You've got a great job, Jim. All you have to do is sit back and let the machine do the work.... Our compliments to the M-5 unit, and regards to Captain Dunsel.
There are certain things men must do to remain men. Your computer would take that away.
I'm not going to bother getting into the specifics, but it's much harder to jam military GPS equipment than to jam civilian equipment. I can't think of a single missile that uses a civilian GPS system as its primary guidance system, and I certainly hope there is no military in the world doing such a foolish thing.
I have heard wild stories of airplane pilots looking at altimeters or even, you'll laugh!, out of a window. I guess these stories can be relegated to the realm of fairy-tales?
Not fairy-tales, just stories from the old days. Pilots, in general, don't fly planes anymore. Computers do. In a modern aircraft the pilot's primary job is going to be as a radio operator, with a secondary job of computer monitor, with a tertiary job of "here in case something breaks".
Modern systems on modern aircraft landing at modern airports can land without much pilot intervention, save for calling and asking for clearance to land. Some systems can even apply brakes. Sure, I'm exaggerating a bit, as this tech isn't in 100% production on every new aircraft and it's not absolutely perfect, but it sure is getting there fast!
Of course there are still some real pilots in the world, but even the military is going this route to the fullest extent possible.
I would bet that the US government has the capability to distort the signal within seconds over potential targets.
If the US government has thought things through, they've made GPS remappable in emergency situations. So instead of that $99 guidance system being a benefit to lunatic dictators, it is now a remote control in the hands of the US govt. This could be used to fool the missiles into thinking they're over a target such as Tokyo when in reality they're harmlessly over the ocean or harmfully in Pyongyang.
You've thought this out pretty well and come up with something I wish was true. I have to say, though, you're giving the government a lot more credit than it's due. On top of the fact that this wasn't implemented, messing with GPS signals is simply too dangerous and tricky. It's used by all manner of military and civilians, both American and ally (as well as some hostile), not to exclude special forces, regular ground forces, downed aircrews, and still-in-the-air aircrews. It's a crucial navigational tool for many people and organizations, and even the slightest GPS outage could have huge ramifications. It is MUCH easier to pop up some AAA and patriot missile batteries than to risk screwing with GPS in a given area. It's even more dangerous to do it in a war zone, and a great way to get your own people killed.
Not to mention President Clinton turning off selective availability in 2000 for these very reasons.
I know it makes people nervous that President Bush could have the capability of turning off their precious GPS, but they have to realize American leadership has long known it's a bad idea, and has no intention of turning it off. We can rarely stop our adversaries from using the technologies we develop, we just have to try to delay it. It's been delayed for a long time now, but that battle is over. Now we're too busying trying to stop people from getting high-power lasers, newer NVG technology, and things that can shoot down american aircraft.
When you said you installed your own solar system, my first reaction was that creating an entire solar system was a pretty extreme - but doubtless effective and environmentally friendly - way of generating energy.
My own solar system was just the beginning, but that's my "God Complex" shining through. Some environmental groups forced me to shut it down, though, because it emits a lot of radiation. Unfortunately this got PETA pissed off because a lot of species went extinct when I destroyed it.
Seriously, though, the photovoltaic system is awesome. Even on overcast days in the winter we get enough power to roll the meter backwards unless a lot of appliances are on!
It's a shame this is posted anonymously. Approached like a true physicist. Nobody ever revolutionized anything by saying "these are the rules and they can't be broken, bent, or changed."
Given the current (and extremely recent) unexplainable phenomena in every branch of physics, from ducting to whether or not gravitons or gravitational waves exist, to the lack of a unified theory, to well, just everything... I'm not saying there are no explanations or theories that cover these, just that the current explanations are incomplete or unproven. It's insane to say that the current world of physics won't be overthrown in the future.
We laugh at the idea of the world being flat because it's so obvious to us now that we know better. We're not laughing AT people for not knowing better, the thought just seems ridiculous to us now. Just like the thought of not being able to break the sound barrier because we didn't know how, or all of the crazy theories about nuclear chain reactions, or all of the wild conjecture about what causes the bends and what is safe for deep sea diving. The simple fact of the matter is that, at the moment, what we have is the best we can think of. The scientific process and open flow of information allows us to constantly improve that, but that also means that (if all goes well) anything that isn't 100% accurate all of the time will eventually be replaced or modified so that it is.
