I also have to wonder about the pyro heaters for the chutes
I don't know about Genesis in particular, but many modern space probes use small Pu-238 particles as heaters. Since the heat is actually generated by radioactivity, there is no power draw, and no way to turn the thing off.
I'm watching NASA TV now, and they have not yet come to any conclusions other than "a parachute failure occurred". They know that the parafoil failed, but are unsure about the drought chute. They are currently concerned about other possible system failures.
They stated that they'll have a press conference on the event in an hour. NASA TV will be off the air until then.
NO THANK YOU. I DO NOT WANT A FREE IPOD! And I refuse to beg for your stupid gmail invite.
Would you like an invite? I've got six of them lying around that I need to do something with. (Google keeps giving me more.) Just email me at jbanes @ gmail . com, and I'll shoot the invite off to you.
Anyone else who wants one can get one too. I only have six though, so get on the ball!
It's just a few electronic parts. The real key to the kit is the PIC chip. The chip intercepts the commands from the controller and converts them into USB message packets. So if you're thinking of building your own for cheaper, you might as well forget it. The PIC chip is an absolute requirement for a USB interface.
Now if you wanted to splice it a gameport connector, you might do a bit better. You'd still need to write your own driver, however.:-/
Shh!!! You're giving away the secret! It's much cooler to let people think I can type 147 WPM. (I can't even THINK at 147 WPM, but he doesn't need to know that!);-)
Why would you only mention that the Greek's theism was "mythology"?
Simple. I have no other name for it. Should I call it "Greek Religion"? No one would know what I'm talking about. How about "Greekism"? Still, not on target. "The teachings of Homer" would be the closest I could get.
To a atheist (myself included), these other theisms are also mythological.
Fine. Then have a discussion about how they arose, their effect on society, and why people believe in them.:-)
1. How is this different from the joysticks you plug into your TV? I personally like the idea of the joysticks, but I'm not sure I would pay $45 for a PS2 CD.
2. Nostalgia can be ruined by pushing quantity over quality. Since they'll be packing 85 games on the disk, there will be little incentive for players to play any one game for long enough to "master" it.
3. Who has the patience to master these games? Back in the day, we were bored. I remember spending hours on end in front of my GW-Basic interpreter, because it was rewarding. Now I can just pop on the internet and find all the information about BASIC that was so hard won. Alternatively, I might find something quicker and easier. I think the later would be the result for many Atari players.
4. The Atari games were pathetic compared to their arcade counterparts. Why bother with a pixelated version of Defender, when you can grab the arcade version in one of those joystick thing-a-ma-bobs?
5. Profit!!! (Hah! Pre-empted you on that one!)
Here's what I think Atari should do: Create a console on par with the SNES. That sort of hardware should be extremely cheap at this point, and could easily be manufactured for retail prices in the $20-$40 range. Sell simple "smart card" games (or something equally as inexpensive to manufacture) for $5-$10 a piece. This should give them several major selling points:
1. It mini, it's cheap, and it's cool!
2. The low cost will cause parents to consider it for a quick present for their kids.
3. The low cost games will encourage "impulse buys".
While Blogs in general are questionable, I do think that the internet is having a positive effect on literacy and writing ability. At the very least, putting communication in written form forces people to learn to communicate clearly and concisely.
As for spelling, I think you'll find that it has always been an issue. The only reason why it has become more apparent, is that internet users fail to take the time for a proper proofread. Not that I'm about to start proofreading every message I write. It simply takes too long for the very time-sensitive communications inherent in the internet.
But your statement itself contains a hidden discouragement: against atheism, which is not a religion.
This is a silly statement. Atheism is as much a religion as any other. From the dictionary:
religion
A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
Atheism is simply the "religion" that no higher being exists. From the dictionary:
atheism
Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
Thus atheism should be discussed as a belief system that many have chosen. This should lead into a discussion of the rationalizations inherent in such a belief system. e.g. Did a man named Jesus exist? If he did, what social and political factors contributed to his success as a spiritual leader? If he didn't, how did such a legend arise?
These things must be discussed, as it's insufficient to simply assume that our predecessors were mindless idiots. That sort of thinking is why people still think aliens must have built the pyramids, or that the Aztecs and Romans could not have possibly build calculation devices. History actually shows that man is very clever, and is capable of overcoming any problem he puts his mind to. As a result, one must think upon the issue very carefully to gain insight into the human condition.
