How's that? I mean, how does your body dispose of them *AFTER* they've done the cancer fighting bit but not before. Otherwise, being shot up with the stuff is just completely ineffectual as treatment. I've worked as a manufacturing technician producing small clinical batches of these so-called conjugated antibodies. I can tell you that even after they've been formulated and packaged up, the handling protocol is still ridiculously strict to minimize exposure. These things are hazardous every which way. Great for fighting cancer, but a pain in the ass before (manufacturing/storage/delivery) and after (clearing from the body after administration) they get to work. I have a bit of experience with the "before" part, but I wonder about the "after" part.
Many existing cancer therapies are remarkably targeted. We've been able to take advantage of the fact that cancerous cells often exhibit abnormal cell surface markers. Monoclonal antibodies would be engineered to manifest high affinity for these abnormal markers. These antibodies can be bio-chemically fitted with highly toxic drugs that would kill the locally cancerous cells while minimally damaging farther healthy cells.
The thing I'm trying to figure out is how you can safely remove the nano-particles from the body after their mission is complete.
too bad. Have they given any thoughts to breeding for rather than training for the correct qualities in the target? With a little patience, amazing results can be achieved in a relatively short time. A Russian experiment showed that in as little as 50 years, wild foxes can be selectively breed to be as friendly as puppies.
I usually find myself on the other side of the debate on slashdot when "yellow-peril" fear/hate mongering gets out of hand. However, in this case, I feel the need to balance the other end of the wheel. All those things you cite *are* indeed unique experiences in Chinese history. But I think it would be insincere to conclude that Africa is lacking in the same type of experiences in the span of it's more recent history.
Remember that a great deal of the Cold War fought by proxy between east and west went down in many parts of post-colonial Africa. Many of these local conflicts were heavily sustained by the same ideology that produced the Great Leap Forward, etc. Command-style leadership is nothing new to most regions of Africa.
On the other hand, a large number of the more stable nation-states in Africa eventually wised up to the need for independence from both sides of the Cold War. As marginally effective as it actually turned out to be, the Non-Aligned movement emerged as an attempt to balance all aspects of the different operating philosophies between east and west, forging a path that does not capitulate either side. It is reasonable to draw a parallel between this and the blending of socialism/capitalism exemplified by "Socialism with Chinese characteristics". With that said, Africa is almost unanimously represented in the organization. For one example of how eastern and western resources have been integrated, many African military have equipment and weapon systems from both east and west working side by side. A cynic may point to the fungibility of cold hard cash when exchanged for good from either side. However, I think one needs to appreciate the subtleties of good business and acknowledge that Africa already knows how to play in the camps of different parties that have different rules.
Economic reform is perhaps the best/strongest argument you have made here. But I would like to point out that in this area, China isn't *that* much further ahead than the rest of the pack is many critical areas. Corruption and lack of industrial regulatory oversight is still something that China has a *lot* of room for improvement. At present, the difference in the size of the economy is the most important factor here.
The way I see it, the major difference and the fundamental root of the issue is that compared to China, Africa is so much more culturally/ethnically fractured. On this point, I sometimes surprise many of my liberal friends when I tell them I cut Bush a lot of slack for calling Africa a nation. In order to emerge as a world power, it truly needs to become and function like a unified nation in the same way China did post-colonialism. Unified by the shared history and culture of the Han ethnic group, the Chinese people did finally emerge as a nation of consequence after the collapse of the Ching imperial dynasty. But this was a painful and costly process that occurred over two world wars and a drawn out civil war that cost millions of lives. And despite the unifying effect of a common identity, I don't think many foreigners actually appreciate the linguistic distance between speakers of different dialects. Without the benefit of the common tongue Mandarin, I might as well be a medieval Spaniard outside my birthplace of Nan Chang.
So there you have it: I think the one critical thing that Africa doesn't have going for it is a more compelling sense of "Pan-Africanism". Unless all the people of the continent are willing to back a common course for the future, none of the existing infrastructure achievements such as numerous hydro-electric dams, irrigation projects, etc. can be utilized to the fullest extent of their capacity.
