A lunar base is outlandish? I couldn't come up with a more sensible method to expand our position in space. It seems like finally a very long term view is being taken.
The moon has resources! You can build nifty, very large telescopes on the Moon. You can setup a manufacturing base so that everything doesn't have to be shipped up from Earth. Shipping every nut and bolt out of Earths gravity well is the huge money sink.
I'm seeing an awful lot of emotional invective and putting words in the mouth of the current US Administration. Not a lot of reasoning.
I find this thread really funny. Not that I think any of the replies to this "Real Deal" parent say incorrect things. Except maybe an AC or two.:)
In fact I think all of the registered posters are each true.
It is all a matter of the resources available. Things get done right or not. Money gets spent to do things right or not. Paying salaries costs money. Not having people to do the work costs. Hardware costs, not buying hardware costs. Not buying software costs. Training costs, not training costs.
Here are the worst: Knowledge gained and then lost. Knowledge communicated and then still proceeding down the wrong path. Just plain incorrect thinking by management and/or workers. Companies fail from these. Knowledge (techies?) can be thought of as another resource.
What makes the world go around? People, time, resources.
Commenting only on this AC's last paragraph. The US Federal Government (maybe States too?) put certain troublesome Native American groups on isolated reservations a long time ago. Of course better wordy, justifications were used about this.
This had the side-effect of cutting these groups off from growing into the US culture and preventing them from entering the job market. As soon as any group falls too far behind in this way. You get self-reinforcing behavior by default. Americans don't like to hear, that only new generations have a chance to correct their luck of birth.
How can I back this up?
I grew up very near, but never interacting with, individuals from a similar, self-sufficient and quite decent group. The Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite. They were with-in walking distance in just about all directions.
Take my word that these two groups behave similarly. Especially, with what happens to the kids growing to adult-hood. Of course, some individuals break the cycle. These are the kids who grow up and don't come back. Without numbers from a survey, I would still say the odds aren't good.
I've since read material that has convinced me that the High School history books they gave us were crud. Truth, is too complex for growing minds! Contrary facts to accepted myth, MUST BE ELIMINATED!! Quote those incorrect dates. Better yet memorize them for the test...
Oh that was time well spent, hopefully things have changed.
Check out Invader ZIM on Nickelodeon. Its a new series that is like Futurama times two. Don't be put off that its on Nick, its geared towards capturing an adult audience. Plays Fridays at 9pm.
I'm seeing a lot of cloudy posts on this issue. This post about the US Constitution is some of the only clear thinking. The entire argument that escaping a State's sales tax is unfair to main street retailers should be immaterial to everybody.
Internet retailing needs to continue to be used to force States to stop collecting sales taxes. It falls along same lines as simplifying the Federal tax code. There are also several reasons why a federal sales tax would be an idiotic idea.
1) It would require a US constitution change.
2) Sales taxes are an inefficient way to collect revenue. It imposes a burden on sellers to verify that each sale has its tax calculated properly. Income taxes are better due to only being per employee.
3) Sales taxes are a way of hiding tax collection. Nickle and diming citizens is easy. Its not obvious how much tax is being collected.
4) Sales taxes are inherently more unpredictable in the number of dollars they collect. In lean times, dimished sales result in fewer taxes collected. In good times, the opposite occurs and suddenly every trough feeder finds new uses for your tax dollars.
Don't let politicians mislead you with this new rubbish of the week. They are just using it to catch TV airtime.
The above post is the most useful I've found in this discussion. I'm a hardcore gamer. When the first video games showed up in the local mall I was hooked. I remember playing quarter after quarter of Star War!, Battlezone and Star Castle. Those were the beginning and now I'm hooked on Giants: Citizen Kabuto.
Action games definitely improve hand/eye coordination. Action games also train the game player in other skills. Strategy games produce entire other sets of mental improvements.
There are two reasons why older generations don't recognize gaming as beneficial:
1) It is difficult to link the improved skills to the game playing. Games are fun. How can something fun have much merit? The whole topic is outside their experience.
2) Often it is just plain difficult to even see the benefits produced. Say Johnny now goal seeks better, plans ahead better and is 5% quicker in his thinking. How are these types of improved mental abilities in a kid even going to be noticed by an adult.
The best argument I've found is that gaming is interactive and watching TV is passive. You can usually convice somebody that being active is better than passive.:)
Hopefully in a decade or two things will change. Gaming should be recognized as a good activity for the young, not as a something bad which must be limited and curtailed. The drive to seek fun exists in us (extra dose in kids) for a reason, evolution produced it.
