Levy talks about it dwarfing (!!!) a phone book... though it would depend on what phone book you're trying to dwarf.
I have the book, and I just glanced over at it here on my shelf. It does not "dwarf" a phone book. My denver metro yellow pages is taller, wider, and about a quarter inch thicker, and the phone book is paperback while this book is hardcover.
I'd have dived in already, but unfortunately I have some other books I have to plow through first. The graphics (black and white grids which are essentially "game of life" snapshots with varied rules and starting conditions) are pretty cool.
Of course, there is still the very real fact that the Islamic extremists ARE deranged...
To pick just one example, here is a column that appeared in Egypt's official state newspaper. As you read it, keep in mind that this is not some guy passing out propaganda on the street, but the Egyptian Government Daily Al-Akhbar.
Sure, it is always easy to write something which looks superficially like a parallel situation. I just hope people recognize the humor and do not confuse fiction and reality.
The book was written first, by Clarke alone. In the book, the Discovery went to a moon of Saturn, not Jupiter. Big Brother was sitting upright on the moon like a skyscraper, and Dave fell into it trying to land on it.
Then, Clarke wrote the second book, instead using Jupiter (I imagine because Europa seemed like a good spot to introduce new life). He retroactively changed the plot of 2001 to a Jupiter mission when he collaborated with Kubrick on the movie script.
The interesting thing is, both destinations have met with interesting coincidences. Europa has indeed turned out to be a scientific curiosity, with speculation of large oceans of liquid water underneath a covering of ice.
On the saturn side, the moon was described in 2001 as having a large oval of white (a perfectly shaped field of rocks), with Big Brother standing in the center. The effect was of a large eye with a black pupil at its center, which "blinked" when Dave was sent through the wormhole. An eerie effect, and I think that was the whole reason for the description.
Later, a probe sent back imagery of the same moon (can't remember which one), and scientists saw... a white oval on the surface. I read one of them quoted saying something like "If there's a black rock in the middle I'm gonna kill Arthur C. Clarke"
this is already done. Except they mail it to each voter's house. Everyone gets a description of everybody on their district's ballot.
The descriptions need to be more helpful though. Usually it's a form they filled out telling where they went to school and maybe some positions if you're lucky. They should each be given a question like, "in 500 words, what is the difference between you and your opponent?" and "what is your philosophy of government?"
they can match your face to a database with the overhead cameras to get your name, and plenty of other personal information from there.
From a cross-indexing of everything from your tells, amount of patience, religious beliefs and political opinions to your salary and betting habits, psychology info can then be computed and instantly sent to that one-armed bandit you just sat down in front of. The machine then comes up with results designed to keep you in front of it and maximize the total amount you put down.
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Tomb Raider represents a leap forward in gaming
on
Review: Atlantis
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· Score: 2
Are you kidding? Tomb Raider was quite enjoyable. Incredibly realistic graphics, and I give it a ten on intuitiveness.
I didn't die once! Perhaps that's a sign it was easy, but there was none of the frustration of having to try several times to hit the swinging log just right to beat the boss in the first tomb, and the revolving planets contraption, while tricky, was mastered on the first try. Good thing I didn't get caught in those arms - ouch!
Between the gameplay were some movie sequences which were very smooth, well-rendered, and for a video game, the acting was passable as well.
I guess my only complaint was that I didn't really get the chance to figure some of the stuff out, like the right spot to place the clock key and that you had to ring the bell to destroy the ice wall (though I probably could have maybe figured the bell one out if I had a couple hours to just sort things out in my mind.)
Actually, I remember reading somewhere about a depresurization chamber for athletes to sleep in, because somebody discovered that it was beneficial to sleep at high altitude (so the body produces more red blood cells allowing faster transport of oxygen through blood) but train at low altitude (allowing more intense training sessions thanks to more available oxygen).
So maybe a person who lives near the top and goes outside for a run regularly would have a pretty good thing going.
And knowing the way China is with athletes, I can see it now: The "People's Olympic Athlete's quarters" somewhere in the top section.
At the time I'm writing this, the fortune at the bottom of the page says:
"In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."
I'm serious - this is a sign. I need to ween myself from slashdot.
