The point of Superman stories -- if they are well written -- is not to make you worry about whether Superman will survive. The point is to make you worry about whether everyone else will survive.
He's the archetypical protector. The dramatic tension comes from wondering whether he can do his job as a protector. His survival is not important to the narrative.
Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: There has been no global warming since 1995
That's not what he said. Dr. Jones said that the 15 year period since 1995 was too short to see a verifiable warming trend. It's a simple statistical concept; we need more data. His response to the Guardian article makes this plain.
UN climate body admits 'mistake' on Himalayan glaciers
Yes, there is a single mistaken number on page 493 of Volume 2 in the IPCC report. It's probably best if you instead focus on the well regarded, well sourced, 45 page section on glacial melting in Volume 1.
Climate change skeptics are like Ghost Hunters; whenever they hear a stair squeak, they leap to the assumption that there's a body nearby.
Yes, I think it is very, very important to note that the biggest failure found in the IPCC paper was a single wrong number on page 493 of Volume 2.
Skeptics are taking minor errors and trying to blow them up to ridiculous proportion. That error about the Himalayan glaciers is trivial. There is a 45 page section on glacial melting in Volume 1 that is entirely correct and well-sourced, and nobody's paying attention to it. They'd rather focus on a single flawed number.
No report of that size is going to be perfect; there are going to be minor typos and flaws. So far only two legitimate errors have been found. (The other involves bad data on the Netherlands, which was provided by...wait for it...the government of the Netherlands.)
Maybe we can all agree that the IPCC report is 99.999% correct. Then we can get something done.
And none of it was purchased through your iPhone. You can purchase music on a computer and transfer it to the device, but there's no way to get non-iTunes music through the device itself.
People are looking for the iPad to free them from needing a computer in some situations. If you can't bypass iTunes on the iPad itself, it doesn't meet their needs.
I think they're asking too much of a vendor-locked tablet prototype, myself, but their complaints have some weight.
Wrong.:) Gray today; blue yesterday. I don't like white underwear because I can fill up a laundry load with just the white socks and undershirts. Might as well have underwear that can be washed with the colored loads.
As for the surveillance issue, I speak from experience as a CIA subcontractor. We had a hell of a time getting permission to spy on US citizens, even as a black project. This was before Bush so I'm sure things have changed some, but I have not heard of the relevant laws being butchered *that* much.
I'm amazed at the number of responses saying, 'Well, the US spies on its citizens too.'
Folks, there are laws in the US that restrict surveillance of US citizens. They are allowed to collect aggregate data, and they have far-reaching powers when a subpoena exists due to suspected crime or terrorism. But just spying on regular citizens as a normal function of government -- that should never happen in the US.
I say 'should' because it's possible it does happen in some black project somewhere. But I guarantee you it's much, much smaller and more benevolent than how China spies on its citizens.
If you're comparing Big Brothers, the US one has one eye closed and only sneaks a peek when the cops aren't watching. The Chinese practically live in a panopticon; their government probably keeps track of what color underwear they have on.
Alternately, they should open source the sex toy also. You should be able to program the bucking of the saddle and the strength of the vibrator. It would certainly help OSS nerds get dates.
Seems odd, and just a tad self serving, for Unforgiven to have an explanation for a cheesy writer's ploy designed to keep the good guy's body as intact as his halo.
Nobody -- nobody -- in that film wore a halo, and the sheriff quoted above was not the good guy.
Not that big a difference, and not in the way you think.
The magnetosphere does nothing about UV radiation, which is the biggest short-term threat from the sun to living things. If you're above the ozone layer, you're getting almost full-strength illumination in UV.
And although the Earth's magnetosphere diverts a lot of the solar wind, it does it in such a way that many high energy particles are trapped in the Van Allen belts, creating regions of near-Earth orbit that have much more particle radiation than the heliosphere. The solar wind has particles up to 100 eV; the inner Van Allen, which the ISS passes through, has energies up to 100 MeV.
So no, it's not 'open space'. It's near Earth orbit, which in some respects is worse than deep space.
Either way, it's a brutal test of endurance for any living thing.
They're allowing Macmillan (and apparently only Macmillan, for now) to set their prices on their own books. This allows Macmillan to do things like release new books for $15 and slowly drop the price over time until the best price point is found. You know, just like every other consumer good. Amazon also agreed to reduce their outrageous 70% markup to 30%, the standard for a retail distributor.
This is a *good* thing. It allows more market flexibility and keeps Macmillan from going bankrupt or screwing their authors.
