Would it be better to find new and amazing ways to create energy from resources now, or would it be better for humanity to first learn to live within our means as oil runs out?
Does it have to be either/or?
Humans have shown over and over that in large groups we use all the resources available, don't slow or restrain ourselves in time to save ourselves, and unless there are consistent, strict rules and provisioning in place, we exhaust available resources.
I think it would be better for the long term survival of the species if we ran out of cheap, easy energy sources for several generations, and we designed new culture based on long term sustainability instead of constant growth. If discover or invent an even cheaper, easier way to get energy out of water now, we'll have another "industrial revolution" type of growth, and come to an even worse dead-end when that runs out too.
Either we work on technology *right* now or when we do run out, the economy grinds to a halt and shit really hits the fan. There is a reason governments that have their eyes 20 years down the road take money from our collective taxes and use them to fund research in sustainable energy solutions, no matter how much the Atlas Shrugged-thumpers would like us to believe the free market will take care of everything.
Steering the usage of energy is relatively simple. I pay about 8 eurocents of taxes on every kWh of electricity I use, so I have a vested interested in not using more than I need. Same principle applies to gasoline. Whether or not these taxes are then used for their proper purposes is a different debate;-) Of course this would never work in the US...
Yeah, thanks for that. Skynet sends the Terminator back in time, it loses its memory due to all the lightning you see when he timetravels, and here you are telling him he's a bloody cyborg.;-)
And even though I already owned World of Good, I gave them something well above their reported averages.
Same here.
made a copy for my girlfriend because I figured that we could just the same have bought it twice for half the money each, so what's the problem?
I actually got her a bundle as well. When I last spoke to her she was installing World of Goo, I haven't heard from her since:P
We all say "vote with your wallet" all the time. Apparently, a lot of us did.
Indeedy. And the fact that my cash ends up with a bunch of indie developers, the EFF and Child's Play instead of in the bonus of some Ubisoft C*O makes me feel...all warm and tingly now. Besides, Aquaria kicks Settlers' ass anyway.
Here's what concerns me: "...And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work..."
For the record, I am 31, I've built my own PC's since I was about 10 years and have been reading (and posting on)/. since '99
I have used other people's Ipods once or twice, and that took quite a bit of fiddling. I have never touched and Xbox or an Ipad, and I do own a PS3 but for the moment it's sitting in the living room unpacked. So technically what Obama said applies to me as well...
The man made a joke at his own expense. It's a technique for public speaking that lightens the message you're conveying a bit. The fact that so many people here are taking this as some sort of sign of his technical ineptness is truly sad. Read between the lines folks...
You know, even though he's the lider of a political party in a highly politically polarised nation, he's still the fucking president of the US of A and he didn't got there by being stupid. Maybe he's capable of an informed opinion...
Ehmm, not being stupid hardly seems to rank high on the list of qualifications for US president...remember the previous one?
Now I can tell that Obama is far from stupid...but don't go and give the lot of them the same credit;-)
They hate these new devices because they don't control them yet. Look at totalitarian states all around the world, all politicians' DREAMLANDS because they control every facet of information and the minutiae of everyday lives of their subjects. I don't care if your politician is Ron Paul, Ronald Reagan, or Barack Obama. They all dreamed of a place they can control us from. That is why in our society we have to keep them in check. We have to let them know who is boss and that they are chosen to SERVE US. If they can't get over the yellow press, the "rumors" the "false information". if they can't calibrate their message to appeal to the mass of us, that is THEIR problem and not ours.
Barack Obama, your Chavez is showing. At least we know how to recognize it, we learned it in the time frame between 1763 and 1789.
Blah blah blah tinfoil hat.
And meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- (laughter) -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.
Turn on your brain. Do not believe everything you read. Ow, and a joke at his own expense.
Now to be down-ranked into oblivion by the enlightened leftosphere...
