I didn't believe in peak oil, but now the world's most authoritative source of geologic and economic analysis -- that's right, the German military -- has made it's fateful prediction. What was once only another Internet doomsday scenario has become almost a foregone conclusion.
The naysayers will claim that this story represents confirmation bias. But they don't know of the unmatched geologic expertise of the German military.
I like it just fine. But hype is misleading, often to the point of being a lie. There are things we can actually do to actually make improvements. We don't need some kind of pie-in-the-sky. Improvements are incentive enough.
And sometimes (often), technical improvements aren't worth the cost. I don't need $20 worth of energy harvesting technology in my remote control to save me $2 in batteries.
Then someone improves it some more, and then some more, and the $20 technology has dropped to $1 and it becomes worthwhile. Good. But the hype was trying to convince me to buy it at $20, which would have been stupid.
How long before simply picking up your remote control to change the channel generates enough electricity to keep it charged and working for a day or two? Until simply carrying your MP3 player or phone around is enough to keep it up and running forever?
For my remote, I can get 8 AAA batteries at the dollar store for $1. That's like a 3 year supply.
For MP3 players and phones, you obviously don't know how they work or how much power they use or how much power is available through energy harvesting and similar techniques. It's similar to wishing for a 300 MPG car. The energy equations don't work out.
I know people who design medical devices and one of my friends was working on self-powered devices for his PhD project. They definitely have a set of potential uses.
Still, they're not "the future" and shouldn't be over-hyped.
Let's hear lots of comments by people who haven't seen 3D TV. And then let's have poorly-woorded descriptions of a visual medium than can only really be appreciated by experiencing it.
This is the Internet at it's most Internet-like.
"Clearly, 3D TV sucks because it's expensive and I haven't purchased one yet. If I decide to buy one, it is because it has improved and no longer sucks."
How about helping the rest of us protect against terrorism rather than filing lawsuits and going on a media offensive and playing grievance politics when a security decision doesn't go your way?
Terrorism is bad for everyone. I don't see why Muslims alone should escape any consequences of terrorism in the US.
All the Muslims I have dealt with (which is every day) are great folks. But one thing holding back togetherness and community is the same destructive sense of entitlement that, in non-Muslims, harms every other part of American society. If we're all on the same side, let's all do our part.
(The other thing holding back togetherness and community is the fact that we can't all go out for beers.)
The whole idea that "environmentalists hate humanity" would be less convincing if environmentalists sided with humans once in a while, when there's a humans vs. animals (or trees) choice to be made. Also if there were fewer environmentalists preaching against human populations.
Lots non-environmentalists like nature. They just don't think the welfare of minnows or frogs or trees or owls or rats should come before things that help people.
Is it possible that the decay changes and the solar activity just happen on the same schedule due to some other external force that synchronizes them, or due to some sort of inherent cyclicality that began at a similar instant in the distant past and remains synchronized?
Other than human error I can't think of any other alternate explanations for the correlation.
The guy who likes the village puppet show and "doesn't get" TV likes the old ways better too.
It's not a wrong perspective. It's not right either. It is a limited perspective though. Popular things tend to have an understandable merit. Inability and unwillingness to understand that merit is not a virtue.
Also, what if I don't care about the relative price of an iPad and a netbook? You know what's even cheaper than a netbook? Just using the computer I already have. What if saving a few dollars and running Windows or Linux aren't my goals?
What if I want to read web sites without sitting at a desk in front of a computer?
There's this new thing. I don't understand it. Therefore, I'm against it. Listen to my criticisms, people of the old ways, and heed them. The new threatens us and our established thinking. We shouldn't try to understand it. Better to shun it, stick to our own kind, and hope the new thing goes away.
TV? It's junk. I'm sorry to say it. I had high hopes, but the thing is just an overpriced miniature theatre.
In my village, we watch the puppet shows. They have all the entertainment we need. The music is better that the noise on the TV. We listen to the elders for their wisdom. And we hear about outside events from travelers. All together, it costs less than half what a TV costs.
All this hype over these electronic devices mind boggling. I just don't get it.
This article is so poorly written that I don't understand what the complaint is.
He apparently wants software and devices that all work perfectly, provide an awesome user experience, but with no corporations involved in making the devices or the software or any of the content. Or something. like that.
Is that it? If so, why is such a childish attitude considered worthy of anyone's time or attention?
Google and Verizon really stepped in it. Their new pact doesn't have enough opportunity for government power brokers to choose winners and losers in exchange for campaign contributions. How dare these big companies decide to carve up the free Internet without giving the local warlords their due?
Expect a grand jury investigation of Google WIFI spying to begin sometime in the next 2 months. It's going to take a lot of campaign contributions and jobs for family members to call off those dogs.
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I didn't believe in peak oil, but now the world's most authoritative source of geologic and economic analysis -- that's right, the German military -- has made it's fateful prediction. What was once only another Internet doomsday scenario has become almost a foregone conclusion.
The naysayers will claim that this story represents confirmation bias. But they don't know of the unmatched geologic expertise of the German military.
Microsoft sure pulled a boner this time.
I like it just fine. But hype is misleading, often to the point of being a lie. There are things we can actually do to actually make improvements. We don't need some kind of pie-in-the-sky. Improvements are incentive enough.
And sometimes (often), technical improvements aren't worth the cost. I don't need $20 worth of energy harvesting technology in my remote control to save me $2 in batteries.
