Re:what will be improved by finished product...
on
This is IT?
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· Score: 2
If they can get the weight of the whole scooter under 30 pounds, have a top speed around 22-25 mph, a range of 35-40 miles, easily folded up and the cost around US$1,000, I think there would a LOT of consumer interest.
At that point, it would have the portability of a good Dahon folding bicycle, and that means the scooter in folded-up form can be schlepped through public transport quite easily (now you know why BART love bicycle riders who use folding bikes--these people can ride any car on the train and use any station even during commute hours).
Re:It's a damn scooter
on
This is IT?
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· Score: 3, Insightful
I think two things will likely lower the cost of scooters based on Segway technology:
1. The on-board computing power will get more powerful and get quite a bit smaller in a few years--imagine all the control electronics fitting in the space of two standard-sized deck of playing cards or less.
2. The use of improved metal alloys and/or composite materials plus better battery design could lower the weight to under 30 pounds, which will allow people to carry it around like we do now with folding bicycles.
I foresee Segway-like scooters with a top speed of 22-25 mph and a range of 35-40 miles by 2005. In that case the scooter does become a very useful urban transportation device.
Look, we've had over 140 years to get people used to riding a bicycle and about 40 years to get people used to riding skateboards.
Because Segway operates in a way that is quite different than you expect for a bicycle or skateboard, it will take some getting used to in order to operate it. Expect not a few bumps and bruises from new Segway users learning how to operate this unusual scooter, that's to be sure.
From what I read in that article, the issue of security is still not completely addressed.:-(
I think as the units get lighter (I'm sure with the use of improved and lighter metal alloys and/or composites they could shave about 15-20 pounds off the current 65 pound weight), such a scooter could be light enough to be hand-carried inside a building to your office cubicle.
From what I can tell, the great thing about this invention is that you don't NEED to learn how to use it. It is supposed to read your "body language" to figure out how you want to go, as if you were walking! So who needs training then?
While it might be natural for someone like Dean Kamen, the problem is that the way it works is totally unlike that of a bicycle, let alone a skateboard. It'll take some getting used to in order to operate Segway.
It's going to be expensive like the first product of everything is expensive. Like the first computers, pdas, etc. If you want if first, you shell out the cash. prices should go down with time.
I think Kamen should have talked quietly with scooter and motorcycle manufacturers about keeping the cost reasonable even for the early production versions. That's why I suggested Honda; after all, Honda knows how to build high-quality products at low cost and Honda (like I said earlier) can borrow from its expertise in building motorcycles and electric vehicles to slash production costs on Segway. In fact, if the Segway idea does pan out don't be surprised that Honda does become a major manufacturer of this unusual scooter.
Neat idea but....
on
This is IT?
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
While Dean Kamen's Segway scooter is an interesting technological achievement, I have two concerns:
1. Because using Segway is so unlike anything out there in terms of personal transportation devices, the reseller better really teach people how to use it correctly. I have visions of clueless Segway riders crashing into other pedestrians and larger vehicles because they're not used to how to stop this scooter.
2. The US$3,000.00 cost for the personal version is way too expensive, IMHO. Kamen should seriously talk with the one company that produce a Segway-like scooter at a reasonable cost: Honda. Using its motorcycle and electric vehicle expertise, Honda could build such a scooter for US$1,800.00 or less per scooter.
I think right now there may be a deal in the offing to very likely have current @Home subscribers switched over EarthLink as their cable modem ISP.
It may take a while, but EarthLink is the natural to replace Excite@Home because 1) EarthLink already has cable modem experience from their rollout on Time-Warner cable systems and 2) EarthLink has a big enough infrastructure to handle 4 million high-speed users.
Two other ISP's may be in the running: MSN and AOL. I wonder will AT&T and Cox make it possible to make MSN as one possible ISP for former @Home subscribers.
One thing you fail to realize, I (and others in the US, thus, partially, the lack of the option) don't want super-integrated, ultra-bitchin', mega-color, web-surfin' on a screen that is 2" by 2". What I really want is an easy way to hook my computer (whether that be a handheld, laptop, whatever) into my cell phone so that I can dial into any service I want, not just the distilled pablum that the cell-phone companies try to shove down my throat because someone paid them an ass-load of cash. I've seen the 'wireless web', and it's just ugly. I didn't even use it during the free trial period. God knows I'm not going to pay for it.
