I have studied paleoanthropology and geology, and I am unsure of why they would say that the "current ice age" began 40 million years ago. We are currently in a Holocene (warm period) which began about 11,000 years ago. The last glacial maximum was 18,000 years ago. Since then we have gradually been getting warmer.
For what it is worth, these fluctuations have usually been attributed to fluctuations in the earth's tilt. Wikipedia has a fairly good explanation.
It sounds like a weird comment from me, but are smart people just more likely to be skinnier, not because being fat makes you dumb, but because being smart makes you skinny? People who are intelligent may be more likely to earn more money. I think people who earn more are more likely to buy healthy, low-fat food. People who are intelligent may also be more aware of the benefits of a healthy diet.
I think this article is interesting, but it is a long way from showing that being fat makes you dumb, and skinny people are smart. There may be many other factors at work.
Why is American labor more expensive? Because education, health insurance, worker safety and compensation, living wage, future to look forward to ARE expensive. And child slave labor in Kraplickistan is cheap.
I agree with you that third world wages are cheap, but since when have American companies been forced to provide education, health insurance or living wages? These are things that are provided/regulated by the governments of most developed countries.
In America you have a system where workplace health insurance, on-the-job education, and living wages (ie something that eliminates the working poor - some way above the minimum 'wage') are optional extras, and not required.
I think you hint at the real reason so many jobs are moving offshore. It is because US IT workers have been charging too much for pretty average service. Did help desk staff really think they could lounge around eating nachos, spending time telling people to do general reboots, while other office staff slaved away for less money? Yes I am sure I will get dozens of responses telling me how great individual IT workers can be. The person who works their guts out to do a good job. But how many people can honestly tell me IT staff they work with deserve the megabucks, especially when someone overseas can do the same job for one quarter the pay?
Another reason is the introduction of sunrise call centres. This is where help desks and IT staff are distributed worldwide, so they can operate outside normal US office hours without having to keep people awake in America.
I am not endorsing the third world labour conditions, or saying that staff in some countries aren't treated like shit. But to pretend that big US firms are moving IT staff offshore because they think it will mean they can avoid paying for workers' education, is a crock. It comes down to the green stuff. Here's a radical thought. Maybe US IT staff could admit they overcharge and take a pay-cut, or improve their service, so they can compete with people overseas. US staff already have something of a competitive advantage in that they speak good, understandable English. They should be able to cut it against the thirld world's best.
Let's not forget that on the same topic of nuclear fusion American scientists have also been known to have spread misinformation by claiming to have perfected cold water fusion.
It is one thing for an American organisation like the RIAA to sue those in the US, but how likely is it that they will really chase people in, say, Australia, where I am? You have to understand I would never engage in illegal P2P activities myself (GULP) but just wondering if there is anywhere the RIAA won't go. Does it mean you are unsueable if you are downloading songs via a proxy based in another country?
On the same matter, is it really true that it is legal to engage in copying songs in Russia, and that websites like allofmp3.com are in fact legal?
AP are scared of Google "competing" with them? When Google hires thousands of journalists to write news for their site then they are competing with AP. What they are doing is not competition. Google is effectively the Napster of news. They take news from all over the world and let people get free access to it. That is fine for sites that offer free news, but AP doesn't. If you think what Google is doing is A-OK, try to imagine what it will be like when one of the world's largest news agencies goes under. This is not like music copyright infringement where a few rich bands lose money they don't need. When journalists disappear governments become less accountable.
I am just impressed that with my "modern technology" I can use my electronic shaver while simultaneously brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush.
As you may note from my nic, I am a more than casual consumer of the media. I have been working as a journalist for 11 years. I have worked for newspaper, wire services, websites and on radio. You are correct in saying there has been a general rise in the use of wires in news print as well. The difference is that so many internet sites want to have 24-hour coverage, which papers don't traditionally offer. The only way they can be expected to do this without costs blowing out is by utilising wire services. I think in part the rise in wire services in newspaper is because they have been putting so much of their resources into unprofitable websites that they have had to cut back on staff in the print editions. This is almost certainly the case in Australia, although I am not sure if the same has occurred in America.
The rise of the internet news over newspaper has meant far more than just a different format for the delivery of news. It has meant that far more than in the past news is being delivered by wire services like Reuters, AP, AFP etc. This is fine as far as it goes, but as wire services can deliver news cheaply to many different sites, it makes for some pretty uniform coverage of many events. Websites can't afford to send their own reporters, so are increasingly relying on the wires to do the leg work for them. Just take a look at Google News any day of the week to see how many of the stories are exactly the same. I love reading my favourite news online, but I rue the day that great newspapers become a conduit for delivering the wires withough delving into the investigative pieces that truly change society.
The Earth and Moon don't naturally emit light so would be difficult if impossible to see with a telescope.