Better solution: Don't buy anything from Amazon. They are trying to lock publishers into DRMed formats and leverage that into a monopoly on ebook distribution. Amazon is trying to cement themselves as a middleman so they can siphon outrageous profit off of other peoples' work. (They forced publishers to agree to give Amazon 70% markup on ebooks! The one who ends up getting screwed, of course, is the author.)
The internet is about removing middlemen. Don't patronize Amazon or they'll become one that will never go away.
Surely you don't think x-rays of children in hospitals should be banned?
Just a point: X-rays in hospitals look at children's bones. Nothing scandalous to see there. The millimeter wave scanners in airports look through clothes to see children's skin.
In fact, I'm getting sick of these linear, story-based games that neglect good gameplay. If I want to experience a story while having little or no interaction with how it comes out, I'll read a book or watch a movie. Games like this just look to me like a movie (or two, since there are two endings) that you have to perform work for in order to see the ending.
I played ME1 and it was okay. ME2 sounds like it's a better story but poorer gameplay, and that's exactly the opposite of what I wanted. I don't think I'll be getting it.
But I've tried a number of these apps, and none of them do what I want, which is to load docs from my computer through the USB cable to the iPod. Most of them require a a wireless network which I do not have.
Let me repeat that: I DO NOT HAVE WIRELESS AT HOME. It it doesn't use the USB, it's not what I want.
I have tried Files lite, eNotes, eReader, Stanza, the Kindle app, and probably a dozen others. None of them does what I want -- USB connection and several different file formats (DOC, TXT, and PDF at a minimum).
Everyone can stop offering me suggestions. I'm not being obtuse. I have tried this, and it doesn't work. It's still a neat device, but I'm still waiting for the right ebook reader for me.
I should qualify this -- Stanza can read anything in ePub format. I need access to Word Docs and raw text (PDF and OpenOffice ODT would be nice). Converting to ePub is not a good option for me.
Worse, every means of putting the document onto the iPod requires it be connected to a wireless network -- I want to use the USB cable.
So the iPod isn't quite the right solution. I doubt that the iPad will be any more open, but I'm holding out hope. The hard part, though, is learning whether the feature is available *without* buying one and trying it out.
I have and use Stanza. It's a good bookreader. It doesn't allow you to load or read arbitrary files. You can only get books from a few trusted sources. Project Gutenberg is there, which is nice, but it's still not exactly what I want.
And since I was trying it out as my first ebook reader, when I'm not sure I like the entire idea of ebooks, choosing one that I could use in other ways made the purchase more palatable.
The problem is when the consumer doesn't have full information.
For instance, I bought an iPod touch primarily as a book reader (I wanted one that could also play music). I did a lot of research, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. To my surprise, one of the most important functions I wanted in a book reader was not there -- I could not import my own documents. So it's still useful, but it's not exactly what I want.
That's the feature on the iPad I want to hear about, and nobody's talking about it. If it can't load and read my own documents, or docs I download from the web, then it's not useful to me. No 'official' advertising will answer that question yay or nay. I'm going to have to hope that some blogger answers it for me, or I'm going to have to get a chance to try the thing out for myself.
Choice is great if the consumers are properly informed. Without an informed consumer, choice can be manipulated to the consumer's detriment.
There is a large segment of the book reading public that do not care about battery consumption. They read at home or where there are power outlets. For them, LCD is superior to eInk in just about every way.
The market will decide which is superior. But the Kindle is the target competitor, not the iPhone or any full-powered laptop.
Um...people who own (or wanted to own but held off) a Kindle.
The iPad is an ebook reader. It sounds as if they geared it toward that particular purpose and got rid of a lot of extraneous abilities. Ebook readers don't need cameras or flash or GPS.
They may have miscalculated the public's reaction -- the public wanted a super-device that incidentally was a superior reader. That might sink the iPad. But Apple wanted an ebook reader, and that's what they made.
What do they allow you to experiment on in neurobiology?
DIYbiology has no limits. Want to try and make immortal hamsters? Design a superflu? Cross your pet terrier and a goldfish? Brew glowing yogurt?
The 'fun' of DIYbio is in not being limited by money, corporate involvement, financial benefit, or -- in some cases -- ethics.
Which is why I also put the 'whatcouldpossiblygowrong' tag on this story. Anarchists with gene splicing facilities will make for a VERY interesting future.
Slashdot Mirror
The point of Superman stories -- if they are well written -- is not to make you worry about whether Superman will survive. The point is to make you worry about whether everyone else will survive.
He's the archetypical protector. The dramatic tension comes from wondering whether he can do his job as a protector. His survival is not important to the narrative.
Um...evangelizing?
Thut meens thut onlee evry too-hudnred-nd-fiftee typoz goze too funnd Wikkimedia. I kno tht I'mm gonnna increaze my owtput too shhow my suppport!
Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: There has been no global warming since 1995
That's not what he said. Dr. Jones said that the 15 year period since 1995 was too short to see a verifiable warming trend. It's a simple statistical concept; we need more data. His response to the Guardian article makes this plain.
UN climate body admits 'mistake' on Himalayan glaciers
Yes, there is a single mistaken number on page 493 of Volume 2 in the IPCC report. It's probably best if you instead focus on the well regarded, well sourced, 45 page section on glacial melting in Volume 1.
Climate change skeptics are like Ghost Hunters; whenever they hear a stair squeak, they leap to the assumption that there's a body nearby.
The biggest failure yet discovered was the claim by the IPCC that the Himalayan glaciers would all melt away by 2035.
Yes, I think it is very, very important to note that the biggest failure found in the IPCC paper was a single wrong number on page 493 of Volume 2.
Skeptics are taking minor errors and trying to blow them up to ridiculous proportion. That error about the Himalayan glaciers is trivial. There is a 45 page section on glacial melting in Volume 1 that is entirely correct and well-sourced, and nobody's paying attention to it. They'd rather focus on a single flawed number.
No report of that size is going to be perfect; there are going to be minor typos and flaws. So far only two legitimate errors have been found. (The other involves bad data on the Netherlands, which was provided by...wait for it...the government of the Netherlands.)
Maybe we can all agree that the IPCC report is 99.999% correct. Then we can get something done.
And none of it was purchased through your iPhone. You can purchase music on a computer and transfer it to the device, but there's no way to get non-iTunes music through the device itself.
People are looking for the iPad to free them from needing a computer in some situations. If you can't bypass iTunes on the iPad itself, it doesn't meet their needs.
I think they're asking too much of a vendor-locked tablet prototype, myself, but their complaints have some weight.
People, Remus Shepherd wears white underwear.
Wrong. :) Gray today; blue yesterday. I don't like white underwear because I can fill up a laundry load with just the white socks and undershirts. Might as well have underwear that can be washed with the colored loads.
As for the surveillance issue, I speak from experience as a CIA subcontractor. We had a hell of a time getting permission to spy on US citizens, even as a black project. This was before Bush so I'm sure things have changed some, but I have not heard of the relevant laws being butchered *that* much.
I'm amazed at the number of responses saying, 'Well, the US spies on its citizens too.'
Folks, there are laws in the US that restrict surveillance of US citizens. They are allowed to collect aggregate data, and they have far-reaching powers when a subpoena exists due to suspected crime or terrorism. But just spying on regular citizens as a normal function of government -- that should never happen in the US.
I say 'should' because it's possible it does happen in some black project somewhere. But I guarantee you it's much, much smaller and more benevolent than how China spies on its citizens.
If you're comparing Big Brothers, the US one has one eye closed and only sneaks a peek when the cops aren't watching. The Chinese practically live in a panopticon; their government probably keeps track of what color underwear they have on.
Alternately, they should open source the sex toy also. You should be able to program the bucking of the saddle and the strength of the vibrator. It would certainly help OSS nerds get dates.
Seems odd, and just a tad self serving, for Unforgiven to have an explanation for a cheesy writer's ploy designed to keep the good guy's body as intact as his halo.
Nobody -- nobody -- in that film wore a halo, and the sheriff quoted above was not the good guy.
Of course, neither was the protagonist...
Not that big a difference, and not in the way you think.
The magnetosphere does nothing about UV radiation, which is the biggest short-term threat from the sun to living things. If you're above the ozone layer, you're getting almost full-strength illumination in UV.
And although the Earth's magnetosphere diverts a lot of the solar wind, it does it in such a way that many high energy particles are trapped in the Van Allen belts, creating regions of near-Earth orbit that have much more particle radiation than the heliosphere. The solar wind has particles up to 100 eV; the inner Van Allen, which the ISS passes through, has energies up to 100 MeV.
So no, it's not 'open space'. It's near Earth orbit, which in some respects is worse than deep space.
Either way, it's a brutal test of endurance for any living thing.
They're allowing Macmillan (and apparently only Macmillan, for now) to set their prices on their own books. This allows Macmillan to do things like release new books for $15 and slowly drop the price over time until the best price point is found. You know, just like every other consumer good. Amazon also agreed to reduce their outrageous 70% markup to 30%, the standard for a retail distributor.
This is a *good* thing. It allows more market flexibility and keeps Macmillan from going bankrupt or screwing their authors.
Better solution: Don't buy anything from Amazon. They are trying to lock publishers into DRMed formats and leverage that into a monopoly on ebook distribution. Amazon is trying to cement themselves as a middleman so they can siphon outrageous profit off of other peoples' work. (They forced publishers to agree to give Amazon 70% markup on ebooks! The one who ends up getting screwed, of course, is the author.)
