boobs (if female), taller frame (but really, my side of the family makes up for that), and her bad eyes. All pretty minor stuff. That said, I'm very happy with the way our two children did turn out, randomly. I pity them if they develop any of these negative tendancies, because these are things I would change about myself if I had the chance, even retroactively. These are defects. In fact, I'm on a waiting list for Lasic eye surgery right now. If my back problems and hand-shaking problems could be fixed as easily and permanently as my eye problems, I'd do that too, but if they can be fixed genetically, BEFORE they happen, wouldn't it be cheaper, not only for me, but for all future generations? Better still, the money I invest on the NEXT generation of my family, would hopefully endure to successive generations. (assuming my offspring and their offspring etc. don't marry people with bad genes - it may be costly to repair the damage)
No doubt, there are some consequences, some we've considered, some we haven't. But damn, if it's possible, why not? People will be doing this. Bet on it.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Watching this argument is sort of like looking into the mind of a toddler who has come to the sudden realization; My GOD! It's TRUE! I WILL have to eventually stop pissing in my diapers and going on the toilet! There's no stopping it, even though I'm totally frightened by the prospect! The horror! Where's my privacy? How am I going to deal with that cold seat? The horror!
The "adult" that the human race is going to become, probably will not remember this debate, or the reasons why it was so scary.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Slashdot Mirror
If you've ever heard of the chemicals known as "PCBs" (used in electrical tranformers), it was Monsanto who originally told everyone they were harmless.
Now they're known as one of the nastiest carcinogens that exists.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
"Explain to me why it is good that third world farmers have access to better seeds?
.
Are you under the impression that world hunger is caused by farmers not growing enough food?
I can assure you that is not the reason, even though the liberal media will tell you otherwise."
Just bumping some important content up in score with my Karma, - just because the guy was an AC, and all the moderators have finished with this discussion, doesn't mean this statement deserves to languish at 0.
Saw a news report on CNN about the Monsanto thing, the closing statement was by Greenpeace guy - saying basically that GM foods are unnecessary, starvation in the world is caused not by a shortage of food or surplus of people, not by a longshot, but instead by inequality and economic hardship - factors which are not affected by genetic engineered crops.
I guess CNN wasn't hoping for a renewal for advertisements from Monsanto and ADM. .
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
The term should be changed to "Pharmaceutical salespeople".
It's like those financial planners, who help sort out your bills and finances, to figure out what corners you could cut to afford a life-insurance policy.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
ah - no wonder IDE won out against SCSI in the long haul. More Intel bullshit.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
USB 2.0 is a marketing spec. It's vaporware and FUD designed as a prophylaxis to FireWire catching on.
If they could really execute a technology to these specs, don't you think they would have done it with USB 1.0, or at least have made it much faster so 2.0 would have been incrementally closer?
I hope nobody believes this crap - unfortunately, they will.
Personally I think USB and FireWire can exist side-by-side as two complementing technologies. Obviously, Apple believes in this philosophy, otherwise the new iMac would not have USB and FireWire. It would have only FireWire.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Great, so I'll have better long-term memory, I'll be cranky, short-tempered, not sleep well, have headaches when I can't get my fix, my hands will shake so that it's impossible to do fine work, and I'll get anxiety attacks.
No thanks. I'm not going back. Some people can "do" 'ffeine. Others can't.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Well, this might be good for cheaply and reliably lobbing oxygen and other durable supplies into orbit for the ISS, without negatively impacting Space Shuttle launch schedules for satellite maintenance, recrewing, etc..
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Ah, TWO opposing pathways of causality. . .
I'm nearsighted, and can't play sports, so I read a lot and got smart.
I'm smart, and read a lot, and consequently ruined my eyes so I can't play sports.
