What DOES "Ginger" mean ???
on
What is 'IT'?
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· Score: 1
IF "IT" is indeed a transportation device, optimized for City and Highway use, then "Ginger" might be a good codename for the project. . . provided that you're planning an off-road/backcountry version code-named "Maryann".
I'm sure some of my little buddies out there will get the reference in under three hours. . ..
(sorry, couldn't resist. . . . at least there are no www.goatse.cx references. . ..except that one. . ..)
. ..you could purchase a "sound theme" pack for 2001, ST:TNG (as Cmdr. Data), and several others, both for Mac and for PC platforms: it automatically "themed" the correct sounds to events. Mind you, this was in the days of Win 3.x and Mac System 6/7. . .
. . . now we have PROOF that Starbucks is part of a Global Evil Empire. The only thing they missed, is that Gates isn't Bald, doesn't wear Grey Nehru jackets, and doesn't, to my knowledge, have a minature clone. ..yet.
Sure there is. But, outside of signing up for the Armed Forces, or getting a Security Clearance, it's not a big thing. You CAN cede some of your rights, under certain circumstances. . .
However, the Bill of Rights governs actions by the Federal Government and those of the Several States. Private transactions between lawfully competent individuals and or/organizations aren't generally covered. Technically, you COULD sign yourself into slavery. But outside of most software EULAs, that's not common either. ..[g]
We have that now, it's called the library. But people apparently don't want to use them anymore?
Minor little quibble here. Public Libraries can't get EVERY book EVERY user might want.
And, more importantly, while I might want a copy of J.Generic Author's magnum opus "Everything you wanted to know about $foo, but were afraid to ask", I may not want it badly enough to pay full price for it: buying it used might be the ONLY way I buy something.
Actually, it's likely his mouth would be wide open. Holding your breath in an explosive decompression has nasty side effects, like ruptured eardrums. Heck, holding your breath during ANY decompression can have side effects (ask anyone who has taken SCUBA training). Having been through a few explosive decompressions (I used to fly B-52's for Uncle Sam. ..) in both training and reality, you have quite a bit of time of useful consciousness: 30-45 seconds in many cases.
More than enough to hit the emergency "close lock and fill with air" button. Mind you, many of the other side effects of vacuum exposure, like subcutaneous hemorrages, extreme frostbite, etc, weren't shown in 2001, but are quite likely in any
real-life short-term vacuum exposure.
Who, with Walter Mondale, later to be VP, killed the "Station" part of the "Shuttle/Station" project in the early 1970's. That's right, we could have had a real space station, 20+ years ago.
And as for Idle CPU's. ..as I recall, Proxmire was a Democrat. . .
With all the lawyers and politicians flapping their jaws, wind power seems to be a natural choice for Washington, DC, and more recently, Tallhassee, Florida. . (g)
But seriously, not all areas are suitable for wind power. What about Solar Power Satellites ???? Yes, it would require a significant upfront investment, but as the Slashdot thread on Asteroid Mining from a week or two ago showed, the long-term payback is huge. . .
. . . is still a theory. A well-supported theory, but a theory nonetheless. It's entirely possible that it has loopholes, just as Newtonian physics was found to have, by a chap named Einstein.
Mind you, I'm not throwing the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy out, just noting that if you're going to be objective about it, you'll have to admit that science does NOT provide absolute truth: it instead provides working models of reality with a very high degree of reliability
Include disclaimer.h: I am **NOT** a molecular biologist. . ..
As I recall, DNA, although a complex molecule, is a fairly normal development of protein evolution. However, TERRESTRIAL DNA is based on 4 amino acids: Adenine (A), which pairs with Thymine (T), and Guanine (G), that pairs with Cytosine (C).
Other amino acid pairings are theoretically possible, although not found on Terrestrial life-forms. The discovery of a non-GATC based DNA would be strong evidence of non-terrestrial origin, although probably not sufficient of and by itself. . ..
Of course, a TOTALLY different method of genetic encoding would be pretty much conclusive. . .
Extraction costs ?? Crushing and powdering, and the cost of a mylar mirror. With unlimited solar energy, you can DISTILL metal, if you wanted to. . .
Distance ?? Wrong question. The question you NEED to ask is time involved. . ..
