The reality will become apparent in the next 10-20 years, not 50. The first world will not feel the effects until the 50 year or more barrier because we have the military power that will guarantee a supply of the limited oil reserves. Enjoy the oil while it lasts.
The future is not optimistic no matter what you think the source of oil is. Some might say that it is the best kept secret in Washington.
Would it really be that bad to pay for the entertainment you want, rather than simply being fed the entertainment, and advertising, that they want to give you?
Oh, you mean like going to the movies.. where I pay.. and pay.. and still get ads rammed down my throat? Advertisers can rot in hell for all I care. I suspect a lot of other people feel the same way. I pay around $70/mo for my Satellite service.. that's a lot of money. Let them find a way to divy that up, or if it can't work, end it all.
Is that the USA is one of the few nations that would actually have any problem with the above scenario. Most would be more concerned about the liquor violation.
In the meantime, the wrenchheads that took mechanics in high school and went on that path instead are getting paid twice what I am.
Now, imagine what fluency and expertise with computers could gain you combined with a mastery of automobile mechanics. Do you think that those same wrencheads wrote the 8051 assembly that controls the engine's timing and fuel injection? Of course not. Some engineer, though - who understood BOTH systems - did, and likely made several times what your mechanic friend does.
This is an example that goes close to my own experience - I have an engineering degree, and also do a lot of tuning on Hondas. There are not many people who can reverse engineer the existing ECU anymore - or design piggyback systems that can work with the ECU to do things like double your car's power, combined with a turbocharging system.
Computers are a TOOL. They let you do things more efficiently. You can control a machine. You can write a paper. You can move data around. The value is not in moving the data or the machine, but what the data represents or what the machine is producing. THERE is the value. The age where computers themselves were a unknown is coming to an end - the money is in finding ways to make those computers do things. In some ways, that is where the money always HAS been.
Technology has commoditized the unspecialized programmer - commodities cruise towards 0 price in volume.
At the end of the day, it's about the value that's added to society. If you can add value, you have a job, and your salary reflects that. Shuffling data around and technician level work has a very large body of people who are qualified to do it - and the price drops down.
For what it's worth, learning to weld and work with metal and fix mechanical things has been a very valuable addition to my skills. Don't discount mechanics - it's difficult work that not many people can do well. Try rebuilding a engine sometime. It is nontrivial, and the pay scale reflects that.
I make my own shelves and desks - wood is cheap, and nobody makes proper sized work surfaces anymore - think three computers, an oscilloscope, test gear, etc. All you need is some MDF and then a lexan or glass sheet for a top.
Toolboxes are great - handles, portable, and tough. Just label them. Walmart often has them for below $10. As others mentioned, tupperware containers are great - my last two moves have been with nothing but large tupperware containers and they stack nicely when you don't need them.
Biggest tip: Give everything you own a home. It's when things don't have a set spot that disaster areas happen.
Excuse me for not being anal retentive about my education. Degree or no, it's just a piece of paper. Most people I know use the two interchangably, and I don't really understand the problem. I would guess you must be an Upper Canadian.. heh.
This is Canada. "College" and "University" are used much more interchangably here than in the US. The insitution in question is the University of New Brunswick, and it certainly does give engineering degrees. It has one of, if not the, oldest engineering schools in Canada and North America.
People like Atlantic Canada, and there are two Universities that grant engineering degrees - people stay for noneconomic reasons, and that drives the average salaries way down.
UNB is doing a disservice to students IMHO with the CS/Computer Engineering thing. Do hard EE and you can do CE if you want; otherwise, do CS or Business. Keep the specialty to options taken under the EE moniker. (UNB Alumni here).
You don't have a degree. Most of doesn't count. $14/hr is pretty good for Atlantic Canada with no college degree, as there is a glut of engineers in the region.
...all the while ignoring the fact that many frequency ranges are already used by astronomers to observe and study the universe. By polluting our window on the Cosmos, we risk losing the chance to discover how it all began. *Sigh*.
