Hey, that gives me an idea; an enterprising author could take some cool ideas about politics, drugs, the meaning of life, etc., place them in a fictional future combined with all kinds of new technology and social advances/deviations and call it science fiction!
Har-har. My point was that Dune was not about new technology. Dune takes place in the year 10,000... Considering that, the technology we're presented with is very basic. Besides moving into space (one giant leap, I know) nothing major is presented. Spice is perhaps the biggest technological breakthrough, and its properties are more magical than sci-fi. I mean, a drug that not only extends your life, but grants you visions of the future, and in the case of your offspring, gives them memories of all their ancestors? And how does it do that? Quite well, I'm sure.
Dune is hardly sci-fi compared to what the Sci-Fi channel wants us to think sci-fi is... They would have us believe that anything with explosions or something unexplained in it is automatically sci-fi. Okay, fine, if that's true, then Dune isn't sci-fi. It's something a lot bigger and better. That's the point I was trying to make.
I didn't mean to insult the... fictional science.... in Dune. I meant to distance it from the general use of the term "sci-fi" which, in part, is the Sci-Fi channel's fault.
Riverworld? The sci-fi version was, ummmm, rather shitty. I wasn't even aware it was based off anything (I don't think they even mentioned that in the ads) but I watched the whole thing and actually felt rather guilty having subjected myself to such TV. I suppose it's better than being guilty of watching whatever big reality show is on FOX at the moment. Right? Heh.
It's kind of like how everyone thinks Sci-Fi did such a great job with Dune. While both mini-series were better than most of Sci-Fi's original garbage, I actually perfer the four hour feature film to either. And even then, I think Dune just doesn't work in non-book form. Of course, a few short years ago, people were probably saying the same the about the LOTR books.
I'm not trying to sound elitist, in fact I don't read much at all (especially compared to mighty KFG), but the six Dune books (I'm not counting the new trash, heh) were not really about sci-fi. Sci-fi was just a good excuse for Herbert to share some cool ideas about politics, drugs, the meaning of life, etc.
And on the subject of reading, I did read the online version of Life Without Principle you linked to once. While it was interesting, it seems like most of those ideas are better expressed in some of your posts, as they apply to this century a little more.
OK, I better stop this KFG fanboy stuff before I scare you off slashdot. Bye! Heh.
I saw that headline and I thought, "OH my god I can sign up already? 1GB here I come!" and bashed gmail.com into my keyboard with great fury in an effort to get my free gigabyte, and what do I see but a FAQ that tells me they are in a closed testing phase.
Dumb slashdot gets me all worked up over nothing. Now granted, I suppose I could do things like, read beyond the headline, but, well, it's slashdot.
Anyway, yeah, privacy complaints, sure. For a service that nobody can use yet. You know, I'd like to register a privacy complaint for Duke Nukem Forver, there's some nasty DRM in that. And I think my sky car is bugged with a hidden camera.
You know, I honestly don't know why I'm even typing this crap. I mean, I'm trying to be funny I guess, but ever since they took the funny karma bonus away, you know, what's the point? The Slashdot FAQ tells me that I have to be smart, not just a smart ass. Well, sorry Taco, I don't know how to do that. So I, like the smartass I am, will now click the "Submit" button, and watch my karma cook!
I said the same sort of thing in a much longer post, and it got modded Redundant. Now that made me chuckle. I guess it means praising KFG isn't offtopic, but it happens so often that it's Redundant. That's awesome!
I don't think you should be so modest. Granted, while nobody's perfect, you have to be one of the best posters here. Not just by sheer numbers, but by constantly having something important and at times life-altering to say.
The fact that you have had and continue to have what seems like a very diverse life jam-packed with so many interesting experiences, and yet continue to find the time to post many comments here, comments that are consistently on a quality far superior that those belonging to those like me, is quite amazing.
I've been reading all your posts since you replied to one of mine about planet sizes... in an article about Quaoar I think. In that post you talked about how ships can carry boats but some boats can carry other boats even though they aren't ships, and insisting on rigid taxonomy for everything is silly, and I was like "Who the hell is this guy, this is awesome!"