Concentration ??? See Extraction. With enough power, you can extract ANYTHING. And there's that big yellow fusion reactor out there for a power source. . .
Fuel ??? Ever hear of a mass driver ??? The less-valuable portions of the asteroid can be used AS fuel. Slow, but steady accelleration. Which, in the long run, is FAR more efficient than a short, high-gee rocket burn. . .
That's Smart. . . but not the ONLY Advantage. . .
on
On Asteroid Mining
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· Score: 4
As our rainforest friend pointed out, we also have some environmental problems here on Earth.
The REAL impact of asteroidal mining/processing would be to eliminate most mining activities, especially bulk mining, hydraulic mining, and strip mining for metals. All have nasty environmental side effects, and are ugly and difficult to boot.
Plus you have the advantage of nearly unlimited energy from the Sun, either via solar cells for electricty, or via mirrors concentrating light to power smelting processes. And, once you have one good industrial plant Up There, you can bootstrap off of it to make another: several years of "bacterial" growth of orbital industrial plants, and you have a sizeable economic base in space. . . (g)
There, IMNSHO, is the REAL advantage of asteroidal.space mining. . .
A month ?? Two months after the first general release beta of "Whistler" appears with the security feature ??? And not much longer until rogue apps appear that will turn the feature off???
Given the general disdain for M$, perhaps I'm being pessimistic. . . although on the time it will take, or whether it will actually occur, I'm not sure. . . .
People are obsessed with freedom, whereas in fact that freedom represents a violation of someone else.
Nope. Freedom means ALL ideas are allowed. A late Justice of the US Supreme Court once gave the proper method for combatting repugnant ideas: offer a better idea. Yes, the Nazi meme **IS**
pervasive. But making believe it doesn't exist, or trying to actively deny it exists, only feeds it by making if forbidden, and thus appealing to those who rebel by taking up forbidden topics. ..
Does he realise how disgusting Nazis are?
About as disgusting as knee-jerk censors. ..
Does he realise that they are a serious threat in Europe, that they have 20% in Austria, that German neo-nazis have killed dozens of people, that in France the Fronte Nationale holds a council.
So, you find their ideas repugnant. Fine. Then fight their ideas. Ridicule them. Point out the flaws in their logic and ideology. ..but by censoring them, you become their moral equivalent. Your ban is no better than the book-burnings held by the Nazis. . . .
Slashdot Mirror
I'm sure some of my little buddies out there will get the reference in under three hours. . . .
(sorry, couldn't resist. . . . at least there are no www.goatse.cx references. . . .except that one. . . .)
. . .you could purchase a "sound theme" pack for 2001, ST:TNG (as Cmdr. Data), and several others, both for Mac and for PC platforms: it automatically "themed" the correct sounds to events. Mind you, this was in the days of Win 3.x and Mac System 6/7. . .
This Island is for the birds alone.
Place no Monoliths here. . . .
(g,d, & rlh)
I think Bill called him. . . Windows CE. . .
. . . now we have PROOF that Starbucks is part of a Global Evil Empire. The only thing they missed, is that Gates isn't Bald, doesn't wear Grey Nehru jackets, and doesn't, to my knowledge, have a minature clone. . .yet.
Exactly. What, you don't want to waive your rights ??? Look for a job elsewhere. . .
However, the Bill of Rights governs actions by the Federal Government and those of the Several States. Private transactions between lawfully competent individuals and or/organizations aren't generally covered. Technically, you COULD sign yourself into slavery. But outside of most software EULAs, that's not common either. . .[g]
We have that now, it's called the library. But people apparently don't want to use them anymore?
Minor little quibble here. Public Libraries can't get EVERY book EVERY user might want.
And, more importantly, while I might want a copy of J.Generic Author's magnum opus "Everything you wanted to know about $foo, but were afraid to ask", I may not want it badly enough to pay full price for it: buying it used might be the ONLY way I buy something.
According to the International Movie Database, Colossus: The Forbin Project was released in 1969. Whereas 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968. So, pray tell, how can 2001 be a ripoff of Colossus ???
More than enough to hit the emergency "close lock and fill with air" button. Mind you, many of the other side effects of vacuum exposure, like subcutaneous hemorrages, extreme frostbite, etc, weren't shown in 2001, but are quite likely in any real-life short-term vacuum exposure.