There is a great spot ready for such an observatory on the far side of the moon. The reality is that the political will to observe and study pure science at it's finest is not. To hold back the progress of society because of SETI or astronomical reasons is foolhardy.
Perhaps some of us can become wealthy off these new frequencies and donate money to help with NEAT or other important projects.
I'm not disagreeing that 2 million is a lot of people. But are they all there for "file swapping, pot smoking and wearing trenchcoats"? If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
No, but it does appear that several hundred thousand people are in jail for drug offenses.:shrug:
The simple matter is, that in this day in age, a random teenager with a broadband connection has been empowered to the point where they can seriously damage a corporation's revenues. To the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, likely. They deem that this is worth more to society than a random individuals life.. sexual assault will often get less.
This is just fu*cking wrong. However, as a society, the USA needs to decide which they value more, and criminal law is a good reflection of that. I am not an american, so I don't know what I can do, or if my opinion even matters.
Yeah, but a person sharing a movie might cost MPAA members hundreds of thousands of dollars. What does some chump getting beat to death outside a bar cost them? $100 in lifetime movie revenues? Remember, the MPAA is an organization that does the studio's dirty work for them so you don't feel guilty watching the Matrix.
The above post is seething in sarcasm, for the wit impared.
I think this story has some merit, at least, insomuch as it's not to be dismissed out of hand - that would be as bad as believing it out of hand. It's either factual or an amazing, masterful piece of fiction, because it has a real eerie feel to it that only one of the two situtations provoke.
Remember that story took place in 2000.. I wouldn't have believed it possible then. Now, I don't know.
Comeon guys, this is old. There have been box plans out that are based on a strobe light from radio shack for over a decade? Two decades? Now. Get with the program. You don't need to buy one of these from the company - they shouldn't even be allowed to sell you one. It's trivial to make one.
What you may not be aware of though, is that at least in Canada - sometimes these devices are programmed to turn ALL the lights red, so the EV can quickly get through the intersection. Won't help you with your daily commute any.
Messing with emergency vehicle service is not cool. Spend your time making life difficult for the phone company, or something..
Most cars, the SRS system is fused seperately. Just remove the fuse and it will kill the EDR system. If you want plausible deniability, blow an automotive fuse by shorting it across a battery, then replace the fuse for the SRS system with the blown fuse.
I'm going to check how illegal it is to connect a box to pump this EDR with false data, disconnect the EDR completely, or the easiest option, rip out all the OEM electronics and install my own engine computer.
Oil production will finally stop when the cost of extracting the remaining oil exceeds market price.
No, oil extraction will stop shortly after the amount of energy it takes to extract a barrel of oil exceeds the amount of energy gained from burning a barrel of oil. After this point, oil wells become net energy sinks. The amount of money doesn't matter at this point - eventually, you will run out of energy. Energy, not money, is the limiting factor.
People said that what Asimo does now was impossible. Once the robot motion and deterity becomes equal to that of a human, their cost will plummet, to, I would imagine, roughtly what it costs to mass produce a car - a pretty complex piece of machinery.
The waste involved in processing, collecting, and transporting the cans vastly exceeds the savings from doing so. You didn't read my arguement at all.
Watch all the soccer moms dropping off the cans in their SUV's. Then watch trucks haul the cans around. Then watch them get processed. Then watch them get shipped again.
Ummm, aluminium was a bad material to pick on... it takes about 20 times more energy to produce aluminium from bauxite ore than it takes to recycle it. Aluminium is one of the few materials that actually makes sense to recycle. As you state, there IS a shortage of energy.
Factor in the transportation, handling, and processing/sorting effort, and you'll realize why you need to pay a recycling fee to process that can back. That's my point. If it was such a great buy, you wouldn't have to legislate recycling. People would fight over it. All recycling markets I have seen have been government legislated and subsidized, beer bottles excepted.