Heh. Anyway, yeah, you've got lots of stalkers/worshipers/scary people here so really, you don't need to be too modest about the fact that you're far smarter than the average bear, or slashdotter, or whatever.
And it's really awesome when some AC tries to correct you about something and you're all like, "Well, that's a very interesting subject, and as you see here and here, and current theories state, and [other stuff proving KFG to be a complete genius yet again]"
So yes. This post is totally pointless, other than its point is to say that you don't need to worry about mistakes in your posts on slashdot. Kind of an elaborate way to say that. Heh.
No, no no. You can't start a line with "I for one" on slashdot without making it a reference to the infamous Kent Brockman newscast.
Here, I'll give you some examples:
I, for one, welcome our new knocking alien overlords. I, for one, welcome our new colliding space debris overlords. I, for one, welcome our repetitive slashdot joke overlords.
See how it works now? I hope that next time you start a sentence with "I for one" you will not make the same mistake.
Well, then I feel bad for you, but it's silly to expect the editors to have a filter for stories that occur one day out of the year when they still have problems with basic proof-reading... In fact, I'm surprised you've been part of slashdot for so long... it seems one would need a sense of humor to see past its faults.
Then again, maybe you were joking about not having a sense of humor? Heh...
What the hell is wrong with you people? Don't have a sense of humor? Don't you see the potential for these stories to serve as entertaining discussions, where almost nothing is OT?
Instead, all you can do is complain? If it bugs you then just don't read slashdot today. No one is twisting your arm to do so, and it's not like April Fool's stories are new to Slashdot.
I'd like to demand a filter for posts from whiney folks that can't take a joke or see an opportunity for an interesting discussion.
What made the battle in Wrath of Khan so great was the fact that it was a battle between two of the best. Kirk, a decorated Starfleet Admiral, with years of experience going where none have gone before, up against Khan, a product of late 20th century (heh, woops!) genetic engineering. Khan, while lacking Kirk's experience, likely had ten times Kirk's IQ.
Also, another thing that made the battle so neat was the fact that the Enterprise was attacked with its shields down. So instead of the ship just shaking a bit from the blasts, holes are violently ripped through the hull. Then, the final showdown in the Mutari Nebula, which disrupted the sensors of both ships, was a suspensfull game of hide and seek.
But the really great thing about Star Trek II was the fact that it had a great story and good acting to go with the stunning space battle.
Do you have ANY idea how much energy it takes to send humans to even the nearest stars in any reasonable time-frame?
Heh... if you would have read my post, you'd notice that I stated that it might not even be possible. I fully admit that the very laws of physics could prevent interstellar travel...
However, much of the present technology was once considered impossible. The moon landing, breaking the sound barrier, the automobile, the airplane...
So, it is worth it try. If it's not possible, it won't really matter then, because humanity is trapped in this solar system and doomed to die anyway. If it is possible, then humanity will stretch across the galaxy and enjoy a life far more abundant than what is possible on Earth alone...
The question should be how are we going to support a world with 10,000,000,000 people in it
Last time I checked, the galaxy was pretty big. Perhaps we should move, you know, out there. It might not be easy, or even possible, but if it is, the quality of human life could increase beyond anything possible on this planet alone.
This post is brought to you by Fire($current_name) and Mandrake 10.0! Just got it installed on this box today, actually. Busy building stuff right now.
In fact I'm having a bit of trouble with GTK+, it's yelling about lib/cpp failing sanity check. As far as I know it shouldn't even be using that instead of GCC, but whatever...
I've always loved Mandrake. Anyone can complain that Linux isn't user-friendly, but it takes very brilliant people to actually get up and DO something about it. And that's exactly what the Mandrake distro is: Linux as user-friendly as it gets. From the install to the first time you start X, anyone who has even used a computer will feel right at home.
Granted, to get the most out of any Linux distro, it helps to be a propeller-head, but it's great to know that, once installed, you could teach a granny how to use Mandrake for Web/email/office apps.