If you're a representative of the "right", then I hereby proudly proclaim not to be whatever it is that you are...which is fucking batshit paranoid insane. However, feel free to convince me you're just an average american Joe, that'll make generalizing a lot easier.
So? According to US media, a situation where the vast majority of knowledgable folks think one thing and 1 total fucking nutcase thinks the other is a controversy. Doesn't matter whether there's actual proof of anything, there's a "debate" going on.
I suggest you read more about the idea before rejecting it.
This is Slashdot. We read a summary based on a mainstream article based on a blog based on a scientific article about something which is going to be researched. When then whip out our highschool physics and make inane comments about potential problems even an 8 year old could see and expect a +5 insightful for doing so.
I am pretty sure Gates is just the mouthpiece for the administration on this. His job is to say and do what the Commander In Chief (aka President) says.
Wow, so a member of the civilian government has to obey the head of the military? That's pretty amazing...
Is that why in order to be eligible for the job you need to be out of active service for at least 7 years?
Precisely. Not great (I'm not a fan of the man), but not a total disaster either.
Well, I guess it was a disaster for Iraqis. But for Americans, he presided over a relatively stable and growing nation.
Absolutely. He managed to go from a situation where the entire western world felt sorry for you and sympathized deeply with the US(9/11) to a situation where you've pretty much squandered every shred of credibility you had left(right now). Your enemies hate you a bit more, the neutrals have grown a lot more distrustful, and even your best friends are taking just a few steps back.
Wash at least every couple days. Hit your underarms and brush your teeth at least daily.
Or...take a bloody full-body shower at least once a day *and* after physical exertion, applying deodorant afterwards, and brush your teeth after every meal, eg 3 times a day.
Ehmm, the Brits are hardly a good example of a western european country. I realize they're the only country on this side of the pond that airs their news in the same language as you do, but they're hardly representative. Besides, they have their heads stuck so far up the US ass that it really isn't pretty anymore. There's a reason all of the candidates in the recent election had part of their platform as "move away from the US a bit".
And really, a state controlled news channel? Heck, the Netherlands has 3! It's nice to have access to some television that does not *have* to make a profit, but is instead solely made for the purposes of education and entertainment.
Heck, just look at the list of the CCP employees that helped out with Clear Skies 2;-)
Gotta love those guys. "You're gonna make a movie using our IP? Awesome! Need any help?".
For the non-EVE players, Clear Skies 1 and 2 are machinima movies using both the EVE Online and the Halflife 2 engines, set it in the EVE universe. For the second one, CCP had a whole bunch of people flying ships and providing assistance.
Judging from the actual amount of power you can find in waves, we'd need to build a bloody shitload of these turbines to have any effect at all, really.
Besides, there's places on the planet where reducing the energy in incoming waves might actually be a good thing.
Population of Sweden: 9,059,651 Size of Sweden: 410,335 sq km of land
So I don't get it either...
Actually, it's really easy...the trick is that when you give a private company a bigass pile of taxpayer money to roll out broadband, you make goddamn sure they hold up their end of the bargain.
I love the summary though..."the fastest 5Mb connections"...my ISP just upgraded my connection from 20/2,5 tot 50/5 just to compete with market forces.
Anecdotal data at best...but I have to agree with this one. So far I've yet to see any of my 501's give out in terms of the pockets, and I'm the kind of guy that hangs on to a pair of jeans for years.
Of course I am in the luxury position of not being important enough at work to be forced to switch to the businessman's uniform...
Ditch either the girlfriend or her keys. They are weighing you down too much. Get her to buzz you in. Why carry they keys?
So you have access to her place when she isn't there because, say, you sleep there 2 or 3 nights a week? Or because you want to be there with a nice meal cooked and ready when she gets back home from work?
I know this is Slashdot, but I also know at least *some* posters claim to be in relationships, so how hard can it be?;-)
With an MMOG we gamers take for granted that we need to be connected to the net and transmit data back and forth all the time.