I can only hope that, 100 years from now, my kid will still be alive and healthy, laughing at my generation being unable to cure the common virus, generate electricity without waste, and travel faster than light.
Less than 42 years, seeing as to how we will be spending less money on repairing the environment and everything else associated with externalities of natural gas, coal, nuclear, etc. An important thing to note: gas and oil prices are only likely to go up, as they are a limited resource, and supply is decreasing.
Also of note is TCO and additional expenses not included in the "oil costs $X/gallon" figure. You can't just pour oil on electric lines and expect to have electricity; even that would require paying someone to pour it on them, transportation costs, etc. The oil (or natural gas, most likely, coal) is paid for, it's shipped to the plant (which requires more oil to ship it), it's unloaded by workers, stored until ready to be used, then burned. Under current labor laws the workers must be paid, and the plant usually belongs to a company which wants to make a profit on its investment (buying the land, building the plant, running the lines, paying the workers, buying the fuel, paying its executives, cleaning up hazardous spills, appeasing the environmentalists). So, in reality, if a barrel of oil costs $62, you're probably paying at least $70 for the energy it produces, a good 30% of which is lost in transmission over the grid.
When we decided to put in our solar system it cost us around $20,000 and should pay for itself in 7 years. It should last at least 20 years without any significant maintenance costs (no batteries, still on the grid). Windmills are essentially the same way in that they're extremely reliable with only a few working parts. Maintenance may be needed occasionally, but it's not like having a team of nuclear technicians running a plant.
What really amazes me is that a good solar system costs $20,000-$30,000, and the average home price where I grew up is about $500,000 with energy prices of a good $0.50/kWh. A builder could easily increase the cost of the home to $550,000, tell the buyers they're going to be saving $400/month on electricity at CURRENT prices, and make a profit. I'm sure they could get some sort of a subsidy from the state and environmentalists to make an even bigger profit.
DELETE THE ACCOUNT DELETE THE ACCOUNT DELETE THE ACCOUNT did I mention delete the account?
Sorry about the excessive use of caps but the solution seems so very painfully obvious. Deleting the person's account when they leave protects both parties.
As sad as this is, I've worked in places where they would not have known to, or HOW to, do such things if I hadn't told them before I left. This is especially true in smaller organizations where there may only be one competent IT guy. I've had to tell people the administrator or root password, ask them to delete my account, then explain how, then explain how to change administrator/root passwords. Yes, I know the passwords should be written down and inside of a sealed envelope inside of the boss's safe.
And let's not even discuss "training your replacement". These are good indicators that the company should be making every effort to ensure their sysadmin is NOT leaving...
the 99% of top scientists who *agree* on global warming.
Seeing as how all believers judge a scientist's worth by whether or not he agrees with global warming, you can just go ahead and claim "100% of top scientists". We really don't expect anything better out of your crowd...
And when are the oil companies going to pay ME for writing this stuff? I've been buying their gas for years now...
The biggest problem with plants is that they don't do much to get rid of CO2. They just store it for a few years and to a limited extent return it to the ground. While planting more plants is unlikely to hurt things (even if they release trace amounts of methan), they do not solve the core problem. The core problem is that we are taking massive quantities of old organic matter and burning it. When we burn organic matter that has not been in the ecosystem for millions of years, we add substantial amounts of CO2 (among other things) into the atmosphere.
I've already solved that but nobody will fund me! Instead of sucking all the oil out of the ground, burning it all, then moving on to the next hole when we're done, I propose that we chop down all those pesky forests, bury them in the dry oil holes, and plant new seeds where the forests were. Monitor forest-filled-oil-hole until it becomes oil-filled-hole. Wash and repeat. There's profit in there somewhere too, especially if you do contract killing and throw the dead bodies in (for a price).
The cause to limit Global Warming is based on the threat to survival, not simply because its "unnatural"...perhaps you'd like to try living in a wild new climate - there are plenty to practice in.
I for one can't wait to see the day of man end. I imagine my bandwidth will increase by at least a magnitude of 2, latency should drop way down, and no more peak hours. I'll never get another spam or sales call. Hell, I may never have to see another advertisement again! Microsoft will cease to be an evil corporation (because it'll no longer exist), and I'll never hear about politics again. I don't expect to see another bible thumper knocking on my door, either.