That is exactly why the iMode concept isn't going to fly in the USA. Who wants a screen that is essentially a tiny cartoon-like color display that is not that useful? For American cellphone users, they'd rather wait for larger displays with full Palm OS functionality on their 3G phones so at least the cellphone have some real functionality for a change. The other thing Americans will probably want is the cdma2000 digital cellular format so high-speed data transfers over cellullar connections (read at least 256 kilobits per second bi-directional) becomes useful for laptop users.
I believe the reason why Orbital Sciences switched to a modified L1011 for its launch platform was the fact they didn't want to rely on NASA's NB-52A to launch the rockets, given that the NASA plane is often used for other research.
Re:No. They are already abundant down here.
on
Mining On The Moon
·
· Score: 2
The problem is that most of the world's supply of titanium is coming from the former Soviet Union. The geopolitical considerations of that is obvious, that's to be sure.
Indeed, that's the problem with a lot of rare-earth metals--they're all located in areas that have serious geopolitical problems (remember tantalum?).
Does aluminum and titanium interest you?
on
Mining On The Moon
·
· Score: 2
I think the fact we've discovered that Moon rocks are rich in titanium, aluminum and several other strategic minerals is one very good reason why people are looking forward to Moon mining.
Given the usefulness of aluminum and the high strength of titanium, I can guess within 100 years most of the Earth's supply of these two metals will come from the Moon, not the Earth.
I think what you are kind of ignoring is the fact that Quake 3 is no longer the real benchmark for 3-D graphics quality--after all, the game doesn't really take advantage of DirectX 8.x routines.
Try running a game that truly takes advantage of DirectX 8.x routines such as Flight Simulator 2002. If the display driver for your Radeon card properly addresses DirectX 8.x support you should be able to run FS 2002 at around 45-50 fps at 1024x768 32-bit color with no problems even with all 3-D effects turned on (I don't find running above 1024x768 to be useful in most games). That means even very complex 3-D scenes will be rendered with very smooth motion.
By the way, given the fact that memory is dirt-cheap nowadays, you may want to upgrade to 256 MB of RAM. That makes a big difference with the very latest games since you won't have to swap files to and from the hard drive so often.
I think while it's nice to be able to run over 60 fps on a GeForce2 MX series, the problem is that you won't get the realistic 3-D look without taking a major hit (pun not intended) in performance.
With the GeForce3 and newer chipsets, you now have the capability to render in real time far more realistic-looking games and still maintain very high frame rates. The current GeForce3 Ti 500 can render DirectX 8.0 and later-compliant games with all 3-D effects turned on at over 60 fps even at 1280x1024 32-bit color on today's faster Pentium 4 and Athlon CPU's.
I find it useful that Microsoft is essentially giving the chance for a bunch of people to learn the operating system that is installed on 85% of the world's desktop computers--and that means you will have a skill set that will enhance the chances to get a job down the road.
I mean, think about it: the current state of Linux is still going to limit itself to server, high-end workstation, and embedded markets, where ease of use is less of an issue. Linux (IMHO) has still some ways to go to match Windows in terms of automatic configuration, unless the future Linux 2.6.x kernel incorporates Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) support.
PlayStation 2 will still rule at least this Christmas because they finally have the killer app games that really show off the system: Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, Metal Gear Solid 2, Madden NFL 2002, and coming early next year Final Fantasy X.
Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec is right now the coolest driving game I've ever played, especially if you can get the optional Logitech steering wheel/pedal controller.
I'm hoping that Konami releases a PS2-specific version of Dance Dance Revolution soon.:)
Having read all four books, I still think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the movie that least translates well into a movie that movie reviewers like. It's going to be fun to watch the intense dislike between Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley from the second book in the next movie.
By the way, the British schoolboy books are almost unknown in the USA. Having to explain concepts such as prefects and Head Boy/Girl can confuse American readers at times.
I think one issue that may turn off reviewers is that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is written more like a setup book to create the world that Harry Potter lives in. That means more descriptions and somewhat less emphasis on storytelling, something that flummoxed some reviewers.
I think the second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, will be a much better movie since there is far more emphasis on good storytelling. I can't wait for Kenneth Branagh to ham it up as Gilderoy Lockhart, a character that really "chews the scenery.":-)
While a lot of people a angling towards the idea of a terrorist action, I think there's one possibility that no one has yet discussed: mechanical failure caused by a catastrophic bird strike.
Far-fetched? Not if you know something about the geography and ecology at JFK Airport and Jamaica Bay. To the west and south of JFK Airport is a very large marshy area that serves as a sanctuary for migratory birds (plus some native waterfowl). This means at this time of the year--when birds are migrating south for the winter--there will be millions of birds out in this sanctuary.
