This book breaks all subjects down, and starts explaining each of them in terms of a single point, or single atom. Then it expands each topic out to the real world, ending with real, practical examples of how the topic affects the physical world.
This may be the best book on physics I ever read. The author's full name is Hans C. Ohanian. Enjoy!
The thing I find most interesting about this discussion is the way people keep referencing the novel as if it really happened. Almost as if it were a story from our history instead of a work of fiction by an extremely creative mind.
I read a few pages of Ender's Game everyday at work. It's one of only a small handful of non-technical books I keep on my desk. It's a very worn paperback copy, and it rests between my two copies of Paradise Lost and my well-worn copy of Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus. I've probably finished the book 10 or 12 times in the past four years. And I think I know the reason we keep referring to the story as if it were fact.
Ender is a geek. He's bright and talented to the point where the only way people in competition with Ender can hope to succeed is by bringing him down. I know we've all read story after story and post after post about how difficult it is to grow up exceptional. (Remember the post-Columbine stories?) We don't simply relate to Ender. We aren't simply empathizing with him. Ender is us, and we are him.
Now that I've said all of that: It's cool that Mr. Card wrote a book that tells some of the truth about leadership and building a team. It's neat that he got it so right. But let us not forget that it is a work of fiction, and it worked out for Ender because that's the way the author wanted it to. Just because it worked in the story doesn't mean that it'll work in reality. We should glean what we can from Orson Scott Card's insight into human nature, but I can't imagine using any work of fiction as a training manual.
Ender's emotions and reations are real to me. I relate to his experience in some way. But we can't lose sight of the fact that Ender's actions and successes were part of a plot in a work of fiction. Any similarity between the fictional environment of the Battle School and reality is a testament to the imagination of the author, and not a sign that this book should be taken as Gospel.
It was probably some over-eager credit card company who will now use the information to send 60,000 "pre-approved" credit card applications to the students. I mean, come on. Everyone knows we have to keep these students drowning in a pool of debt. Otherwise, how would the economey function?
I've had these three books for 10 years. They are, without a doubt, the most important books available on Computer Science. Particularly, Volume 3, sorting and searching.
Please! It's not like everyone needs a unique frequency to communicate. Think about the way tcp/ip works. All those ethernet cards all using the same frequency and I still get my email, and my streaming audio. Two PCS phones, in the same room can still use the same frequency to talk to the tower. They just use addressing to know to which phone a digital packet is directed.
As for how much bandwidth a single frequency can handle, that will depend more on technology than on the radio signal itself. A radio signal can be modulated within an almost infinite range. It's building the transmitters and receivers that can disern the minute modulations that is the problem.
I would guess that given vague input, even a quantum search engine would return all possible matches, thus leaving people still wading through vast numbers of useless dead links.
What I want to see is a quantum search of the web in real-time. That should eliminate dead links. But would bandwidth ever be able to support that?
The satelites are grouped together, with only a few being visible at any one time from any one point on earth. If you turn SA on for a set of the transmitters, then any receiver that is relying on two or more of these now bogus signals, will become confused. The amount of SA is variable, from a few feet up to several miles. Note that the satelites used by a reciever in Dallas, TX are different than those used by a receiver in New York. Or even New Orleans.
Can anyone help me get Linux installed on the On-Board Diagnostic Computer in my 1996 Chevy S-10? I'm having some problems getting LILO to recongize the GM partition on the built-in EPROMs. Thanks!
Slashdot Mirror
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the double-slit experiment, there is a very clear, non-technical explanation here.
Damn, you beat me to it. I was drafting my version when yours came out. Good job!
I have to give my vote for worst car name of all-time to the Fiat.
"It's a car because we say it's a car."
This book breaks all subjects down, and starts explaining each of them in terms of a single point, or single atom. Then it expands each topic out to the real world, ending with real, practical examples of how the topic affects the physical world.
This may be the best book on physics I ever read.
The author's full name is Hans C. Ohanian. Enjoy!
The thing I find most interesting about this discussion is the way people keep referencing the novel as if it really happened. Almost as if it were a story from our history instead of a work of fiction by an extremely creative mind.
I read a few pages of Ender's Game everyday at work. It's one of only a small handful of non-technical books I keep on my desk. It's a very worn paperback copy, and it rests between my two copies of Paradise Lost and my well-worn copy of Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus. I've probably finished the book 10 or 12 times in the past four years. And I think I know the reason we keep referring to the story as if it were fact.
Ender is a geek. He's bright and talented to the point where the only way people in competition with Ender can hope to succeed is by bringing him down. I know we've all read story after story and post after post about how difficult it is to grow up exceptional. (Remember the post-Columbine stories?) We don't simply relate to Ender. We aren't simply empathizing with him. Ender is us, and we are him.
Now that I've said all of that: It's cool that Mr. Card wrote a book that tells some of the truth about leadership and building a team. It's neat that he got it so right. But let us not forget that it is a work of fiction, and it worked out for Ender because that's the way the author wanted it to. Just because it worked in the story doesn't mean that it'll work in reality. We should glean what we can from Orson Scott Card's insight into human nature, but I can't imagine using any work of fiction as a training manual.
Ender's emotions and reations are real to me. I relate to his experience in some way. But we can't lose sight of the fact that Ender's actions and successes were part of a plot in a work of fiction. Any similarity between the fictional environment of the Battle School and reality is a testament to the imagination of the author, and not a sign that this book should be taken as Gospel.
It was probably some over-eager credit card company who will now use the information to send 60,000 "pre-approved" credit card applications to the students. I mean, come on. Everyone knows we have to keep these students drowning in a pool of debt. Otherwise, how would the economey function?
Just my $0.02.
Please! It's not like everyone needs a unique frequency to communicate. Think about the way tcp/ip works. All those ethernet cards all using the same frequency and I still get my email, and my streaming audio. Two PCS phones, in the same room can still use the same frequency to talk to the tower. They just use addressing to know to which phone a digital packet is directed.
As for how much bandwidth a single frequency can handle, that will depend more on technology than on the radio signal itself. A radio signal can be modulated within an almost infinite range. It's building the transmitters and receivers that can disern the minute modulations that is the problem.
I would guess that given vague input, even a quantum search engine would return all possible matches, thus leaving people still wading through vast numbers of useless dead links.
What I want to see is a quantum search of the web in real-time. That should eliminate dead links. But would bandwidth ever be able to support that?
Did the Chronicler in "Young Zaphod Plays it Safe" ever remember the point to the story?
The satelites are grouped together, with only a few being visible at any one time from any one point on earth. If you turn SA on for a set of the transmitters, then any receiver that is relying on two or more of these now bogus signals, will become confused. The amount of SA is variable, from a few feet up to several miles. Note that the satelites used by a reciever in Dallas, TX are different than those used by a receiver in New York. Or even New Orleans.
"The music suffers, but the music business thrives." -- Paul Simon, The Rhythm of the Saints
Can anyone help me get Linux installed on the On-Board Diagnostic Computer in my 1996 Chevy S-10? I'm having some problems getting LILO to recongize the GM partition on the built-in EPROMs. Thanks!