What's your estimate of the amount of data needed to digitally record every bit of music recorded since Thomas Edison mumbled "Harry had some brittle Ham"?
When do you project that will fit onto one piece of media?
For extra credit, do the same thought experiment for movies.
Have seperate systems for Humans & Cargo - because it cost a lot more to make a man-rated system safe
Build big, dumb cargo lifters. The Russians know how to do this. Build it like a ship, not like a missile.
Privatize it - NASA specifies requirements, private companies contract to fill those requirements
Standardize it. Specify a standard payload size, sell launches to anyone with : 1)$, 2)compatible (safe) payload.
Prime the pump - buy a launch a week for five years (at ~$10e6 per launch, IIRC?) even if you're just launching dead weight and dropping it into the ocean. Let the market get established.
???
PROFIT!
If after spending $500,000,000 / yr for a couple of years, no market develops, give it up as a waste of time. Still cheaper than paying for the shuttle for the same time frame.
"The point he was making is that corperations will hijack certain demands, holding the 'blackmail' if they can use that to maintain higher profits in other areas."
ISN"T THAT PRETTY MUCH THE DEFINITION OF ANTI-TRUST?!!!
Ok, the book only implies that the human protectors from Home destroy the Pak protector fleet. But for whatever reason, the fleet never shows up at Earth.
Still it'd be an epic story to tell.
"the only thing I hold higher in regard above my beer is the prospect of getting more beer!
"
Dude, your head is screwed on backwards! The prospect of getting more beer should be priority #2after you deal with item #1 on the agenda, the beer currently in front of you.
"Why do you think it's someone's responsibility to give you something, especially something you don't need to live, for free or at a discount? Why do you feel you are entitled to the fruits of my labor for your enjoyment?"
Oh please.
The government feels the need that certain services be available to everyone, and attempts to arrange things so that happens. If they're going to make mandates in order to ensure that the poorest %n have access, then everyone, INCLUDING me should have access. Hell, I'm even willing to pay for what I get.
My point being that the government alledgedly has this policy in place, but apparently they're moving, as usual, with glacial speed.
As far as my particular location, if the telcos/cable companies can't afford to service my area, they can't afford to provide service anywhere. We have a high enough density of upper-middle class residents, not too far from the urban core. It should make good business sense to sell us broadband, ignoring any federal mandate. When we bought our house, there was heated competition to see whether DSL or cable would get the market first, and we made a reasonable assumption from what the respective companies told us that it would be available "real soon now".
Slashdot Mirror
When do you project that will fit onto one piece of media?
For extra credit, do the same thought experiment for movies.
- Have seperate systems for Humans & Cargo - because it cost a lot more to make a man-rated system safe
- Build big, dumb cargo lifters. The Russians know how to do this. Build it like a ship, not like a missile.
- Privatize it - NASA specifies requirements, private companies contract to fill those requirements
- Standardize it. Specify a standard payload size, sell launches to anyone with : 1)$, 2)compatible (safe) payload.
- Prime the pump - buy a launch a week for five years (at ~$10e6 per launch, IIRC?) even if you're just launching dead weight and dropping it into the ocean. Let the market get established.
- ???
- PROFIT!
If after spending $500,000,000 / yr for a couple of years, no market develops, give it up as a waste of time. Still cheaper than paying for the shuttle for the same time frame.- Which one's the Queen?
- I'm the Queen.
- No you're not.
- Freedom!
- Horrible, horrible freedom!
-- from the book of Homer, 1F13
Sure, as the great philosopher Ronald Reagan noted, humanity will be united as soon as we get into space and find someone else to fight with.
Damn, does anyone have a kleenex?
Why don't we just build something that some disgruntled third-worlder can hijaak and turn into a radiation-spewing cruise missile!
Ahhh, a scholar!
But I fear most slashbots won't get the reference.
The full punishment for treason in England was:
- Disembowlment,
- burning the traitors viscera while he's still alive to watch it,
- drawing and quartering (tie each limb to a horse, and be ripped apart)
- Head displayed on a stake at London tower,
- (certain rules about burial, including, I think burial in unhallowed ground.)
- ????
- Profit
(errr... just to be clear, that was "all of the above" (neglecting the last two), not "pick one")Unfortunately, today in this country, you can get away with anything if you have enough money or the right connections.
Samir, is that you?
Jesus H. Christ, man! All we had were steel balls and tracks! And we got 0.00000032 fps in the original Doom.
Send them a bill for the bandwith used.
Then take them to small claims court when they don't pay!
ISN"T THAT PRETTY MUCH THE DEFINITION OF ANTI-TRUST?!!!
Don't eat your seed corn!
"Developers! Developers! Developers!"
I still use DOS!
You got that right!
Philo T Farnsworth invented television while he was still in highschool. And build a fusion reactor in a jelly jar!
I guess the human-derived protectors were more creative.
Ok, the book only implies that the human protectors from Home destroy the Pak protector fleet. But for whatever reason, the fleet never shows up at Earth.
Still it'd be an epic story to tell.
We've been hearing rumors about various stories of yours, particularly "Ringworld" being given the Hollywood treatment for ages.
Have you gotten proposals to do any stories for good animated science fiction?
[OT]:
Q: Why do computer programmers get Thanksgiving and Halloween confused?
A: Because 31 OCT == 25 HEX!
Poor performance?
Hell, that's nothing, my score was 31337357 !
If you're generous enough to give it freely to society, you shouldn't worry about whatever applications misguided people put it to.
If you have concerns about how members of society choose to behave, you need to work to improve society.
Dude, your head is screwed on backwards! The prospect of getting more beer should be priority #2 after you deal with item #1 on the agenda, the beer currently in front of you.
Sheesh. Kids these days. I weep for America.
Oh please.
The government feels the need that certain services be available to everyone, and attempts to arrange things so that happens. If they're going to make mandates in order to ensure that the poorest %n have access, then everyone, INCLUDING me should have access. Hell, I'm even willing to pay for what I get.
My point being that the government alledgedly has this policy in place, but apparently they're moving, as usual, with glacial speed.
As far as my particular location, if the telcos/cable companies can't afford to service my area, they can't afford to provide service anywhere. We have a high enough density of upper-middle class residents, not too far from the urban core. It should make good business sense to sell us broadband, ignoring any federal mandate. When we bought our house, there was heated competition to see whether DSL or cable would get the market first, and we made a reasonable assumption from what the respective companies told us that it would be available "real soon now".
The D&D couples edition!!
I mean, hey, there's already a lot of swords and leather involved! I bet the furries would love it!
I didn't know "Beowulf" was another name for Curious George"!