In 1968 Douglas C. Engelbart in this demo showed all the things we take for granted now every time we sit down at a computer, use a mobile phone or PDA - hyperlinks are not even half of it.
There is much more about Doug online here and a whole lot more on -
I love Fink - it's one of the reasons I love Mac OS X - it opens the world of UNIX apps to Mac users... I think it's shitty that others don't appreciate the hard work involved - but I think the other/.ers are right - shit happens - sounds like you need to take it a little less personally. And this post is right on - take a break and get back into it when the time is right.
Egan and Dan Simmons definitely.... but no one has meantioned David Zindell - His series (Requiem for Homo Sapiens)"Neverness", "The Broken God", "War in heaven" and "The Wild" are excellent, lyrical mystic/SF.... but I don't think he will be remembered as the books appear to be out of print already.
A word from the wise (or not..... I live on Hong Kong island near where the annual Fire Dragon festival is held) - listen to these people who actually live in Hong Kong and China.... there's a lot of misconceptions about this part of the world.
1. China is huge but it's not monolithic (or monoglotic) there are 5 major languages (don't believe the notion of dialects they're mutually unintelligible) and many more ethnic groups. Northerners are different from Southerners, Easterners from Westerners and even within regions there are different Languages and people. China is more like Europe.
2. Some parts of China are incredibly advanced producing cutting edge components for the West others are producing bulk comodity technology.
3. Some parts are dirt poor where there's no running water, sewerage system, malnutrition and desease - it's tough dragging a huge diverse country into the 20th century - let alone the 21st.
4. Hong Kong is Chinese but it's not China. In a way it's more Chinese than the Mainland - no cultural revolution. In fact the whole issue of what China is so problematic take the Taiwan issue for instance.
5. Hong Kong is one of the richest places on the planet with a significant minority of people able to afford the latest toys - but it is much less techno savvy than Singapore.
6. Hong Kong makes nothing but it is one of the largest exporters in the world. Huh? Yep Hong Kong provides the management, finance, know-how to the factories in Guangdong where everything is made - it then re-exports the products through the Hong Kong ports.
The point of all this is that the picture is not cut and dried - you can probably make any point you like that proves or disproves Stephenson's thesis as the variables are so many. The whole issue is complicated merely by the fact that no one really understands what China is - much of it is myth devised by the Emperors and The Communist Party to maintain the idea of 'China' when in fact there is only the Empire of China(s), or the Federation of China(s). The myth of one language is typical - one language implies one people implies one state to rule them - but remember it's a myth a convenient mutual lie.
So to answer the problem - Hong Kong and 'China' (the Guangdong bit of it)have already merged in terms of business and the business of technology. Singapore have set up a "Franchise" in Suzhou near Shanghai - (now that is a much more interesting question) and Taiwan owns large numbers of factories in Fujian - so Greater China is merging and the whole thing is becoming really dynamic.
Slashdot Mirror
Wheelman was featured on Slashdot earlier this year. It seems a much cooler way of getting around.
I think this will go the way of the Sinclair C5... sad really....
Cheaper personal scooters are there and here too - as well as weird bikes.
In 1968 Douglas C. Engelbart in this demo showed all the things we take for granted now every time we sit down at a computer, use a mobile phone or PDA - hyperlinks are not even half of it.
There is much more about Doug online here and a whole lot more on -
Enough said I think.
Chrispy - I'm on your side.
/.ers are right - shit happens - sounds like you need to take it a little less personally. And this post is right on - take a break and get back into it when the time is right.
I love Fink - it's one of the reasons I love Mac OS X - it opens the world of UNIX apps to Mac users... I think it's shitty that others don't appreciate the hard work involved - but I think the other
GREAT WORK..... I use it every day!
Egan and Dan Simmons definitely.... but no one has meantioned David Zindell - His series (Requiem for Homo Sapiens)"Neverness", "The Broken God", "War in heaven" and "The Wild" are excellent, lyrical mystic/SF.... but I don't think he will be remembered as the books appear to be out of print already.
A word from the wise (or not..... I live on Hong Kong island near where the annual Fire Dragon festival is held) - listen to these people who actually live in Hong Kong and China.... there's a lot of misconceptions about this part of the world.
:)
1. China is huge but it's not monolithic (or monoglotic) there are 5 major languages (don't believe the notion of dialects they're mutually unintelligible) and many more ethnic groups. Northerners are different from Southerners, Easterners from Westerners and even within regions there are different Languages and people. China is more like Europe.
2. Some parts of China are incredibly advanced producing cutting edge components for the West others are producing bulk comodity technology.
3. Some parts are dirt poor where there's no running water, sewerage system, malnutrition and desease - it's tough dragging a huge diverse country into the 20th century - let alone the 21st.
4. Hong Kong is Chinese but it's not China. In a way it's more Chinese than the Mainland - no cultural revolution. In fact the whole issue of what China is so problematic take the Taiwan issue for instance.
5. Hong Kong is one of the richest places on the planet with a significant minority of people able to afford the latest toys - but it is much less techno savvy than Singapore.
6. Hong Kong makes nothing but it is one of the largest exporters in the world. Huh? Yep Hong Kong provides the management, finance, know-how to the factories in Guangdong where everything is made - it then re-exports the products through the Hong Kong ports.
The point of all this is that the picture is not cut and dried - you can probably make any point you like that proves or disproves Stephenson's thesis as the variables are so many. The whole issue is complicated merely by the fact that no one really understands what China is - much of it is myth devised by the Emperors and The Communist Party to maintain the idea of 'China' when in fact there is only the Empire of China(s), or the Federation of China(s). The myth of one language is typical - one language implies one people implies one state to rule them - but remember it's a myth a convenient mutual lie.
So to answer the problem - Hong Kong and 'China' (the Guangdong bit of it)have already merged in terms of business and the business of technology. Singapore have set up a "Franchise" in Suzhou near Shanghai - (now that is a much more interesting question) and Taiwan owns large numbers of factories in Fujian - so Greater China is merging and the whole thing is becoming really dynamic.
Hope this enlightens the discussion.