It seems to me there are a few things to consider. First, shields are curved, so you should be able to get some focus with them. Everyone I've seen has used flat mirrors. Second, they're depending on precise alignment of maybe 100 or so small mirrors onto a stationary target. One possibility is that Archimedes used many more than 100 soldiers. Perhaps if you use 1000 soldiers with polished shields of larger surface area than we've seen in these experiments, you could get the same result. Granted, a person holding a shield will be less precise, but if you have more people, you don't need to be as precise. I think it's within the realm of possibility, though it would be hard to prove.
I remember an episode of Mr. Wizard from way back where they use a parabolic mirror to burn/cook a hot dog. It inspired me, but lacking a parabolic mirror, I had to make do with a magnifying glass. And lacking an available hot dog, I had to make do with ants.
What do you think I've been doing? I've stopped buying CDs, I've stopped listening to the radio (except NPR), I don't watch MTV. Yes, I do still listen to music, but the RIAA doesn't get a single penny from me anymore.
Actually, I was questioning the idea that the girl is a criminal. Personally, I don't think so, but that's just my opinion. Good point on their choices, though. I can just see the headlines... "RIAA takes 14 year-old girl's lunch money (for the next thousand years)"
It's about time. I wanna see those Google tanks take on the Microsoft cyborgs with all the cluster bombing and the killing and Redmond getting nuked and I wouldn't wanna fuck around with Steve Ballmer, I can just imagine him in a torn shirt and a bandana armed with a minigun and stabbing the wounded with his bayonet and Bill Gates wired into some massive battle computer and Steve Jobs just biding his time waiting for them to destroy each other so he can piss on the ashes.......... Man, this is some good coffee!!!
I AM a geezer, at the ripe old age of 28. Shit, I remember when FTP was the dominant way to download warez, back when I entered college. The web was shiny and new. Only a third of the population had cell phones. P2P filesharing was still a few years away. IRC was the way people chatted. The N64 was high technology. Pop-ups and spam were not yet horrible irritations. etc... I typically use less than 200 minutes per month on my cell phone and I only use it as a telephone (or to play tetris when I'm dragged out shopping). I'm never on IM. I like to fire up Doom every once in a while. I can use a command line. And yet, I still think I'm tech savvy. I'm cool... right?
Seriously, I've got maybe 9 email addresses, 3 or 4 different logins at work and dozens of websites with passwords. With the websites, I can have the password manager do it's trick, but I'm screwed if I use someone else's PC or if someone uses mine, for that matter. So, I've had to resort to using the same couple passwords for the majority of things and I have to write down my work passwords. Who the hell can remember all of those passwords, especially if they rotate on a monthly (or whatever) basis and have to conform to rigorous password requirements?
I've always found that breaking into your representative's office, stripping, and then waiting on their desk for them to arrive is a very effective way to get their attention. As for getting them to see my point... Well, I've never been an effective public speaker.
Hah hah hah, it's all part of my evil plan. Once my "Give Phlegm of Discontent All Powers" clause is tacked on to the "Children, Families, and Puppies Act", I'll have total control, and then.... Canada is fucked!
Privilege, not a right, eh? Well, I guess I'll just have to stop buying CDs. How do you like them apples, huh? I guess I'll have to start spending money on something else, like books or my girlfriend. How do you like that? Oh, I've already been doing that? Well... alright then....
It sounds like they're bestowing us some great honor, to be able to listen to crap.
I can't think up a good answer beyond the usual origins of life or origins of the solar system stuff. It's not really practical for the layman, but it's interesting to scientists. I hold to the idea that the pursuit of knowledge in and of itself is a noble pursuit. On the other hand, I do hear quite often "why should I care?" from laymen. Well, turn back 100 years to the beginnings of quantum theory. "Why should I care how electrons behave around protons" or "Why should I care that uranium undergoes fission when bombarded by neutrons?" The first led to the development of the transistor and electronics and computers and just about everything technological in the past 50 years. The second led to the development of nuclear power (and weapons) and has also had a tremendous impact. By the same token "Why should I care what comets are made of?" may not have an answer now, but it might in the future. To withold funding from one scientific project may prevent some new discovery or technological advance. If all scientific endeavours were left to private industry, sure we'd make advances, but most private research is focused on the near term whereas public research is knowledge for knowledge's sake, and often produces advances and breakthroughs not seen in private research. In NASA's case, their investment in the 50's and 60's led to quite a few developments such as communication satellites and paved the way for businesses like Scaled Composites. That's at least worth something. I know I'm proselytizing a bit, but I think I have at least some of a point.
