Van Allen seems to be looking at this purely from the Cold War stance that he grew up in, i.e. only the government can send people to space, and it has no major motivation to continue. I agree with that much; what Van Allen's nearsighted view doesn't allow is the idea of private exploration.
He says, "I ask myself whether the huge national commitment of technical talent to human spaceflight and the ever-present potential for the loss of precious human life are really justifiable."
To the government and a nation, definitely not.
To a private investor? That's his choice to make.
So Van Allen is only half right. But he makes it seem like government spaceflight is by far the only option.
Ever played the Playstation 2 games, Red Faction (1 and 2)? The possibilities of asteroid mining... a corrupt group of people dominating the mining on an asteroid... far away from all of those committees and investigation agents. Total freedom for corruption-- and profit.
Yes, Red Faction was an excellent documentary, wasn't it? Total Recall, too.
Yes, far away from all those committees and investigation agents - and federal police and all the other crap that Washington (or Beijing or Brussels) foists on us. Escaping to space, in one form or another, is the only sure way to break that yolk.
Private industry will never build a supercollider, or a massive telescope, or send probes to Europa.
Oh no. What ever will we do without a probe to Europa sent now now now now? And why the hell should I pay for it? I am of the mind that universities and research institutions can someday privately finance such ventures - but not right now. And that does not make me against science at all. That makes me against squandering billions to do things right now now now.
Private groups are already dependent on NASA for money.
But not Scaled Composites.:)
Governments regularly give incentives (in the form of grants or tax breaks) to encourage specific projects or industries. Why not do the same to encourage space exploration?
And what gave you the impression that I was for ANY government "incentives?" No incentives at all, let God (the market) sort them out.
That doesn't make sense. Because technical measures to prevent something don't work, you sue people distributing legal information?
Even if the contract you click when you play Half-Life says you can't cheat, that can't disallow you from distributing information on cheating.
Basically put, they want to be lazy and not actually fix anything. Once information is out, it stays out. See how successful the MPAA was in limiting DeCSS?
Out where the asteroids are, you're so far from Earth that it would look similar to how Venus looks from here.
Near-earth asteroids. I don't know if anyone really thinks mining the asteroid belt will be doable for a very, very long time. But there are thousands of large rocks near the Earth (like one which the BBC has said is estimated to hold, at current prices, $20 trillion in minerals), and we can be mining those for a very long time before ever touching the Mars-Jupiter belt.
If you're out in space mining an asteroid, then you're going to be a minor employee of some large corporation.
Yes, but not working for minimum wage. It's extremely risky work, using extremely expensive equipment which will require costly training. Anyone working on an asteroid will be paid well.
If NASA has the choice of spending $1 billion to develop a new orbiter on their own, or giving ten, thirty, even a hundred million dollars in seed money to have several competitors develop it for them, that's a terrible way to spend money.
Yes, either way is a terrible way to spend my money. If they made the money on their own, fine. But they didn't. I would rather they spend not one cent - not giving it to their competitors, and not spending it on another pricy boondoggle.
I don't want NASA to give ANY rewards. I want NASA to die, and make way for the private sector. The cynic in me says NASA wants to make private groups dependent on their "reward" money, and thus throw marketability to the wind. In the end, NASA wins.
Valve suing people for spreading freely available, legally obtained information. Riight. That falls into the "sucks" category. As above posts said, waste less time suing and more time fixing the obviously broken code.
Great - Future FAQ authors will now have to see if their techniques are legally allowed.
80% chance of living for five years, and reaping the tremendous bounty of mining an asteroid? I might just take up that offer. It'd be a hell of a ride, whether or not I make it alive.
Also, just imagine the view every morning when you wake up. Every. Single. Morning. I'd risk my life for that, yes.
This disgusts me. The Ansari family, and Peter Diamandis (I think) before them, took their hard-earned money to reward someone. NASA will take their "free" money (partially confiscated from any winner their prize would have, and from people like the Ansaris) and give it to someone who makes new craft. No thanks, I'd rather not take that blood money.
How long before NASA starts crying about how no private citizen should have the right to launch into space? That's the opinion they've held for ages, and now they have to get off their ass and try to codify it.
The gaming industry really needs to learn that they can't blitz a product to market at less-than-optimal quality, and expuct the publc to shell out $50+ without complaint.
Sure they can. Lots of people did. Lots of people will. They've learned quite handily that gamers will buy 98% of the buggy crap put out each year, as long as it's good or from a developer they know or trust. And even then!
Last I heard, the US government was pretty much "the monied few." What, you would have national elections for ICANN members? Come on. Giving it back to the US government (Or, god forbid, some vacuous world government) would destroy the Internet in a quagmire of regulation, faux democracy and stagnation.
