I had no money, but I wanted to learn, and to be a part of the whole digital revolution.
Now I am older, making money based on those skills, and I own legit copies of the programs I liked. Is the world a darker place because of this? No. In fact, I'd say that the world is a more literate place because of software 'theft'. Everybody now has the tools they need to communicate more fully.
And guess what?
The software companies aren't suffering. They lose no physical material when a piece of software is 'stolen'. It's not like cars or widgets.
Further, individuals who 'steal' software usually don't have real pressing needs for it; they just want it out of curiosity or for some minimal use which does not justify a multi-hundred dollar ticket price. --Such users probably wouldn't buy copies if it was not easily 'stolen', so the whole idea of 'lost' sales is, I suspect, largely a myth.
And when it comes to games, (which are certainly different from application software), the fact that millions of copies are sold more than makes up for 'lost' revenue. The cost of piracy is worked into the ticket price of a game. And games are no a vital or useful commodity to begin with, so gamers deserve to pay top dollar for their fix. I have no sympathy there.
In any case, if software companies sold their programs for lower amounts of money, or made them affordable to kids at the outset, they wouldn't be griping about theft at all. This has been demonstrated in the Chinese DVD and CD market where piracy is common place and large 'legit' producers have had to lower their over-inflated prices to compete, which having done so is keeping them very firmly in business.
The only people complaining are those who are greedy and those who are caught up in arm chair moralism.
Who needs to assume anything? I'm simply pointing out your total lack of original thought and telling you what it implies. If the Tin-Foil joke had a counter, it'd be in the multi-millions at this point. And it STILL wouldn't make any sense. That fact alone demonstrates how little you grasp of the subject at hand. So, yeah, while I'm at it, I might as well gauge you to be largely ignorant on the subject you are criticizing.
I also note that your secondary reactions are similarly un-original and thoughtless. So let's scrape away another layer and see how far down your auto-responses go before we hit the bottom of the yogurt container and get to the fruit. If there is any. (Some yogurts are bland all the way to the plastic.)
So tell me. How much do you know regarding this stuff, or are you simply a lazy Occam's Razor guy who only put in only the barest level of token 'research' so that he can say, "See? I Looked!"
Consider the source of your response. It's not original, it's not carefully thought out, it's reflexive and it's designed not just to put me down but to warn others not to think outside certain boudaries lest they stray too far from the herd and be punished through social pressure. All in all, a very effective control method. (For the weak.)
In any case, these are not the earmarks of a thinking man. These are the earmarks of a man flying on 'auto-pilot'.
A few months ago, when there was only talk of going electronic for elections, and Diebold was just a foul whif on the wind, people discussed on forums like Slashdot the pros and cons. -Er, make that, people shouted and fumed.
Then the dirt began to surface. Internal emails. Party affiliations. Conflicts of interest. Bad code.
This stuff has been laid bare. The world has been alerted. Very Smart People(tm) have given their dour warnings.
At one point I was even getting a little optimistic. I posted something here to the effect of, "Well, this is the test! Everybody now knows and agrees that electronic voting is a Bad Idea, and now we'll get to see how proactive Americans are going to be. The choice has been placed before them. I can't imagine that nothing will be done about this!"
Foolish, foolish Fantastic Lad!
Americans are not just asleep; they are tied down! Too tired after their long work days to do anything. Too brain-wiped by their cell phones, drugged food, anti-depressants, television and social conditioning to be able to gather the brain cells required to elicit anything more than a vague, "Aw nuts" response. And the media is owned by the wrong people. Man, back in Superman's day, the headlines would have shouted, "CORRUPTION!" and there would have been public outcry, riots, Bushmen hauled from office and run out of town on good ol' American rails!
But instead, people choose to sleep.
Man. Some days I wish I was an American living in that once bold nation just so I could shotgun some asshole politico or Diebold rep and be hauled away with a raised fist while American housewives whimpered and their stout husbands shook their heads, "Well, something had to be done! It's a shame it came to this, but Americans simply don't lie down for this sort of thing!"
Well, perhaps at one time this might have been true. There was a time when hanging a corrupt politician would have been considered a reasonable response. But now the people are so controled, that their rage can be directed with pin-point accuracy at whatever target the corrupt politicos want destroyed. "Just blow up a building or two and blame the people we want to see take a fall! That ALWAYS works!"
Some people can already do something akin to this. I'm one of them. --When you start developing your energy awareness, you realize one day that not all emotions you feel are your own; that you can pick up on strong 'emissions' from those around you; that when you feel a wave of love/hate/whatever come over you for somebody who there is no reason to feel those things for, this is probably what is happening. --That those feelings are eminating from that person.