Someday it's going to be: there are only 24 hours in a day, and even though my parents engineered sleeplessness into me, I still don't have time to practice for the Football team, Triathalon, Quake2040, do my photo modeling, finish my sculpture, collate my dissertaion on the evolution of languages among south pacific indigenous people, - if I could, I'd have a splitting stress headache.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
economic quality control
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
this is true. Today. 6 GigaFolks.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
If you think about it, health insurance companies HAVE to pay for this. First, they can't discriminate based on genes, so they obviously don't want to support Joe People's genetically defective kids through their costly medical corrections, so they offer free genetic prophylaxis, at least for the costly diseases.
Most insurance companies cover infertility treatments. I think this is something that will be easy for them to support - I don't see it as being all that costly compared to say, in-vitro. There will be a split, but I think a lot of folks here have needlessly raised the bar to "only the super-rich". If this is widely accepted in society, then probably folks down to the lower-middle class will be able to take advantage of some of this technology.
Unfortunately, there are those hordes in the third world countries who will not.
And then again, you might see some totalitarian regimes (like China), enforcing such technology's use. . .
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Disney's MGM Studios has a ride called "Rock-n-Rollercoaster", I rode it, and they said it pulled about 3.8 Gs. It goes from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds (you do the math, I'm too lazy). It runs on rails like any other rollercoaster, but it's powered by a linear magnetic motor, that is, pretty much the same as maglev, only there's no levitation. No big hill climb. No big drop. Kind of sacriligeous as far as rollercoasters go, but then that kick at the start. Man! So I'd have to say, 3.8 Gs was a lot for me, especially in a plastic rollercoaster seat that was a tad too small, but I felt I could have taken a lot more.
6? ehhhhh, I don't know. . . maybe. 9? definately not.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Folks who adopt kids may keep inside, a desire to have perpetuated their genes, even if they were unable to reproduce because of defects in those genes, but they still love their adopted kids, and still protect them, and do everything they can to insure that the adopted kid's genes get passed on.
Perhaps this genetic perpetuity is the REASONING behind the phenomenon of parental love for their children, but there is no logical connection in practice. All the parent knows is that the parent loves that little person, and wants to care for it. All that Darwinian stuff doesn't enter into most peoples' minds most of the time.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
There was a study (correlational) done about two years ago that said that kids who had night lights in their rooms at an early age, were more likely to develop myopia.
The optometrists who did the study found this correlation accidentally, but they theorize that if there IS a connection, it could be that the presence of light during the sleep cycle (on a constant, daily basis), could have interfered somehow with the normal development.
Well, we'll see in 7 years, when my kids get older. We didn't use night lights.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
I thought a "rail-gun" was something different, something like an aluminum slug used as propellant, by being vaporized by a high intensity microwave source, otherwise fairly similar to a standard "gun". . .
Or do I have my technologies mixed up?
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Can we locate the "marketing" gene and eliminate that?
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Back when I was a member of the Chicago Society for Space Settlement (later to be integrated into the larger L5 society), the big thing was Mass Drivers (basically the same technology as Maglev), on the moon, to launch lunar material into space, for construction of space stations, spacecraft, etc.
This can propel things MUCH faster than 600MPH - I think that the difference is that Maglev is focussed more on a magnetic levitation, to eliminate mechanical drag, but getting to 600MPH does not seem to be much of a boon to me - since the launch vehicle is eventually going to have to reach much faster speeds, thousands of miles per hour - how much would the first 600 save?
The Mass Driver would have been on the lunar surface, so air friction would have been almost nonexistant, but the models we saw rode on rails, so there was mechanical friction.
Seems to me they're probably using "Maglev" as a term people who have read Popular Science would be familliar with, but they must be really talking about a Mass Driver.
The other problem is - accelleration. You wouldn't necessarily want to put a manned vehicle up with this thing, otherwise you'd have to build a VERY long track to stretch the accelleration out over a longer distance to reduce the Gs. Longer track = extreme cost (when you're talking about supercooled magnets and very sensitive sensors, and super-straight track).
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Funny you should mention smallpox, because that's exactly THE first biological weapon history recalls being used.