So you're saying that those who believe in Christianity (or perhaps Judaism, Muslim faith, Buddhism, etc.?) should be told to "get with the program" and have their freedom of religion stripped from them?
Or should the state declare the official religion as atheism? "You must believe that there is no higher power, and that you are worthless and have no purpose other than a product of the Universe's machinations."
1. That would be unconstitutional. It's in the first "right" granted to every American for a good reason. For those of you who have forgotten it, it goes something like this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
2. I submit that if you think religion is dying (especially Christianity), you aren't paying enough attention. Many of those around you are quite possibly of a faith, but choose to keep it to themselves instead of beating it over your head in an inappropriate forum.
Someone please mod the parent up. He's making a very good point that is worth listening to. Let's consider for a moment, that maybe the solution to schooling is not to remove religion, but to open the floodgates to all beliefs. Isn't that what this country is based on?
As a matter of disclosure, I am not a fan of the Jesuits or their teachings. Yet that doesn't mean that I'm going to tell the parent poster to shut up. He has his beliefs, I have mine, and every other slashdotter has theirs. To misuse authority and powers given to you to silence those that disagree, is petty.
Again, please mod the parent up for making a well thought out point based on very real and observable effects.
What's up with your rants and who are you ranting against? The guys you're ranting against seem like they never mentioned anything about teaching about religions or discussing religions.
The original poster said:
The sooner we get an education system which does not teach religion or political or patriotic based material the better.
Which was not the point of the author. The author's point was that school IS a religion, based around social-compliance. Now the mods have seen fit to completely ruin a possibly good discussion by modding up unsubstantiated drivel that has no bearing on the subject at hand.
For pointing this out, I've lost about 5 points or so in karma. I'd lose another 50 if I thought it would help.
As for the distinction of teaching religion vs. practicing religion in school, I don't remember any public schools in the past thirty years requiring students to get down and pray. This leaves nothing but a discussion of a topic of very real import to life on this planet. No, I don't think teachers should shove any religion down childrens throats (that would be wrong), but how can you shy away from discussing it? This is supposedly a country of tolerance for all customs and religions! Where's the tolerance from the average slashdotter?
Maybe a moderator would like to challenge the content of my post instead of modding down? Hmm? Here is my source, directly from the book. And I quote:
School is a religion. Without understanding the holy mission aspect you're certain to misperceive what takes place as a result of human stupidity or venality or even class warfare. All are present in the equation, it's just that none of these matter very much--even without them school would move in the same direction.
Anyone who has a problem with religions (ANY religions) being discussed in school is not someone who can be educated. Whether you like it or not, Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Greek Mythology, Buddism, and other religions all have played a strong part in history.
So get it right, will you?!? The author said "school is a religion", not "school has too much Christianity".
is there such thing as a USB extension cord without buying a hub?
Yes there is. I have a Logitech USB mouse that came with an extension cable. The idea was that the mouse would have a short cord for traveling, and an extension cord for when you need more length.
The Energia was a highly configurable rocket. In its Vulkan configuration, it could lift ~150 metric tons, and in its Hercules configuration, it could lift a whopping 175 metric tons! That's way more than the Saturn V.
Maybe you haven't been paying attention. The only thing that would be FORCED if we lost an orbiter or two, would be the cessation of all funds related to manned space travel. Congress hates our expenditure on NASA. If you give them a reason, they WILL shut it down, and it will never restart.
Slashdot Mirror
I also have to wonder about the pyro heaters for the chutes
I don't know about Genesis in particular, but many modern space probes use small Pu-238 particles as heaters. Since the heat is actually generated by radioactivity, there is no power draw, and no way to turn the thing off.
I'm watching NASA TV now, and they have not yet come to any conclusions other than "a parachute failure occurred". They know that the parafoil failed, but are unsure about the drought chute. They are currently concerned about other possible system failures.
They stated that they'll have a press conference on the event in an hour. NASA TV will be off the air until then.
NO THANK YOU. I DO NOT WANT A FREE IPOD! And I refuse to beg for your stupid gmail invite.
