Agent Smith clearly was not a wildlife biologist. All animals will reproduce up to and slightly beyond the carrying capacity of their environment, then become subject to a certain amount of die-off (which can be dramatic).
Witness what happens to a deer population when it is protected from hunting (remember humans are natural predators too).
Exactly my point. Despite what the geek set thinks, the real world runs on food, fuel, and hard goods, not on knowledge or information processing or advertising. All the knowledge in the world is worthless if you have no way to apply it -- be that extraction, farming, manufacturing, or whatever results in a *tangible* product in the marketplace. And knowledge can be copied at zero cost, at which point it ceases to have any market value whatsoever (the lesson we should have learned from digital copyright infringement).
The AC is right... 50 years IS optimistic; probably a best-case scenario (and I don't see another way out of the situation even if everything goes for the best). -- Last time I made a prediction of doom within 20 years, it happened in five... so realistically, 10-12 years. Should be enough time for everyone in the Pacific Rim states to pack, yes??
The problem is that Knowledge is just like those digital bits we so hotly debate hereabouts. There is zero cost to "pirate" and disseminate Knowledge. It isn't something you make/grow and sell that is by its nature in limited supply (as are all manufactured and grown goods). Rather, you might make it, but then your competitors use and sell it, and you're no better off than before. Once you export Knowledge, its market value is zero. And anyone who can apply it more cheaply than you can will beat you in the marketplace.
And thinking we can survive on our exports of Knowledge presumes the rest of the world has no available brains, which is far from the case.
Not for long, if things keep going at the present rate. Frex, see California's Prop 2 (which banned modern egg production) and be aware that China, India, and the Philipines are egg exporters.
Given a choice between reneging on a debt, and giving up sovereign territory (and all its citizens as well) to a blatant enemy -- I think it's an easy decision.
As I've said before, we're fast getting ourselves into a position where within 50 years (or less) we'll be so far in debt that there's no paying it off. At that point our choices are to 1) nationalize foreign interests and tell our debtors to take a hike, or 2) give them a state or two in payment. I predict that if liberals are still in power, the latter is what will happen.
I agree... and read the comments following TFA; they're much more on point. Once we export all our knowledge, what do we have left? manufacturing is long gone, and food production is going overseas too. What happens when we are purely a nation of consumers?
Tho sometimes one thinks that most businesses are already mainly selling marketing to each other, rather than selling an actual product.
And is there some reason why that pump, now being "driven a little harder", can't be replaced when it wears out, just as you would any moving part on any sort of machinery?? I'd think that would fall under ordinary maintenance, not wild-eyed panic.
I'm sure there are spreadsheets that can tell us when maintenance is to be expected and performed under a given load level, so it's not like OMG it'll only be inspected when it's DUE to wear out under the lesser load. Something like an aircraft's airworthyness directives, yes?
So is there some reason this conveniently-concentrated radioactive waste, in the form of coal ash, can't be used as fuel for new-generation nuclear plants?
(What DO they do with coal ash? I'd think it could be reprocessed to extract lots of useful metals and minerals, without the tedium of having to mine the raw materials.)
'Do you have any idea how much money some of them are making off of book deals, speaking fees, and "donations" that people make to keep the world and the coal companies safe from the evils of nuclear power.'
FOLLOW THE MONEY is always a good rule. In the case of "green" or "anti-whatever" energy, the money trail invariably points at some special interest (including the aforementioned professional fearmongers) that can't make it in the open market, but stands to make a killing if the competition is made to look bad, or better yet is subjected to more than their fair share of restraints.
I liked this comment from TFA: ============= Here is an idea, since these great websites are taken away from us one by one and our freedom along with it.
Maybe we need a more "legal" approach to file sharing.
I propose to have a site that would have deals with distributors to have their tvshow/movies/music etc. in torrent form on the site. In exchange for a percentage of the money made by ads. And also the idea that if someone really likes a product they will probably buy it. I think there is alot of people who buy the cd/dvd after they download it if they like it.
That way end users keep getting great content for free, and artists/distributors keep getting paid.
Distributors, instead of looking at file sharing like an enemy, you could look at it as an advertising opportunity. =============
Obviously works for me.... [eyeing wall of DVDs I've bought]
I seem to recall that some places DO require citizens to report certain incidents -- accidents, crimes, I forget what all. But I see it as the same sort of thing, unconstitutional because free speech also means freedom FROM being forced to speak. Whether it's the right, smart, and/or sane thing to do is a different issue.
That's a good point, actually. How can the authorities compell you to make a statement, regardless of the circumstances?? How is that any different from being arrested for not shouting praises of Chairman Mao? (Don't get fooled by the circumstances here.)
The guy may be a moron who failed to prepare for a fairly predictable crowd response, but even so the whole thing could make for a VERY bad precedent.
Not only that, but what about the common scenario of an outdated advertisement in ANY venue? Just because your advertising is outdated, does that somehow absolve everyone else of responsibility for their behaviour??
This is like a store that fails to take down a "SALE!" poster in a timely manner, store then gets mobbed by angry shoppers, then the store manager gets arrested for inciting a riot. WTF?
Slashdot Mirror
Agent Smith clearly was not a wildlife biologist. All animals will reproduce up to and slightly beyond the carrying capacity of their environment, then become subject to a certain amount of die-off (which can be dramatic).
Witness what happens to a deer population when it is protected from hunting (remember humans are natural predators too).