A certain british commander (in Canada, I think?) intentionally sent smallpox-infested blankets to the natives. It was highly effective. I really wish I could find the URL, it was on memepool.com a few weeks back - they had scans of letters this guy wrote about how he wanted to exterminate the savages.
As far as humans go - if it's possible, it can and will be done. Or as Walt Disney said; "If you can dream it, you can do it."
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
"People looking for mates will have a stronger incentive to seek someone with high wealth or income"
There's already a strong incentive for this. But why would someone want this? Say I'm an economically poor, genetically inferior person, looking for a mate to have offspring with. I'm going to love my offspring right? So I want the best for my offspring. But going for some rich dude - who's going to genetically alter my kids to the point where they're not really my kids anymore - what is the incentive to love these kids? You may as well adopt.
I think there's going to be appeal for at least the illusion of "the old fashioned way" for some time to come.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Actually, people with Latex allergies are having more and more children.
Soon, all of humanity will be allergic to Latex, and they'll have to figure out some other material to make condoms out of.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
This kind of reminds me of the Batman Forever episode (okay, I watch cartoons with my kids on Saturday morning, so shoot me), where some guy develops this gene splicing technology, that lets teens alter their bodies, with animal parts. Horns, wings, fangs, snake-eyes, etc.
While one mother is telling her son that this practice is wrong, she's covering up the tatoo on her ankle.
I think with all the freaky weird people out there, who can basically do with their money whatever is possible and doable, humanity is going to be one strange species in the space of two or three generations. Whatever "generations" means.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
I don't really think that this would lead to a narrowing of the gene pool. The current stock of people on this rock is 6 billion strong, and we're not all the same, and our ideals are definately not all the same. While Michael Jackson would probably want his kids to be white (sarcastically extending the goofy rumor that he had plastic surgery to appear more white), Jesse Jackson, given the opportunity genetic engineering presents (presumably in the absence of his very conservative biblical views), would probably want his kids black, no matter what color chips were in the brochure. The "ideal model" of humanity is nearly as diverse as humanity is today. There are some universally desirable features, as well as some that may be desireable in some cultures, not in others, but tastes vary.
Personally, I and my wife are pretty good looking, and I think, given the opportunity to pick features on our offspring, I wouldn't alter much. Just my bad back, bad eyes, unsteady hands, tendancy towards overweightness, um, that's probably it, then my wife would probably select larger boobs (if female), taller frame (but really, my side of the family makes up for that), and her bad eyes.
All pretty minor stuff. That said, I'm very happy with the way our two children did turn out, randomly. I pity them if they develop any of these negative tendancies, because these are things I would change about myself if I had the chance, even retroactively. These are defects. In fact, I'm on a waiting list for Lasic eye surgery right now. If my back problems and hand-shaking problems could be fixed as easily and permanently as my eye problems, I'd do that too, but if they can be fixed genetically, BEFORE they happen, wouldn't it be cheaper, not only for me, but for all future generations? Better still, the money I invest on the NEXT generation of my family, would hopefully endure to successive generations. (assuming my offspring and their offspring etc. don't marry people with bad genes - it may be costly to repair the damage)
No doubt, there are some consequences, some we've considered, some we haven't. But damn, if it's possible, why not? People will be doing this. Bet on it.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
More like "Demolition Man". (which, despite the main plotline, was a pretty decent science fiction movie).
hey baby, how about an unauthorized fluid transfer?
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
Watching this argument is sort of like looking into the mind of a toddler who has come to the sudden realization; My GOD! It's TRUE! I WILL have to eventually stop pissing in my diapers and going on the toilet! There's no stopping it, even though I'm totally frightened by the prospect! The horror! Where's my privacy? How am I going to deal with that cold seat? The horror!
The "adult" that the human race is going to become, probably will not remember this debate, or the reasons why it was so scary.
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
I think that such laws would be even more difficult to enforce than they are today.
Or haven't you noticed the statistical discrepencies between economic status of whites and blacks in America?
"The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."