Can you imagine if it really WAS? That'd be wacky! That'd mean that all those kooky Christians were RIGHT! Oh no! Then THEY all get beamed up to Heaven(TM) happy, smiling and high-fives all around, while the ominous music starts and the toads fall in waves from the sky upon the rest of us, and some Charismatic World Leader reaks havoc and destruction upon our wretched souls.
Be wary of the whole 'positive' and 'voluntary' aspect often attributed to this sort of thing. It usually poorly conceals a system in which the alternatives to the 'voluntary ideal' are made so distasteful and inconvenient as to actually 'punish' those who choose not to 'volunteer'.
Forced control is harder to get away with and easier to rally support to fight.
Yeah, and now I have to go and wreck things even further by revealing my excitement at the mere thought of a really PHAT BEOWULF CLUSTER of REJUVENATED MONKEY BRAINS!
Gets your whole brain && body thang going full time.
Try a 'soft' art like Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu or somesuch, as these tend to be more challenging and engaging for 'thinker types', but still have MORE than enough hardcore physical activity to allow you to get away with mere cogitation alone. The 'soft' arts take longer to learn, but grow WITH you as you age, whereas a 'hard' art, like kickboxing, will give you greater short-term ability to kick butt, but can leave you floundering and possibly wounded as your body ages.
For a REAL challenge, check out Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu for a refreshingly wacky physical and intellectual challenge!
Said intelligent life has to refrain from destroying itself long enough to learn how the Universe works and build starships
Interesting thoughts. I often wonder if perhaps the distance between stars really *is* insurmountable, regardless of technological progress. I also wonder if 'intelligent' life-forms aren't so volatile as to rise and fall very quickly in the cosmic time scale, making it unlikely that any two technologically advanced cultures would ever exist in relative proximity at any given point in (cosmic) time. We flare up and flare out like sparks, never quite in time to see another spark.
Adventurous geeks setting up a last-ditch webcam in the wake of an approaching storm is something I can relate to, and definately brings the seriousness of the whole storm closer to home for me.
This is my unprofessional advice, but seeing as most professionals in the 'mental health industry' are full of ess-aitch-eye-tee SHIT, I'd say it's as good as any.
I reccommend applying the same sense of curiosity and adventure that you apply to your computer skills to your 'social' life. First admit (as you have) that, for whatever reason, you're scared shitless (if that's how you feel). You may or may not know why, and it may make no sense to other people, but call a spade a spade and say it out loud (to the mirror, to the dog, to the computer, whatever). There is power in the spoken word.
Set small, attainable goal (I hate that word) or 'missions' (much better!) for yourself, like looking into the eyes of the checkout person at the store next time you buy a bottle of Diet Coke as they hand you your change. When you get home, go over your mental 'notes', but don't be too judgemental. If you shivered and shook and gushed tears and whatnot, don't consider it a failure. Just say, 'Wow. That's interesting.' and go over EXACTLY how it made you feel, physically inside. Don't worry about attaching emotive words like 'frightened', 'angry' or whatever. Just describe the feelings to yourself. Maybe keep a log in your computer, as it seems to be a haven of sorts for you. If and when you 'succeed' in a mission (ie: look the clerk in the eye without projectile vomiting on him or her) then you can up the stakes a bit. When the clerk hands you your change, look him/her in the eye and say "hello," and so on.
Take detailed notes on the 'missions' that get the strongest reactions from you. There may be some that seem insurmountable (firmly but politely refusing/returning a meal at a restaurant that is poorly prepared) but don't fret. Approach it all with a sense of adventure and curiosity, and most importantly a sense of humor.
You might even try talking to women, usually the MOST stressful dialog for the entire male half of the species! Don't worry about 'asking them out' or anything like that. Just give a compliment or something (nice dress, cool tattoo, cool car, nice palm pilot, etc.) that doesn't require anything more than a smile or a nod on their part. Say it, look them in the eye, smile and go.
Silly! I knew that! He invented LINUX, which all those OTHER companies (AT&T, IBM, Sun, etc.) copied and called 'UNIX', 'cause they KNEW it wasn't as good as the real thing and...
Thou art hereby granted permission to do something with your life other than constantly monitor Slashdot for duplicate articles and writhe about and shout like a wrenched weasel upon finding them.
It's great to hear from someone on the inside. Thanks for posting!
Here's a few of my off-the-cuff-dime-a-dozen ideas for propulsion mods/alternatives:
1. Your greatest fan.
ONE fan, possibly exterior, with some sort of rotating outer shell to direct the thrust. This could be a bigger fan with more thrust. Directing the thrust effectively could involve an overly fragile assembley, be overly complex and use up a lot of power, tho'. Or have a single fan statically mounted, but give the SMR some sort of internal gyro thingy that causes it to spin around to redirect the thrust quickly and on the fly (pun intended). It'd be like the space ships on the old Space War game, or Asteroids, except in 3d.
