The problem with the bookstore (in my mind) is not that their prices are too high, but that their buy-back offers are too low. Example: I was offered $3 for a math book that cost me betwen $30 and $50 new. This isn't really the bookstore's fault, since it's an independant company that does the buyback, but still...
So the main motivation is to let people sell their books back at a higher price. I mean, I'm never going to need to know anything about chemical bonds again, but the book is still sitting on my bookshelf because I don't want to get $2 for it.
Hi, I'm the guy that posted the question in the first place.
Since I posted it, I've done a bit of work. I found a web database that I can search by encoding the ISBN in the URL, and then parsing the resulting HTML page to get the author, price, etc. (all using PHP). If you're interested in seeing what I've got, let me know.
It hopes that Project Greenglow will draw scientists from different backgrounds to work on future technologies that will have echoes of the propellantless propulsion systems being investigated by Nasa's Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program.
Unfortunately, the law of conservation of energy would pose a serious problem. If you tried to use this as a propulsion system by making an object lighter, it would require at least a much energy input as the energy that you would save. In fact, probably even more, due to inefficiency.
Now, some people may say "Look, it's a whole new paradigm," or "What if the laws of physics are wrong?" Granted, it's possible, but the laws of thermodynamics are pretty specific, and conservation of energy can be derived many different ways mathematically. And mathematics is wrong even less often than physics is.
I'm not positive, but my guess would be that the amount of RNA you'd need would increase exponentially, while the time would remain pretty constant. You're basically just trading off computational time for space, by trying a ton of things in parallel.
I agree that mathematical processes shouldn't be patentable, but from what I can tell, this guy wants to patent his VLSI implementation of the algorithm. In this case, I think a patent should be applicable, since he's working on a physical invention, not an abstract process.
It's a matter of a lot of time. Remember the interview with Dr. Lederman a few weeks ago?
Fermilab is probably the most prolific source of antimatter right now. We have a machine that makes hot and cold running anti-matter and if that machine were made one hundred times more efficient, we made 100x as many anti-protons as we do now, then it would take a at least a few thousand years to make a milligram of anti-matter. We shouldn't hold our breath. No one can predict some huge breakthrough on how to make more antimatter more rapidly and so on, but it doesn't look very promising as a thing to look into. I wouldn't recommend an all out crash program.
Photon torpedos are quite a while in the future. And besides, because of coservation of energy, you have to put in all of the energy that you want to get back out.
This makes me wonder how expensive these things are to make. IANACE (I'm not a chemical engineer), but I'm pretty sure that the higher energy something is, the harder is it to make (since equilibrium is not in it's favor). Looking at the structure, it's no wonder that the thing is so unstable - the bonds that are supposed to be tetrahedral (~109 degress) are bent inward to 90 degrees, which increases the energy stored in it, but also the amount of energy that you have to put into it.
I don't know why their writing articles on this now. LIGO has been in the works for quite a while now.
Just to give you an idea of how sensitive these things are: my roommate spent the summer working on calculating shifts in the earth's crust caused by the sun and moon, so that the correction factors can be applied. If I remember correctly, at one point Kip Thorne (the Feynman Professor of Physics here at Caltech) was working on correcting for the change in Earth's momentum caused by raindrops hitting the surface.
(Of course, I have chosen a DPhil on the cooling of ions in quantum computers, which at least for now holds no ethical problems unless you're against the wilful confinement of innocent calcium ions...)
Actually, I can think of one definite problem. Quantum computers can be used to factor numbers much more quickly that normal computers. If I remember correctly, the time to factor a number using Shor's aloroithm is O(n) with respect to the number of bits in the number. By comparison, I think the fastest current method using a classical computer (i.e, the one in front of you) is O(2^n^(1/3)). The complexities might be wrong, but the point is that a quantum computer is faster by orders of magnitude.
The point of all of this is that a working quantum computer could be used to used to factor a large number relatively quickly. Since many modern public-key (and probably others; I'm a bit ignorant at some of this) encryption methods use prime numbers, privacy would take a bigger hit that any of the recent moves against it.
If that's not an ethical issue, I don't know what is...
As nice as it might sound to get rid of those damn animated GIFs as banner ads, this might lead to something far more annyoing and evil: Java banner ads.