Slashdot Mirror
A lunar base is outlandish? I couldn't come up with a more sensible method to expand our position in space. It seems like finally a very long term view is being taken.
The moon has resources! You can build nifty, very large telescopes on the Moon. You can setup a manufacturing base so that everything doesn't have to be shipped up from Earth. Shipping every nut and bolt out of Earths gravity well is the huge money sink.
I'm seeing an awful lot of emotional invective and putting words in the mouth of the current US Administration. Not a lot of reasoning.
I find this thread really funny. Not that I think any of the replies to this "Real Deal" parent say incorrect things. Except maybe an AC or two. :)
In fact I think all of the registered posters are each true.
It is all a matter of the resources available. Things get done right or not. Money gets spent to do things right or not. Paying salaries costs money. Not having people to do the work costs. Hardware costs, not buying hardware costs. Not buying software costs. Training costs, not training costs.
Here are the worst: Knowledge gained and then lost. Knowledge communicated and then still proceeding down the wrong path. Just plain incorrect thinking by management and/or workers. Companies fail from these. Knowledge (techies?) can be thought of as another resource.
What makes the world go around? People, time, resources.
I think I read too much...
Commenting only on this AC's last paragraph. The US Federal Government (maybe States too?) put certain troublesome Native American groups on isolated reservations a long time ago. Of course better wordy, justifications were used about this.
This had the side-effect of cutting these groups off from growing into the US culture and preventing them from entering the job market. As soon as any group falls too far behind in this way. You get self-reinforcing behavior by default. Americans don't like to hear, that only new generations have a chance to correct their luck of birth.
How can I back this up?
I grew up very near, but never interacting with, individuals from a similar, self-sufficient and quite decent group. The Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite. They were with-in walking distance in just about all directions.
Take my word that these two groups behave similarly. Especially, with what happens to the kids growing to adult-hood. Of course, some individuals break the cycle. These are the kids who grow up and don't come back. Without numbers from a survey, I would still say the odds aren't good.
Excellent post Rab. Somebody mod this guy up.
I've since read material that has convinced me that the High School history books they gave us were crud. Truth, is too complex for growing minds! Contrary facts to accepted myth, MUST BE ELIMINATED!! Quote those incorrect dates. Better yet memorize them for the test...
Oh that was time well spent, hopefully things have changed.
Check out Invader ZIM on Nickelodeon. Its a new series that is like Futurama times two. Don't be put off that its on Nick, its geared towards capturing an adult audience. Plays Fridays at 9pm.
I'm seeing a lot of cloudy posts on this issue. This post about the US Constitution is some of the only clear thinking. The entire argument that escaping a State's sales tax is unfair to main street retailers should be immaterial to everybody. Internet retailing needs to continue to be used to force States to stop collecting sales taxes. It falls along same lines as simplifying the Federal tax code. There are also several reasons why a federal sales tax would be an idiotic idea. 1) It would require a US constitution change. 2) Sales taxes are an inefficient way to collect revenue. It imposes a burden on sellers to verify that each sale has its tax calculated properly. Income taxes are better due to only being per employee. 3) Sales taxes are a way of hiding tax collection. Nickle and diming citizens is easy. Its not obvious how much tax is being collected. 4) Sales taxes are inherently more unpredictable in the number of dollars they collect. In lean times, dimished sales result in fewer taxes collected. In good times, the opposite occurs and suddenly every trough feeder finds new uses for your tax dollars. Don't let politicians mislead you with this new rubbish of the week. They are just using it to catch TV airtime.
The above post is the most useful I've found in this discussion. I'm a hardcore gamer. When the first video games showed up in the local mall I was hooked. I remember playing quarter after quarter of Star War!, Battlezone and Star Castle. Those were the beginning and now I'm hooked on Giants: Citizen Kabuto. Action games definitely improve hand/eye coordination. Action games also train the game player in other skills. Strategy games produce entire other sets of mental improvements. There are two reasons why older generations don't recognize gaming as beneficial: 1) It is difficult to link the improved skills to the game playing. Games are fun. How can something fun have much merit? The whole topic is outside their experience. 2) Often it is just plain difficult to even see the benefits produced. Say Johnny now goal seeks better, plans ahead better and is 5% quicker in his thinking. How are these types of improved mental abilities in a kid even going to be noticed by an adult. The best argument I've found is that gaming is interactive and watching TV is passive. You can usually convice somebody that being active is better than passive. :)
Hopefully in a decade or two things will change. Gaming should be recognized as a good activity for the young, not as a something bad which must be limited and curtailed. The drive to seek fun exists in us (extra dose in kids) for a reason, evolution produced it.