All studies indicate that intelligence is distrubuted according to a standard curve. There are billions of people, that puts tens and hundreds of thousands in the highest percentiles. There are very smart people in China and India that mearly lack exposure to education - and immigration can solve that. There is certainly no problem with the gene pool.
Mind you, I am am selfish enough to want children (eventually). My g3n3s 0wn j00. I'm even If you were truely selfless about the environment, not having children would be one way to guarantee you minimize consumption.
Unfortunately, I've given up on any hope of critical thinking abilities to be taught to children. Recycling is mandated in schools without anyone ever asking why. More people should ask Why. Oh well.
The last time I tried to calculate the amount of energy saved vs. the energy expended by recycling Aluminum or Paper, I couldn't make it even close. The real problem environmentalists miss is the energy issue - we are going to run out of energy long before we ever come close of running out of Alumininum. Aluminum recycling is particularly stupid because it's so cheap to refine in mass quantities.
Bottles work to recycle, if like in most of Canada, they are washed and reused instead of broken down and remelted. I remember the numbers being a little closer for glass, depending on the type.
The problem people forget is nothing is free. You need to collect the material. That's energy. Then you need to transport the materials to a center, where they are trucked yet again. All the while burning gasoline and diesel - don't forget those emissions in your calculations. Then you need to expend more energy to reduce the material to a simple state, then more energy still to reform it. The end product often needs to be recombined with unrecycled material to get an acceptable grade of finished product.
Do the environmentalists have any idea how paper is recycled? It's not friendly - you need very powerful chemicals to break up the bonds to reform into pulp. Where do you think those chemicals go when they're used up?
The sad thing is often it makes more sense to throw it away. Recycling is DEFINATELY not based on a solid background. It is a feel good, useless exercise to make children and ignorant adults feel better about their MASSIVE impact on the environment.
If you REALLY care about the environment, live close to where you work or telecommute so you don't have to drive and waste gas. Drive a small car. No, you don't need a SUV. Yes, they're nice. Use LESS material. Buy material in BULK so you don't have packaging. Limit your consumption of electricity. If you really want to help, don't have more than one or two children. If you're not selfish at all - don't have ANY children. Those things will make a real impact.
Recycling a bottle just makes you feel good, because the government must be right.
Show me the science. Recycling, until then, remains a bad joke. There is no shortage of land for landfills. There is no shortage of trees. Trees are the least of our problems. There is certainly no shortage of either iron or aluminum in the earth's crust. There is no shortage of silica. What there IS a shortage of is ENERGY. Wars are being fought over oil - thousands of people die over oil. Many more will in the future. People do not die over glass bottles.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Do you know where this expression came from? Do you know why recycling is last on that expression? Because it doesn't work.
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The reality will become apparent in the next 10-20 years, not 50. The first world will not feel the effects until the 50 year or more barrier because we have the military power that will guarantee a supply of the limited oil reserves. Enjoy the oil while it lasts.
The future is not optimistic no matter what you think the source of oil is. Some might say that it is the best kept secret in Washington.
we will have used all the available oil in about 200 years.
The truth is a a little more grim than that.
Would it really be that bad to pay for the entertainment you want, rather than simply being fed the entertainment, and advertising, that they want to give you?
Oh, you mean like going to the movies.. where I pay.. and pay.. and still get ads rammed down my throat? Advertisers can rot in hell for all I care. I suspect a lot of other people feel the same way. I pay around $70/mo for my Satellite service.. that's a lot of money. Let them find a way to divy that up, or if it can't work, end it all.
DVRs are here to stay..
Is that the USA is one of the few nations that would actually have any problem with the above scenario. Most would be more concerned about the liquor violation.
In the meantime, the wrenchheads that took mechanics in high school and went on that path instead are getting paid twice what I am.