When Ubisoft implements something in what is arguably a single player game, I for one a) do not buy the game b) tell Ubisoft to go fuck themselves and c) make another notch on the "do not buy from this company until they redeem themselves" list.
Which is a shame, because from what I've seen Settlers 7 actually looks like fun and I might just have picked it up were it not for the absurd DRM.
So does that make me a lost sale because of drm because of pirating tally? Because something tells me it's more likely to end up in the one that argues for more drm, not less:/
I don't care for the private contractors because I don't see why Blackwater should be paid a premium to do what normal American solders do everyday and I don't see why Haliburton should make a profit for doing what normal American solders used to do.
Not to mention the fact that a decent chunk of their employees have received their military training at the expense of the taxpayers to begin with.
Must be nice to have your "competition" do all your training for you though. Makes it a lot easier to dazzle someone in the executive branch with your competitive costs compared to the regular army.
That toll booth is going to stop me from ever buying another GTA game.
Steal a cop car and hit the sirens just before the toll booth;-)
Then find out you accidentally hit the key to get out of the car, at full speed, and watch the pretty splosions as you get run over by the guy behind you...
Purveyors of Fine Adult Entertainment...
For the Gentleman with Discriminating Tastes
I do believe good sir, that the ladies are equally entitled to their share of fine adult entertainment, wouldn't you agree?
And if there is one thing that these fine businessmen and -women have demonstrated, it is that they are indeed more than happy to cater to every market imaginable.
However, if the US truly insists on making life difficult for the industry, I'm sure they can find other countries, nay, even continents, more suitable to their specific activities.
Slashdot Mirror
Who needs lube for oral?
Now..height differences, that's a different story.
Would it be better to find new and amazing ways to create energy from resources now, or would it be better for humanity to first learn to live within our means as oil runs out?
Does it have to be either/or?
Humans have shown over and over that in large groups we use all the resources available, don't slow or restrain ourselves in time to save ourselves, and unless there are consistent, strict rules and provisioning in place, we exhaust available resources.
I think it would be better for the long term survival of the species if we ran out of cheap, easy energy sources for several generations, and we designed new culture based on long term sustainability instead of constant growth. If discover or invent an even cheaper, easier way to get energy out of water now, we'll have another "industrial revolution" type of growth, and come to an even worse dead-end when that runs out too.
Either we work on technology *right* now or when we do run out, the economy grinds to a halt and shit really hits the fan. There is a reason governments that have their eyes 20 years down the road take money from our collective taxes and use them to fund research in sustainable energy solutions, no matter how much the Atlas Shrugged-thumpers would like us to believe the free market will take care of everything.
Steering the usage of energy is relatively simple. I pay about 8 eurocents of taxes on every kWh of electricity I use, so I have a vested interested in not using more than I need. Same principle applies to gasoline. Whether or not these taxes are then used for their proper purposes is a different debate ;-) Of course this would never work in the US...
Yeah, thanks for that. Skynet sends the Terminator back in time, it loses its memory due to all the lightning you see when he timetravels, and here you are telling him he's a bloody cyborg. ;-)
And even though I already owned World of Good, I gave them something well above their reported averages.
Same here.
made a copy for my girlfriend because I figured that we could just the same have bought it twice for half the money each, so what's the problem?
I actually got her a bundle as well. When I last spoke to her she was installing World of Goo, I haven't heard from her since :P
We all say "vote with your wallet" all the time. Apparently, a lot of us did.
Indeedy. And the fact that my cash ends up with a bunch of indie developers, the EFF and Child's Play instead of in the bonus of some Ubisoft C*O makes me feel...all warm and tingly now. Besides, Aquaria kicks Settlers' ass anyway.
Here's what concerns me: "...And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work..."
