I think people are more likely to contribute to BOINC and spend 10$/month extra on electricity and cooling than actually pay 10$/month to contribute to research. I bet a lot of people who contribute to BOINC didn't even think about the higher electricity bill.
Your arguments are all valid, it's just that from a marketing point of view I think BOINC has an advantage.
Maybe I've watched too much science fiction, but building self-replicating robots never seems to turn out quite the way you'd want. A few examples: the NS5 robots from I, Robot, the Decepticons - although those weren't man-made, and the Cylons. Is this something we want to recreate? Because humanity only survived the Cylon invasion thanks to the Galactica, so maybe NASA should think about building a few Battlestars before they go messing around with things they don't fully understand.
Hey, maybe that's what the NSA is planning to work on in Utah?
You're right, unfortunately I don't see how we could turn the sink off before the sink runs out of water.
With this artificial tree, burning fossil fuels could mean a net output of zero CO2. This might increase the burning of fossil fuels, which would deplete the world's oil, gas and coal reserves much faster.
As soon as those are empty, we'll start seeing real solutions.
I love the American right-wing conservative way of dealing with people they disagree with: call them a bunch of liberals and walk away feeling good about themselves.
On a side note, here in Flanders, the Liberal party is considered one of the center-right parties.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination (about magnetic declination, obviously)
Long story short, magnetic declination is the difference between the geographical North Pole and the apparent magnetic North Pole at any one place on earth. The secular variation they're talking about is the gradual change in that magnetic declination, or the apparent movement of the Earth's magnetic North Pole. Secular variation is usually between 0 and 15 arcminutes per year - specific example: a nautical chart of the Thames Estuary from 2008 lists a yearly secular variation of 8' (arcminutes) Eastward.
... and I mean that literally. I'm a big fan of space research, but maybe we should also be working on an expedition (or Journey, if you will) to the Centre of the Earth. Or at least find a way to take samples and readings down there. Humanity has never dug deeper than 12,262 meters(*), and although I see the obvious problems in digging for lava, I'm convinced it would yield interesting results.
(*) This number was taken from the following article, about a Russian digging experiment: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=567
And I'll just post this here too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Ocean_Drilling_Program
How do you make copyright laws more like regular property laws?
The way I see it, regular property laws says something like "it's illegal if you take my car without either paying or getting my permission to take it", which is roughly the equivalent of "it's illegal if you take my master tape without either paying or getting my permission to take it".
We're talking about the equivalent of "it's illegal if you make a copy of my car with me not noticing it" - which as far as I know has not put many people behind bars.
If you find 2000-year old pottery in your garden, it's not per definition yours. Could be the same with space rocks, especially if you find them on a public road.
I'm no expert, but isn't is possible that those kids (who would otherwise be joining gangs and dealing drugs) wouldn't know any better than to seek out gangs and drugs as a means to spend their money?
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I think people are more likely to contribute to BOINC and spend 10$/month extra on electricity and cooling than actually pay 10$/month to contribute to research. I bet a lot of people who contribute to BOINC didn't even think about the higher electricity bill.
Your arguments are all valid, it's just that from a marketing point of view I think BOINC has an advantage.
Maybe I've watched too much science fiction, but building self-replicating robots never seems to turn out quite the way you'd want. A few examples: the NS5 robots from I, Robot, the Decepticons - although those weren't man-made, and the Cylons. Is this something we want to recreate? Because humanity only survived the Cylon invasion thanks to the Galactica, so maybe NASA should think about building a few Battlestars before they go messing around with things they don't fully understand. Hey, maybe that's what the NSA is planning to work on in Utah?
High school girls stay the same age as well. Giggity giggity.
You're right, unfortunately I don't see how we could turn the sink off before the sink runs out of water.
With this artificial tree, burning fossil fuels could mean a net output of zero CO2. This might increase the burning of fossil fuels, which would deplete the world's oil, gas and coal reserves much faster.
As soon as those are empty, we'll start seeing real solutions.
Get your own damn satellites.
Of course, I wouldn't tell them that you're just there to meet chicks. Organizations tend to frown on that. Especially the ones involving kids.
This is why we need to support laws that protect our on-line privacy, people!
Other than "up"?
One wonders if you ever even talked to someone who is a member of the working poor.
Talked to - quite likely. Listened to - ...
Obama's decisions never hurt a fly.
I love the American right-wing conservative way of dealing with people they disagree with: call them a bunch of liberals and walk away feeling good about themselves.
On a side note, here in Flanders, the Liberal party is considered one of the center-right parties.
I didn't say it would be easy.
A few interesting links with more info about these subjects:
http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/geomag/field/sec_e.php (about secular variation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination (about magnetic declination, obviously)
Long story short, magnetic declination is the difference between the geographical North Pole and the apparent magnetic North Pole at any one place on earth. The secular variation they're talking about is the gradual change in that magnetic declination, or the apparent movement of the Earth's magnetic North Pole. Secular variation is usually between 0 and 15 arcminutes per year - specific example: a nautical chart of the Thames Estuary from 2008 lists a yearly secular variation of 8' (arcminutes) Eastward.
... and I mean that literally. I'm a big fan of space research, but maybe we should also be working on an expedition (or Journey, if you will) to the Centre of the Earth. Or at least find a way to take samples and readings down there. Humanity has never dug deeper than 12,262 meters(*), and although I see the obvious problems in digging for lava, I'm convinced it would yield interesting results.
(*) This number was taken from the following article, about a Russian digging experiment: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=567
And I'll just post this here too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Ocean_Drilling_Program
How do you make copyright laws more like regular property laws? The way I see it, regular property laws says something like "it's illegal if you take my car without either paying or getting my permission to take it", which is roughly the equivalent of "it's illegal if you take my master tape without either paying or getting my permission to take it". We're talking about the equivalent of "it's illegal if you make a copy of my car with me not noticing it" - which as far as I know has not put many people behind bars.
If you find 2000-year old pottery in your garden, it's not per definition yours. Could be the same with space rocks, especially if you find them on a public road.
If you get hit by a valuable space rock and survive, can you keep it?
If you want to quibble about semantics, here's one for you: an atom with a half-life.
I'm no expert, but isn't is possible that those kids (who would otherwise be joining gangs and dealing drugs) wouldn't know any better than to seek out gangs and drugs as a means to spend their money?
I foresee bankruptcy in late December 2010.