Now, imagine what fluency and expertise with computers could gain you combined with a mastery of automobile mechanics. Do you think that those same wrencheads wrote the 8051 assembly that controls the engine's timing and fuel injection? Of course not. Some engineer, though - who understood BOTH systems - did, and likely made several times what your mechanic friend does.
This is an example that goes close to my own experience - I have an engineering degree, and also do a lot of tuning on Hondas. There are not many people who can reverse engineer the existing ECU anymore - or design piggyback systems that can work with the ECU to do things like double your car's power, combined with a turbocharging system.
Computers are a TOOL. They let you do things more efficiently. You can control a machine. You can write a paper. You can move data around. The value is not in moving the data or the machine, but what the data represents or what the machine is producing. THERE is the value. The age where computers themselves were a unknown is coming to an end - the money is in finding ways to make those computers do things. In some ways, that is where the money always HAS been.
Technology has commoditized the unspecialized programmer - commodities cruise towards 0 price in volume.
At the end of the day, it's about the value that's added to society. If you can add value, you have a job, and your salary reflects that. Shuffling data around and technician level work has a very large body of people who are qualified to do it - and the price drops down.
For what it's worth, learning to weld and work with metal and fix mechanical things has been a very valuable addition to my skills. Don't discount mechanics - it's difficult work that not many people can do well. Try rebuilding a engine sometime. It is nontrivial, and the pay scale reflects that.
This is one piece of fiction? that gets scarier every day. Highly recommended read.
Big f'in desk.
I make my own shelves and desks - wood is cheap, and nobody makes proper sized work surfaces anymore - think three computers, an oscilloscope, test gear, etc. All you need is some MDF and then a lexan or glass sheet for a top.
Toolboxes are great - handles, portable, and tough. Just label them. Walmart often has them for below $10. As others mentioned, tupperware containers are great - my last two moves have been with nothing but large tupperware containers and they stack nicely when you don't need them.
Biggest tip: Give everything you own a home. It's when things don't have a set spot that disaster areas happen.
Excuse me for not being anal retentive about my education. Degree or no, it's just a piece of paper. Most people I know use the two interchangably, and I don't really understand the problem. I would guess you must be an Upper Canadian.. heh.
This is Canada. "College" and "University" are used much more interchangably here than in the US. The insitution in question is the University of New Brunswick, and it certainly does give engineering degrees. It has one of, if not the, oldest engineering schools in Canada and North America.
People like Atlantic Canada, and there are two Universities that grant engineering degrees - people stay for noneconomic reasons, and that drives the average salaries way down.
UNB is doing a disservice to students IMHO with the CS/Computer Engineering thing. Do hard EE and you can do CE if you want; otherwise, do CS or Business. Keep the specialty to options taken under the EE moniker. (UNB Alumni here).
You don't have a degree. Most of doesn't count. $14/hr is pretty good for Atlantic Canada with no college degree, as there is a glut of engineers in the region.
...all the while ignoring the fact that many frequency ranges are already used by astronomers to observe and study the universe. By polluting our window on the Cosmos, we risk losing the chance to discover how it all began. *Sigh*.
There is a great spot ready for such an observatory on the far side of the moon. The reality is that the political will to observe and study pure science at it's finest is not. To hold back the progress of society because of SETI or astronomical reasons is foolhardy.
Perhaps some of us can become wealthy off these new frequencies and donate money to help with NEAT or other important projects.
I'm not disagreeing that 2 million is a lot of people. But are they all there for "file swapping, pot smoking and wearing trenchcoats"? If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
:shrug:
No, but it does appear that several hundred thousand people are in jail for drug offenses.
The simple matter is, that in this day in age, a random teenager with a broadband connection has been empowered to the point where they can seriously damage a corporation's revenues. To the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, likely. They deem that this is worth more to society than a random individuals life.. sexual assault will often get less.
This is just fu*cking wrong. However, as a society, the USA needs to decide which they value more, and criminal law is a good reflection of that. I am not an american, so I don't know what I can do, or if my opinion even matters.