The internet is about removing middlemen. Don't patronize Amazon or they'll become one that will never go away.
Surely you don't think x-rays of children in hospitals should be banned?
Just a point: X-rays in hospitals look at children's bones. Nothing scandalous to see there. The millimeter wave scanners in airports look through clothes to see children's skin.
You're comparing apples to toothpicks, here.
The games best strength is in it's dialogue.
But...if I want dialogue, I'd rather read a book.
In fact, I'm getting sick of these linear, story-based games that neglect good gameplay. If I want to experience a story while having little or no interaction with how it comes out, I'll read a book or watch a movie. Games like this just look to me like a movie (or two, since there are two endings) that you have to perform work for in order to see the ending.
I played ME1 and it was okay. ME2 sounds like it's a better story but poorer gameplay, and that's exactly the opposite of what I wanted. I don't think I'll be getting it.
I'll take a look at Wildeyes, thanks.
But I've tried a number of these apps, and none of them do what I want, which is to load docs from my computer through the USB cable to the iPod. Most of them require a a wireless network which I do not have.
Let me repeat that: I DO NOT HAVE WIRELESS AT HOME. It it doesn't use the USB, it's not what I want.
I have tried Files lite, eNotes, eReader, Stanza, the Kindle app, and probably a dozen others. None of them does what I want -- USB connection and several different file formats (DOC, TXT, and PDF at a minimum).
Everyone can stop offering me suggestions. I'm not being obtuse. I have tried this, and it doesn't work. It's still a neat device, but I'm still waiting for the right ebook reader for me.
Will the iPad work? That's what I want to know.
I should qualify this -- Stanza can read anything in ePub format. I need access to Word Docs and raw text (PDF and OpenOffice ODT would be nice). Converting to ePub is not a good option for me.
Worse, every means of putting the document onto the iPod requires it be connected to a wireless network -- I want to use the USB cable.
So the iPod isn't quite the right solution. I doubt that the iPad will be any more open, but I'm holding out hope. The hard part, though, is learning whether the feature is available *without* buying one and trying it out.
I have and use Stanza. It's a good bookreader. It doesn't allow you to load or read arbitrary files. You can only get books from a few trusted sources. Project Gutenberg is there, which is nice, but it's still not exactly what I want.
There are plenty of people who disagree with you.
And since I was trying it out as my first ebook reader, when I'm not sure I like the entire idea of ebooks, choosing one that I could use in other ways made the purchase more palatable.
The problem is when the consumer doesn't have full information.
For instance, I bought an iPod touch primarily as a book reader (I wanted one that could also play music). I did a lot of research, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. To my surprise, one of the most important functions I wanted in a book reader was not there -- I could not import my own documents. So it's still useful, but it's not exactly what I want.
That's the feature on the iPad I want to hear about, and nobody's talking about it. If it can't load and read my own documents, or docs I download from the web, then it's not useful to me. No 'official' advertising will answer that question yay or nay. I'm going to have to hope that some blogger answers it for me, or I'm going to have to get a chance to try the thing out for myself.
Choice is great if the consumers are properly informed. Without an informed consumer, choice can be manipulated to the consumer's detriment.
Color display and the size of the screen are enough to validate the price. But again, the market will be the final arbitrator.
There is a large segment of the book reading public that do not care about battery consumption. They read at home or where there are power outlets. For them, LCD is superior to eInk in just about every way.
The market will decide which is superior. But the Kindle is the target competitor, not the iPhone or any full-powered laptop.
Um...people who own (or wanted to own but held off) a Kindle.
The iPad is an ebook reader. It sounds as if they geared it toward that particular purpose and got rid of a lot of extraneous abilities. Ebook readers don't need cameras or flash or GPS.
They may have miscalculated the public's reaction -- the public wanted a super-device that incidentally was a superior reader. That might sink the iPad. But Apple wanted an ebook reader, and that's what they made.
Huh. I had a chance to join the Constellation program some years ago. I didn't take it. I feel as if I just dodged a bullet.
And considering my current job involves remote sensing of land cover change, I feel as if that bullet turned to gold and landed in my wallet.
What do they allow you to experiment on in neurobiology?
DIYbiology has no limits. Want to try and make immortal hamsters? Design a superflu? Cross your pet terrier and a goldfish? Brew glowing yogurt?
The 'fun' of DIYbio is in not being limited by money, corporate involvement, financial benefit, or -- in some cases -- ethics.
Which is why I also put the 'whatcouldpossiblygowrong' tag on this story. Anarchists with gene splicing facilities will make for a VERY interesting future.