I'd just like to sum up my thoughts about why you should give Mandrake money in a quote I saw years ago: "Support those that enrich the world, not those that use the world to get rich."
It's funny this topic would come up. I know this is OT but slashdot folk have helped me before when I post OT questions like this...
I installed Mandrake 10.0 on a box, and went to install GAIM from source. It barfed at me about GTK, even though it is apparently installed. So I downloaded the latest GTK, but when I try to./configure it I get/lib/cpp failed sanity check.
Now I installed all the "development" packages, and checked to make sure GCC was there, and it is, so I have no clue why I'm getting this error. From my understanding./configure shouldn't even be trying to use cpp instead of GCC. What's going on?
SKYNET is worried about a bit of space junk that has some radioactive stuff in it? Excuse me, but we're not the ones that launched nukes at every nation on the planet in an effort to exterminate humanity, you insensitive clod, er, computer!
And uhh, is your UID for sale? Cause it kicks ass, and I'd buy it...
There was a great show about the accident on the history channel... I saw it a few months ago.
Apparently, you know something is wrong with your reactor when liquid that is supposed to be the color of water is green and glows in the dark...:\
Also, there was some sort of problem in actually identifying the problem, and the people that actually knew what was wrong were unable to contact the people at the reactor via phone for some reason until it was almost too late.
I also gathered from the show that things could have been worse... a lot worse. However, just because it's dangerous doesn't mean people should be paranoid. It's just like the space program: NASA is reluctant to use probes with RTGs and the like since people flip out when they hear about it. We're sending nukes into space, oh no! Heh.
Anyway, maybe the history channel will run that show again in honor of the anniversary. It was certainly more interesting that their millions of WW2 documentaries. In fact, I often think the little H in the corner must mean "The Hitler Channel" but maybe that's an exaggeration...
He's right, this money is better spent elsewhere. Bush just wants to create a legacy.
If humans never develop the technology for interstellar space travel, in about 500 million years there will be no "elsewhere" to spend the money.
While I must agree, Bush's "vision" has nothing to do with the space program and everything to do with election year, the point is that if you're for the survival of the human race, nothing is more important than the space program.
Humans are currently trapped on this little blue dot, and long before the sun goes poof, the Earth will not be able to support human life.
So where exactly did you want to spend the money? Medical research? Doesn't help when the human race is gone. Ending world hunger? There won't be anyone left to be hungry anyway.
The space program? It's risky, expensive, and full of unknowns, sure. Perhaps it's not even physically possible to travel fast enough to reach other solar systems. Perhaps, even if it were, there's no place out there for humans. But... if there is... and if it is possible... It's humanity's only chance for survival. So I guess it all comes down to: How much is the survival of the human race worth to you? Once you come up with a figure on that, compare it to NASA's budget.
I can imagine a future for humanity out among the stars... but it will never happen without lots of money for manned spaceflight. It can only happen if more people view the space program as humanity's only hope. It will only happen when people become more concerned with the distant future of humanity than day-to-day life on Earth. Anyway, I've said too much already I guess... at least my sig fits nicely with this post.
So, I was looking for the highest resolution version, and I finally found it here. They have a very amusing warning page:
"You are attempting to access an image with an extremely high resolution. While the file size may be small, the number of pixels these images contains requires at least 113 MB of free RAM that is not being used by any other application, including your operating system.
Many computers and Web browsers will have difficulty viewing this image, which is intended mainly for high-resolution printed and digital material. The image may not appear, it may cause your Web browser to lock up, or it may crash your computer. Some Web browsers will display a "broken image" icon in response to your attempt to view the picture.
If you simply want to view this picture on screen, we recommend choosing one of the other image formats offered. If you still want to use this image, we suggest right-clicking (option-click on a Macintosh) on the following link, then choosing "Save Target As" to directly download this file to your computer. You can then try opening the file using dedicated image-viewing software. But note that few computers will be able to handle even the downloaded version of this image."