For the record, I am 31, I've built my own PC's since I was about 10 years and have been reading (and posting on) /. since '99
I have used other people's Ipods once or twice, and that took quite a bit of fiddling. I have never touched and Xbox or an Ipad, and I do own a PS3 but for the moment it's sitting in the living room unpacked. So technically what Obama said applies to me as well...
The man made a joke at his own expense. It's a technique for public speaking that lightens the message you're conveying a bit. The fact that so many people here are taking this as some sort of sign of his technical ineptness is truly sad. Read between the lines folks...
You know, even though he's the lider of a political party in a highly politically polarised nation, he's still the fucking president of the US of A and he didn't got there by being stupid. Maybe he's capable of an informed opinion ...
Ehmm, not being stupid hardly seems to rank high on the list of qualifications for US president...remember the previous one?
Now I can tell that Obama is far from stupid...but don't go and give the lot of them the same credit ;-)
They hate these new devices because they don't control them yet. Look at totalitarian states all around the world, all politicians' DREAMLANDS because they control every facet of information and the minutiae of everyday lives of their subjects. I don't care if your politician is Ron Paul, Ronald Reagan, or Barack Obama. They all dreamed of a place they can control us from. That is why in our society we have to keep them in check. We have to let them know who is boss and that they are chosen to SERVE US. If they can't get over the yellow press, the "rumors" the "false information". if they can't calibrate their message to appeal to the mass of us, that is THEIR problem and not ours.
Barack Obama, your Chavez is showing. At least we know how to recognize it, we learned it in the time frame between 1763 and 1789.
Blah blah blah tinfoil hat.
And meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- (laughter) -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.
Turn on your brain. Do not believe everything you read. Ow, and a joke at his own expense.
Now to be down-ranked into oblivion by the enlightened leftosphere...
If you're a representative of the "right", then I hereby proudly proclaim not to be whatever it is that you are...which is fucking batshit paranoid insane. However, feel free to convince me you're just an average american Joe, that'll make generalizing a lot easier.
So? According to US media, a situation where the vast majority of knowledgable folks think one thing and 1 total fucking nutcase thinks the other is a controversy. Doesn't matter whether there's actual proof of anything, there's a "debate" going on.
You give them the source? Unless they then also intend to distribute it, what's really the problem.
I suggest you read more about the idea before rejecting it.
This is Slashdot. We read a summary based on a mainstream article based on a blog based on a scientific article about something which is going to be researched. When then whip out our highschool physics and make inane comments about potential problems even an 8 year old could see and expect a +5 insightful for doing so.
I am pretty sure Gates is just the mouthpiece for the administration on this. His job is to say and do what the Commander In Chief (aka President) says.
Wow, so a member of the civilian government has to obey the head of the military? That's pretty amazing...
Is that why in order to be eligible for the job you need to be out of active service for at least 7 years?
Yes, because it is well known the president of the US actively meddles in the laws of individual states.
So which do you think is more likely...it's a conspiracy by the liberals...or texas is just filled to the brim with fucking retards?
Precisely. Not great (I'm not a fan of the man), but not a total disaster either.
Well, I guess it was a disaster for Iraqis. But for Americans, he presided over a relatively stable and growing nation.
Absolutely. He managed to go from a situation where the entire western world felt sorry for you and sympathized deeply with the US(9/11) to a situation where you've pretty much squandered every shred of credibility you had left(right now). Your enemies hate you a bit more, the neutrals have grown a lot more distrustful, and even your best friends are taking just a few steps back.
Awesome job G.W! *pats back*
Wash at least every couple days. Hit your underarms and brush your teeth at least daily.
Or...take a bloody full-body shower at least once a day *and* after physical exertion, applying deodorant afterwards, and brush your teeth after every meal, eg 3 times a day.
Ehmm, the Brits are hardly a good example of a western european country. I realize they're the only country on this side of the pond that airs their news in the same language as you do, but they're hardly representative. Besides, they have their heads stuck so far up the US ass that it really isn't pretty anymore. There's a reason all of the candidates in the recent election had part of their platform as "move away from the US a bit".