Would you like an invite? I've got six of them lying around that I need to do something with. (Google keeps giving me more.) Just email me at jbanes @ gmail . com, and I'll shoot the invite off to you.
Anyone else who wants one can get one too. I only have six though, so get on the ball!
It's just a few electronic parts. The real key to the kit is the PIC chip. The chip intercepts the commands from the controller and converts them into USB message packets. So if you're thinking of building your own for cheaper, you might as well forget it. The PIC chip is an absolute requirement for a USB interface.
:-/
Now if you wanted to splice it a gameport connector, you might do a bit better. You'd still need to write your own driver, however.
Who said anything about mastery?
:-)
TFA. *shrug*
Wasn't that the FIRST thing on my list?
Shh!!! You're giving away the secret! It's much cooler to let people think I can type 147 WPM. (I can't even THINK at 147 WPM, but he doesn't need to know that!) ;-)
Why would you only mention that the Greek's theism was "mythology"?
:-)
Simple. I have no other name for it. Should I call it "Greek Religion"? No one would know what I'm talking about. How about "Greekism"? Still, not on target. "The teachings of Homer" would be the closest I could get.
To a atheist (myself included), these other theisms are also mythological.
Fine. Then have a discussion about how they arose, their effect on society, and why people believe in them.
On May 7, 2003, Infogrames officially announces its name change to Atari. The Company's U.S. operations became Atari, Inc. (formerly Infogrames, Inc.)
Ouch. Here we go with the Caldera/SCO debable, all over again.
"But it's not the same Atari! I'm telling you!"
1. How is this different from the joysticks you plug into your TV? I personally like the idea of the joysticks, but I'm not sure I would pay $45 for a PS2 CD.
;-))
2. Nostalgia can be ruined by pushing quantity over quality. Since they'll be packing 85 games on the disk, there will be little incentive for players to play any one game for long enough to "master" it.
3. Who has the patience to master these games? Back in the day, we were bored. I remember spending hours on end in front of my GW-Basic interpreter, because it was rewarding. Now I can just pop on the internet and find all the information about BASIC that was so hard won. Alternatively, I might find something quicker and easier. I think the later would be the result for many Atari players.
4. The Atari games were pathetic compared to their arcade counterparts. Why bother with a pixelated version of Defender, when you can grab the arcade version in one of those joystick thing-a-ma-bobs?
5. Profit!!! (Hah! Pre-empted you on that one!)
Here's what I think Atari should do: Create a console on par with the SNES. That sort of hardware should be extremely cheap at this point, and could easily be manufactured for retail prices in the $20-$40 range. Sell simple "smart card" games (or something equally as inexpensive to manufacture) for $5-$10 a piece. This should give them several major selling points:
1. It mini, it's cheap, and it's cool!
2. The low cost will cause parents to consider it for a quick present for their kids.
3. The low cost games will encourage "impulse buys".
4. Very little expense would need to go into R&D.
5. Profit!!! (Did it again!
While Blogs in general are questionable, I do think that the internet is having a positive effect on literacy and writing ability. At the very least, putting communication in written form forces people to learn to communicate clearly and concisely.
As for spelling, I think you'll find that it has always been an issue. The only reason why it has become more apparent, is that internet users fail to take the time for a proper proofread. Not that I'm about to start proofreading every message I write. It simply takes too long for the very time-sensitive communications inherent in the internet.
But your statement itself contains a hidden discouragement: against atheism, which is not a religion.
This is a silly statement. Atheism is as much a religion as any other. From the dictionary:
religion
A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
Atheism is simply the "religion" that no higher being exists. From the dictionary:
atheism
Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
Thus atheism should be discussed as a belief system that many have chosen. This should lead into a discussion of the rationalizations inherent in such a belief system. e.g. Did a man named Jesus exist? If he did, what social and political factors contributed to his success as a spiritual leader? If he didn't, how did such a legend arise?
These things must be discussed, as it's insufficient to simply assume that our predecessors were mindless idiots. That sort of thinking is why people still think aliens must have built the pyramids, or that the Aztecs and Romans could not have possibly build calculation devices. History actually shows that man is very clever, and is capable of overcoming any problem he puts his mind to. As a result, one must think upon the issue very carefully to gain insight into the human condition.