The private sector is doing just fine, and it could probably stand to have less government involvement - remove the Dept. of Commerce from the equation. Don't like it? Make a new Internet. I'm serious; there's already two, why not three? Four? Eventually one will stick.
I'll presume you didn't actually read the article, as EA is the company that makes Madden. So, er, you WOULD be hearing John Madden saying that. Sorry.
If EA could add Sega's commentary to Madden's games, they would be instoppable. Sigh.
Oh, awesome, I thought it was just my high-impact setup (if there's anything in KDE that can be transparent, I've got it on:P) that was causing those problems with my, drum roll, Fedora system.:D That makes this "maintenance release" a required download. Thanks, KDE team.:)
I don't know where you're renting from - "$6 a day?" Blockbuster, at least here (I'm not sure if this is national, but this is the way it is here in the Charlotte, NC, area) has game rentals for $5.99 for 9 days - if you rent on Saturday, it's due back noon the NEXT Sunday.
The catch - they no longer have late fees. It USED TO BE that it was $2/day. Now, they simply renew your rental. If you return on 1pm on Sunday, you have to pay an extra $5.99. If you return on 10am the following Thursday, it's still... $5.99.
So that means you can rent a game on Monday, and not take it back til Wednesday two weeks later, and the total cost would be $12, plus tax. Under the old system, such a haul would cost $20. And that's assuming it had the 9 day rentals, which it didn't - I remember when rentals were 2 days!
Rentals are a psychological thing, too - I find myself far less willing to buy a game I rented, even if it's an awesome game. I've deliberately avoided renting games because I knew I wanted to buy them. Cases in point: I bought Jet Grind Radio and Metal Gear Solid about 3 years after they were released, having beaten them soon after release during a rental. I never rent RPGs. I've also found that I get a much deeper experience out of a purchased game - I wouldn't have played and seen nearly as much in Einhander, for example, had I simply rented it. But we have to weigh the costs - $6 for a rent, or $40-50 for a buy.
Well, Bleemcast had one perk - so far as I know, the graphics were better on Bleemcast than on a PS2 running a PS1 game. Sony was probably just sour that someone might *gasp* provide a better experience than them, without interfering with their product at all.
Why is it "Unfortunate" that they're using a new tool for their warehousing? It sounds like you want them to abandon RFIDs altogether. Why the fear? Hell, they would never need to TELL you they're using them. How would you know? At least they're talking about it, eh?
When playing Quakeworld, I always played at 320x200, even after getting a Voodoo and having glqw opened up to me. Why? Because framerate was much more important than eye candy.
Another point - perhaps, like the MGS2 trailer, we're only seeing a prologue set in Vietnam. Remember, the MGS3 (I presume) poster available on konamijpn.com, I think, shows a map of RUSSIA, and there are no jungles in Russia...
1) That's not Solid Snake; it's Big Boss. Since Big Boss died in the early 21st century (I think Metal Gear 2, where he died, took place in 2005) at the age of 75, to look like Snake (who is roughly 30-35 now) would place it 40-45 years prior to 2005 - In other words, the Vietnam War. 2) And that does look like Vietnam, a la Rambo: First Blood Part 2, doesn't it? 3) "Snake Eaters" is nickname for some in the US Army Special Forces, including the Delta Force and Green Berets, which I think Big Boss was supposed to have been a member of.
In fact, a quick google search of the terms "snake eater army rangers" turns up information on this book: "Don Bendell, Snake-Eater: Characters in and Stories about the U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War. New York: Dell, 1994. 166 pp."
Another link says "Some climb mountains or hike the Appalachian Trail. And for some, the way to scratch this itch is to join the military, join the military and become a "snake eater," a "night stalker," or a member of the super-secret Delta Force."
4) If it is Big Boss, then, why call it MGS3? The MGS line appears focused on the saga of Solid vs Liquid, the two snakes. Shouldn't it have a different name? Like how Aliens went back to Alien 3. Then again, it could get real confusing like the Legacy of Kain series, Blood Omen series, Soul Reaver series, etc. 5) If it's Big Boss, this will freaking rock.:) But I hope it's more than a simple recreation of Rambo: First Blood Part 2.
Damn straight. Which is why I think their talent is being wasted in competing with Namco for arcade superiority. Instead, they should compete with the home market to make the arcades a superior (and SEPARATE) option.
Sega is one of, if not the, most innovative game companies. It must live.
Slashdot Mirror
Mmm. +5 insightful. A lot of mods didn't bother to read the first sentence, either.
Van Allen seems to be looking at this purely from the Cold War stance that he grew up in, i.e. only the government can send people to space, and it has no major motivation to continue. I agree with that much; what Van Allen's nearsighted view doesn't allow is the idea of private exploration.