2. Alka-Selter.
The tablets go in, the chamber seals, water is injected, and voila! 'Gas' propulsion, directed to any of the 6 exhaust ports. (belch) Excuse me. Give it a docking bay so it can change tablets itself.
3. Electro-magnetic.
The power of attraction instead of thrust. There's lots of metal in the shuttle, I think. Would it take a lot of power to use internal magnets to pull it this way and that? Bit of a stretch, I know.
4. Carrots.
Design an SMR that likes carrots. Attach a short stick to the top of the SMR with a small bit of carrot fastened to the end of it. The SMR, equipped with various genetic electronic algorhythms, will eventually engineer its own way of attaining the carrot, the most likely result of which will be some sort of thrust. The danger here of course is that it could develop a mutation to get the carrot that compromises the integrity of the crew, like psionic abilities enabling the SMR to psychicly manipulate the crew into endless research and experimentation tasks soley devoted to growing carrots in space, at the expense of their normal duties and survival.
Loathe am I to leap to the man's defense, but I'm sick of hearing about the Hidden Fortress reference and how he stole the whole idea from Kurosawa.
Have you actually seen The Hidden Fortress? The simililarities are there, but are well on the side of inspiration as opposed to thievery which he is constantly accused of.
Where do you think Kurosawa got HIS ideas from? Do a little 'research' on that.
ALL writers beg, borrow and steal, consciously or otherwise, whether they like it or not. VERY FEW works are purely original. Skill and effectiveness lie in choosing your heroes and role models carefully.
People regurgitating the old Hidden Fortress complaint is getting to be more tiresomely repetitive than a Beowulf cluster of VIC-20's.
Star Wars, warts and all, rang the bell and will for decades to come. Lucas gets credit for choosing the elements of his inspiration effectively, and breaking a few rules ('space' being a bit grimy and dinged-up as opposed to squeeky clean) that changed the genre forever more.
Kurosawa is (was) indeed the master of film as Visual Storytelling. That Lucas is a devotee of his is admirable. However, what little dialog Kurosawa has in a given film is very carefully thought out and adds immeasurably to the story. Lucas needs to be more clever and careful and delegate responsibilities to skilled professionals where neccessary (dialog, research, char devel, etc).
Give 'Gold' accounts to Linux, ESR, etc. which are automatically put at the top of the heap, no questions asked. Registered users who consitently score 'Intelligent' and 'Informative' can get 'Silver' status and be next on the heap.
Let everyone else duke it out. After nuking AC, of course!
2001 is full of long moments of glorious silence, the bane of todays big-budget directors, who are too set upon their mile-long checklists of product placements, talking heads, cameos, punches, swirling creschendoes, video-game tie-ins and consumer psychological attention-span profile research rapid-action editing to even dare to let a VISUAL MEDIUM do it's thing.
It's funny how the more a director makes, money-wise, the LESS he or she is willing to take chances. I think it has to do with INSULATION. Successful directors become so wealthy and (by neccessity) reclusive, that they become surrounded by a thick membrane of Yes Men. Every idea that dribbles off their lips or pen is hailed as Genius, in hopes that the Gravy Train will not run off track.
"Yes sir, Mister Lucas! That Jar-Jar character is a sure-fire hit! A real stroke of genius! And the chick - with the funny hair? Whoa-boy, Mister Lucas, brilliant! And Darth Maul is so cool-looking, it doesn't matter a bit that he's 2-dimensional and adds absolutely NOTHING to a story-line that doesn't really exist anyways! Fabulous! Whatever you say! Love it!"
Slashdot Mirror
Can you imagine if it really WAS? That'd be wacky! That'd mean that all those kooky Christians were RIGHT! Oh no! Then THEY all get beamed up to Heaven(TM) happy, smiling and high-fives all around, while the ominous music starts and the toads fall in waves from the sky upon the rest of us, and some Charismatic World Leader reaks havoc and destruction upon our wretched souls.
Would that be stupid or what?
I'd be so totally disappointed.
Be wary of the whole 'positive' and 'voluntary' aspect often attributed to this sort of thing. It usually poorly conceals a system in which the alternatives to the 'voluntary ideal' are made so distasteful and inconvenient as to actually 'punish' those who choose not to 'volunteer'.
Forced control is harder to get away with and easier to rally support to fight.
When I finish porting Linux to the Coleco ADAM, they'll EAT THEIR WORDS!!!!
Good point. I like the idea that this technology might improve the quality of life for people whose brains give out long before their bodies do.
