Apparently nuclear war is just dandy. It's nuclear terrorism we have to worry about.
The declared nuclear states (and Israel with it's undeclared undeclared weapons) and their delivery systems and willingness to invade other non-nuclear states is just fine, it's the people with no weapons and little realistic hope of getting them.
Do you have some links for CSIRO predictions on renawable energy and what can be done with current technology for Australia? I couldn't find any after a quick search.
People are paying for content. The companies that sell content are still quite profitable. Hollywood is MORE profitable than it has been in recent times because of DVD sales. The current writers strike is about writers wanting their share of increased profits. The game industry, always a huge loser from copyright infringement is bigger than ever and is evolving ways to handle copyright violations. WoW's success is, in part, due to the fact that you can't pirate it. Also have a look at Steam.
The only industry that is having problems is the US music industry. And there may be other factors. DVDs are now bought by people and the US industry has been producing poor products. Check the Australian music industry for an example of a music industry that is increasing profits even with increased piracy.
The problem is finding a reasonable settlement on cost between the audience and the producers of content. Piracy just allows the consumers to find that things cost to much and to use a more efficient distribution network than those espoused by the copyright holders but does, admittedly result in many consumers getting a lot of content for free.
The internet is manageable, it still takes quite a bit of time to pirate things, for some people, particularly technically able people like those on slashdot, it can be worthwhile, but for many people, pirating a DVD from bittorrent takes more time (and hence their own money) than buying a DVD and you often get an inferior (i.e no printed label, box etc, long lasting) product.
You certainly have a point, that people do need to pay for content, but you are overstating the case.
Yeah. It's a pity they didn't mention more about this. For all the technology DARPA and US is developing they still have to deal with the fall out of cameras in everyone's hands.
The impact of the photos of American 'Freedom Tickling' at Abu Ghraib had a huge effect on the US occupation of Iraq.
Now sites like Live Leak can be used by people to show video that TV networks won't show. There you can see what an IED explosion is like and what an F-18 strike run in air support looks like. Also, you can check out a 400K bomb disposal robot being destroyed.
Reading on public transport on the way to work. ebooks may be the killer app. That and reading stuff while watching TV instead of using a laptop. I know a few people who are looking for exactly this kind of device.
The problem may be that the XO solves the problem better and more cheaply.
Solar research has not had a lot of research dollars compared to fusion research, let alone any form of military research. This wasn't unreasonable when it seemed like there was no good reason for not using coal for power.
There has actually been fairly consistent, gradual improvement in solar panels.
If you're interested, get a hold of the May 8th Economist and check the Technology Quarterly. The article is online but requires an Economist subscription. There was an article on solar panels that was very informative. First, on price:
Even so, many people believe the prospects for solar energy have never looked brighter. Decades of research have improved the efficiency of silicon-based solar cells from 6% to an average of 15% today, whereas improvements in manufacturing have reduced the price of modules from about $200 per watt in the 1950s to $2.70 in 2004. Within three to eight years, many in the industry expect the price of solar power to be cost-competitive with electricity from the grid.
There is also a very interesting quote on how the technology can be compared to other technologies dealing with silicon and thin films.
The solar industry has in the past profited from the manufacturing improvements of chipmakers, and is now finding ways to benefit from innovations in other high-tech fields. "I think of the silicon solar-cell industry as a marriage between the semiconductor industry, where it gets its base technology, and the CD industry, which is very high volume," says Richard Swanson, SunPower's president and technology chief. Applied Materials, a leading maker of chipmaking gear, recently decided to apply its expertise in making flat-panel displays to thin-film solar panels.
There is also a graph in the article showing installed solar power capacity from 1994 to 2004. In 1994 there was about 0.2GW of installed solar power. In 2004 there was about 2.5GW of installed power.
From the article, you could go ahead and make up a 'Sol's Law', similar to Moore's law. It would not have anything like the 18 month double of transistor packing, but may have 10 year order of magnitudes of increases in installed solar panels and considerable reductions in cost.
The cost of nuclear power is calculated without considering the cost of insurance. No commercial insurer will insure any nuclear power plant. A single large failure of a plant in a Western country would have a cost that ran into the tens, potentially hundreds, of billions.
The government takes these risks and absorbs them. The nuclear power industry never incorporates them into their costs.
Once you factor in the real insurance cost nuclear power's cost becomes considerably greater and it ceases to be, without a huge government subsidy of free insurance, commercially viable.
In Australia, CD sales are 8% up. So even when the internet is encouraging people to listen to new music, that they are buying, the record industry wants to shut it down.
It just goes to show, copyright holders are determined to extend their legal rights at every opportunity, regardless of whether their industry is being helped or hindered.
Whilst the iPhone is more expensive, don't many people get their phones off tax as it is a business expense? If your employer gave you a choice of phones or communicators, say a Treo or an iPhone, which would you choose?
This may be the great selling point for the iPhones, people who get their phone subsidized with a tax right-off or bought by their employer.
So that next year they can bring out Mario Sports collection.
And everyone will go off and buy that. They may not have been happy with Wii sports and wanted to get something better together after they had tried with Mario sports.
Yes. I've done it using Relax NG and it was easy, simple and readable.
It also works really, really well with the nXML mode for emacs.
Finally, XML schemas in a way that are not verbose, ugly and unreadable. And if you do need one of the older schema languages there are translators from RelaxNG available.
How do you know the OLPC program is a failure? What criteria were set for it to be a success that it hasn't met yet?