This is a bit unnerving at first, (and at second and third!), especially in two cases; when you are around particularly emotional people with a lot of pain/anger, etc., it can be extremely distressing until you figure out how to regulate it. And also, it's a tough when you are around people who are aware in the same ways. --If you want to keep your thoughts private, you have to stop your mind from being so sloppy and loud. On the other hand, it gives you a whole spectrum of very useful awareness and self-control when dealing with people who have no idea about this stuff.
A battery opperated unspoken word-picker-uper, though? Ouch. That's pretty intense. Sounds like a great way to start a riot. I suspect, though, that you can regulate those impulses as well; keep the words further upstairs rather than at the edge of your throat. It'd be fun to play with one for a while.
Also. . , keep in mind, because this technology is designed to work with electro magnetic signals which can be picked up from the body, it means that such signals can be picked up from the body by a sensitive detector at a distance without the need for cables. Ain't EM fun?
The company deliberately chose a name designed to manipulate people. They are the sort where, if they gain any money or power, would think about trying to shut down the original Project or some other such SCO-style nonsense. (And who knows where copyright law will be five years from now; the DMCA is an insanity I certainly thought was too far out-there to come true, but here it is.)
PG2's character and motivation are clear from the outset and they cannot be expected to change or improve. They deserve to be destroyed.
You submitted an interesting story. It garnered over 600 comments. Good job. You kept the impending wall of boredom away from crushing all Geeksville for another ten minutes. You have performed your civic duty well.
Those complaining are just the 10% Slashdot moron factor trying to make themselves feel needed and significant. Plus, I've noticed a trend among some posters, (usually newbies), who want story modification to become an option. Won't happen. (Better not happen. --The kids around here are dancing fast enough as it is trying to stay in the 'cool' circle without having to worry about which incoming data they should hide from. Pathetic. ALL new information is good.)
This new, "Me Too," phenomenon, (like Portman and Grits), too will pass.
Man, I forgot about that show. I really enjoyed that one, actually. Too bad it ended prematurely. The main actor died on set in an accident, apparently. I bet it could have gone on to become a big cultural phenomenon if things had been different.
Comet clusters are cyclical occurrences. We're entering one right now. It began, actually, with the whacking Jupiter took back in 1994. Upper Management knows this, and is preparing. Some might say that this is the reason Bush and crew are hoarding oil and materials, building underground bases, etc.
I'd also suggest that it's the reason for the subtle, but steady stream of messages through the media, gently herding people toward certain acceptances. --And why others are waking up to the idea on a subconscious level of cometary disasters. Even this '10th Planet' thing being promoted by NASA is a subtle form of psychological preparation. "There are big objects out there."
Jupiter is currently showing a big blue band across one fifth of its mass, indicating massive upheaval of lower atmospheric gasses. Last summer we had huge solar flare activity. These are gravity related events. Something very big going on out there, and there are people who know what that something is.
Never forget, NASA is a government organ, and as such, all information which comes through it will be deliberately spun to achieve certain public affects. Government today is anything but honest and genuine in its intent.
The statistics you are talking about are only useful when the proper shape of the model is understood, and the model in question is not what it appears on the surface. The solar system is not so stable. ..
To choose your music, you need 'alone time'. --Either that, or it needs to play over top of regular life in progress.
In either case, it takes a long time to absorb music. Music demands linear time, and lots of it.
If you sit in a coffee shop for a whole forty minutes, (which is stretching the allowable loitering time a retail outfit can afford to let one customer take up space), you can pick out and listen to maybe ten tracks. (You're buying coffee, getting yourself set up, figuring out their system, going through selection lists. Yep. I'd say ten songs in forty minutes is optimistic. And whether or not you'll even like and want to buy those songs. ..
Next, you're in a busy environment. LIFE is happening all around you. Are you there with friends? There's another distraction. Are you going to be able to comfortably pay attention to any of those songs?
Is the experience going to be rewarding or a hassle? Is it easier to just switch on a home computer and download the song off the web?
My thinking is that the way to make this business work is to sell a lot of coffee and cookies. At a cost of pennies per cup, there's a great profit margin in coffee sales. Make the place cool to hang out in, offer internet and other distractions. ..
Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Both blew the roof off.
But the failures to quite ring the bell can be listed endlessly. ..
Many, many have tried, but somehow. . . Even those black & white episodes of 'Voyager' were kinda dull despite all the clever and hard work put into them.
If "Sky Captain" can make the grade, it'll be interesting to see how.