I don't find this hard to believe, a fake press release was, errr.., released by the Chinese, about one of their rockets that was still sitting on the launch pad. They called the mission a success, it even came complete with transcripts of dialogue between the astronauts and the ground.
"The Sun-Earth L2 is a good spot for space-based observatories. Because an object around L2 will maintain the same orientation with respect to the Sun and Earth, shielding and calibration are much simpler."
It is unfair to speak in such one dimensional terms. In many cases, there is a direct correlation to cost. Consider, for example, how a more efficient solar cell can reduce the mass (and by extension launch cost) of a satellite. Maybe a few of us have become jaded by the exponential growth in some sectors of high tech. In the real world, however, progress occurs in increments and every little bit is worth celebrating as a step closer to the next breakthrough.
When I was in high school not that long ago, the graphing calculator was an integral part of the calculus curriculum. Back in '96, even the cheapest desktops were often beyond the pocketbook of my classmates, to say nothing of net/notebooks. I am unsure of the current pedagogic inclinations in math education, but others seem to be chiming in on this thread and at least a few are saying it is still important in the classroom. Beyond high school, however, my personal experience has been that HP graphic calculators were highly sought after in engineering circles. Those I've conversed with on the subject regarded the utility and power of those tools very highly - even the antiques still available on ebay. I guess if a tool is sufficiently well developed, it can be maximized to its full potential by any experienced user.
How did Krebs get access to an "invite only" service? I can't help but feel this is someone's shrewd way of advertising the illegal. Either that or someone is getting whacked for bragging about knowing too much.
I'm trying to off load an XP Home SP3 OEM I got a number of years ago. It was intended for a system build that I never got around to. Not doing me much good collecting dust in a drawer. This guy seems a perfect fit... or rather his wife's mac seems to be a perfect home for it. Get back to me if interested.
How does it make sense? Where's the evidence? (BTW, I too am a geologist, though not a seismologist or vulcanologist).
Isn't it obvious? Since no earthquakes have occurred in Soviet Russia lately, the earthquake must happen to you! (BTW, I am neither a geologist, seismologist, nor vulcanologist.)
>Using one of those as the transmitter of your directional antenna would net you a VERY long distance connection.
But wouldn't it be just a one way connection?. For whatever effort it'll take to modulate a signal with a cooking tool, it'll be orders of magnitude more difficult to rig the same as a receiver sensitive enough to decode a strong but still poor quality signal. It is really too bad that the article itself offers this short tease without anything substantial for the curious to follow up on. Any googlers out there willing to track this down?
What, you mean these spines on my penis aren't normal?.
Let's hope it stays that way. from the article:
"The interesting question - which for some reason the scientists didn't want to answer - is whether we could use a gene therapy to replace that deleted regulatory DNA. Basically, we'd add an activation switch to the whisker/spine sequence, flip it to "full blast," and start growing new body parts."
I for one, do not think man should have his hands in his genes fiddling with himself. But then again, this is slashdot afterall, so...............
I don't suppose he'd mind if we at least thought about it? From the tone of the article it seems he'd rather we worry about what's possible, rather than flights of fancy. If we worried about the possible, what would we really have?
Agreed. This is the part I find most objectionable about these these arguments levied against Greene and his book. It occurred to me that the animosity over the untestable nature of aspects of string theory can be characterized by what Neil deGrasse Tyson refer to as a philosophy of ignorance. Critics such as John Horgan, Peter Woit, and others who "can't stand this shit" are content to end the discussion where their own imagination and creativity fails them. It should be noted that all major breakthroughs in human knowledge were proceeded by a period where the most brilliant minds of the time were stumped. How many times, even in the last 100 years did they say "it can't be done" only to be proven wrong? Where would we be if the discussion had end without the ensuing challenge? Those who are wise to the deficiencies of ideas like string theory, rather than dismiss the attention others are bringing to it would do us a far greater service to help spur the challenge in bringing it under more vigorous scientific scrutiny. I don't remember who said it, but "it is only impossible until it is done".