Paradise on earth at last!!!
But seriously, I'm going to miss sex, and I realize I'll eventually run out of beer. And if I have to resort to eating rabbit again, there's going to be hell to pay!
More likely someone at the phone company is getting paid to send them the information. How much would it cost for you to deliver some information from your company? $50 an item? With a assured flow of cash as long as you keep the supply flowing?
Actually this is just the next step for phone companies. They'll launch a new feature in a few months that'll only cost $10/month: assured privacy of your phone records!
If people will pay $3 for a ringtone that expires in 45 or 90 days...
Doesn't this kinda violate Asimov's first law of robotics?
No, because by sacrificing themselves to teach humans self-defense they're protecting humans from harm! And isn't that what robot-man love is all about?
I really do not know what to say about these signs... All I can say is, English education in Japan is so inefficient to the point where it is a national disgrace.
The general lack of competency in English in Japan does not really mean we are linguistically incapable, though. (At least my English is good enough to get me through graduate schools in the us.)
While I fully agree (and use the same argument to defend Americans), it still doesn't explain people stopping in the middle of the road to grab an ice cream or a drink from a vending machine.
I once ordered a curry with 1300g of rice
You are indeed my hero. I'm still having trouble finishing 300g of rice with a full order of curry.
But yeah, if I can ever bring chipotle burrito and In 'N Out to Japan, and then bring Coco's to the states, I'll be one rich man. I'm going to miss that place if I ever leave here.
All of that being said, I like to make fun of engrish because it really makes me laugh but my linguistic abilities are failing me when it comes to learning Japanese. I can't seem to get past "domo arigato" even though I speak a few other languages fluently and learned them with ease.
My issue isn't that people have trouble with english. It's that, despite having tens of thousands of american military members living in Japan, fully capable of proofreading for them, they decide to actually print these signs and banners without having anyone make sure they're anywhere near coherent. Not that I mind, I get to laugh my head off whenever I go exploring new areas, but I do feel bad for the reputation of the Japanese.
I did it because the poster you were replying to used his anecdotal evidence as if it was scientifically sound or reliable while claiming scientists pull numbers out of thin air.
This is not to say that anecdotal evidence never leads to a scientifically sound conclusion. Many inquiries are started with the conversation as simple as:
John: "Most of my IBM Deskstar hard drives have died!" Chris: "Me too!" John: "Let's ask Bob if he's had any problems with them." --- Bob: "Yup, most of mine have died, and a friend of mine over at ACME Computers has had a lot of returns on them!" --- TV Announcer: "And a class action lawsuit was filed today against IBM..."
It's just that, by definition, anecdotal evidence does not show causation or provide any reliable correlation. It means jack shit until proven otherwise.
These things make me very proud of being a Japanese, hehe...
While I admire your technological prowess (and Cocoichibanya), your driving abilities still need some work, and whoever does the english translations for your signs should either be shot or forced to listen to Vogon poetry for hours on end. Free generator available.
Slashdot Mirror
There are certain things men must do to remain men. Your computer would take that away.
I'm not going to bother getting into the specifics, but it's much harder to jam military GPS equipment than to jam civilian equipment. I can't think of a single missile that uses a civilian GPS system as its primary guidance system, and I certainly hope there is no military in the world doing such a foolish thing.
(in an evil-sounding american military voice) For now...
Not true! We've still got the aussies AND the canadians!
And what do you get when you mix canadians, americans, and aussies? A whole lot of drinking, snowballing, and crazy things caught on video tape.
I'm telling you, the rest of the world is missing out on the party. If the brits are too prissy to stay, well, they can go play with France.
Not fairy-tales, just stories from the old days. Pilots, in general, don't fly planes anymore. Computers do. In a modern aircraft the pilot's primary job is going to be as a radio operator, with a secondary job of computer monitor, with a tertiary job of "here in case something breaks".
Modern systems on modern aircraft landing at modern airports can land without much pilot intervention, save for calling and asking for clearance to land. Some systems can even apply brakes. Sure, I'm exaggerating a bit, as this tech isn't in 100% production on every new aircraft and it's not absolutely perfect, but it sure is getting there fast!
Of course there are still some real pilots in the world, but even the military is going this route to the fullest extent possible.