It hasn't even started yet. It may be a failure, but to declare it a failure is like declaring who has won the 2010 World Cup today.
The OLPC may go to more places than developing countries. There are a number of places that are doing a trial of the system.
With Libya's order going through they have enough to get serious volumes being made. Once they show that then other countries, including richer developed countries may be interested. OLPCs may work well as text book readers. How much does the average school system in a US spend on textbooks per student per year? Who can say now whether some of these uses will take off.
The OLPC may fail, but it hasn't failed yet and it is silly to describe it as having failed before it's even been tried.
Slashdot Mirror
Another way to express it would be to say it was sigmoidal.
The declared nuclear states (and Israel with it's undeclared undeclared weapons) and their delivery systems and willingness to invade other non-nuclear states is just fine, it's the people with no weapons and little realistic hope of getting them.
Do you have some links for CSIRO predictions on renawable energy and what can be done with current technology for Australia? I couldn't find any after a quick search.
To get the most out of this interview, make sure you have the facts on Bruce Schneier. The man is not what he seems.
The only industry that is having problems is the US music industry. And there may be other factors. DVDs are now bought by people and the US industry has been producing poor products. Check the Australian music industry for an example of a music industry that is increasing profits even with increased piracy.
The problem is finding a reasonable settlement on cost between the audience and the producers of content. Piracy just allows the consumers to find that things cost to much and to use a more efficient distribution network than those espoused by the copyright holders but does, admittedly result in many consumers getting a lot of content for free.
The internet is manageable, it still takes quite a bit of time to pirate things, for some people, particularly technically able people like those on slashdot, it can be worthwhile, but for many people, pirating a DVD from bittorrent takes more time (and hence their own money) than buying a DVD and you often get an inferior (i.e no printed label, box etc, long lasting) product.
You certainly have a point, that people do need to pay for content, but you are overstating the case.
If I could download an experience I wouldn't be downloading going to concerts. There are other things that might be more fun....
To verify this:
First, the rumours passed around from urban legends.
Now his SAT scores from CNN were 566 verbal and 640 math.
And from here we have a setup of pre-1974 SAT scores against IQ.
His score of 1206 combined sets him up with an IQ of about 130.
Now, from the IQ we can look at a distrubution of IQ versus percentage of people with such an IQ to see where a 130 IQ puts you, and it's in the top 2.5% of people.
Bush has been a terrible president and will probably be the first president to preside over 2 recessions but he isn't stupid.
The impact of the photos of American 'Freedom Tickling' at Abu Ghraib had a huge effect on the US occupation of Iraq.
Now sites like Live Leak can be used by people to show video that TV networks won't show. There you can see what an IED explosion is like and what an F-18 strike run in air support looks like. Also, you can check out a 400K bomb disposal robot being destroyed.
The recent slashdot poll is one source, albeit dubious.
They cost 18K for the drive and $300 for the discs.
They are expensive now, but when they drop they will make it worthwhile.
All of the Simpsons, the Complete Bach, the complete Mozart, the complete Beethoven all together on one disc.
That's no troll. That's a joke. A good one even.
The metric to Imperial conversions routines?
Apple wants your soul.
Is Mr McCartney trying to be ironic?
The problem may be that the XO solves the problem better and more cheaply.
But there is a market for this kind of device.
Quanta have said that they will release something based on the OLPC.
That Mr AC guy has some good points sometimes.
There has actually been fairly consistent, gradual improvement in solar panels.
If you're interested, get a hold of the May 8th Economist and check the Technology Quarterly. The article is online but requires an Economist subscription. There was an article on solar panels that was very informative. First, on price:
There is also a very interesting quote on how the technology can be compared to other technologies dealing with silicon and thin films.
There is also a graph in the article showing installed solar power capacity from 1994 to 2004. In 1994 there was about 0.2GW of installed solar power. In 2004 there was about 2.5GW of installed power.
From the article, you could go ahead and make up a 'Sol's Law', similar to Moore's law. It would not have anything like the 18 month double of transistor packing, but may have 10 year order of magnitudes of increases in installed solar panels and considerable reductions in cost.
This is why slashdot is still a worthwhile site.
The government takes these risks and absorbs them. The nuclear power industry never incorporates them into their costs.
Once you factor in the real insurance cost nuclear power's cost becomes considerably greater and it ceases to be, without a huge government subsidy of free insurance, commercially viable.
It just goes to show, copyright holders are determined to extend their legal rights at every opportunity, regardless of whether their industry is being helped or hindered.
This may be the great selling point for the iPhones, people who get their phone subsidized with a tax right-off or bought by their employer.
So that next year they can bring out Mario Sports collection.
And everyone will go off and buy that. They may not have been happy with Wii sports and wanted to get something better together after they had tried with Mario sports.
It also works really, really well with the nXML mode for emacs.
Finally, XML schemas in a way that are not verbose, ugly and unreadable. And if you do need one of the older schema languages there are translators from RelaxNG available.
It hasn't even started yet. It may be a failure, but to declare it a failure is like declaring who has won the 2010 World Cup today.
The OLPC may go to more places than developing countries. There are a number of places that are doing a trial of the system.
With Libya's order going through they have enough to get serious volumes being made. Once they show that then other countries, including richer developed countries may be interested. OLPCs may work well as text book readers. How much does the average school system in a US spend on textbooks per student per year? Who can say now whether some of these uses will take off.
The OLPC may fail, but it hasn't failed yet and it is silly to describe it as having failed before it's even been tried.