I think it has something to do with replicating an old, albeit loved idea, versus taking a timeless formula and doing something with it which makes it vital to contemporary culture. Luke, Leia, Han and Indiana Jones and their worlds were all honest, first generation approaches to old and tired carbon copy ideas.
The difference will be if "Sky Captain's" director is a fan or a visionary.
Fans are stuck in idolizing yesterday. Visionaries are into the creation of the moment. Their beginnings may be the same, but their directions on the path of life are diametrically opposed.
Never work backwards. It's the same as falling asleep.
I am the ONLY person I know who owns a legitimate copy of PS. I know a LOT of people.
I don't care about "Right and Wrong" semantics. Fact is, the web would have a lot fewer graphics today without warez pirates. I even bet some of the graphics on Slashdot were originally made on illegal copies of PS. Tell me I'm wrong.
Got anything more than just your limited observations?
IANAAP (I am not an astro-physicist) so what I did was look up something called the, 'Nemesis Theory.' You can do the same if you are interested in this.
The idea has been around for a while now, and there are interesting arguments both for and against, but the science behind it is not of the tin-foil variety. I find it compelling, as it neatly explains heretofore unexplained wobbles in numerous orbits and such. But you can go research it yourself and come to your own conclusions.
The recent stories had the smell of hysteria from the outset. I filed them under, "Hm. Better keep an eye on this. Volcanoes do blow up from time to time, and the region is pretty unstable. Old Faithful spouts for a reason!"
But it didn't seem like the thing to be focusing on. The Yellowstone situation, (or non-situation, depending on your news source), seems more like a symptom than a real focus of concern.
With Blue Bands showing up on Jupiter, (indicating massive upheavals of lower atmospheric gasses), and the crazy solar flare activity of late last summer. ..
Like the tides, this stuff is gravity related. Something big is going on out there, and I've mentioned one of the theories as to what may be many (modded to dust) posts ago.
--Brown Dwarf Companion to the Sun passing nice and close out Pluto-way. Moving through the Kuiper Belt. Disrupting comets down into lower orbits. Cyclical comet disasters on Earth based on this. --We're seeing the final bits of the last cycle burning up and even hitting the earth even now. . . Soon to be renewed by a bunch of rocks from the rim!
Not something to get upset over, of course, but watch the skies! I wonder where the first big one is going to land. . ?
As the esoterics say, "The Human experiential cycle is mirrored by the Universe." --And Human experience is a pretty harsh ride at the moment. The world has gone nuts.
--I just read in a local paper that cops are now charging people for leaving their keys inside unlocked cars. In order to protect the insurance corporations! It may be subtle, but it's basically saying that it's against the law to trust my fellow humans. And the fact is that most people won't even blink an eyelash at his.
"My boss actually developed the Epileptic Stimulator pretty much all by himself back in the late 80's[. ..]"
Think about it. This is not Star Trek way-off technology. I know, but I won't say how.
Believe me. Nothing the media tells you is new is actually new. We have ray-guns and teleporters, people. We have had them for some 'time'. Lift the curtain once in a while if you are interested in knowing what's really going on in the world. Be prepared though. If you have no spine, then that Rabbit hole ride will shatter your life but good. Most sleepers sleep for a reason. Only problem is that sleepers are worthless in the bigger scheme of things; they get left behind. ..
You have all watched those Holodeck-Logan's Run-THX1138-George Orwell-Matrix adventure stories, and thought to yourselves, "I'd have figured it out. I wouldn't have been one of those wieners in the background!"
what exactly do you suggest, anyway? pamper kids through school completely insulated from real life with blinders and elevator muzak?
See, that's evidence of the program running right there.
Why have school at all?
There are many, many other models of education which could be employed.
Consider. ..
I didn't learn how to read or write at school; I learned that on my own. My father liked math, and tried to teach me, but I found it thoroughly confusing and dull. I did poorly in it in school, and only use the most rudimentary aspects of it in my daily life with no detriment. I can balance a bank statement and write a java script, but all of that I learned on my own because I wanted to.
In fact, very few of the valuable skills or knowledge I use on a daily basis were learned in a school 'program'. I learned some of it in school, but that's only because I spent so much time physically being there.
Technical colleges and such need not change. The kinds of kids who want to learn to become doctors and engineers aren't getting a free ride today anyhow, and the ones best suited to such studies are going to pick up the entry skills on their own.
In fact, I have had to un-learn much of the crap they forced into my head through grade school and highschool. 'History' and social studies. Feminism. --Ever notice that many of the books they made you read in school were boring as hell? --Almost as though they didn't want kids to enjoy reading for fear that they might go off and do more of it in their own time?
