Whoops! The Exorcist has been out on video and DVD for a couple of years now, and been shown on BBC TV at least once. The BBFC got much more relaxed in recent years, and now you can even nip down your local HMV and pick up a DVD of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salo. or 120 days of Sodom
The term 'Sci-Fi' was invented by Forest J. Ackerman back in the 50's, as 'Hi-Fi' was coming along. Everyone knows that. Well, everyone who knows anything about it, which you clearly do not!
Trivia: The guy who exploded watching blipverts was played by Mike Cule, who played the Vogon Guard in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series... Yes. I am sad, thank you very much...
They just got about $20 Million off Mark Shuttleworth, to fill an empty seat. If they can do this often enough, it'll go some way towards funding stuff.
Basically, what they're hoping to get out of it is space travel on the cheap. If you want to send a probe to the outer parts of the solar system, you can't carry enough fuel to constantly thrust. So you have to slingshot around other planets eking out a small supply of fuel for correctional purposes. Ion drive, as in Deep Space 1, is a way to lower the amount of fuel needed. This gives a very low level of thrust, but at a constant rate, so cumulative acceleration allows you to reach high speeds. This still needs some fuel, but less fuel than chemical rockets. A solar sail also gives low thrust which slowly builds acceleration over a period of time. And you don't need any fuel at all! So if you wanted to reach the outer solar system using a solar sail powered probe, then you wouldn't need lots of chemical rocket fuel, or ion drive propellant (Xenon was used by DS1, if I remember correctly) to get you there. You'd perhaps need a small amount for course correction, but your main source of thrust would be the sun. Less fuel = less weight = cheaper launches.
This is just a prototype. If it works, it could lead to bigger and better solar sails which would make for cheaper spaceprobes to explore the outer reaches of the solar system.
Hmmm. Sounds like this could be another Russian first in space to me...
Its great being an ivory tower socialist when everyone else is paying your bills. You never have to live by the rules you dictate to everyone else.
If he was fscked out on his hypocritical arse and made earn a living in the real world like the rest of us. The ultra left GPL^H^H^Hnewspeak would soon change
God, I wish I had modpoints so I could mod that up. +5, Insightful, I think would be worthy of this comment.
RMS is a stuck up tosser who thinks the world should be run how he sees fit. He's never really worked for a living in the real world, and would get a MAJOR come-uppance if he ever had to.
If I were Lucent, I'd tell him to fuck right off.
Then again, I'd tell him that anyway if he came round here telling me how to do my job.
On the subject of XP, I had been using the free (as in the way beer isn't) Zone Alarm on my Win98 machine, but on upgrading to XP I discovered that when I tried to disconnect from the internet, my connection would crash and have to be shutdown using 'end task', and I'd have to reboot before I could reconnect.
Strangely enough, using XP's own firewalling system this does not happen...
Slashdot Mirror
Don't misunderestimate him...
Strangely, most of the attacks on our systems come from insecure and compromised Linux boxes.
And this, kiddies, is why traditional media is best. You can't go back and change yesterday's newspapers.
OBI-WAN: See ye, Jango!
*THUNK*
Whoops!
The Exorcist has been out on video and DVD for a couple of years now, and been shown on BBC TV at least once. The BBFC got much more relaxed in recent years, and now you can even nip down your local HMV and pick up a DVD of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salo. or 120 days of Sodom
Twat!
The term 'Sci-Fi' was invented by Forest J. Ackerman back in the 50's, as 'Hi-Fi' was coming along.
Everyone knows that. Well, everyone who knows anything about it, which you clearly do not!
But we're talking about Science Fiction, which Pratchett's Discworld books are not. They're more satire than anything else.
It might be better if Sony's revenue stream dropped off entirely
Yes. I'm sure the tens of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend upon Sony would agree with you...
'Oooooh! They don't want us to openly thieve! They're so eeeevillll!!!'
Fuck's sake!
Oh. You meant pastime! Now all is clear.
A chimp can't catch a cold from me. I can only play host to a limited number of bacteria that a lizard is susceptible to.
But you can die of a disease contracted from a Parrot...
It looks like the ship in "Moon Cresta"...
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid!
That's what KISS stands for in this context.
Wow. Someone who spells 'reckless' incorrectly.
And 'Weird Al' Yankovic was on the soundtrack album.
Trivia: The guy who exploded watching blipverts was played by Mike Cule, who played the Vogon Guard in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy TV series...
Yes. I am sad, thank you very much...
They just got about $20 Million off Mark Shuttleworth, to fill an empty seat. If they can do this often enough, it'll go some way towards funding stuff.
Basically, what they're hoping to get out of it is space travel on the cheap. If you want to send a probe to the outer parts of the solar system, you can't carry enough fuel to constantly thrust. So you have to slingshot around other planets eking out a small supply of fuel for correctional purposes.
Ion drive, as in Deep Space 1, is a way to lower the amount of fuel needed. This gives a very low level of thrust, but at a constant rate, so cumulative acceleration allows you to reach high speeds. This still needs some fuel, but less fuel than chemical rockets.
A solar sail also gives low thrust which slowly builds acceleration over a period of time. And you don't need any fuel at all! So if you wanted to reach the outer solar system using a solar sail powered probe, then you wouldn't need lots of chemical rocket fuel, or ion drive propellant (Xenon was used by DS1, if I remember correctly) to get you there. You'd perhaps need a small amount for course correction, but your main source of thrust would be the sun.
Less fuel = less weight = cheaper launches.
This is just a prototype. If it works, it could lead to bigger and better solar sails which would make for cheaper spaceprobes to explore the outer reaches of the solar system.
Hmmm. Sounds like this could be another Russian first in space to me...
God, I wish I had modpoints so I could mod that up. +5, Insightful, I think would be worthy of this comment. RMS is a stuck up tosser who thinks the world should be run how he sees fit. He's never really worked for a living in the real world, and would get a MAJOR come-uppance if he ever had to. If I were Lucent, I'd tell him to fuck right off. Then again, I'd tell him that anyway if he came round here telling me how to do my job.
You sure that's not Glen?
(I should hope I don't have to explain this...)
If the Glorious Day comes when Richard Stallman gets his way, Programming will cease to be a job, dead end or otherwise and become a hobby.
The Inquirer had this nice suggestion about the XBox-2. Wouldn't that be funny if it happened?
On the subject of XP, I had been using the free (as in the way beer isn't) Zone Alarm on my Win98 machine, but on upgrading to XP I discovered that when I tried to disconnect from the internet, my connection would crash and have to be shutdown using 'end task', and I'd have to reboot before I could reconnect.
Strangely enough, using XP's own firewalling system this does not happen...
Odd that, isn't it?
I thought it was quite nice the Cash Register people told him how to get the display on a stick working. That's what I call support...
As I understand it, you steer bicycles by turning the handlebars...
Leaning is just balancing the turning force
RESISTANCE IS USELESS!!!!
Bloody hell, I can't believe no-one said that yet...