Thanks hubblesite, you guys made my day. Now when I look at my five year old system that can barely run WarCraft III, I'll remember that it's one of the few computers in the world able to handle this image.;)
I was using the somewhat recent theory that in ~500 million years the oceans will have vaporized as an estimate to when climate change would become a serious problem for Earthlings.
While indeed much of what humans know about the past and future on this blue dot in space is speculation, simple observation shows that all stars have a finite amount of fuel, and when that fuel runs low, things will change in ways that would not be good for humans, should they not be prepared for those changes.
And while I tend to believe that humans will be prepared, it's not too soon to start thinking about it. Was it not Arthur C. Clarke who said the dinosaurs died because they didn't have a space program? And then my sig fits in nicely here...
Slashdot Mirror
Hey, you forgot about that great Jerry Bruckheimer film, TETRIS.
Meow!
OH, wait, I'm supposed to be all against turning Samus into a sexpot. Woops, sorry about that, heh.
Har-har. My point was that Dune was not about new technology. Dune takes place in the year 10,000... Considering that, the technology we're presented with is very basic. Besides moving into space (one giant leap, I know) nothing major is presented. Spice is perhaps the biggest technological breakthrough, and its properties are more magical than sci-fi. I mean, a drug that not only extends your life, but grants you visions of the future, and in the case of your offspring, gives them memories of all their ancestors? And how does it do that? Quite well, I'm sure.
Dune is hardly sci-fi compared to what the Sci-Fi channel wants us to think sci-fi is... They would have us believe that anything with explosions or something unexplained in it is automatically sci-fi. Okay, fine, if that's true, then Dune isn't sci-fi. It's something a lot bigger and better. That's the point I was trying to make.
I didn't mean to insult the... fictional science.... in Dune. I meant to distance it from the general use of the term "sci-fi" which, in part, is the Sci-Fi channel's fault.
It's kind of like how everyone thinks Sci-Fi did such a great job with Dune. While both mini-series were better than most of Sci-Fi's original garbage, I actually perfer the four hour feature film to either. And even then, I think Dune just doesn't work in non-book form. Of course, a few short years ago, people were probably saying the same the about the LOTR books.
I'm not trying to sound elitist, in fact I don't read much at all (especially compared to mighty KFG), but the six Dune books (I'm not counting the new trash, heh) were not really about sci-fi. Sci-fi was just a good excuse for Herbert to share some cool ideas about politics, drugs, the meaning of life, etc.
And on the subject of reading, I did read the online version of Life Without Principle you linked to once. While it was interesting, it seems like most of those ideas are better expressed in some of your posts, as they apply to this century a little more.
OK, I better stop this KFG fanboy stuff before I scare you off slashdot. Bye! Heh.
Dumb slashdot gets me all worked up over nothing. Now granted, I suppose I could do things like, read beyond the headline, but, well, it's slashdot.
Anyway, yeah, privacy complaints, sure. For a service that nobody can use yet. You know, I'd like to register a privacy complaint for Duke Nukem Forver, there's some nasty DRM in that. And I think my sky car is bugged with a hidden camera.
You know, I honestly don't know why I'm even typing this crap. I mean, I'm trying to be funny I guess, but ever since they took the funny karma bonus away, you know, what's the point? The Slashdot FAQ tells me that I have to be smart, not just a smart ass. Well, sorry Taco, I don't know how to do that. So I, like the smartass I am, will now click the "Submit" button, and watch my karma cook!
I said the same sort of thing in a much longer post, and it got modded Redundant. Now that made me chuckle. I guess it means praising KFG isn't offtopic, but it happens so often that it's Redundant. That's awesome!
The fact that you have had and continue to have what seems like a very diverse life jam-packed with so many interesting experiences, and yet continue to find the time to post many comments here, comments that are consistently on a quality far superior that those belonging to those like me, is quite amazing.
I've been reading all your posts since you replied to one of mine about planet sizes... in an article about Quaoar I think. In that post you talked about how ships can carry boats but some boats can carry other boats even though they aren't ships, and insisting on rigid taxonomy for everything is silly, and I was like "Who the hell is this guy, this is awesome!"