But anyway. ..
While I do value the unintended social lessons I learned by attending school, there are many other much healthier ways for large groups to mix and learn from one another.
The more I consider it, the more I think the educational system is a total croc.
their asinine activities can affect huge corporations and the world at large.
Interesting!
Until now, the idiocy of the school yard jerk was something you had to put up with when you were a kid, but thankfully left behind when you graduated. But now juvenile crap overflows into the 'real' world, and can affect even the most insulated ivory tower type. Is this the first time?
I remember bullies and morons in school. The 'play'ground held a unique undercurrent of threat and horror for me as a kid. Going to school included genuinely believing that every day there was the possibility that you might be tortured and murdered by some half-wit big kid with a cruel streak, and that the safe world of adult supervision was unaware of most of the hells being perpetrated. Being a kid was a horror in many ways.
So what can be done about the skript-kiddie 'threat'?
Zip. Let the adult world suffer, I say. Think of it as payment for forcing kids through such a horrific 'education' system. There are only two other institutions which are so similar in structure and ideology, and they are the military and the penal system. School sucks, and aside from the handful of friends I made there, I hated nearly every aspect of it. The most valuable lessons I learned were how to survive it. Little else was of much use except shop class, typing class, art class and any time where there happened to be one of those very rare adults who inspired. You know the ones I mean. The good teachers who somehow defied the system and taught you valuable lessons in the face of all the state-ordained mind control. (Learn how to Obey and be Bored out of your mind doing repetetive tasks. A robot factory cranking out Perfect Workers.)
I also think it's neat that the Skript Kiddies are the geek version of 'Moe' type bullies. There's an ironic balancing in effect there somehow. ..
I'm sorry that you can't follow Shirow's stories. Perhaps if you realise that he askes questions but doesn't answer them, that might help you cope. Appleseed, Orion and to some extend Dominion Tank Police are all questions about sustainable society, spirituality and militarisation of the police, repectively.
Oh, I didn't say I couldn't follow his narrative style. I just wasn't very impressed by it. Appleseed started off on excellent footing; the trick is to marry interesting, engaging characters with an interesting, engaging story world. But over the course of 5 volumes, Appleseed rapidly slid into what I consider a classic problem; that of forgetting that the details of the worldbuilding should be in service to the people you put in the world. He seemed to forget that his people existed as vital beings at all. --Or worse, he deliberately tried to make them seem like a bunch of department store dummies in order to make a point. (Which, while a brilliant end lesson, I rather doubt was consciously intended. More like the result of working through a waking nightmare.)
Tolkien wrote the LotR and the Hobbit, and created a deep, rich history, the vast bulk of which, (thankfully!), he didn't make us read through. The world buoyed up the characters; I cared about Frodo and Sam and Gandalf and their struggles. Tolkien never forgot that it is the people who are important to an audience.
By the middle of Appleseed, Deunan seemed to have lost her wit and charm, her humanity, and became just a decoration while the politicos babbled a bunch of stuff I didn't care about. (Half the time with the excuse of showing oiled babes and violence without it seeming like a bunch of soft porn. "If they talk smart over top, then this isn't really just a bunch of masterbation fuel.")
--Sure, building the political workings of a world is fine for when you are building a world; it gives you a stage upon which your characters can perform. But don't show me the damned code!
I'll click, "View/Page Source" if I want to read that stuff. Most people are designed to consume assembled, smooth flowing content, not HTML tags and Java script. "Untold Tales" were untold for a reason!
But please remember, this is just my opinion. I feel Shirow could have told a much more compelling story, but I am not one to say that he hasn't done a lot for his art. Many of his designs and ideas are quite brilliant. I just think he's a weak writer. --And so was Lucas! Imagine Shirow paired up with a good writing partner! Remember "Twin Peeks"? Had Mark Frost not been sitting over David Lynch to balance his insanity, we would have gotten another "Lost Highway" rather than something which connected with such power to the audience at large.
Is Shirow immature, or perhaps the question would be, more so than his contemporaries? Have you read any other sci-fi (I'm thinking Stephenson, but one could just as easily point to Asimov)? Lastly, take a look at where you're posting; accusations of immaturity don't hold much currency around here.
Accusations?
Sounds like you're taking my observations personally. Don't waste your time. It makes no difference to me or anybody what you like or dislike. Watch and enjoy whatever you want.