All of the asteriods and other rocky debris in our solar system is dark.
To my understanding dark matter is not defined as something that doesn't naturally give out light, but something that emits no light or radiation. The earth does emit light; that which is reflected off it from the sun, likewise for the moon. If I understand dark matter correctly, it wouldn't reflect the light from the sun, even if it shone on it directly, because it cannot emit light or radiation.
I thought the story headline was slightly misleading. People in Australia with KaZaa can still use the service, they are just trying to block new users downloading the software. Bit pointless really given any number of other P2P applications will turn up versions of KaZaa or KaZaalite.
While the incident in the article is lamentable, this is hardly the first time Wikipedia has got it badly wrong. Check out this link for another example. Not to mention all the vanity entries of public figures writing their own biased biographies. About time they did something about it if Wiki is going to remain relevant.
"What you see is not always what you get, because what you see depends on a framework built by experience that stands ready to interpret the raw information - as a flower or a hammer or a face."
Sort of begs the question, how do you get the original experiences that everything is based on? ie, how can you ever recognise that a dog is in fact a dog?
While we are discussing this, I thought I would throw in a partially off-topic request. Anyone have any idea about a good service that offers free VOIP to POTS transmission? I used to use a Korean one that was completely free, but it disappeared. Have never found another one that could match it. Any ideas.
we are actually still coming out of the last ice age
Where does this BS come from? The last glacial maximum was about 18,000 bp (before present) and we have been in a Holocene period for about the last 12,000 years, which, incidentally is about as long as they normally last.
I would think the fact they have more than 1 billion people shows the exact opposite, they are not sustainable, hence things like the one-child policy.
I went to the application. There is a clause 48. [0048] A Tag's "undisplayable" flag may be used, for example, to allow users to effectively remove events from their viewable event histories. For example, the web site system 30 may provide an application 38 and associated user interface through which users can view and search their respective event histories, and "delete" selected events from such histories. When a user deletes a particular event (such as particular search query submission or browse node access), the corresponding event object is marked by the event history server 32 as "undisplayable" to prevent the user from viewing the associated event, but remains accessible to clients of the event history server 32.
I agree a Klingon series would be fantastic. But does that mean we will all have to learn Klingon to watch? KaPlaah! I think a series set during the Klingon-Federation war, seen from the perspective of the Klingons would be really interesting, if they got around the language issue. Barracking for the enemy may be a bit of a leap, but isn't Star Trek about breaking new ground?
Slashdot Mirror
For what it is worth, these fluctuations have usually been attributed to fluctuations in the earth's tilt. Wikipedia has a fairly good explanation.
It sounds like a weird comment from me, but are smart people just more likely to be skinnier, not because being fat makes you dumb, but because being smart makes you skinny? People who are intelligent may be more likely to earn more money. I think people who earn more are more likely to buy healthy, low-fat food. People who are intelligent may also be more aware of the benefits of a healthy diet.
I think this article is interesting, but it is a long way from showing that being fat makes you dumb, and skinny people are smart. There may be many other factors at work.
I agree with you that third world wages are cheap, but since when have American companies been forced to provide education, health insurance or living wages? These are things that are provided/regulated by the governments of most developed countries.
In America you have a system where workplace health insurance, on-the-job education, and living wages (ie something that eliminates the working poor - some way above the minimum 'wage') are optional extras, and not required.
I think you hint at the real reason so many jobs are moving offshore. It is because US IT workers have been charging too much for pretty average service. Did help desk staff really think they could lounge around eating nachos, spending time telling people to do general reboots, while other office staff slaved away for less money? Yes I am sure I will get dozens of responses telling me how great individual IT workers can be. The person who works their guts out to do a good job. But how many people can honestly tell me IT staff they work with deserve the megabucks, especially when someone overseas can do the same job for one quarter the pay?
Another reason is the introduction of sunrise call centres. This is where help desks and IT staff are distributed worldwide, so they can operate outside normal US office hours without having to keep people awake in America.
I am not endorsing the third world labour conditions, or saying that staff in some countries aren't treated like shit. But to pretend that big US firms are moving IT staff offshore because they think it will mean they can avoid paying for workers' education, is a crock. It comes down to the green stuff. Here's a radical thought. Maybe US IT staff could admit they overcharge and take a pay-cut, or improve their service, so they can compete with people overseas. US staff already have something of a competitive advantage in that they speak good, understandable English. They should be able to cut it against the thirld world's best.
Let's not forget that on the same topic of nuclear fusion American scientists have also been known to have spread misinformation by claiming to have perfected cold water fusion.
You may not have heard of it, but the evidence is out there.
It is one thing for an American organisation like the RIAA to sue those in the US, but how likely is it that they will really chase people in, say, Australia, where I am? You have to understand I would never engage in illegal P2P activities myself (GULP) but just wondering if there is anywhere the RIAA won't go. Does it mean you are unsueable if you are downloading songs via a proxy based in another country?