What happens when you have flocks of birds rising by the thousands getting in the way of the flight path of an airliner taking off out into Jamaica Bay? My guess is that American Airlines Flight 857 may have flown in to a very large flock of birds just after take off, mean the plane's two GE CF6-80 engines may be ingested 40 or more birds per engine somewhere between 1 and 2 seconds. That many birds being ingested will seriously damage the front engine blades, and such a severe bird ingestion may be enough to cause a catastrophic fan section failure, which can spew out very sharp engine fan blades at supersonic speeds, possibly breaking through the engine nacelle and hitting the fuselage, wing flap control lines and wing fuel tanks, which explains the fire on the wings that eyewitnesses saw.
Eyewitnesses said that the plane flew very low before the plane lost one of its engines and then crashed down at a sharp angle. This sounds consistent with the plane suffering a catastrophic bird strike.
If anyone remembers, some years ago an E-3A Sentry AWACS plane crashed aftering taking off from Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK after the engines failed due to a catastrophic bird ingestion problem. AA Flight 857 may have suffered a similar unfortunate fate.:-(
You're one of the few decent realists in regards to Linux--I hope you don't get run off Slashdot for this.:-)
Personally, I see Linux as primarily a departmental server and high-end workstation operating system for now, until Linux incorporates Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Plug and Play technology and high-volume/high-availability data processing ability with (likely) the next major kernel release.
Microsoft has the desktop market pretty much locked up, and Sun/IBM dominates the mainframe level market. Mind you, IBM is trying to get Linux to run on their own mainframe equipment, but don't expect the fruits of their efforts to really bear fruit until late 2002 or so, when IBM tweaks to the Linux kernel to allow for the type of high-volume/high-availability computing work demanded for places like the major stock exchanges, airline reservation systems, the order processing systems at online retailers, and so on.
I really want to find out if the six states that are willing to continue this case have the money to pursue it to the very end.
I mean, do they have the legal resources within each state's Attorney General offices to pursue the case? With the economic downturn and dealing with threats after the events of 9/11/2001, I have my doubts.
With resources at states' Attorney General already stretched to the limit, they will have to start paying US$300 to US$500 per hour high-power attorneys to assist the case. Are the states willing to pony up several tens of millions of dollars for outside legal assistance to pursue the case through the US District, Federal Appeals and Surpreme Court in Washington, DC, plus the courts in each individual states? Again, I have my doubts, especially this could involve many hundreds of hours of case preparation, case filing and arguing the case before all appropriate courts.
Several C|Net commentators are correct: the six states would like to pursue the case on its own, but the mountain-sized legal cost could mitigate against that.
I think both California and New York will sign off in the agreement with this reason: they cannot afford to continue the case on its own.
Remember, with the California economy in the dumps and New York hard hit by the effects of 9/11, these two states may not have the financial resources to continue the legal case against Microsoft. Not when you have to hire lawyers at US$300-US$500/hour and they having to work many hundreds of hours on the case--legal costs that will quickly run into the many millions of US dollars in short order.
The Department of Justice is big enough that DoJ could afford these high-priced attorneys to assist DoJ's own lawyers; without DoJ support, the individual states don't have the money to continue the case.
While the State of Massachusetts think they can take on Microsoft on its own, I think they may have to rethink the whole idea when reality hits: the state may not have the financial resources to continue the case on its own.
Remember, the DoJ hired a good number of private lawyers at US$300 to US$500 per hour costs to assist on US v. Microsoft--because it can afford to. Are the states willing to foot that type of bill--especially when these lawyers will probably need many hundreds of hours to work on the case? Several commentators on C|Net have expressed much doubt that individual states to going to do this, because the state's citizens may consider this expenditure a major waste of government money.
I think the problem with a volcanic eruption causing major Earth changes is the fact that while a major eruption might affect climate, it doesn't do it for a long period of time unless the eruption is on an unprecedented scale.
After all, when Mt. Tambora erupted with its 15 cubic miles of volcanic ash spewed out in 1815, it did cause substantial Earth cooling but its effects were over in less than two years.
The eruption at Crater Lake must be way, way more powerful than the Mt. Tambora eruption to cause the changes in the Middle East you mentioned.
I think the fact we do know that a major tsunami did hit the north coast of Crete and wiping out a number of ancient cities there does have a lot to do with the reason why Minoan civilization went into decline. With most of the Minoan centers of civilization destroyed by the Santorini eruption and the its aftereffects they were easy pickings for the Myceneans, that's to be sure.