Heh. Anyway, yeah, you've got lots of stalkers/worshipers/scary people here so really, you don't need to be too modest about the fact that you're far smarter than the average bear, or slashdotter, or whatever.
And it's really awesome when some AC tries to correct you about something and you're all like, "Well, that's a very interesting subject, and as you see here and here, and current theories state, and [other stuff proving KFG to be a complete genius yet again]"
So yes. This post is totally pointless, other than its point is to say that you don't need to worry about mistakes in your posts on slashdot. Kind of an elaborate way to say that. Heh.
No, no no. You can't start a line with "I for one" on slashdot without making it a reference to the infamous Kent Brockman newscast.
Here, I'll give you some examples:
I, for one, welcome our new knocking alien overlords.
I, for one, welcome our new colliding space debris overlords.
I, for one, welcome our repetitive slashdot joke overlords.
See how it works now? I hope that next time you start a sentence with "I for one" you will not make the same mistake.
At least the AC didn't bash the initials though, gotta give him credit there. Where's the usual reference to Kentucky Fried Gerbils? Heh...
Well, then I feel bad for you, but it's silly to expect the editors to have a filter for stories that occur one day out of the year when they still have problems with basic proof-reading... In fact, I'm surprised you've been part of slashdot for so long... it seems one would need a sense of humor to see past its faults.
Then again, maybe you were joking about not having a sense of humor? Heh...
Instead, all you can do is complain? If it bugs you then just don't read slashdot today. No one is twisting your arm to do so, and it's not like April Fool's stories are new to Slashdot.
I'd like to demand a filter for posts from whiney folks that can't take a joke or see an opportunity for an interesting discussion.
Also, another thing that made the battle so neat was the fact that the Enterprise was attacked with its shields down. So instead of the ship just shaking a bit from the blasts, holes are violently ripped through the hull. Then, the final showdown in the Mutari Nebula, which disrupted the sensors of both ships, was a suspensfull game of hide and seek.
But the really great thing about Star Trek II was the fact that it had a great story and good acting to go with the stunning space battle.
Heh... if you would have read my post, you'd notice that I stated that it might not even be possible. I fully admit that the very laws of physics could prevent interstellar travel...
However, much of the present technology was once considered impossible. The moon landing, breaking the sound barrier, the automobile, the airplane...
So, it is worth it try. If it's not possible, it won't really matter then, because humanity is trapped in this solar system and doomed to die anyway. If it is possible, then humanity will stretch across the galaxy and enjoy a life far more abundant than what is possible on Earth alone...
Last time I checked, the galaxy was pretty big. Perhaps we should move, you know, out there. It might not be easy, or even possible, but if it is, the quality of human life could increase beyond anything possible on this planet alone.
Let's make a deal... You can have the hoverboard if I get the Mr. Fusion. Sound fair? Thanks!
In fact I'm having a bit of trouble with GTK+, it's yelling about lib/cpp failing sanity check. As far as I know it shouldn't even be using that instead of GCC, but whatever...
I've always loved Mandrake. Anyone can complain that Linux isn't user-friendly, but it takes very brilliant people to actually get up and DO something about it. And that's exactly what the Mandrake distro is: Linux as user-friendly as it gets. From the install to the first time you start X, anyone who has even used a computer will feel right at home.
Granted, to get the most out of any Linux distro, it helps to be a propeller-head, but it's great to know that, once installed, you could teach a granny how to use Mandrake for Web/email/office apps.
I'd just like to sum up my thoughts about why you should give Mandrake money in a quote I saw years ago: "Support those that enrich the world, not those that use the world to get rich."
I installed Mandrake 10.0 on a box, and went to install GAIM from source. It barfed at me about GTK, even though it is apparently installed. So I downloaded the latest GTK, but when I try to ./configure it I get /lib/cpp failed sanity check.
Now I installed all the "development" packages, and checked to make sure GCC was there, and it is, so I have no clue why I'm getting this error. From my understanding ./configure shouldn't even be trying to use cpp instead of GCC. What's going on?