Then someone improves it some more, and then some more, and the $20 technology has dropped to $1 and it becomes worthwhile. Good. But the hype was trying to convince me to buy it at $20, which would have been stupid.
On second thought, it might possibly work for a screenless MP3 player like the iPod shuffle. But never for a phone.
How long before simply picking up your remote control to change the channel generates enough electricity to keep it charged and working for a day or two? Until simply carrying your MP3 player or phone around is enough to keep it up and running forever?
For my remote, I can get 8 AAA batteries at the dollar store for $1. That's like a 3 year supply.
For MP3 players and phones, you obviously don't know how they work or how much power they use or how much power is available through energy harvesting and similar techniques. It's similar to wishing for a 300 MPG car. The energy equations don't work out.
Those are definitely a few niche products.
I know people who design medical devices and one of my friends was working on self-powered devices for his PhD project. They definitely have a set of potential uses.
Still, they're not "the future" and shouldn't be over-hyped.
They aren't the future. They're just another niche product that makes sense for a few particular applications.
Did you play Gran Turismo 5? What games were they letting people play on it? None? I see. But you know it sucks.
The folks at Sony have actually seen and used a 3D TV though.
Let's hear lots of comments by people who haven't seen 3D TV. And then let's have poorly-woorded descriptions of a visual medium than can only really be appreciated by experiencing it.
This is the Internet at it's most Internet-like.
"Clearly, 3D TV sucks because it's expensive and I haven't purchased one yet. If I decide to buy one, it is because it has improved and no longer sucks."
How about helping the rest of us protect against terrorism rather than filing lawsuits and going on a media offensive and playing grievance politics when a security decision doesn't go your way?
Terrorism is bad for everyone. I don't see why Muslims alone should escape any consequences of terrorism in the US.
All the Muslims I have dealt with (which is every day) are great folks. But one thing holding back togetherness and community is the same destructive sense of entitlement that, in non-Muslims, harms every other part of American society. If we're all on the same side, let's all do our part.
(The other thing holding back togetherness and community is the fact that we can't all go out for beers.)
We'll continue to provide this forum for your doomsday predictions.
BTW: I'm sure you bought oil futures because you know that peak oil is real. How could anyone take your knowledge of the future seriously otherwise?
The whole idea that "environmentalists hate humanity" would be less convincing if environmentalists sided with humans once in a while, when there's a humans vs. animals (or trees) choice to be made. Also if there were fewer environmentalists preaching against human populations.
Lots non-environmentalists like nature. They just don't think the welfare of minnows or frogs or trees or owls or rats should come before things that help people.
Is it possible that the decay changes and the solar activity just happen on the same schedule due to some other external force that synchronizes them, or due to some sort of inherent cyclicality that began at a similar instant in the distant past and remains synchronized?
Other than human error I can't think of any other alternate explanations for the correlation.
If you're using an iPad, iPod, iPhone, or a netbook, you're using a computer.
But i'm not sitting in front of it. It's in my hand. I can use it where I am. I don't have to go to where it is. I don't need to set it down to type.
What if I like that? I should give that up in favor of something I don't like as much?
Actually, it was a huge relief. I thought he was after my liver.
The guy who likes the village puppet show and "doesn't get" TV likes the old ways better too.
It's not a wrong perspective. It's not right either. It is a limited perspective though. Popular things tend to have an understandable merit. Inability and unwillingness to understand that merit is not a virtue.
Magazines? Really?
Also, what if I don't care about the relative price of an iPad and a netbook? You know what's even cheaper than a netbook? Just using the computer I already have. What if saving a few dollars and running Windows or Linux aren't my goals?
What if I want to read web sites without sitting at a desk in front of a computer?
It isn't about TV. It's about:
There's this new thing. I don't understand it. Therefore, I'm against it. Listen to my criticisms, people of the old ways, and heed them. The new threatens us and our established thinking. We shouldn't try to understand it. Better to shun it, stick to our own kind, and hope the new thing goes away.
TV? It's junk. I'm sorry to say it. I had high hopes, but the thing is just an overpriced miniature theatre.
In my village, we watch the puppet shows. They have all the entertainment we need. The music is better that the noise on the TV. We listen to the elders for their wisdom. And we hear about outside events from travelers. All together, it costs less than half what a TV costs.
All this hype over these electronic devices mind boggling. I just don't get it.
This article is so poorly written that I don't understand what the complaint is.
He apparently wants software and devices that all work perfectly, provide an awesome user experience, but with no corporations involved in making the devices or the software or any of the content. Or something. like that.
Is that it? If so, why is such a childish attitude considered worthy of anyone's time or attention?
The lack of neutrality for managed services is going to put an increased burden on IT companies.
Sounds like a prediction that might possibly come true. This might be a problem someday.
Call us back if it does. Meanwhile, hands off the Internet.
"This time it's different."
We don't want these bad guys controlling our lives and making all our choices for us. We need to get good guys to do that.
Google and Verizon really stepped in it. Their new pact doesn't have enough opportunity for government power brokers to choose winners and losers in exchange for campaign contributions. How dare these big companies decide to carve up the free Internet without giving the local warlords their due?
Expect a grand jury investigation of Google WIFI spying to begin sometime in the next 2 months. It's going to take a lot of campaign contributions and jobs for family members to call off those dogs.