Fact is, I find Shirow and his work fascinating, and I think my observations are probably quite valid. I enjoy trying to understand what makes a creator like Shirow tick; by sifting through his head, I learn more about myself. If this makes you feel threatened, then that's for you to deal with.
Slashdot Mirror
I had no money, but I wanted to learn, and to be a part of the whole digital revolution.
Now I am older, making money based on those skills, and I own legit copies of the programs I liked. Is the world a darker place because of this? No. In fact, I'd say that the world is a more literate place because of software 'theft'. Everybody now has the tools they need to communicate more fully.
And guess what?
The software companies aren't suffering. They lose no physical material when a piece of software is 'stolen'. It's not like cars or widgets.
Further, individuals who 'steal' software usually don't have real pressing needs for it; they just want it out of curiosity or for some minimal use which does not justify a multi-hundred dollar ticket price. --Such users probably wouldn't buy copies if it was not easily 'stolen', so the whole idea of 'lost' sales is, I suspect, largely a myth.
And when it comes to games, (which are certainly different from application software), the fact that millions of copies are sold more than makes up for 'lost' revenue. The cost of piracy is worked into the ticket price of a game. And games are no a vital or useful commodity to begin with, so gamers deserve to pay top dollar for their fix. I have no sympathy there.
In any case, if software companies sold their programs for lower amounts of money, or made them affordable to kids at the outset, they wouldn't be griping about theft at all. This has been demonstrated in the Chinese DVD and CD market where piracy is common place and large 'legit' producers have had to lower their over-inflated prices to compete, which having done so is keeping them very firmly in business.
The only people complaining are those who are greedy and those who are caught up in arm chair moralism.
-FL
Who needs to assume anything? I'm simply pointing out your total lack of original thought and telling you what it implies. If the Tin-Foil joke had a counter, it'd be in the multi-millions at this point. And it STILL wouldn't make any sense. That fact alone demonstrates how little you grasp of the subject at hand. So, yeah, while I'm at it, I might as well gauge you to be largely ignorant on the subject you are criticizing.
I also note that your secondary reactions are similarly un-original and thoughtless. So let's scrape away another layer and see how far down your auto-responses go before we hit the bottom of the yogurt container and get to the fruit. If there is any. (Some yogurts are bland all the way to the plastic.)
So tell me. How much do you know regarding this stuff, or are you simply a lazy Occam's Razor guy who only put in only the barest level of token 'research' so that he can say, "See? I Looked!"
-FL
Consider the source of your response. It's not original, it's not carefully thought out, it's reflexive and it's designed not just to put me down but to warn others not to think outside certain boudaries lest they stray too far from the herd and be punished through social pressure. All in all, a very effective control method. (For the weak.)
In any case, these are not the earmarks of a thinking man. These are the earmarks of a man flying on 'auto-pilot'.
Consider this stuff! It's important.
-FL
Then the dirt began to surface. Internal emails. Party affiliations. Conflicts of interest. Bad code.
This stuff has been laid bare. The world has been alerted. Very Smart People(tm) have given their dour warnings.
At one point I was even getting a little optimistic. I posted something here to the effect of, "Well, this is the test! Everybody now knows and agrees that electronic voting is a Bad Idea, and now we'll get to see how proactive Americans are going to be. The choice has been placed before them. I can't imagine that nothing will be done about this!"
Foolish, foolish Fantastic Lad!
Americans are not just asleep; they are tied down! Too tired after their long work days to do anything. Too brain-wiped by their cell phones, drugged food, anti-depressants, television and social conditioning to be able to gather the brain cells required to elicit anything more than a vague, "Aw nuts" response. And the media is owned by the wrong people. Man, back in Superman's day, the headlines would have shouted, "CORRUPTION!" and there would have been public outcry, riots, Bushmen hauled from office and run out of town on good ol' American rails!
But instead, people choose to sleep.
Man. Some days I wish I was an American living in that once bold nation just so I could shotgun some asshole politico or Diebold rep and be hauled away with a raised fist while American housewives whimpered and their stout husbands shook their heads, "Well, something had to be done! It's a shame it came to this, but Americans simply don't lie down for this sort of thing!"
Well, perhaps at one time this might have been true. There was a time when hanging a corrupt politician would have been considered a reasonable response. But now the people are so controled, that their rage can be directed with pin-point accuracy at whatever target the corrupt politicos want destroyed. "Just blow up a building or two and blame the people we want to see take a fall! That ALWAYS works!"
Pathetic.
-FL
-FL
Some people can already do something akin to this. I'm one of them. --When you start developing your energy awareness, you realize one day that not all emotions you feel are your own; that you can pick up on strong 'emissions' from those around you; that when you feel a wave of love/hate/whatever come over you for somebody who there is no reason to feel those things for, this is probably what is happening. --That those feelings are eminating from that person.