(shudder)
Besides GIF, are there any other formats that support animation? From what I understand (which may be false), animation was tacked on to the GIF format after a while; could the same thing be done to PNG (or even JPEG)?
Are any of the images large enough to set as a background (without major stretching)? I haven't looked at many of them (due to the slow server), but the few that I saw seemed too small for such purposes... -ElJefe
The fact that you can generate his paintings with a program demonstrates that they express no emotion or otherwise attempt to convey some sort of meaning. This is what I consider the definition of art: trying to express some feeling and evoke a similar feeling in the viewer.
Now, make a Magritte generator, and I'll be impressed. Actually, this probably isn't as hard as it might seem.
(On an unrelated note, it's really funny to listen to your Art History prof, who has a very strong German accent, trying to pronounce "Broadway Boogie Woogie".)
-ElJefe Yes, we do have art at Caltech.
Re:why why and why??????!!!!! (plz pity us)
on
Linux on a SIMM
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· Score: 1
Too bad there's no way to delete a post like this. Oh well (sigh)...
Thank you. Finally a mature comment. I didn't read or care about the article because I dislike MTV, but that's no reason to personally attack somebody. Grow up, all of you. -ElJefe
You're forgetting that Slashdotters are not the only people that use the Internet. MS and AOL are not fighting to have you or I use their clients. They're trying to win the marketshare of less technically-oriented people. People like this don't necessarily use the "best" product. They just use what's cheapest/most popular/most convenient.
Slashdot Mirror
Hell, for $1000, overclock the crap out of a chip, and burn it out, then just buy another ;) </i>
Or just buy a really fast one to begin with, and don't overclock it at all. And then use the time you save to play Diablo II.
-Chris
The problem with the bookstore (in my mind) is not that their prices are too high, but that their buy-back offers are too low. Example: I was offered $3 for a math book that cost me betwen $30 and $50 new. This isn't really the bookstore's fault, since it's an independant company that does the buyback, but still...
So the main motivation is to let people sell their books back at a higher price. I mean, I'm never going to need to know anything about chemical bonds again, but the book is still sitting on my bookshelf because I don't want to get $2 for it.
-Chris
(elion@its.caltech.edu)
Hi, I'm the guy that posted the question in the first place.
Since I posted it, I've done a bit of work. I found a web database that I can search by encoding the ISBN in the URL, and then parsing the resulting HTML page to get the author, price, etc. (all using PHP). If you're interested in seeing what I've got, let me know.
-Chris
(elion@its.caltech.edu)
Did you guys really write this?
(I know you didn't, but I still thought it was kinda funny.)
With all these Metallica/Napster posts going on, should there be a new icon?
I recommend the Binge and Purge stick figure crossed with the Napster head logo.
-ElJefe
No, because you still need to carry the apparatus with you, and need some sort of fuel to power it.
-Chris
Unfortunately, the law of conservation of energy would pose a serious problem. If you tried to use this as a propulsion system by making an object lighter, it would require at least a much energy input as the energy that you would save. In fact, probably even more, due to inefficiency.
Now, some people may say "Look, it's a whole new paradigm," or "What if the laws of physics are wrong?" Granted, it's possible, but the laws of thermodynamics are pretty specific, and conservation of energy can be derived many different ways mathematically. And mathematics is wrong even less often than physics is.
-Chris Elion
elion@its.caltech.edu
I'm not positive, but my guess would be that the amount of RNA you'd need would increase exponentially, while the time would remain pretty constant. You're basically just trading off computational time for space, by trying a ton of things in parallel.
-ElJefe
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
-Albert Einstein
It will obviously be fought with Legos...
Don't forget the Berserk :)
-ElJefe
I was just giving you a hard time :)
I agree that mathematical processes shouldn't be patentable, but from what I can tell, this guy wants to patent his VLSI implementation of the algorithm. In this case, I think a patent should be applicable, since he's working on a physical invention, not an abstract process.
-ElJefe
Photon torpedos are quite a while in the future. And besides, because of coservation of energy, you have to put in all of the energy that you want to get back out.