(g, d, & rlh)
Who, with Walter Mondale, later to be VP, killed the "Station" part of the "Shuttle/Station" project in the early 1970's. That's right, we could have had a real space station, 20+ years ago.
And as for Idle CPU's. . .as I recall, Proxmire was a Democrat. . .
But seriously, not all areas are suitable for wind power. What about Solar Power Satellites ????
Yes, it would require a significant upfront investment, but as the Slashdot thread on Asteroid Mining from a week or two ago showed, the long-term payback is huge. . .
Mind you, I'm not throwing the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy out, just noting that if you're going to be objective about it, you'll have to admit that science does NOT provide absolute truth: it instead provides working models of reality with a very high degree of reliability
Yes, MacLachlan was the first to play Paul. But if that's the argument, why watch any other Hamlet than Olivier ???
As I recall, DNA, although a complex molecule, is a fairly normal development of protein evolution. However, TERRESTRIAL DNA is based on 4 amino acids: Adenine (A), which pairs with Thymine (T), and Guanine (G), that pairs with Cytosine (C).
Other amino acid pairings are theoretically possible, although not found on Terrestrial life-forms. The discovery of a non-GATC based DNA would be strong evidence of non-terrestrial origin, although probably not sufficient of and by itself. . . .
Of course, a TOTALLY different method of genetic encoding would be pretty much conclusive. . .
Distance ?? Wrong question. The question you NEED to ask is time involved. . . .
Concentration ??? See Extraction. With enough power, you can extract ANYTHING. And there's that big yellow fusion reactor out there for a power source. . .
Fuel ??? Ever hear of a mass driver ??? The less-valuable portions of the asteroid can be used AS fuel. Slow, but steady accelleration. Which, in the long run, is FAR more efficient than a short, high-gee rocket burn. . .
The REAL impact of asteroidal mining/processing would be to eliminate most mining activities, especially bulk mining, hydraulic mining, and strip mining for metals. All have nasty environmental side effects, and are ugly and difficult to boot.
Plus you have the advantage of nearly unlimited energy from the Sun, either via solar cells for electricty, or via mirrors concentrating light to power smelting processes. And, once you have one good industrial plant Up There, you can bootstrap off of it to make another: several years of "bacterial" growth of orbital industrial plants, and you have a sizeable economic base in space. . . (g)
There, IMNSHO, is the REAL advantage of asteroidal.space mining. . .
Grinning, ducking, and running like hell. . . .
Or, alternately, a radar-and-cam set up that scans the locality, finds people, automatically rates them, and gives you a heads-up for any 9's or 10's.
Ah. . .better living through technology !!! .)
(grin, duck, and run. . .
Given the general disdain for M$, perhaps I'm being pessimistic. . . although on the time it will take, or whether it will actually occur, I'm not sure. . . .
Correct. And then the Legislature is required to revisit the issue. So it's not law YET, and we still have a little time. . . .
Mind you, it is likely to pass implementation of UCITA next year, but it's not law in Virginia, yet. . .
WARNING!! WARNING!! GODWIN'S LAW MAY BE IN EFFECT
People are obsessed with freedom, whereas in fact that freedom represents a violation of someone else.
Nope. Freedom means ALL ideas are allowed. A late Justice of the US Supreme Court once gave the proper method for combatting repugnant ideas: offer a better idea. Yes, the Nazi meme **IS** pervasive. But making believe it doesn't exist, or trying to actively deny it exists, only feeds it by making if forbidden, and thus appealing to those who rebel by taking up forbidden topics. . .
Does he realise how disgusting Nazis are?
About as disgusting as knee-jerk censors. .
Does he realise that they are a serious threat in Europe, that they have 20% in Austria, that German neo-nazis have killed dozens of people, that in France the Fronte Nationale holds a council.
So, you find their ideas repugnant. Fine. Then fight their ideas. Ridicule them. Point out the flaws in their logic and ideology. . .but by censoring them, you become their moral equivalent. Your ban is no better than the book-burnings held by the Nazis. . . .
Mind you, you COULD do worse: you could drop Windoze CD's in the bay, and get fined for dumping toxic waste