This is a bit unnerving at first, (and at second and third!), especially in two cases; when you are around particularly emotional people with a lot of pain/anger, etc., it can be extremely distressing until you figure out how to regulate it. And also, it's a tough when you are around people who are aware in the same ways. --If you want to keep your thoughts private, you have to stop your mind from being so sloppy and loud. On the other hand, it gives you a whole spectrum of very useful awareness and self-control when dealing with people who have no idea about this stuff.
A battery opperated unspoken word-picker-uper, though? Ouch. That's pretty intense. Sounds like a great way to start a riot. I suspect, though, that you can regulate those impulses as well; keep the words further upstairs rather than at the edge of your throat. It'd be fun to play with one for a while.
Also. . , keep in mind, because this technology is designed to work with electro magnetic signals which can be picked up from the body, it means that such signals can be picked up from the body by a sensitive detector at a distance without the need for cables. Ain't EM fun?
-FL
Read the actual intent behind this 'profiteer' here
Looks like miscommunication to me. We'll have to see if egos allow it to deflate into the harmless thing from which it came.
-FL
Frankly, even Blade Runner is optimistic at this point.
Gotta ask. . . Were there any people of Middle Eastern, Asian or African descent in the pilot?
-FL
The company deliberately chose a name designed to manipulate people. They are the sort where, if they gain any money or power, would think about trying to shut down the original Project or some other such SCO-style nonsense. (And who knows where copyright law will be five years from now; the DMCA is an insanity I certainly thought was too far out-there to come true, but here it is.)
PG2's character and motivation are clear from the outset and they cannot be expected to change or improve. They deserve to be destroyed.
-FL
Those complaining are just the 10% Slashdot moron factor trying to make themselves feel needed and significant. Plus, I've noticed a trend among some posters, (usually newbies), who want story modification to become an option. Won't happen. (Better not happen. --The kids around here are dancing fast enough as it is trying to stay in the 'cool' circle without having to worry about which incoming data they should hide from. Pathetic. ALL new information is good.)
This new, "Me Too," phenomenon, (like Portman and Grits), too will pass.
-FL
Man, I forgot about that show. I really enjoyed that one, actually. Too bad it ended prematurely. The main actor died on set in an accident, apparently. I bet it could have gone on to become a big cultural phenomenon if things had been different.
-FL
Comet clusters are cyclical occurrences. We're entering one right now. It began, actually, with the whacking Jupiter took back in 1994. Upper Management knows this, and is preparing. Some might say that this is the reason Bush and crew are hoarding oil and materials, building underground bases, etc.
I'd also suggest that it's the reason for the subtle, but steady stream of messages through the media, gently herding people toward certain acceptances. --And why others are waking up to the idea on a subconscious level of cometary disasters. Even this '10th Planet' thing being promoted by NASA is a subtle form of psychological preparation. "There are big objects out there."
Jupiter is currently showing a big blue band across one fifth of its mass, indicating massive upheaval of lower atmospheric gasses. Last summer we had huge solar flare activity. These are gravity related events. Something very big going on out there, and there are people who know what that something is.
Never forget, NASA is a government organ, and as such, all information which comes through it will be deliberately spun to achieve certain public affects. Government today is anything but honest and genuine in its intent.
The statistics you are talking about are only useful when the proper shape of the model is understood, and the model in question is not what it appears on the surface. The solar system is not so stable. .
-FL
In either case, it takes a long time to absorb music. Music demands linear time, and lots of it.
If you sit in a coffee shop for a whole forty minutes, (which is stretching the allowable loitering time a retail outfit can afford to let one customer take up space), you can pick out and listen to maybe ten tracks. (You're buying coffee, getting yourself set up, figuring out their system, going through selection lists. Yep. I'd say ten songs in forty minutes is optimistic. And whether or not you'll even like and want to buy those songs. .
Next, you're in a busy environment. LIFE is happening all around you. Are you there with friends? There's another distraction. Are you going to be able to comfortably pay attention to any of those songs?
Is the experience going to be rewarding or a hassle? Is it easier to just switch on a home computer and download the song off the web?
My thinking is that the way to make this business work is to sell a lot of coffee and cookies. At a cost of pennies per cup, there's a great profit margin in coffee sales. Make the place cool to hang out in, offer internet and other distractions. .
And sell lots of coffee. That'll pay the rent.
-FL
But the failures to quite ring the bell can be listed endlessly. .