You've thought this out pretty well and come up with something I wish was true. I have to say, though, you're giving the government a lot more credit than it's due. On top of the fact that this wasn't implemented, messing with GPS signals is simply too dangerous and tricky. It's used by all manner of military and civilians, both American and ally (as well as some hostile), not to exclude special forces, regular ground forces, downed aircrews, and still-in-the-air aircrews. It's a crucial navigational tool for many people and organizations, and even the slightest GPS outage could have huge ramifications. It is MUCH easier to pop up some AAA and patriot missile batteries than to risk screwing with GPS in a given area. It's even more dangerous to do it in a war zone, and a great way to get your own people killed.
Not to mention President Clinton turning off selective availability in 2000 for these very reasons.
I know it makes people nervous that President Bush could have the capability of turning off their precious GPS, but they have to realize American leadership has long known it's a bad idea, and has no intention of turning it off. We can rarely stop our adversaries from using the technologies we develop, we just have to try to delay it. It's been delayed for a long time now, but that battle is over. Now we're too busying trying to stop people from getting high-power lasers, newer NVG technology, and things that can shoot down american aircraft.
My own solar system was just the beginning, but that's my "God Complex" shining through. Some environmental groups forced me to shut it down, though, because it emits a lot of radiation. Unfortunately this got PETA pissed off because a lot of species went extinct when I destroyed it.
Seriously, though, the photovoltaic system is awesome. Even on overcast days in the winter we get enough power to roll the meter backwards unless a lot of appliances are on!
It's a shame this is posted anonymously. Approached like a true physicist. Nobody ever revolutionized anything by saying "these are the rules and they can't be broken, bent, or changed."
Given the current (and extremely recent) unexplainable phenomena in every branch of physics, from ducting to whether or not gravitons or gravitational waves exist, to the lack of a unified theory, to well, just everything... I'm not saying there are no explanations or theories that cover these, just that the current explanations are incomplete or unproven. It's insane to say that the current world of physics won't be overthrown in the future.
We laugh at the idea of the world being flat because it's so obvious to us now that we know better. We're not laughing AT people for not knowing better, the thought just seems ridiculous to us now. Just like the thought of not being able to break the sound barrier because we didn't know how, or all of the crazy theories about nuclear chain reactions, or all of the wild conjecture about what causes the bends and what is safe for deep sea diving. The simple fact of the matter is that, at the moment, what we have is the best we can think of. The scientific process and open flow of information allows us to constantly improve that, but that also means that (if all goes well) anything that isn't 100% accurate all of the time will eventually be replaced or modified so that it is.
I can only hope that, 100 years from now, my kid will still be alive and healthy, laughing at my generation being unable to cure the common virus, generate electricity without waste, and travel faster than light.
Also of note is TCO and additional expenses not included in the "oil costs $X/gallon" figure. You can't just pour oil on electric lines and expect to have electricity; even that would require paying someone to pour it on them, transportation costs, etc. The oil (or natural gas, most likely, coal) is paid for, it's shipped to the plant (which requires more oil to ship it), it's unloaded by workers, stored until ready to be used, then burned. Under current labor laws the workers must be paid, and the plant usually belongs to a company which wants to make a profit on its investment (buying the land, building the plant, running the lines, paying the workers, buying the fuel, paying its executives, cleaning up hazardous spills, appeasing the environmentalists). So, in reality, if a barrel of oil costs $62, you're probably paying at least $70 for the energy it produces, a good 30% of which is lost in transmission over the grid.
When we decided to put in our solar system it cost us around $20,000 and should pay for itself in 7 years. It should last at least 20 years without any significant maintenance costs (no batteries, still on the grid). Windmills are essentially the same way in that they're extremely reliable with only a few working parts. Maintenance may be needed occasionally, but it's not like having a team of nuclear technicians running a plant.
What really amazes me is that a good solar system costs $20,000-$30,000, and the average home price where I grew up is about $500,000 with energy prices of a good $0.50/kWh. A builder could easily increase the cost of the home to $550,000, tell the buyers they're going to be saving $400/month on electricity at CURRENT prices, and make a profit. I'm sure they could get some sort of a subsidy from the state and environmentalists to make an even bigger profit.