He says, "I ask myself whether the huge national commitment of technical talent to human spaceflight and the ever-present potential for the loss of precious human life are really justifiable."
To the government and a nation, definitely not.
To a private investor? That's his choice to make.
So Van Allen is only half right. But he makes it seem like government spaceflight is by far the only option.
Does anyone hear that? The world's smallest violin? ... No?
Huh. Maybe it's because they don't allow that kind of music in North Korea, since it would speak against the glory of the supreme leader.
Maybe we should play the world's smallest violin for the world's smallest violin.
Ever played the Playstation 2 games, Red Faction (1 and 2)? The possibilities of asteroid mining... a corrupt group of people dominating the mining on an asteroid... far away from all of those committees and investigation agents. Total freedom for corruption-- and profit.
Yes, Red Faction was an excellent documentary, wasn't it? Total Recall, too.
Yes, far away from all those committees and investigation agents - and federal police and all the other crap that Washington (or Beijing or Brussels) foists on us. Escaping to space, in one form or another, is the only sure way to break that yolk.
Private industry will never build a supercollider, or a massive telescope, or send probes to Europa.
:)
Oh no. What ever will we do without a probe to Europa sent now now now now? And why the hell should I pay for it? I am of the mind that universities and research institutions can someday privately finance such ventures - but not right now. And that does not make me against science at all. That makes me against squandering billions to do things right now now now.
Private groups are already dependent on NASA for money.
But not Scaled Composites.
Governments regularly give incentives (in the form of grants or tax breaks) to encourage specific projects or industries. Why not do the same to encourage space exploration?
And what gave you the impression that I was for ANY government "incentives?" No incentives at all, let God (the market) sort them out.
That doesn't make sense. Because technical measures to prevent something don't work, you sue people distributing legal information?
Even if the contract you click when you play Half-Life says you can't cheat, that can't disallow you from distributing information on cheating.
Basically put, they want to be lazy and not actually fix anything. Once information is out, it stays out. See how successful the MPAA was in limiting DeCSS?
Out where the asteroids are, you're so far from Earth that it would look similar to how Venus looks from here.
Near-earth asteroids. I don't know if anyone really thinks mining the asteroid belt will be doable for a very, very long time. But there are thousands of large rocks near the Earth (like one which the BBC has said is estimated to hold, at current prices, $20 trillion in minerals), and we can be mining those for a very long time before ever touching the Mars-Jupiter belt.
You have an incredibly beautiful sunrise out your window. Every. Single. Morning.
How often do you get up to see it?
I can stare at an Earthrise. If I do that with a sunrise, I kinda get a burning in the retinas.
If you're out in space mining an asteroid, then you're going to be a minor employee of some large corporation.
Yes, but not working for minimum wage. It's extremely risky work, using extremely expensive equipment which will require costly training. Anyone working on an asteroid will be paid well.
If NASA has the choice of spending $1 billion to develop a new orbiter on their own, or giving ten, thirty, even a hundred million dollars in seed money to have several competitors develop it for them, that's a terrible way to spend money.
Yes, either way is a terrible way to spend my money. If they made the money on their own, fine. But they didn't. I would rather they spend not one cent - not giving it to their competitors, and not spending it on another pricy boondoggle.
I don't want NASA to give ANY rewards. I want NASA to die, and make way for the private sector. The cynic in me says NASA wants to make private groups dependent on their "reward" money, and thus throw marketability to the wind. In the end, NASA wins.
Valve suing people for spreading freely available, legally obtained information. Riight. That falls into the "sucks" category. As above posts said, waste less time suing and more time fixing the obviously broken code.
Great - Future FAQ authors will now have to see if their techniques are legally allowed.
80% chance of living for five years, and reaping the tremendous bounty of mining an asteroid? I might just take up that offer. It'd be a hell of a ride, whether or not I make it alive.
Also, just imagine the view every morning when you wake up. Every. Single. Morning. I'd risk my life for that, yes.
It'd be nice to live free for once.
This disgusts me. The Ansari family, and Peter Diamandis (I think) before them, took their hard-earned money to reward someone. NASA will take their "free" money (partially confiscated from any winner their prize would have, and from people like the Ansaris) and give it to someone who makes new craft. No thanks, I'd rather not take that blood money.
How long before NASA starts crying about how no private citizen should have the right to launch into space? That's the opinion they've held for ages, and now they have to get off their ass and try to codify it.
Losers. Death to NASA, glory to the new order.
And it makes to to slashdot only four months late! Unless Ars made a stealth update I'm not aware of?
The gaming industry really needs to learn that they can't blitz a product to market at less-than-optimal quality, and expuct the publc to shell out $50+ without complaint.
Sure they can. Lots of people did. Lots of people will. They've learned quite handily that gamers will buy 98% of the buggy crap put out each year, as long as it's good or from a developer they know or trust. And even then!