Many, many have tried, but somehow. . . Even those black & white episodes of 'Voyager' were kinda dull despite all the clever and hard work put into them.
If "Sky Captain" can make the grade, it'll be interesting to see how.
I think it has something to do with replicating an old, albeit loved idea, versus taking a timeless formula and doing something with it which makes it vital to contemporary culture. Luke, Leia, Han and Indiana Jones and their worlds were all honest, first generation approaches to old and tired carbon copy ideas.
The difference will be if "Sky Captain's" director is a fan or a visionary.
Fans are stuck in idolizing yesterday. Visionaries are into the creation of the moment. Their beginnings may be the same, but their directions on the path of life are diametrically opposed.
Never work backwards. It's the same as falling asleep.
-FL
Interestingly, Adobe still paid well all the people who developed PS. So who's hurting. . ?
When things are 'meant' to work, nobody suffers.
-FL
And then I can get all of the problems on this idiot planet straightened out once and for all!
Maybe after I can get a good night's sleep.
-FL --"Wonder Twin Powers, . . !"
I thought so.
I am the ONLY person I know who owns a legitimate copy of PS. I know a LOT of people.
I don't care about "Right and Wrong" semantics. Fact is, the web would have a lot fewer graphics today without warez pirates. I even bet some of the graphics on Slashdot were originally made on illegal copies of PS. Tell me I'm wrong.
-FL
Expect the Draft sometime shortly after the next presidential election!
-FL
IANAAP (I am not an astro-physicist) so what I did was look up something called the, 'Nemesis Theory.' You can do the same if you are interested in this.
The idea has been around for a while now, and there are interesting arguments both for and against, but the science behind it is not of the tin-foil variety. I find it compelling, as it neatly explains heretofore unexplained wobbles in numerous orbits and such. But you can go research it yourself and come to your own conclusions.
-FL
But it didn't seem like the thing to be focusing on. The Yellowstone situation, (or non-situation, depending on your news source), seems more like a symptom than a real focus of concern.
With Blue Bands showing up on Jupiter, (indicating massive upheavals of lower atmospheric gasses), and the crazy solar flare activity of late last summer. .
Like the tides, this stuff is gravity related. Something big is going on out there, and I've mentioned one of the theories as to what may be many (modded to dust) posts ago.
--Brown Dwarf Companion to the Sun passing nice and close out Pluto-way. Moving through the Kuiper Belt. Disrupting comets down into lower orbits. Cyclical comet disasters on Earth based on this. --We're seeing the final bits of the last cycle burning up and even hitting the earth even now. . . Soon to be renewed by a bunch of rocks from the rim!
Not something to get upset over, of course, but watch the skies! I wonder where the first big one is going to land. . ?
As the esoterics say, "The Human experiential cycle is mirrored by the Universe." --And Human experience is a pretty harsh ride at the moment. The world has gone nuts.
--I just read in a local paper that cops are now charging people for leaving their keys inside unlocked cars. In order to protect the insurance corporations! It may be subtle, but it's basically saying that it's against the law to trust my fellow humans. And the fact is that most people won't even blink an eyelash at his.
Yep. The world is nuts.
-FL
"My boss actually developed the Epileptic Stimulator pretty much all by himself back in the late 80's[. .
Think about it. This is not Star Trek way-off technology. I know, but I won't say how.
Believe me. Nothing the media tells you is new is actually new. We have ray-guns and teleporters, people. We have had them for some 'time'. Lift the curtain once in a while if you are interested in knowing what's really going on in the world. Be prepared though. If you have no spine, then that Rabbit hole ride will shatter your life but good. Most sleepers sleep for a reason. Only problem is that sleepers are worthless in the bigger scheme of things; they get left behind. .
You have all watched those Holodeck-Logan's Run-THX1138-George Orwell-Matrix adventure stories, and thought to yourselves, "I'd have figured it out. I wouldn't have been one of those wieners in the background!"
Talk is cheap and 'time' is short.
-FL
See, that's evidence of the program running right there.
Why have school at all?
There are many, many other models of education which could be employed.
Consider. .
I didn't learn how to read or write at school; I learned that on my own. My father liked math, and tried to teach me, but I found it thoroughly confusing and dull. I did poorly in it in school, and only use the most rudimentary aspects of it in my daily life with no detriment. I can balance a bank statement and write a java script, but all of that I learned on my own because I wanted to.
In fact, very few of the valuable skills or knowledge I use on a daily basis were learned in a school 'program'. I learned some of it in school, but that's only because I spent so much time physically being there.