Peter Woit at Not Even Wrong indulges in the fear that "string-mania" is feeding our society's apatite for pseudo-science. A sensible concern, but seriously - how much more harm can belief in a multiple-universe be when compared to quack medicine? The only thing I can come up with off the top of my head right now is cheaper/shallower mindless science fiction - but we suffer through that already. I would even argue that this would be a good thing. Any drivel that Hollywood can dream up to waste 90 minutes of our time can be observed with all the vigor of an experimental physicist. Even if it is barely enough to hold a plot together, a young impressionable future scientist might overlook all that in the thrill of the moment and gain a lasting memory that one day will make the leap of faith necessary to eventually edge reason closer to reality. Mr. Nolan, I give you "Inception II".
It's kinda late and I'm a bit brain-dead at the moment. But the first thing that came to my mind was...... The Abominable Snow Man. What are the chances that this ends up being the smoking gun for that oh-so-elusive cryptoid that has had people arguing about hairy wild apemen since time forgotten? Personally, I think it'll realistically end up being a case of contamination or something else mondan. But with the odd chance that this turns out to be scientifically investigatable, we can hang on to the slim hope that there are other samples out there waiting to be found.
Slashdot Mirror
How's that? I mean, how does your body dispose of them *AFTER* they've done the cancer fighting bit but not before. Otherwise, being shot up with the stuff is just completely ineffectual as treatment. I've worked as a manufacturing technician producing small clinical batches of these so-called conjugated antibodies. I can tell you that even after they've been formulated and packaged up, the handling protocol is still ridiculously strict to minimize exposure. These things are hazardous every which way. Great for fighting cancer, but a pain in the ass before (manufacturing/storage/delivery) and after (clearing from the body after administration) they get to work. I have a bit of experience with the "before" part, but I wonder about the "after" part.
Not as hard as you think.
Many existing cancer therapies are remarkably targeted. We've been able to take advantage of the fact that cancerous cells often exhibit abnormal cell surface markers. Monoclonal antibodies would be engineered to manifest high affinity for these abnormal markers. These antibodies can be bio-chemically fitted with highly toxic drugs that would kill the locally cancerous cells while minimally damaging farther healthy cells.
The thing I'm trying to figure out is how you can safely remove the nano-particles from the body after their mission is complete.
too bad. Have they given any thoughts to breeding for rather than training for the correct qualities in the target? With a little patience, amazing results can be achieved in a relatively short time. A Russian experiment showed that in as little as 50 years, wild foxes can be selectively breed to be as friendly as puppies.
It amuses me what this judge would have ordered for the following if such should ever appear before him.
Kenneth Lay
Lindsey Lohan
Lori Drew
The intruder who victimized the "hide your kids, hide your wife" guy.
...as experimental transparent spacecraft.
Could not figure out why they would do that.
Wonder Woman in space. duh!
I usually find myself on the other side of the debate on slashdot when "yellow-peril" fear/hate mongering gets out of hand. However, in this case, I feel the need to balance the other end of the wheel. All those things you cite *are* indeed unique experiences in Chinese history. But I think it would be insincere to conclude that Africa is lacking in the same type of experiences in the span of it's more recent history.
Remember that a great deal of the Cold War fought by proxy between east and west went down in many parts of post-colonial Africa. Many of these local conflicts were heavily sustained by the same ideology that produced the Great Leap Forward, etc. Command-style leadership is nothing new to most regions of Africa.