Slashdot Mirror
If they can get the weight of the whole scooter under 30 pounds, have a top speed around 22-25 mph, a range of 35-40 miles, easily folded up and the cost around US$1,000, I think there would a LOT of consumer interest.
At that point, it would have the portability of a good Dahon folding bicycle, and that means the scooter in folded-up form can be schlepped through public transport quite easily (now you know why BART love bicycle riders who use folding bikes--these people can ride any car on the train and use any station even during commute hours).
I think two things will likely lower the cost of scooters based on Segway technology:
1. The on-board computing power will get more powerful and get quite a bit smaller in a few years--imagine all the control electronics fitting in the space of two standard-sized deck of playing cards or less.
2. The use of improved metal alloys and/or composite materials plus better battery design could lower the weight to under 30 pounds, which will allow people to carry it around like we do now with folding bicycles.
I foresee Segway-like scooters with a top speed of 22-25 mph and a range of 35-40 miles by 2005. In that case the scooter does become a very useful urban transportation device.
ez76,
Look, we've had over 140 years to get people used to riding a bicycle and about 40 years to get people used to riding skateboards.
Because Segway operates in a way that is quite different than you expect for a bicycle or skateboard, it will take some getting used to in order to operate it. Expect not a few bumps and bruises from new Segway users learning how to operate this unusual scooter, that's to be sure.
From what I read in that article, the issue of security is still not completely addressed. :-(
I think as the units get lighter (I'm sure with the use of improved and lighter metal alloys and/or composites they could shave about 15-20 pounds off the current 65 pound weight), such a scooter could be light enough to be hand-carried inside a building to your office cubicle.
From what I can tell, the great thing about this invention is that you don't NEED to learn how to use it. It is supposed to read your "body language" to figure out how you want to go, as if you were walking! So who needs training then?
While it might be natural for someone like Dean Kamen, the problem is that the way it works is totally unlike that of a bicycle, let alone a skateboard. It'll take some getting used to in order to operate Segway.
It's going to be expensive like the first product of everything is expensive. Like the first computers, pdas, etc. If you want if first, you shell out the cash. prices should go down with time.
I think Kamen should have talked quietly with scooter and motorcycle manufacturers about keeping the cost reasonable even for the early production versions. That's why I suggested Honda; after all, Honda knows how to build high-quality products at low cost and Honda (like I said earlier) can borrow from its expertise in building motorcycles and electric vehicles to slash production costs on Segway. In fact, if the Segway idea does pan out don't be surprised that Honda does become a major manufacturer of this unusual scooter.
While Dean Kamen's Segway scooter is an interesting technological achievement, I have two concerns:
1. Because using Segway is so unlike anything out there in terms of personal transportation devices, the reseller better really teach people how to use it correctly. I have visions of clueless Segway riders crashing into other pedestrians and larger vehicles because they're not used to how to stop this scooter.
2. The US$3,000.00 cost for the personal version is way too expensive, IMHO. Kamen should seriously talk with the one company that produce a Segway-like scooter at a reasonable cost: Honda. Using its motorcycle and electric vehicle expertise, Honda could build such a scooter for US$1,800.00 or less per scooter.
Folks,
I think right now there may be a deal in the offing to very likely have current @Home subscribers switched over EarthLink as their cable modem ISP.
It may take a while, but EarthLink is the natural to replace Excite@Home because 1) EarthLink already has cable modem experience from their rollout on Time-Warner cable systems and 2) EarthLink has a big enough infrastructure to handle 4 million high-speed users.
Two other ISP's may be in the running: MSN and AOL. I wonder will AT&T and Cox make it possible to make MSN as one possible ISP for former @Home subscribers.
One thing you fail to realize, I (and others in the US, thus, partially, the lack of the option) don't want super-integrated, ultra-bitchin', mega-color, web-surfin' on a screen that is 2" by 2". What I really want is an easy way to hook my computer (whether that be a handheld, laptop, whatever) into my cell phone so that I can dial into any service I want, not just the distilled pablum that the cell-phone companies try to shove down my throat because someone paid them an ass-load of cash. I've seen the 'wireless web', and it's just ugly. I didn't even use it during the free trial period. God knows I'm not going to pay for it.
That is exactly why the iMode concept isn't going to fly in the USA. Who wants a screen that is essentially a tiny cartoon-like color display that is not that useful? For American cellphone users, they'd rather wait for larger displays with full Palm OS functionality on their 3G phones so at least the cellphone have some real functionality for a change. The other thing Americans will probably want is the cdma2000 digital cellular format so high-speed data transfers over cellullar connections (read at least 256 kilobits per second bi-directional) becomes useful for laptop users.