And uhh, is your UID for sale? Cause it kicks ass, and I'd buy it...
Apparently, you know something is wrong with your reactor when liquid that is supposed to be the color of water is green and glows in the dark... :\
Also, there was some sort of problem in actually identifying the problem, and the people that actually knew what was wrong were unable to contact the people at the reactor via phone for some reason until it was almost too late.
I also gathered from the show that things could have been worse... a lot worse. However, just because it's dangerous doesn't mean people should be paranoid. It's just like the space program: NASA is reluctant to use probes with RTGs and the like since people flip out when they hear about it. We're sending nukes into space, oh no! Heh.
Anyway, maybe the history channel will run that show again in honor of the anniversary. It was certainly more interesting that their millions of WW2 documentaries. In fact, I often think the little H in the corner must mean "The Hitler Channel" but maybe that's an exaggeration...
If humans never develop the technology for interstellar space travel, in about 500 million years there will be no "elsewhere" to spend the money.
While I must agree, Bush's "vision" has nothing to do with the space program and everything to do with election year, the point is that if you're for the survival of the human race, nothing is more important than the space program.
Humans are currently trapped on this little blue dot, and long before the sun goes poof, the Earth will not be able to support human life.
So where exactly did you want to spend the money? Medical research? Doesn't help when the human race is gone. Ending world hunger? There won't be anyone left to be hungry anyway.
The space program? It's risky, expensive, and full of unknowns, sure. Perhaps it's not even physically possible to travel fast enough to reach other solar systems. Perhaps, even if it were, there's no place out there for humans. But... if there is... and if it is possible... It's humanity's only chance for survival. So I guess it all comes down to: How much is the survival of the human race worth to you? Once you come up with a figure on that, compare it to NASA's budget.
I can imagine a future for humanity out among the stars... but it will never happen without lots of money for manned spaceflight. It can only happen if more people view the space program as humanity's only hope. It will only happen when people become more concerned with the distant future of humanity than day-to-day life on Earth. Anyway, I've said too much already I guess... at least my sig fits nicely with this post.
*find/replace bombs|guns|warez|porn/fluffy bunnies
There. Now reading my logs would make people think that the Columbine kids and Paris Hilton are really into fluffy bunnies.
Heh, okay, I'll fess up, I sorta borrowed this from a bash.org quote.
"You are attempting to access an image with an extremely high resolution. While the file size may be small, the number of pixels these images contains requires at least 113 MB of free RAM that is not being used by any other application, including your operating system.
Many computers and Web browsers will have difficulty viewing this image, which is intended mainly for high-resolution printed and digital material. The image may not appear, it may cause your Web browser to lock up, or it may crash your computer. Some Web browsers will display a "broken image" icon in response to your attempt to view the picture.
If you simply want to view this picture on screen, we recommend choosing one of the other image formats offered. If you still want to use this image, we suggest right-clicking (option-click on a Macintosh) on the following link, then choosing "Save Target As" to directly download this file to your computer. You can then try opening the file using dedicated image-viewing software. But note that few computers will be able to handle even the downloaded version of this image."
Thanks hubblesite, you guys made my day. Now when I look at my five year old system that can barely run WarCraft III, I'll remember that it's one of the few computers in the world able to handle this image. ;)
Perhaps this record breaker guy was far too busy actually playing the game to notice it was on the GB, heh.
While indeed much of what humans know about the past and future on this blue dot in space is speculation, simple observation shows that all stars have a finite amount of fuel, and when that fuel runs low, things will change in ways that would not be good for humans, should they not be prepared for those changes.
And while I tend to believe that humans will be prepared, it's not too soon to start thinking about it. Was it not Arthur C. Clarke who said the dinosaurs died because they didn't have a space program? And then my sig fits in nicely here...
What do you call a thousand lawyers chained together at the bottom of the ocean?
( wait for it...)
A good start!
Thank you, thank you... And yes I pulled that from a Tom Hanks movie and it was likely and old joke at that point.