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Re:Ever been to the Hayden Planetarium?? SGI+Zeiss
on
Solar System Simulator
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· Score: 2
it'd be cool to really USE the software, play with it, maybe program with it, etc. I visited there last summer and it was pretty much what you'd expect at such an exhibit - huge crowds ushered through, half hour show, and then you're back outside. Sure, you see galaxies from new angles and are informed that it's an actual rendering from real data as opposed to artwork.
it's just not *rewarding* to be a member of the viewing public. I saw that thing and I wanted to be the guy that put it together and zoomed around the universe to make the film.
The walkway after the big bang show is sweet though - you go down a spiral representing the history of the universe, with a constant time span per linear distance. You see telescope photos along the way of objects from that time thanks to the long travel time of light reaching us. And near the end, there's a human hair representing the entire recorded history of Earth. I probably spent about a half hour on that walk looking at the photos, reading the descriptions, and talking with the employee who was there to answer questions for people leaving the show. He had nothing else to do between shows so it was pretty interesting.
The other thing I like about that walkway is that it's like running the gauntlet for a creationist:-)
"No," she said. We don't have any. And what is a Slashdot?"
If her office has a webserver and you'd given a link, this could be settled relatively easily.
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Public education has serious problems
on
Sean In The Middle
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· Score: 2
The public schools of today have created a culture which caters at every level to athletes and people in the ol' boy's club. This is especially true in places like texas.
In the world described by Varsity Blues, there is no place for smart, curious kids who learn to actually do something valuable. The people that run the town feel threatened by these kids, and the Columbine concern is simply their most conveient tool nowadays to put the teen that thinks a little differently (or at all) in what they see as his place.
In this way, public schools display no values and show themselves to be a morally bankrupt institution. In many cases such as this, pulling your kids out is the best thing you can do for them. But your kid has to learn, right?
May I recommend homeschooling. There are many resources available for parents choosing to homeschool their children. here would be an excellent place to start.
The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can instill actual values in your children without the state breating down your neck. By taking advantage of the many Truth-centered learnming materials out there, your child can learn that he was not just an accident and that he is accountable to a higher authority. Our morally bankrupt culture will improve if we commit ourselves to these principles. All things are possible.
If you think enjoying Dogma is some kind of intelligence test, that says something about your own intelligence. It wasn't all that creative, though I did laugh when Ben and Matt were "smiting" people in the board room and on the bus.
Actually, this was demonstrated in a Simpsons episode. Mr Burns lost his power plant and estate and went bankrupt. (I don't remember how)
Lisa introduced him to recycling things to get change. Before long, he'd opened up a recycling plant and was again the richest man in town. Of course, he also turned sinister and devised a contraption to "sweep the sea clean" by catching fish in a huge net of six pack rings.
actually, the reason the Mars Observer was not heard from is that it landed on martian territory without permission. For that reason, the Mars government is holding the probe and examining all the high-tech observation equipment on board. Their government wants to look tough to their citizens, so they have taken a hard line and not allowed any communication to take place between Earth and the probe.
This probe is not going to land on the planet, but will stay in interplanetary territory. Join me in hoping this mission goes better, or our relations with Mars could seriously deteriorate.
Slashdot Mirror
I have the book, and I just glanced over at it here on my shelf. It does not "dwarf" a phone book. My denver metro yellow pages is taller, wider, and about a quarter inch thicker, and the phone book is paperback while this book is hardcover.
I'd have dived in already, but unfortunately I have some other books I have to plow through first. The graphics (black and white grids which are essentially "game of life" snapshots with varied rules and starting conditions) are pretty cool.
Of course, there is still the very real fact that the Islamic extremists ARE deranged...
A rea=egypt&ID=SP37502
To pick just one example, here is a column that appeared in Egypt's official state newspaper. As you read it, keep in mind that this is not some guy passing out propaganda on the street, but the Egyptian Government Daily Al-Akhbar.
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&
Sure, it is always easy to write something which looks superficially like a parallel situation. I just hope people recognize the humor and do not confuse fiction and reality.
So is Shawn rich then, or what?
The book was written first, by Clarke alone. In the book, the Discovery went to a moon of Saturn, not Jupiter. Big Brother was sitting upright on the moon like a skyscraper, and Dave fell into it trying to land on it.
Then, Clarke wrote the second book, instead using Jupiter (I imagine because Europa seemed like a good spot to introduce new life). He retroactively changed the plot of 2001 to a Jupiter mission when he collaborated with Kubrick on the movie script.
The interesting thing is, both destinations have met with interesting coincidences. Europa has indeed turned out to be a scientific curiosity, with speculation of large oceans of liquid water underneath a covering of ice.