I believe the reason why Orbital Sciences switched to a modified L1011 for its launch platform was the fact they didn't want to rely on NASA's NB-52A to launch the rockets, given that the NASA plane is often used for other research.
The problem is that most of the world's supply of titanium is coming from the former Soviet Union. The geopolitical considerations of that is obvious, that's to be sure.
Indeed, that's the problem with a lot of rare-earth metals--they're all located in areas that have serious geopolitical problems (remember tantalum?).
I think the fact we've discovered that Moon rocks are rich in titanium, aluminum and several other strategic minerals is one very good reason why people are looking forward to Moon mining.
Given the usefulness of aluminum and the high strength of titanium, I can guess within 100 years most of the Earth's supply of these two metals will come from the Moon, not the Earth.
I think what you are kind of ignoring is the fact that Quake 3 is no longer the real benchmark for 3-D graphics quality--after all, the game doesn't really take advantage of DirectX 8.x routines.
Try running a game that truly takes advantage of DirectX 8.x routines such as Flight Simulator 2002. If the display driver for your Radeon card properly addresses DirectX 8.x support you should be able to run FS 2002 at around 45-50 fps at 1024x768 32-bit color with no problems even with all 3-D effects turned on (I don't find running above 1024x768 to be useful in most games). That means even very complex 3-D scenes will be rendered with very smooth motion.
By the way, given the fact that memory is dirt-cheap nowadays, you may want to upgrade to 256 MB of RAM. That makes a big difference with the very latest games since you won't have to swap files to and from the hard drive so often.
I think while it's nice to be able to run over 60 fps on a GeForce2 MX series, the problem is that you won't get the realistic 3-D look without taking a major hit (pun not intended) in performance.
With the GeForce3 and newer chipsets, you now have the capability to render in real time far more realistic-looking games and still maintain very high frame rates. The current GeForce3 Ti 500 can render DirectX 8.0 and later-compliant games with all 3-D effects turned on at over 60 fps even at 1280x1024 32-bit color on today's faster Pentium 4 and Athlon CPU's.
I find it useful that Microsoft is essentially giving the chance for a bunch of people to learn the operating system that is installed on 85% of the world's desktop computers--and that means you will have a skill set that will enhance the chances to get a job down the road.
I mean, think about it: the current state of Linux is still going to limit itself to server, high-end workstation, and embedded markets, where ease of use is less of an issue. Linux (IMHO) has still some ways to go to match Windows in terms of automatic configuration, unless the future Linux 2.6.x kernel incorporates Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) support.
PlayStation 2 will still rule at least this Christmas because they finally have the killer app games that really show off the system: Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, Metal Gear Solid 2, Madden NFL 2002, and coming early next year Final Fantasy X.
:)
Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec is right now the coolest driving game I've ever played, especially if you can get the optional Logitech steering wheel/pedal controller.
I'm hoping that Konami releases a PS2-specific version of Dance Dance Revolution soon.
Having read all four books, I still think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the movie that least translates well into a movie that movie reviewers like. It's going to be fun to watch the intense dislike between Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley from the second book in the next movie.
By the way, the British schoolboy books are almost unknown in the USA. Having to explain concepts such as prefects and Head Boy/Girl can confuse American readers at times.
I think one issue that may turn off reviewers is that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is written more like a setup book to create the world that Harry Potter lives in. That means more descriptions and somewhat less emphasis on storytelling, something that flummoxed some reviewers.
:-)
I think the second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, will be a much better movie since there is far more emphasis on good storytelling. I can't wait for Kenneth Branagh to ham it up as Gilderoy Lockhart, a character that really "chews the scenery."
Folks,
:-(
While a lot of people a angling towards the idea of a terrorist action, I think there's one possibility that no one has yet discussed: mechanical failure caused by a catastrophic bird strike.
Far-fetched? Not if you know something about the geography and ecology at JFK Airport and Jamaica Bay. To the west and south of JFK Airport is a very large marshy area that serves as a sanctuary for migratory birds (plus some native waterfowl). This means at this time of the year--when birds are migrating south for the winter--there will be millions of birds out in this sanctuary.