On the other hand, a large number of the more stable nation-states in Africa eventually wised up to the need for independence from both sides of the Cold War. As marginally effective as it actually turned out to be, the Non-Aligned movement emerged as an attempt to balance all aspects of the different operating philosophies between east and west, forging a path that does not capitulate either side. It is reasonable to draw a parallel between this and the blending of socialism/capitalism exemplified by "Socialism with Chinese characteristics". With that said, Africa is almost unanimously represented in the organization. For one example of how eastern and western resources have been integrated, many African military have equipment and weapon systems from both east and west working side by side. A cynic may point to the fungibility of cold hard cash when exchanged for good from either side. However, I think one needs to appreciate the subtleties of good business and acknowledge that Africa already knows how to play in the camps of different parties that have different rules.
Economic reform is perhaps the best/strongest argument you have made here. But I would like to point out that in this area, China isn't *that* much further ahead than the rest of the pack is many critical areas. Corruption and lack of industrial regulatory oversight is still something that China has a *lot* of room for improvement. At present, the difference in the size of the economy is the most important factor here.
The way I see it, the major difference and the fundamental root of the issue is that compared to China, Africa is so much more culturally/ethnically fractured. On this point, I sometimes surprise many of my liberal friends when I tell them I cut Bush a lot of slack for calling Africa a nation. In order to emerge as a world power, it truly needs to become and function like a unified nation in the same way China did post-colonialism. Unified by the shared history and culture of the Han ethnic group, the Chinese people did finally emerge as a nation of consequence after the collapse of the Ching imperial dynasty. But this was a painful and costly process that occurred over two world wars and a drawn out civil war that cost millions of lives. And despite the unifying effect of a common identity, I don't think many foreigners actually appreciate the linguistic distance between speakers of different dialects. Without the benefit of the common tongue Mandarin, I might as well be a medieval Spaniard outside my birthplace of Nan Chang.
So there you have it: I think the one critical thing that Africa doesn't have going for it is a more compelling sense of "Pan-Africanism". Unless all the people of the continent are willing to back a common course for the future, none of the existing infrastructure achievements such as numerous hydro-electric dams, irrigation projects, etc. can be utilized to the fullest extent of their capacity.
I think I'll hold off on any speculation until I've reviewed the writings of various Bronze Age goatherders on this subject.
Is that supposed to be a clever GNU joke?
I don't find this hard to believe, a fake press release was, errr.., released by the Chinese, about one of their rockets that was still sitting on the launch pad. They called the mission a success, it even came complete with transcripts of dialogue between the astronauts and the ground.
source?
From the Wikipedia article on Lagrangian point:
"The Sun-Earth L2 is a good spot for space-based observatories. Because an object around L2 will maintain the same orientation with respect to the Sun and Earth, shielding and calibration are much simpler."
Which space craft has already visited L2?
It is unfair to speak in such one dimensional terms. In many cases, there is a direct correlation to cost. Consider, for example, how a more efficient solar cell can reduce the mass (and by extension launch cost) of a satellite. Maybe a few of us have become jaded by the exponential growth in some sectors of high tech. In the real world, however, progress occurs in increments and every little bit is worth celebrating as a step closer to the next breakthrough.
When I was in high school not that long ago, the graphing calculator was an integral part of the calculus curriculum. Back in '96, even the cheapest desktops were often beyond the pocketbook of my classmates, to say nothing of net/notebooks. I am unsure of the current pedagogic inclinations in math education, but others seem to be chiming in on this thread and at least a few are saying it is still important in the classroom. Beyond high school, however, my personal experience has been that HP graphic calculators were highly sought after in engineering circles. Those I've conversed with on the subject regarded the utility and power of those tools very highly - even the antiques still available on ebay. I guess if a tool is sufficiently well developed, it can be maximized to its full potential by any experienced user.
How did Krebs get access to an "invite only" service? I can't help but feel this is someone's shrewd way of advertising the illegal. Either that or someone is getting whacked for bragging about knowing too much.
I'm trying to off load an XP Home SP3 OEM I got a number of years ago. It was intended for a system build that I never got around to. Not doing me much good collecting dust in a drawer. This guy seems a perfect fit... or rather his wife's mac seems to be a perfect home for it. Get back to me if interested.
eagles, hawks, and other raptors? I wonder what the current situation for the art of falconry is around the world.