On the saturn side, the moon was described in 2001 as having a large oval of white (a perfectly shaped field of rocks), with Big Brother standing in the center. The effect was of a large eye with a black pupil at its center, which "blinked" when Dave was sent through the wormhole. An eerie effect, and I think that was the whole reason for the description.
Later, a probe sent back imagery of the same moon (can't remember which one), and scientists saw... a white oval on the surface. I read one of them quoted saying something like "If there's a black rock in the middle I'm gonna kill Arthur C. Clarke"
Whatever happened to his Dilberito? Wasn't he selling some kind of vegetarian microwavable burrito that was supposed to be the perfect cubicle food?
I was going to at least buy a couple to see if they were any good, but I never saw them anywhere...
this is already done. Except they mail it to each voter's house. Everyone gets a description of everybody on their district's ballot.
The descriptions need to be more helpful though. Usually it's a form they filled out telling where they went to school and maybe some positions if you're lucky. They should each be given a question like, "in 500 words, what is the difference between you and your opponent?" and "what is your philosophy of government?"
dude, could you send me a hard drive with all your ogg songs copied onto it?
I'll give you $400, negotiable.
From a cross-indexing of everything from your tells, amount of patience, religious beliefs and political opinions to your salary and betting habits, psychology info can then be computed and instantly sent to that one-armed bandit you just sat down in front of. The machine then comes up with results designed to keep you in front of it and maximize the total amount you put down.
--
I didn't die once! Perhaps that's a sign it was easy, but there was none of the frustration of having to try several times to hit the swinging log just right to beat the boss in the first tomb, and the revolving planets contraption, while tricky, was mastered on the first try. Good thing I didn't get caught in those arms - ouch!
Between the gameplay were some movie sequences which were very smooth, well-rendered, and for a video game, the acting was passable as well.
I guess my only complaint was that I didn't really get the chance to figure some of the stuff out, like the right spot to place the clock key and that you had to ring the bell to destroy the ice wall (though I probably could have maybe figured the bell one out if I had a couple hours to just sort things out in my mind.)
oh, it's a movie?
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Woah! What school did you go to? I went to Arapahoe, graduated a couple years ago.
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So maybe a person who lives near the top and goes outside for a run regularly would have a pretty good thing going.
And knowing the way China is with athletes, I can see it now: The "People's Olympic Athlete's quarters" somewhere in the top section.
--
"In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."
I'm serious - this is a sign. I need to ween myself from slashdot.
--
it's just not *rewarding* to be a member of the viewing public. I saw that thing and I wanted to be the guy that put it together and zoomed around the universe to make the film.
The walkway after the big bang show is sweet though - you go down a spiral representing the history of the universe, with a constant time span per linear distance. You see telescope photos along the way of objects from that time thanks to the long travel time of light reaching us. And near the end, there's a human hair representing the entire recorded history of Earth. I probably spent about a half hour on that walk looking at the photos, reading the descriptions, and talking with the employee who was there to answer questions for people leaving the show. He had nothing else to do between shows so it was pretty interesting.
The other thing I like about that walkway is that it's like running the gauntlet for a creationist
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If her office has a webserver and you'd given a link, this could be settled relatively easily.
--
In the world described by Varsity Blues, there is no place for smart, curious kids who learn to actually do something valuable. The people that run the town feel threatened by these kids, and the Columbine concern is simply their most conveient tool nowadays to put the teen that thinks a little differently (or at all) in what they see as his place.
In this way, public schools display no values and show themselves to be a morally bankrupt institution. In many cases such as this, pulling your kids out is the best thing you can do for them. But your kid has to learn, right?
May I recommend homeschooling. There are many resources available for parents choosing to homeschool their children. here would be an excellent place to start.
The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can instill actual values in your children without the state breating down your neck. By taking advantage of the many Truth-centered learnming materials out there, your child can learn that he was not just an accident and that he is accountable to a higher authority. Our morally bankrupt culture will improve if we commit ourselves to these principles. All things are possible.
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Neal Stephenson is a man who churns out miles of text as a matter of course.
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It's late.
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Lisa introduced him to recycling things to get change. Before long, he'd opened up a recycling plant and was again the richest man in town. Of course, he also turned sinister and devised a contraption to "sweep the sea clean" by catching fish in a huge net of six pack rings.
--
This probe is not going to land on the planet, but will stay in interplanetary territory. Join me in hoping this mission goes better, or our relations with Mars could seriously deteriorate.
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