Why bother? It's easier to send mining probes to a comet, refine what we need there, and send it back rather than trying to pull the whole damned thing to Earth. After all, it's easier to move 1 pound of gold (or whatever) than to move 100 pounds of gold ore.
On another note, it would be far more economical to mine asteroids rather than comets.
That's actually a good idea. It also follows the trend I've seen in DVD releases where there's the "rated" version and the "unrated" version. Perhaps they could sell the "M" version of GTA in stores and offer the "AO" version through their website or retailers who agree to sell the "AO" version. My guess is the dirty version would sell much better than the clean version (though both terms are relative).
You need to learn some science. Ozone depletion and global warming are NOT the same thing. Carbon dioxide does NOT deplete ozone. Chlorine, in the form of CFCs, DOES deplete ozone. Thanks to an international treaty, most CFC production has ceased and CFC concentration in the atmosphere is dropping. And while there are hints that global warming may exacerbate ozone depletion, this is by no means certain. Most models suggest that ozone depletion is stabilizing and will recover in a few decades. At least in this sense, we're reducing our damage. Now is the time to concentrate on other, more pressing issues like global warming.
In the BBC article, it states that this year's hole is "ONE OF the largest on record". It also states that the ones in 2000 and 2003 are still the largest on record. This year's could get larger, sure, but we won't know for sure for a few weeks.
Exactly. Another thing to consider is that the African Lion and the African Elephant are completely different species than the American Lion and whatever elephant-like species we had here 13,000 years ago (mastodons and mammoths, if I remember correctly). "Re-introducing" these species is really just introducing an invasive species, albeit much larger and much hungrier than Eurasian Water Milfoil or zebra mussels. I, for one, enjoy being able to bike without fear of lion attacks.
Slashdot Mirror
Wait, there are unpatched security holes in IE? From all I've heard lately, it's way more secure than Firefox. How could Microsoft let this happen????
FUD FUD FUD, FUD, am I missing anything? Oh yeah, FUD.
It seems to me there are a few things to consider. First, shields are curved, so you should be able to get some focus with them. Everyone I've seen has used flat mirrors. Second, they're depending on precise alignment of maybe 100 or so small mirrors onto a stationary target. One possibility is that Archimedes used many more than 100 soldiers. Perhaps if you use 1000 soldiers with polished shields of larger surface area than we've seen in these experiments, you could get the same result. Granted, a person holding a shield will be less precise, but if you have more people, you don't need to be as precise. I think it's within the realm of possibility, though it would be hard to prove.
I remember an episode of Mr. Wizard from way back where they use a parabolic mirror to burn/cook a hot dog. It inspired me, but lacking a parabolic mirror, I had to make do with a magnifying glass. And lacking an available hot dog, I had to make do with ants.
What's the big deal about cars that work with an iPod? I can use my girlfriend's iPod in my car just fine and it pre-dates the iPod by several years.
What do you think I've been doing? I've stopped buying CDs, I've stopped listening to the radio (except NPR), I don't watch MTV. Yes, I do still listen to music, but the RIAA doesn't get a single penny from me anymore.
Actually, I was questioning the idea that the girl is a criminal. Personally, I don't think so, but that's just my opinion. Good point on their choices, though. I can just see the headlines... "RIAA takes 14 year-old girl's lunch money (for the next thousand years)"
It's about time. I wanna see those Google tanks take on the Microsoft cyborgs with all the cluster bombing and the killing and Redmond getting nuked and I wouldn't wanna fuck around with Steve Ballmer, I can just imagine him in a torn shirt and a bandana armed with a minigun and stabbing the wounded with his bayonet and Bill Gates wired into some massive battle computer and Steve Jobs just biding his time waiting for them to destroy each other so he can piss on the ashes.......... Man, this is some good coffee!!!
What are they going to do if they win? Take her babysitting money? Take her lunch money?
Sometimes, I don't WANT another beer (usually when I can't afford another beer).
I AM a geezer, at the ripe old age of 28. Shit, I remember when FTP was the dominant way to download warez, back when I entered college. The web was shiny and new. Only a third of the population had cell phones. P2P filesharing was still a few years away. IRC was the way people chatted. The N64 was high technology. Pop-ups and spam were not yet horrible irritations. etc...
I typically use less than 200 minutes per month on my cell phone and I only use it as a telephone (or to play tetris when I'm dragged out shopping). I'm never on IM. I like to fire up Doom every once in a while. I can use a command line. And yet, I still think I'm tech savvy. I'm cool... right?