This makes me wonder how expensive these things are to make. IANACE (I'm not a chemical engineer), but I'm pretty sure that the higher energy something is, the harder is it to make (since equilibrium is not in it's favor). Looking at the structure, it's no wonder that the thing is so unstable - the bonds that are supposed to be tetrahedral (~109 degress) are bent inward to 90 degrees, which increases the energy stored in it, but also the amount of energy that you have to put into it.
-ElJefe
Yeah, but the Fourier Transform uses complex, not real, numbers.
F(s) = Intergral(exp(-i*s*t)*f(t)*dt)
or something like that, where i is sqrt(-1).
Which reminds me, I should go do my math homework. Stupid Laplace transforms...
http://ligo.caltech.edu
Caltech's Press Release
I don't know why their writing articles on this now. LIGO has been in the works for quite a while now.
Just to give you an idea of how sensitive these things are: my roommate spent the summer working on calculating shifts in the earth's crust caused by the sun and moon, so that the correction factors can be applied. If I remember correctly, at one point Kip Thorne (the Feynman Professor of Physics here at Caltech) was working on correcting for the change in Earth's momentum caused by raindrops hitting the surface.
-ElJefe
One of the computer labs here at school used to have computers named after:
The Seven Deadly Sins (lust, sloth, gluttony...)
Blender speeds (whip, chop, blend...)
Phobias (agro, arachno, claustro...)
Unfortunately, the got rid of the the Sins. It was really fun connecting to "lust" to work on my CS homework...
-ElJefe
(Of course, I have chosen a DPhil on the cooling of ions in quantum computers, which at least for now holds no ethical problems unless you're against the wilful confinement of innocent calcium ions...)
Actually, I can think of one definite problem. Quantum computers can be used to factor numbers much more quickly that normal computers. If I remember correctly, the time to factor a number using Shor's aloroithm is O(n) with respect to the number of bits in the number. By comparison, I think the fastest current method using a classical computer (i.e, the one in front of you) is O(2^n^(1/3)). The complexities might be wrong, but the point is that a quantum computer is faster by orders of magnitude.
The point of all of this is that a working quantum computer could be used to used to factor a large number relatively quickly. Since many modern public-key (and probably others; I'm a bit ignorant at some of this) encryption methods use prime numbers, privacy would take a bigger hit that any of the recent moves against it.
If that's not an ethical issue, I don't know what is...
-ElJefe
No, you're using the wrong base. It's actually 100 years old.
-ElJefe
Real geeks code in the dark :)
-ElJefe
That's because the summer research is over and the new frosh haven't gotten hear yet.
But yes, it is dead quiet here now. Just me and my girlfriend...
-ElJefe
(gamma delta Beta gamma)
As nice as it might sound to get rid of those damn animated GIFs as banner ads, this might lead to something far more annyoing and evil: Java banner ads.
(shudder)
Besides GIF, are there any other formats that support animation? From what I understand (which may be false), animation was tacked on to the GIF format after a while; could the same thing be done to PNG (or even JPEG)?
-ElJefe
Are any of the images large enough to set as a background (without major stretching)? I haven't looked at many of them (due to the slow server), but the few that I saw seemed too small for such purposes... -ElJefe
Mondrian is art? Personally, I disagree.
The fact that you can generate his paintings with a program demonstrates that they express no emotion or otherwise attempt to convey some sort of meaning. This is what I consider the definition of art: trying to express some feeling and evoke a similar feeling in the viewer.
Now, make a Magritte generator, and I'll be impressed. Actually, this probably isn't as hard as it might seem.
(On an unrelated note, it's really funny to listen to your Art History prof, who has a very strong German accent, trying to pronounce "Broadway Boogie Woogie".)
-ElJefe
Yes, we do have art at Caltech.
Too bad there's no way to delete a post like this. Oh well (sigh)...
-ElJefe
Thank you. Finally a mature comment. I didn't read or care about the article because I dislike MTV, but that's no reason to personally attack somebody. Grow up, all of you. -ElJefe
You're forgetting that Slashdotters are not the only people that use the Internet. MS and AOL are not fighting to have you or I use their clients. They're trying to win the marketshare of less technically-oriented people. People like this don't necessarily use the "best" product. They just use what's cheapest/most popular/most convenient.
-ElJefe