So you're saying that those who believe in Christianity (or perhaps Judaism, Muslim faith, Buddhism, etc.?) should be told to "get with the program" and have their freedom of religion stripped from them?
Or should the state declare the official religion as atheism? "You must believe that there is no higher power, and that you are worthless and have no purpose other than a product of the Universe's machinations."
1. That would be unconstitutional. It's in the first "right" granted to every American for a good reason. For those of you who have forgotten it, it goes something like this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
2. I submit that if you think religion is dying (especially Christianity), you aren't paying enough attention. Many of those around you are quite possibly of a faith, but choose to keep it to themselves instead of beating it over your head in an inappropriate forum.
Someone please mod the parent up. He's making a very good point that is worth listening to. Let's consider for a moment, that maybe the solution to schooling is not to remove religion, but to open the floodgates to all beliefs. Isn't that what this country is based on?
As a matter of disclosure, I am not a fan of the Jesuits or their teachings. Yet that doesn't mean that I'm going to tell the parent poster to shut up. He has his beliefs, I have mine, and every other slashdotter has theirs. To misuse authority and powers given to you to silence those that disagree, is petty.
Again, please mod the parent up for making a well thought out point based on very real and observable effects.
What's up with your rants and who are you ranting against? The guys you're ranting against seem like they never mentioned anything about teaching about religions or discussing religions.
The original poster said:
The sooner we get an education system which does not teach religion or political or patriotic based material the better.
Which was not the point of the author. The author's point was that school IS a religion, based around social-compliance. Now the mods have seen fit to completely ruin a possibly good discussion by modding up unsubstantiated drivel that has no bearing on the subject at hand.
For pointing this out, I've lost about 5 points or so in karma. I'd lose another 50 if I thought it would help.
As for the distinction of teaching religion vs. practicing religion in school, I don't remember any public schools in the past thirty years requiring students to get down and pray. This leaves nothing but a discussion of a topic of very real import to life on this planet. No, I don't think teachers should shove any religion down childrens throats (that would be wrong), but how can you shy away from discussing it? This is supposedly a country of tolerance for all customs and religions! Where's the tolerance from the average slashdotter?
Maybe a moderator would like to challenge the content of my post instead of modding down? Hmm? Here is my source, directly from the book. And I quote:
School is a religion. Without understanding the holy mission aspect you're certain to misperceive what takes place as a result of human stupidity or venality or even class warfare. All are present in the equation, it's just that none of these matter very much--even without them school would move in the same direction.
Anyone who has a problem with religions (ANY religions) being discussed in school is not someone who can be educated. Whether you like it or not, Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Greek Mythology, Buddism, and other religions all have played a strong part in history.
So get it right, will you?!? The author said "school is a religion", not "school has too much Christianity".
SINCE THE MODERATORS SAW IT FIT TO MOD DOWN MY ORIGINAL POST, LET ME SAY IT AGAIN:
Please mod the parent post down! The author did not claim that "religion" in schools was a problem, he claimed that the school IS A RELIGION.
This time with a +2 modifier so it gets heard.
Please mod this nonsense down. The author did not claim that "religion" in schools was a problem, he claimed that the school IS A RELIGION!
is there such thing as a USB extension cord without buying a hub?
Yes there is. I have a Logitech USB mouse that came with an extension cable. The idea was that the mouse would have a short cord for traveling, and an extension cord for when you need more length.
Ooo! I'd forgotten all about those. Don't forget "Star Trek TNG: The Final Unity". Now that was the height of entertainment!
Name me one decent Star Trek game.
Elite Force I & II and Star Trek Armada I & II
There. You now have four.
But then I don't FEEL the NEED for melodrama every OTHER word.
Really? And here I thought I was just copying your text:
maybe we would finally be FORCED to upgrade aging technology.
The Energia was a highly configurable rocket. In its Vulkan configuration, it could lift ~150 metric tons, and in its Hercules configuration, it could lift a whopping 175 metric tons! That's way more than the Saturn V.
Maybe you haven't been paying attention. The only thing that would be FORCED if we lost an orbiter or two, would be the cessation of all funds related to manned space travel. Congress hates our expenditure on NASA. If you give them a reason, they WILL shut it down, and it will never restart.
Go grab an Energia, and you can launch the same for $110 million (in 1985 dollars).