And really, a state controlled news channel? Heck, the Netherlands has 3! It's nice to have access to some television that does not *have* to make a profit, but is instead solely made for the purposes of education and entertainment.
Heck, just look at the list of the CCP employees that helped out with Clear Skies 2 ;-)
Gotta love those guys. "You're gonna make a movie using our IP? Awesome! Need any help?".
For the non-EVE players, Clear Skies 1 and 2 are machinima movies using both the EVE Online and the Halflife 2 engines, set it in the EVE universe. For the second one, CCP had a whole bunch of people flying ships and providing assistance.
Judging from the actual amount of power you can find in waves, we'd need to build a bloody shitload of these turbines to have any effect at all, really.
Besides, there's places on the planet where reducing the energy in incoming waves might actually be a good thing.
Population of Sweden: 9,059,651
Size of Sweden: 410,335 sq km of land
So I don't get it either...
Actually, it's really easy...the trick is that when you give a private company a bigass pile of taxpayer money to roll out broadband, you make goddamn sure they hold up their end of the bargain.
I love the summary though..."the fastest 5Mb connections"...my ISP just upgraded my connection from 20/2,5 tot 50/5 just to compete with market forces.
Anecdotal data at best...but I have to agree with this one. So far I've yet to see any of my 501's give out in terms of the pockets, and I'm the kind of guy that hangs on to a pair of jeans for years.
Of course I am in the luxury position of not being important enough at work to be forced to switch to the businessman's uniform...
Ditch either the girlfriend or her keys. They are weighing you down too much. Get her to buzz you in. Why carry they keys?
So you have access to her place when she isn't there because, say, you sleep there 2 or 3 nights a week? Or because you want to be there with a nice meal cooked and ready when she gets back home from work?
I know this is Slashdot, but I also know at least *some* posters claim to be in relationships, so how hard can it be? ;-)
With an MMOG we gamers take for granted that we need to be connected to the net and transmit data back and forth all the time.
When Ubisoft implements something in what is arguably a single player game, I for one a) do not buy the game b) tell Ubisoft to go fuck themselves and c) make another notch on the "do not buy from this company until they redeem themselves" list.
Which is a shame, because from what I've seen Settlers 7 actually looks like fun and I might just have picked it up were it not for the absurd DRM.
So does that make me a lost sale because of drm because of pirating tally? Because something tells me it's more likely to end up in the one that argues for more drm, not less :/
I don't care for the private contractors because I don't see why Blackwater should be paid a premium to do what normal American solders do everyday and I don't see why Haliburton should make a profit for doing what normal American solders used to do.
Not to mention the fact that a decent chunk of their employees have received their military training at the expense of the taxpayers to begin with.
Must be nice to have your "competition" do all your training for you though. Makes it a lot easier to dazzle someone in the executive branch with your competitive costs compared to the regular army.
That toll booth is going to stop me from ever buying another GTA game.
Steal a cop car and hit the sirens just before the toll booth ;-)
Then find out you accidentally hit the key to get out of the car, at full speed, and watch the pretty splosions as you get run over by the guy behind you...
Actually, in FF8 the trick was to keep the entire party as low as possible till you got the GF's that gave an attribute increase when leveling :-)
And yes, after receiving 90 +1 to everything's even Rinoa managed to kick at least *some* ass...
You did need level 99 for some of the optional content though, going up against Omega Weapon with less would probably be rather painful.
Purveyors of Fine Adult Entertainment ...
For the Gentleman with Discriminating Tastes
I do believe good sir, that the ladies are equally entitled to their share of fine adult entertainment, wouldn't you agree?
And if there is one thing that these fine businessmen and -women have demonstrated, it is that they are indeed more than happy to cater to every market imaginable.
However, if the US truly insists on making life difficult for the industry, I'm sure they can find other countries, nay, even continents, more suitable to their specific activities.