I'd like to see that same chart in linear mode -- presenting it in logarythmic mode is kinda deceptive. For contrast:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Population_curve.svg
Exactly my point. Despite what the geek set thinks, the real world runs on food, fuel, and hard goods, not on knowledge or information processing or advertising. All the knowledge in the world is worthless if you have no way to apply it -- be that extraction, farming, manufacturing, or whatever results in a *tangible* product in the marketplace. And knowledge can be copied at zero cost, at which point it ceases to have any market value whatsoever (the lesson we should have learned from digital copyright infringement).
The AC is right... 50 years IS optimistic; probably a best-case scenario (and I don't see another way out of the situation even if everything goes for the best). -- Last time I made a prediction of doom within 20 years, it happened in five... so realistically, 10-12 years. Should be enough time for everyone in the Pacific Rim states to pack, yes??
The problem is that Knowledge is just like those digital bits we so hotly debate hereabouts. There is zero cost to "pirate" and disseminate Knowledge. It isn't something you make/grow and sell that is by its nature in limited supply (as are all manufactured and grown goods). Rather, you might make it, but then your competitors use and sell it, and you're no better off than before. Once you export Knowledge, its market value is zero. And anyone who can apply it more cheaply than you can will beat you in the marketplace.
And thinking we can survive on our exports of Knowledge presumes the rest of the world has no available brains, which is far from the case.
Not for long, if things keep going at the present rate. Frex, see California's Prop 2 (which banned modern egg production) and be aware that China, India, and the Philipines are egg exporters.
Given a choice between reneging on a debt, and giving up sovereign territory (and all its citizens as well) to a blatant enemy -- I think it's an easy decision.
As I've said before, we're fast getting ourselves into a position where within 50 years (or less) we'll be so far in debt that there's no paying it off. At that point our choices are to 1) nationalize foreign interests and tell our debtors to take a hike, or 2) give them a state or two in payment. I predict that if liberals are still in power, the latter is what will happen.
I agree... and read the comments following TFA; they're much more on point. Once we export all our knowledge, what do we have left? manufacturing is long gone, and food production is going overseas too. What happens when we are purely a nation of consumers?
Tho sometimes one thinks that most businesses are already mainly selling marketing to each other, rather than selling an actual product.
Someone kindly mod up the informative A/C's response!
I think you need a better telescope; this one is showing you imaginary persons ;)
Thanks for the link. Have only read a few pages so far, but it looks very interesting.
My point exactly. :(
And is there some reason why that pump, now being "driven a little harder", can't be replaced when it wears out, just as you would any moving part on any sort of machinery?? I'd think that would fall under ordinary maintenance, not wild-eyed panic.
I'm sure there are spreadsheets that can tell us when maintenance is to be expected and performed under a given load level, so it's not like OMG it'll only be inspected when it's DUE to wear out under the lesser load. Something like an aircraft's airworthyness directives, yes?
So is there some reason this conveniently-concentrated radioactive waste, in the form of coal ash, can't be used as fuel for new-generation nuclear plants?
(What DO they do with coal ash? I'd think it could be reprocessed to extract lots of useful metals and minerals, without the tedium of having to mine the raw materials.)
'Do you have any idea how much money some of them are making off of book deals, speaking fees, and "donations" that people make to keep the world and the coal companies safe from the evils of nuclear power.'
FOLLOW THE MONEY is always a good rule. In the case of "green" or "anti-whatever" energy, the money trail invariably points at some special interest (including the aforementioned professional fearmongers) that can't make it in the open market, but stands to make a killing if the competition is made to look bad, or better yet is subjected to more than their fair share of restraints.
Why should we HAVE to worry about The Authorities overseeing our each and every transaction, as if we're all criminals until proven otherwise??
As someone here put it, "If I've done nothing wrong, WHY ARE YOU WATCHING ME??"
Goes to illustrate the fine line between satire and blasphemy ;)
I liked this comment from TFA:
=============
Here is an idea, since these great websites are taken away from us one by one and our freedom along with it.
Maybe we need a more "legal" approach to file sharing.
I propose to have a site that would have deals with distributors to have their tvshow/movies/music etc. in torrent form on the site. In exchange for a percentage of the money made by ads. And also the idea that if someone really likes a product they will probably buy it. I think there is alot of people who buy the cd/dvd after they download it if they like it.
That way end users keep getting great content for free, and artists/distributors keep getting paid.
Distributors, instead of looking at file sharing like an enemy, you could look at it as an advertising opportunity.
=============
Obviously works for me....
[eyeing wall of DVDs I've bought]
Help! I'm being raped by my modem!!
So ... how do we train more girls to be like you? :D
Seriously, I agree 100%. This is a parent problem, not an internet problem or a bullying problem.
I seem to recall that some places DO require citizens to report certain incidents -- accidents, crimes, I forget what all. But I see it as the same sort of thing, unconstitutional because free speech also means freedom FROM being forced to speak. Whether it's the right, smart, and/or sane thing to do is a different issue.
That's a good point, actually. How can the authorities compell you to make a statement, regardless of the circumstances?? How is that any different from being arrested for not shouting praises of Chairman Mao? (Don't get fooled by the circumstances here.)
The guy may be a moron who failed to prepare for a fairly predictable crowd response, but even so the whole thing could make for a VERY bad precedent.
Not only that, but what about the common scenario of an outdated advertisement in ANY venue? Just because your advertising is outdated, does that somehow absolve everyone else of responsibility for their behaviour??
This is like a store that fails to take down a "SALE!" poster in a timely manner, store then gets mobbed by angry shoppers, then the store manager gets arrested for inciting a riot. WTF?
Latina est langua mortua,
In arena jacet.
Prima necavit Romanas,
Nunc nos interfacit!