Technical colleges and such need not change. The kinds of kids who want to learn to become doctors and engineers aren't getting a free ride today anyhow, and the ones best suited to such studies are going to pick up the entry skills on their own.
In fact, I have had to un-learn much of the crap they forced into my head through grade school and highschool. 'History' and social studies. Feminism. --Ever notice that many of the books they made you read in school were boring as hell? --Almost as though they didn't want kids to enjoy reading for fear that they might go off and do more of it in their own time?
But anyway. .
While I do value the unintended social lessons I learned by attending school, there are many other much healthier ways for large groups to mix and learn from one another.
The more I consider it, the more I think the educational system is a total croc.
-FL
Interesting!
Until now, the idiocy of the school yard jerk was something you had to put up with when you were a kid, but thankfully left behind when you graduated. But now juvenile crap overflows into the 'real' world, and can affect even the most insulated ivory tower type. Is this the first time?
I remember bullies and morons in school. The 'play'ground held a unique undercurrent of threat and horror for me as a kid. Going to school included genuinely believing that every day there was the possibility that you might be tortured and murdered by some half-wit big kid with a cruel streak, and that the safe world of adult supervision was unaware of most of the hells being perpetrated. Being a kid was a horror in many ways.
So what can be done about the skript-kiddie 'threat'?
Zip. Let the adult world suffer, I say. Think of it as payment for forcing kids through such a horrific 'education' system. There are only two other institutions which are so similar in structure and ideology, and they are the military and the penal system. School sucks, and aside from the handful of friends I made there, I hated nearly every aspect of it. The most valuable lessons I learned were how to survive it. Little else was of much use except shop class, typing class, art class and any time where there happened to be one of those very rare adults who inspired. You know the ones I mean. The good teachers who somehow defied the system and taught you valuable lessons in the face of all the state-ordained mind control. (Learn how to Obey and be Bored out of your mind doing repetetive tasks. A robot factory cranking out Perfect Workers.)
I also think it's neat that the Skript Kiddies are the geek version of 'Moe' type bullies. There's an ironic balancing in effect there somehow. .
-FL
Oh, I didn't say I couldn't follow his narrative style. I just wasn't very impressed by it. Appleseed started off on excellent footing; the trick is to marry interesting, engaging characters with an interesting, engaging story world. But over the course of 5 volumes, Appleseed rapidly slid into what I consider a classic problem; that of forgetting that the details of the worldbuilding should be in service to the people you put in the world. He seemed to forget that his people existed as vital beings at all. --Or worse, he deliberately tried to make them seem like a bunch of department store dummies in order to make a point. (Which, while a brilliant end lesson, I rather doubt was consciously intended. More like the result of working through a waking nightmare.)
Tolkien wrote the LotR and the Hobbit, and created a deep, rich history, the vast bulk of which, (thankfully!), he didn't make us read through. The world buoyed up the characters; I cared about Frodo and Sam and Gandalf and their struggles. Tolkien never forgot that it is the people who are important to an audience.
By the middle of Appleseed, Deunan seemed to have lost her wit and charm, her humanity, and became just a decoration while the politicos babbled a bunch of stuff I didn't care about. (Half the time with the excuse of showing oiled babes and violence without it seeming like a bunch of soft porn. "If they talk smart over top, then this isn't really just a bunch of masterbation fuel.")
--Sure, building the political workings of a world is fine for when you are building a world; it gives you a stage upon which your characters can perform. But don't show me the damned code!
I'll click, "View/Page Source" if I want to read that stuff. Most people are designed to consume assembled, smooth flowing content, not HTML tags and Java script. "Untold Tales" were untold for a reason!
But please remember, this is just my opinion. I feel Shirow could have told a much more compelling story, but I am not one to say that he hasn't done a lot for his art. Many of his designs and ideas are quite brilliant. I just think he's a weak writer. --And so was Lucas! Imagine Shirow paired up with a good writing partner! Remember "Twin Peeks"? Had Mark Frost not been sitting over David Lynch to balance his insanity, we would have gotten another "Lost Highway" rather than something which connected with such power to the audience at large.
-FL
Accusations?
Sounds like you're taking my observations personally. Don't waste your time. It makes no difference to me or anybody what you like or dislike. Watch and enjoy whatever you want.
Fact is, I find Shirow and his work fascinating, and I think my observations are probably quite valid. I enjoy trying to understand what makes a creator like Shirow tick; by sifting through his head, I learn more about myself. If this makes you feel threatened, then that's for you to deal with.
Try to enjoy the process. It's called, 'growth'.
-FL