As sad as this is, I've worked in places where they would not have known to, or HOW to, do such things if I hadn't told them before I left. This is especially true in smaller organizations where there may only be one competent IT guy. I've had to tell people the administrator or root password, ask them to delete my account, then explain how, then explain how to change administrator/root passwords. Yes, I know the passwords should be written down and inside of a sealed envelope inside of the boss's safe.
And let's not even discuss "training your replacement". These are good indicators that the company should be making every effort to ensure their sysadmin is NOT leaving...
Seeing as how all believers judge a scientist's worth by whether or not he agrees with global warming, you can just go ahead and claim "100% of top scientists". We really don't expect anything better out of your crowd...
And when are the oil companies going to pay ME for writing this stuff? I've been buying their gas for years now...
I've already solved that but nobody will fund me! Instead of sucking all the oil out of the ground, burning it all, then moving on to the next hole when we're done, I propose that we chop down all those pesky forests, bury them in the dry oil holes, and plant new seeds where the forests were. Monitor forest-filled-oil-hole until it becomes oil-filled-hole. Wash and repeat. There's profit in there somewhere too, especially if you do contract killing and throw the dead bodies in (for a price).
I for one can't wait to see the day of man end. I imagine my bandwidth will increase by at least a magnitude of 2, latency should drop way down, and no more peak hours. I'll never get another spam or sales call. Hell, I may never have to see another advertisement again! Microsoft will cease to be an evil corporation (because it'll no longer exist), and I'll never hear about politics again. I don't expect to see another bible thumper knocking on my door, either.
Paradise on earth at last!!!
But seriously, I'm going to miss sex, and I realize I'll eventually run out of beer. And if I have to resort to eating rabbit again, there's going to be hell to pay!
Quiet. Let the slashdot experts speak
I wish I had mod points for you. Many thanks, finally have working wireless on my laptop! :)
Actually this is just the next step for phone companies. They'll launch a new feature in a few months that'll only cost $10/month: assured privacy of your phone records!
If people will pay $3 for a ringtone that expires in 45 or 90 days...
No, no, he was just talking about his glasses!
Surely you don't think the ones with the black background and green text are ugly?
No, because by sacrificing themselves to teach humans self-defense they're protecting humans from harm! And isn't that what robot-man love is all about?
I think you meant to say "SPELLING NAZIS BEWARE", but I'll let it slide.
Great, he'll get along well with the christians then. Just replace "12th Imam" with "Jesus #2".
The question isn't "who invented it first?"
The real question is "who holds the patent?"
While I fully agree (and use the same argument to defend Americans), it still doesn't explain people stopping in the middle of the road to grab an ice cream or a drink from a vending machine.
You are indeed my hero. I'm still having trouble finishing 300g of rice with a full order of curry.
But yeah, if I can ever bring chipotle burrito and In 'N Out to Japan, and then bring Coco's to the states, I'll be one rich man. I'm going to miss that place if I ever leave here.
All of that being said, I like to make fun of engrish because it really makes me laugh but my linguistic abilities are failing me when it comes to learning Japanese. I can't seem to get past "domo arigato" even though I speak a few other languages fluently and learned them with ease.
My issue isn't that people have trouble with english. It's that, despite having tens of thousands of american military members living in Japan, fully capable of proofreading for them, they decide to actually print these signs and banners without having anyone make sure they're anywhere near coherent. Not that I mind, I get to laugh my head off whenever I go exploring new areas, but I do feel bad for the reputation of the Japanese.
Sorry, satire was intended.
I did it because the poster you were replying to used his anecdotal evidence as if it was scientifically sound or reliable while claiming scientists pull numbers out of thin air.
This is not to say that anecdotal evidence never leads to a scientifically sound conclusion. Many inquiries are started with the conversation as simple as:
John: "Most of my IBM Deskstar hard drives have died!"
Chris: "Me too!"
John: "Let's ask Bob if he's had any problems with them."
---
Bob: "Yup, most of mine have died, and a friend of mine over at ACME Computers has had a lot of returns on them!"
---
TV Announcer: "And a class action lawsuit was filed today against IBM..."
It's just that, by definition, anecdotal evidence does not show causation or provide any reliable correlation. It means jack shit until proven otherwise.
While I admire your technological prowess (and Cocoichibanya), your driving abilities still need some work, and whoever does the english translations for your signs should either be shot or forced to listen to Vogon poetry for hours on end. Free generator available.