Seriously, I've got maybe 9 email addresses, 3 or 4 different logins at work and dozens of websites with passwords. With the websites, I can have the password manager do it's trick, but I'm screwed if I use someone else's PC or if someone uses mine, for that matter. So, I've had to resort to using the same couple passwords for the majority of things and I have to write down my work passwords. Who the hell can remember all of those passwords, especially if they rotate on a monthly (or whatever) basis and have to conform to rigorous password requirements?
I've always found that breaking into your representative's office, stripping, and then waiting on their desk for them to arrive is a very effective way to get their attention. As for getting them to see my point... Well, I've never been an effective public speaker.
Hah hah hah, it's all part of my evil plan. Once my "Give Phlegm of Discontent All Powers" clause is tacked on to the "Children, Families, and Puppies Act", I'll have total control, and then .... Canada is fucked!
Are you kidding? Hiring prostitutes is far cheaper than having a girlfriend.
"The FEC vice chairman also questioned the necessity of any rules."
Sometimes, I question the necessity of a government.
Privilege, not a right, eh? Well, I guess I'll just have to stop buying CDs. How do you like them apples, huh? I guess I'll have to start spending money on something else, like books or my girlfriend. How do you like that? Oh, I've already been doing that? Well... alright then....
It sounds like they're bestowing us some great honor, to be able to listen to crap.
I can't think up a good answer beyond the usual origins of life or origins of the solar system stuff. It's not really practical for the layman, but it's interesting to scientists. I hold to the idea that the pursuit of knowledge in and of itself is a noble pursuit.
On the other hand, I do hear quite often "why should I care?" from laymen. Well, turn back 100 years to the beginnings of quantum theory. "Why should I care how electrons behave around protons" or "Why should I care that uranium undergoes fission when bombarded by neutrons?" The first led to the development of the transistor and electronics and computers and just about everything technological in the past 50 years. The second led to the development of nuclear power (and weapons) and has also had a tremendous impact. By the same token "Why should I care what comets are made of?" may not have an answer now, but it might in the future. To withold funding from one scientific project may prevent some new discovery or technological advance. If all scientific endeavours were left to private industry, sure we'd make advances, but most private research is focused on the near term whereas public research is knowledge for knowledge's sake, and often produces advances and breakthroughs not seen in private research. In NASA's case, their investment in the 50's and 60's led to quite a few developments such as communication satellites and paved the way for businesses like Scaled Composites. That's at least worth something. I know I'm proselytizing a bit, but I think I have at least some of a point.
Why bother? It's easier to send mining probes to a comet, refine what we need there, and send it back rather than trying to pull the whole damned thing to Earth. After all, it's easier to move 1 pound of gold (or whatever) than to move 100 pounds of gold ore.
On another note, it would be far more economical to mine asteroids rather than comets.
That's actually a good idea. It also follows the trend I've seen in DVD releases where there's the "rated" version and the "unrated" version. Perhaps they could sell the "M" version of GTA in stores and offer the "AO" version through their website or retailers who agree to sell the "AO" version. My guess is the dirty version would sell much better than the clean version (though both terms are relative).
You need to learn some science. Ozone depletion and global warming are NOT the same thing. Carbon dioxide does NOT deplete ozone. Chlorine, in the form of CFCs, DOES deplete ozone. Thanks to an international treaty, most CFC production has ceased and CFC concentration in the atmosphere is dropping. And while there are hints that global warming may exacerbate ozone depletion, this is by no means certain. Most models suggest that ozone depletion is stabilizing and will recover in a few decades. At least in this sense, we're reducing our damage. Now is the time to concentrate on other, more pressing issues like global warming.
In the BBC article, it states that this year's hole is "ONE OF the largest on record". It also states that the ones in 2000 and 2003 are still the largest on record. This year's could get larger, sure, but we won't know for sure for a few weeks.
To add to your list:
http://www.somethingpositive.net/
http://www.reallifecomics.com/
http://www.wapsisquare.com/
http://www.checkerboardnightmare.com/
http://www.scarygoround.com/
http://crap.jinwicked.com/
Interesting art, usually good writing, characters that are more than one-dimensional... something that most print comics are lacking, these days.
mmmmmmmmm, open sauce club sandwich......
I know, that was dumb. I'm sorry....
Exactly. Another thing to consider is that the African Lion and the African Elephant are completely different species than the American Lion and whatever elephant-like species we had here 13,000 years ago (mastodons and mammoths, if I remember correctly). "Re-introducing" these species is really just introducing an invasive species, albeit much larger and much hungrier than Eurasian Water Milfoil or zebra mussels. I, for one, enjoy being able to bike without fear of lion attacks.