Yeah, and now I have to go and wreck things even further by revealing my excitement at the mere thought of a really PHAT BEOWULF CLUSTER of REJUVENATED MONKEY BRAINS!
d00oooo00000oooooooooooo0o0o0o0o0o0o0d!
(You know what? That felt kinda good!)
Gets your whole brain && body thang going full time.
Try a 'soft' art like Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu or somesuch, as these tend to be more challenging and engaging for 'thinker types', but still have MORE than enough hardcore physical activity to allow you to get away with mere cogitation alone. The 'soft' arts take longer to learn, but grow WITH you as you age, whereas a 'hard' art, like kickboxing, will give you greater short-term ability to kick butt, but can leave you floundering and possibly wounded as your body ages.
For a REAL challenge, check out Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu for a refreshingly wacky physical and intellectual challenge!
Said intelligent life has to refrain from destroying itself long enough to learn how the Universe works and build starships
Interesting thoughts. I often wonder if perhaps the distance between stars really *is* insurmountable, regardless of technological progress. I also wonder if 'intelligent' life-forms aren't so volatile as to rise and fall very quickly in the cosmic time scale, making it unlikely that any two technologically advanced cultures would ever exist in relative proximity at any given point in (cosmic) time. We flare up and flare out like sparks, never quite in time to see another spark.
Adventurous geeks setting up a last-ditch webcam in the wake of an approaching storm is something I can relate to, and definately brings the seriousness of the whole storm closer to home for me.
This is my unprofessional advice, but seeing as most professionals in the 'mental health industry' are full of ess-aitch-eye-tee SHIT, I'd say it's as good as any.
I reccommend applying the same sense of curiosity and adventure that you apply to your computer skills to your 'social' life. First admit (as you have) that, for whatever reason, you're scared shitless (if that's how you feel). You may or may not know why, and it may make no sense to other people, but call a spade a spade and say it out loud (to the mirror, to the dog, to the computer, whatever). There is power in the spoken word.
Set small, attainable goal (I hate that word) or 'missions' (much better!) for yourself, like looking into the eyes of the checkout person at the store next time you buy a bottle of Diet Coke as they hand you your change. When you get home, go over your mental 'notes', but don't be too judgemental. If you shivered and shook and gushed tears and whatnot, don't consider it a failure. Just say, 'Wow. That's interesting.' and go over EXACTLY how it made you feel, physically inside. Don't worry about attaching emotive words like 'frightened', 'angry' or whatever. Just describe the feelings to yourself. Maybe keep a log in your computer, as it seems to be a haven of sorts for you. If and when you 'succeed' in a mission (ie: look the clerk in the eye without projectile vomiting on him or her) then you can up the stakes a bit. When the clerk hands you your change, look him/her in the eye and say "hello," and so on.
Take detailed notes on the 'missions' that get the strongest reactions from you. There may be some that seem insurmountable (firmly but politely refusing/returning a meal at a restaurant that is poorly prepared) but don't fret. Approach it all with a sense of adventure and curiosity, and most importantly a sense of humor.
You might even try talking to women, usually the MOST stressful dialog for the entire male half of the species! Don't worry about 'asking them out' or anything like that. Just give a compliment or something (nice dress, cool tattoo, cool car, nice palm pilot, etc.) that doesn't require anything more than a smile or a nod on their part. Say it, look them in the eye, smile and go.
yikes, I'm ranting. sorry!
good luck!
...those are the jocks.
From my understanding anyways. It affects things at the distributor level. It won't make any difference if their car has computer electronics or not.
...Harpo's cousin'?
Silly! I knew that! He invented LINUX, which all those OTHER companies (AT&T, IBM, Sun, etc.) copied and called 'UNIX', 'cause they KNEW it wasn't as good as the real thing and...
Ever been to Japan? Enter (politely, and with permission of course) any middle-class home and check out the 'services'. Hoo boy!
Thou art hereby granted permission to do something with your life other than constantly monitor Slashdot for duplicate articles and writhe about and shout like a wrenched weasel upon finding them.
Go! Play!
Now go do your homework.
;)
That's a Beowulf swarm. Or better yet, a flock. Yeah! I can see it now!
[root@nostromo]$ wondertwin_power -enable
Multiprocessing enabled...starting subsystems
Nodes 1..90 engaging...
Clustering successful. Your Sytem is Totally Flocked.
[root@nostromo]$ glquake&
[root@nostromo]$
It's great to hear from someone on the inside. Thanks for posting!