Last I heard, the US government was pretty much "the monied few." What, you would have national elections for ICANN members? Come on. Giving it back to the US government (Or, god forbid, some vacuous world government) would destroy the Internet in a quagmire of regulation, faux democracy and stagnation.
The private sector is doing just fine, and it could probably stand to have less government involvement - remove the Dept. of Commerce from the equation. Don't like it? Make a new Internet. I'm serious; there's already two, why not three? Four? Eventually one will stick.
I'll presume you didn't actually read the article, as EA is the company that makes Madden. So, er, you WOULD be hearing John Madden saying that. Sorry.
If EA could add Sega's commentary to Madden's games, they would be instoppable. Sigh.
Oh, awesome, I thought it was just my high-impact setup (if there's anything in KDE that can be transparent, I've got it on :P) that was causing those problems with my, drum roll, Fedora system. :D That makes this "maintenance release" a required download. Thanks, KDE team. :)
To whomever modded parent down - Boo!
I don't know where you're renting from - "$6 a day?" Blockbuster, at least here (I'm not sure if this is national, but this is the way it is here in the Charlotte, NC, area) has game rentals for $5.99 for 9 days - if you rent on Saturday, it's due back noon the NEXT Sunday.
The catch - they no longer have late fees. It USED TO BE that it was $2/day. Now, they simply renew your rental. If you return on 1pm on Sunday, you have to pay an extra $5.99. If you return on 10am the following Thursday, it's still... $5.99.
So that means you can rent a game on Monday, and not take it back til Wednesday two weeks later, and the total cost would be $12, plus tax. Under the old system, such a haul would cost $20. And that's assuming it had the 9 day rentals, which it didn't - I remember when rentals were 2 days!
Rentals are a psychological thing, too - I find myself far less willing to buy a game I rented, even if it's an awesome game. I've deliberately avoided renting games because I knew I wanted to buy them. Cases in point: I bought Jet Grind Radio and Metal Gear Solid about 3 years after they were released, having beaten them soon after release during a rental. I never rent RPGs. I've also found that I get a much deeper experience out of a purchased game - I wouldn't have played and seen nearly as much in Einhander, for example, had I simply rented it. But we have to weigh the costs - $6 for a rent, or $40-50 for a buy.
Well, Bleemcast had one perk - so far as I know, the graphics were better on Bleemcast than on a PS2 running a PS1 game. Sony was probably just sour that someone might *gasp* provide a better experience than them, without interfering with their product at all.
Why is it "Unfortunate" that they're using a new tool for their warehousing? It sounds like you want them to abandon RFIDs altogether. Why the fear? Hell, they would never need to TELL you they're using them. How would you know? At least they're talking about it, eh?
When playing Quakeworld, I always played at 320x200, even after getting a Voodoo and having glqw opened up to me. Why? Because framerate was much more important than eye candy.
Another point - perhaps, like the MGS2 trailer, we're only seeing a prologue set in Vietnam. Remember, the MGS3 (I presume) poster available on konamijpn.com, I think, shows a map of RUSSIA, and there are no jungles in Russia...
Rumors I've heard:
:) But I hope it's more than a simple recreation of Rambo: First Blood Part 2.
1) That's not Solid Snake; it's Big Boss. Since Big Boss died in the early 21st century (I think Metal Gear 2, where he died, took place in 2005) at the age of 75, to look like Snake (who is roughly 30-35 now) would place it 40-45 years prior to 2005 - In other words, the Vietnam War.
2) And that does look like Vietnam, a la Rambo: First Blood Part 2, doesn't it?
3) "Snake Eaters" is nickname for some in the US Army Special Forces, including the Delta Force and Green Berets, which I think Big Boss was supposed to have been a member of.
In fact, a quick google search of the terms "snake eater army rangers" turns up information on this book: "Don Bendell, Snake-Eater: Characters in and Stories about the U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War. New York: Dell, 1994. 166 pp."
Another link says "Some climb mountains or hike the Appalachian Trail. And for some, the way to scratch this itch is to join the military, join the military and become a "snake eater," a "night stalker," or a member of the super-secret Delta Force."
4) If it is Big Boss, then, why call it MGS3? The MGS line appears focused on the saga of Solid vs Liquid, the two snakes. Shouldn't it have a different name? Like how Aliens went back to Alien 3. Then again, it could get real confusing like the Legacy of Kain series, Blood Omen series, Soul Reaver series, etc.
5) If it's Big Boss, this will freaking rock.
Damn straight. Which is why I think their talent is being wasted in competing with Namco for arcade superiority. Instead, they should compete with the home market to make the arcades a superior (and SEPARATE) option.
Sega is one of, if not the, most innovative game companies. It must live.