How does it make sense? Where's the evidence? (BTW, I too am a geologist, though not a seismologist or vulcanologist).
Isn't it obvious? Since no earthquakes have occurred in Soviet Russia lately, the earthquake must happen to you! (BTW, I am neither a geologist, seismologist, nor vulcanologist.)
>Using one of those as the transmitter of your directional antenna would net you a VERY long distance connection.
But wouldn't it be just a one way connection?. For whatever effort it'll take to modulate a signal with a cooking tool, it'll be orders of magnitude more difficult to rig the same as a receiver sensitive enough to decode a strong but still poor quality signal. It is really too bad that the article itself offers this short tease without anything substantial for the curious to follow up on. Any googlers out there willing to track this down?
What, you mean these spines on my penis aren't normal?.
Let's hope it stays that way. from the article:
"The interesting question - which for some reason the scientists didn't want to answer - is whether we could use a gene therapy to replace that deleted regulatory DNA. Basically, we'd add an activation switch to the whisker/spine sequence, flip it to "full blast," and start growing new body parts."
I for one, do not think man should have his hands in his genes fiddling with himself. But then again, this is slashdot afterall, so...............
I don't suppose he'd mind if we at least thought about it? From the tone of the article it seems he'd rather we worry about what's possible, rather than flights of fancy. If we worried about the possible, what would we really have?
Agreed. This is the part I find most objectionable about these these arguments levied against Greene and his book. It occurred to me that the animosity over the untestable nature of aspects of string theory can be characterized by what Neil deGrasse Tyson refer to as a philosophy of ignorance. Critics such as John Horgan, Peter Woit, and others who "can't stand this shit" are content to end the discussion where their own imagination and creativity fails them. It should be noted that all major breakthroughs in human knowledge were proceeded by a period where the most brilliant minds of the time were stumped. How many times, even in the last 100 years did they say "it can't be done" only to be proven wrong? Where would we be if the discussion had end without the ensuing challenge? Those who are wise to the deficiencies of ideas like string theory, rather than dismiss the attention others are bringing to it would do us a far greater service to help spur the challenge in bringing it under more vigorous scientific scrutiny. I don't remember who said it, but "it is only impossible until it is done".
Peter Woit at Not Even Wrong indulges in the fear that "string-mania" is feeding our society's apatite for pseudo-science. A sensible concern, but seriously - how much more harm can belief in a multiple-universe be when compared to quack medicine? The only thing I can come up with off the top of my head right now is cheaper/shallower mindless science fiction - but we suffer through that already. I would even argue that this would be a good thing. Any drivel that Hollywood can dream up to waste 90 minutes of our time can be observed with all the vigor of an experimental physicist. Even if it is barely enough to hold a plot together, a young impressionable future scientist might overlook all that in the thrill of the moment and gain a lasting memory that one day will make the leap of faith necessary to eventually edge reason closer to reality. Mr. Nolan, I give you "Inception II".
umm...I for one welcome our new GeF-tel overlords?
I know, I know - but who cares if Microsoft != NVIDIA.
Robert Ballard
Neil DeGrasse Tyson says it better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypTAxLTU24c&feature=related
1. Stupid people are exploitable. /*Insert appropriate details of clever scam*/
2.
3. PROFIT!
equally applicable to crooks as well as politicians.
You forgot to mention mediatronic chopsticks.
It's kinda late and I'm a bit brain-dead at the moment. But the first thing that came to my mind was...... The Abominable Snow Man. What are the chances that this ends up being the smoking gun for that oh-so-elusive cryptoid that has had people arguing about hairy wild apemen since time forgotten? Personally, I think it'll realistically end up being a case of contamination or something else mondan. But with the odd chance that this turns out to be scientifically investigatable, we can hang on to the slim hope that there are other samples out there waiting to be found.