On the same matter, is it really true that it is legal to engage in copying songs in Russia, and that websites like allofmp3.com are in fact legal?
Probably of no interest to anyone, but there is a cattle station in Australia bigger than Belgium
AP are scared of Google "competing" with them? When Google hires thousands of journalists to write news for their site then they are competing with AP. What they are doing is not competition. Google is effectively the Napster of news. They take news from all over the world and let people get free access to it.
That is fine for sites that offer free news, but AP doesn't. If you think what Google is doing is A-OK, try to imagine what it will be like when one of the world's largest news agencies goes under. This is not like music copyright infringement where a few rich bands lose money they don't need. When journalists disappear governments become less accountable.
I would think another problem is that it will mean the census is no longer a snapshot of a single day in Australia.
Check out this article.
I am just impressed that with my "modern technology" I can use my electronic shaver while simultaneously brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush.
As you may note from my nic, I am a more than casual consumer of the media. I have been working as a journalist for 11 years. I have worked for newspaper, wire services, websites and on radio. You are correct in saying there has been a general rise in the use of wires in news print as well. The difference is that so many internet sites want to have 24-hour coverage, which papers don't traditionally offer. The only way they can be expected to do this without costs blowing out is by utilising wire services. I think in part the rise in wire services in newspaper is because they have been putting so much of their resources into unprofitable websites that they have had to cut back on staff in the print editions. This is almost certainly the case in Australia, although I am not sure if the same has occurred in America.
The rise of the internet news over newspaper has meant far more than just a different format for the delivery of news. It has meant that far more than in the past news is being delivered by wire services like Reuters, AP, AFP etc. This is fine as far as it goes, but as wire services can deliver news cheaply to many different sites, it makes for some pretty uniform coverage of many events. Websites can't afford to send their own reporters, so are increasingly relying on the wires to do the leg work for them. Just take a look at Google News any day of the week to see how many of the stories are exactly the same. I love reading my favourite news online, but I rue the day that great newspapers become a conduit for delivering the wires withough delving into the investigative pieces that truly change society.
The fourth dimension is time isn't it? Or is this six dimensional?
All of the asteriods and other rocky debris in our solar system is dark.
To my understanding dark matter is not defined as something that doesn't naturally give out light, but something that emits no light or radiation. The earth does emit light; that which is reflected off it from the sun, likewise for the moon. If I understand dark matter correctly, it wouldn't reflect the light from the sun, even if it shone on it directly, because it cannot emit light or radiation.
I thought the story headline was slightly misleading. People in Australia with KaZaa can still use the service, they are just trying to block new users downloading the software. Bit pointless really given any number of other P2P applications will turn up versions of KaZaa or KaZaalite.
While the incident in the article is lamentable, this is hardly the first time Wikipedia has got it badly wrong. Check out this link for another example. Not to mention all the vanity entries of public figures writing their own biased biographies. About time they did something about it if Wiki is going to remain relevant.
That's what they think.
"What you see is not always what you get, because what you see depends on a framework built by experience that stands ready to interpret the raw information - as a flower or a hammer or a face."
Sort of begs the question, how do you get the original experiences that everything is based on? ie, how can you ever recognise that a dog is in fact a dog?
While we are discussing this, I thought I would throw in a partially off-topic request. Anyone have any idea about a good service that offers free VOIP to POTS transmission? I used to use a Korean one that was completely free, but it disappeared. Have never found another one that could match it. Any ideas.
Well, at a guess, just like a normal squid, only bigger.
Thank god the hunt is over. That was obviously worth the effort.
Where does this BS come from? The last glacial maximum was about 18,000 bp (before present) and we have been in a Holocene period for about the last 12,000 years, which, incidentally is about as long as they normally last.
I would think the fact they have more than 1 billion people shows the exact opposite, they are not sustainable, hence things like the one-child policy.
Just get a handful of lunar soil, sell it on eBay for a small fortune, and use the money to buy some scuba tanks.
I went to the application. There is a clause 48.
[0048] A Tag's "undisplayable" flag may be used, for example, to allow users to effectively remove events from their viewable event histories. For example, the web site system 30 may provide an application 38 and associated user interface through which users can view and search their respective event histories, and "delete" selected events from such histories. When a user deletes a particular event (such as particular search query submission or browse node access), the corresponding event object is marked by the event history server 32 as "undisplayable" to prevent the user from viewing the associated event, but remains accessible to clients of the event history server 32.
I agree a Klingon series would be fantastic. But does that mean we will all have to learn Klingon to watch? KaPlaah!
I think a series set during the Klingon-Federation war, seen from the perspective of the Klingons would be really interesting, if they got around the language issue. Barracking for the enemy may be a bit of a leap, but isn't Star Trek about breaking new ground?