Here's a few of my off-the-cuff-dime-a-dozen ideas for propulsion mods/alternatives:
1. Your greatest fan.
ONE fan, possibly exterior, with some sort of rotating outer shell to direct the thrust. This could be a bigger fan with more thrust. Directing the thrust effectively could involve an overly fragile assembley, be overly complex and use up a lot of power, tho'. Or have a single fan statically mounted, but give the SMR some sort of internal gyro thingy that causes it to spin around to redirect the thrust quickly and on the fly (pun intended). It'd be like the space ships on the old Space War game, or Asteroids, except in 3d.
2. Alka-Selter.
The tablets go in, the chamber seals, water is injected, and voila! 'Gas' propulsion, directed to any of the 6 exhaust ports. (belch) Excuse me. Give it a docking bay so it can change tablets itself.
3. Electro-magnetic.
The power of attraction instead of thrust. There's lots of metal in the shuttle, I think. Would it take a lot of power to use internal magnets to pull it this way and that? Bit of a stretch, I know.
4. Carrots.
Design an SMR that likes carrots. Attach a short stick to the top of the SMR with a small bit of carrot fastened to the end of it. The SMR, equipped with various genetic electronic algorhythms, will eventually engineer its own way of attaining the carrot, the most likely result of which will be some sort of thrust. The danger here of course is that it could develop a mutation to get the carrot that compromises the integrity of the crew, like psionic abilities enabling the SMR to psychicly manipulate the crew into endless research and experimentation tasks soley devoted to growing carrots in space, at the expense of their normal duties and survival.
Well. There you have it. Can I have a lab coat?
Loathe am I to leap to the man's defense, but I'm sick of hearing about the Hidden Fortress reference and how he stole the whole idea from Kurosawa.
Have you actually seen The Hidden Fortress? The simililarities are there, but are well on the side of inspiration as opposed to thievery which he is constantly accused of.
Where do you think Kurosawa got HIS ideas from? Do a little 'research' on that.
ALL writers beg, borrow and steal, consciously or otherwise, whether they like it or not. VERY FEW works are purely original. Skill and effectiveness lie in choosing your heroes and role models carefully.
People regurgitating the old Hidden Fortress complaint is getting to be more tiresomely repetitive than a Beowulf cluster of VIC-20's.
Star Wars, warts and all, rang the bell and will for decades to come. Lucas gets credit for choosing the elements of his inspiration effectively, and breaking a few rules ('space' being a bit grimy and dinged-up as opposed to squeeky clean) that changed the genre forever more.
Phhhhhhht!
There. I made YOU!
Beat THAT Mr. Lucas!
;)
Kurosawa is (was) indeed the master of film as Visual Storytelling. That Lucas is a devotee of his is admirable. However, what little dialog Kurosawa has in a given film is very carefully thought out and adds immeasurably to the story. Lucas needs to be more clever and careful and delegate responsibilities to skilled professionals where neccessary (dialog, research, char devel, etc).
Remember 'Softalk'?
Remember 'Nibble'?
Remember peeling the shrink-wrap off the gorgeously decorated box of 'Wizardry'?
Remember when computer manuals ASSUMED you would want to explore programming?
I need a beer.
the silent majority of slashdot readers
Silent? Hardly. Such silence would be golden.
Nuke 'em I say.
Give 'Gold' accounts to Linux, ESR, etc. which are automatically put at the top of the heap, no questions asked. Registered users who consitently score 'Intelligent' and 'Informative' can get 'Silver' status and be next on the heap.
Let everyone else duke it out. After nuking AC, of course!
2001 is full of long moments of glorious silence, the bane of todays big-budget directors, who are too set upon their mile-long checklists of product placements, talking heads, cameos, punches, swirling creschendoes, video-game tie-ins and consumer psychological attention-span profile research rapid-action editing to even dare to let a VISUAL MEDIUM do it's thing.
It's funny how the more a director makes, money-wise, the LESS he or she is willing to take chances. I think it has to do with INSULATION. Successful directors become so wealthy and (by neccessity) reclusive, that they become surrounded by a thick membrane of Yes Men. Every idea that dribbles off their lips or pen is hailed as Genius, in hopes that the Gravy Train will not run off track.
"Yes sir, Mister Lucas! That Jar-Jar character is a sure-fire hit! A real stroke of genius! And the chick - with the funny hair? Whoa-boy, Mister Lucas, brilliant! And Darth Maul is so cool-looking, it doesn't matter a bit that he's 2-dimensional and adds absolutely NOTHING to a story-line that doesn't really exist anyways! Fabulous! Whatever you say! Love it!"
Sigh. As if it mattered!
So let's give Texas to the Mexicans, the MidWest Bible Belt to the Canadians and the Deep South to Castro.
We'll keep New Orleans, though, 'cause New Orleans kicks BIG ASS. Great beer, great women, great music and 'gators. Can't be beat.
VOTE NOW for a leaner, cleaner utterly Godless United States.