What happens when you have flocks of birds rising by the thousands getting in the way of the flight path of an airliner taking off out into Jamaica Bay? My guess is that American Airlines Flight 857 may have flown in to a very large flock of birds just after take off, mean the plane's two GE CF6-80 engines may be ingested 40 or more birds per engine somewhere between 1 and 2 seconds. That many birds being ingested will seriously damage the front engine blades, and such a severe bird ingestion may be enough to cause a catastrophic fan section failure, which can spew out very sharp engine fan blades at supersonic speeds, possibly breaking through the engine nacelle and hitting the fuselage, wing flap control lines and wing fuel tanks, which explains the fire on the wings that eyewitnesses saw.
Eyewitnesses said that the plane flew very low before the plane lost one of its engines and then crashed down at a sharp angle. This sounds consistent with the plane suffering a catastrophic bird strike.
If anyone remembers, some years ago an E-3A Sentry AWACS plane crashed aftering taking off from Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK after the engines failed due to a catastrophic bird ingestion problem. AA Flight 857 may have suffered a similar unfortunate fate.
I think people are kind of forgetting that Microsoft identified Linux as a serious competitor at least since 1998.
/. readers.
In short, you're right: it's OLD news for most long-time
You're one of the few decent realists in regards to Linux--I hope you don't get run off Slashdot for this. :-)
Personally, I see Linux as primarily a departmental server and high-end workstation operating system for now, until Linux incorporates Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Plug and Play technology and high-volume/high-availability data processing ability with (likely) the next major kernel release.
Microsoft has the desktop market pretty much locked up, and Sun/IBM dominates the mainframe level market. Mind you, IBM is trying to get Linux to run on their own mainframe equipment, but don't expect the fruits of their efforts to really bear fruit until late 2002 or so, when IBM tweaks to the Linux kernel to allow for the type of high-volume/high-availability computing work demanded for places like the major stock exchanges, airline reservation systems, the order processing systems at online retailers, and so on.
I really want to find out if the six states that are willing to continue this case have the money to pursue it to the very end.
I mean, do they have the legal resources within each state's Attorney General offices to pursue the case? With the economic downturn and dealing with threats after the events of 9/11/2001, I have my doubts.
With resources at states' Attorney General already stretched to the limit, they will have to start paying US$300 to US$500 per hour high-power attorneys to assist the case. Are the states willing to pony up several tens of millions of dollars for outside legal assistance to pursue the case through the US District, Federal Appeals and Surpreme Court in Washington, DC, plus the courts in each individual states? Again, I have my doubts, especially this could involve many hundreds of hours of case preparation, case filing and arguing the case before all appropriate courts.
Several C|Net commentators are correct: the six states would like to pursue the case on its own, but the mountain-sized legal cost could mitigate against that.
shibut,
I think both California and New York will sign off in the agreement with this reason: they cannot afford to continue the case on its own.
Remember, with the California economy in the dumps and New York hard hit by the effects of 9/11, these two states may not have the financial resources to continue the legal case against Microsoft. Not when you have to hire lawyers at US$300-US$500/hour and they having to work many hundreds of hours on the case--legal costs that will quickly run into the many millions of US dollars in short order.
The Department of Justice is big enough that DoJ could afford these high-priced attorneys to assist DoJ's own lawyers; without DoJ support, the individual states don't have the money to continue the case.
Folks,
While the State of Massachusetts think they can take on Microsoft on its own, I think they may have to rethink the whole idea when reality hits: the state may not have the financial resources to continue the case on its own.
Remember, the DoJ hired a good number of private lawyers at US$300 to US$500 per hour costs to assist on US v. Microsoft--because it can afford to. Are the states willing to foot that type of bill--especially when these lawyers will probably need many hundreds of hours to work on the case? Several commentators on C|Net have expressed much doubt that individual states to going to do this, because the state's citizens may consider this expenditure a major waste of government money.
I think the problem with a volcanic eruption causing major Earth changes is the fact that while a major eruption might affect climate, it doesn't do it for a long period of time unless the eruption is on an unprecedented scale.
After all, when Mt. Tambora erupted with its 15 cubic miles of volcanic ash spewed out in 1815, it did cause substantial Earth cooling but its effects were over in less than two years.
The eruption at Crater Lake must be way, way more powerful than the Mt. Tambora eruption to cause the changes in the Middle East you mentioned.
I think the fact we do know that a major tsunami did hit the north coast of Crete and wiping out a number of ancient cities there does have a lot to do with the reason why Minoan civilization went into decline. With most of the Minoan centers of civilization destroyed by the Santorini eruption and the its aftereffects they were easy pickings for the Myceneans, that's to be sure.