Yeah, but a person sharing a movie might cost MPAA members hundreds of thousands of dollars. What does some chump getting beat to death outside a bar cost them? $100 in lifetime movie revenues? Remember, the MPAA is an organization that does the studio's dirty work for them so you don't feel guilty watching the Matrix.
The above post is seething in sarcasm, for the wit impared.
I think this story has some merit, at least, insomuch as it's not to be dismissed out of hand - that would be as bad as believing it out of hand. It's either factual or an amazing, masterful piece of fiction, because it has a real eerie feel to it that only one of the two situtations provoke.
.. I wouldn't have believed it possible then. Now, I don't know.
Remember that story took place in 2000
But at what point do you call sending people up into the cold, dark vacuum of space by strapping them to a large rocket safe?
That's OK, the Chinese will do it for you. Once upon a time, it seemed America was a lot more pioneering in nature.
Comeon guys, this is old. There have been box plans out that are based on a strobe light from radio shack for over a decade? Two decades? Now. Get with the program. You don't need to buy one of these from the company - they shouldn't even be allowed to sell you one. It's trivial to make one.
What you may not be aware of though, is that at least in Canada - sometimes these devices are programmed to turn ALL the lights red, so the EV can quickly get through the intersection. Won't help you with your daily commute any.
Messing with emergency vehicle service is not cool. Spend your time making life difficult for the phone company, or something..
Most cars, the SRS system is fused seperately. Just remove the fuse and it will kill the EDR system. If you want plausible deniability, blow an automotive fuse by shorting it across a battery, then replace the fuse for the SRS system with the blown fuse.
I'm going to check how illegal it is to connect a box to pump this EDR with false data, disconnect the EDR completely, or the easiest option, rip out all the OEM electronics and install my own engine computer.
Screw big brother.
Oil production will finally stop when the cost of extracting the remaining oil exceeds market price.
No, oil extraction will stop shortly after the amount of energy it takes to extract a barrel of oil exceeds the amount of energy gained from burning a barrel of oil. After this point, oil wells become net energy sinks. The amount of money doesn't matter at this point - eventually, you will run out of energy. Energy, not money, is the limiting factor.
Dieoff.org has some depressing statistics.
For the good of their health, do you?
People said that what Asimo does now was impossible. Once the robot motion and deterity becomes equal to that of a human, their cost will plummet, to, I would imagine, roughtly what it costs to mass produce a car - a pretty complex piece of machinery.
The waste involved in processing, collecting, and transporting the cans vastly exceeds the savings from doing so. You didn't read my arguement at all.
Watch all the soccer moms dropping off the cans in their SUV's. Then watch trucks haul the cans around. Then watch them get processed. Then watch them get shipped again.
We won't even get into recycling paper.
Ummm, aluminium was a bad material to pick on... it takes about 20 times more energy to produce aluminium from bauxite ore than it takes to recycle it. Aluminium is one of the few materials that actually makes sense to recycle. As you state, there IS a shortage of energy.
Factor in the transportation, handling, and processing/sorting effort, and you'll realize why you need to pay a recycling fee to process that can back. That's my point. If it was such a great buy, you wouldn't have to legislate recycling. People would fight over it. All recycling markets I have seen have been government legislated and subsidized, beer bottles excepted.
I continue to make perfect sense.
All studies indicate that intelligence is distrubuted according to a standard curve. There are billions of people, that puts tens and hundreds of thousands in the highest percentiles. There are very smart people in China and India that mearly lack exposure to education - and immigration can solve that. There is certainly no problem with the gene pool.
Mind you, I am am selfish enough to want children (eventually). My g3n3s 0wn j00. I'm even If you were truely selfless about the environment, not having children would be one way to guarantee you minimize consumption.
Unfortunately, I've given up on any hope of critical thinking abilities to be taught to children. Recycling is mandated in schools without anyone ever asking why. More people should ask Why. Oh well.
The last time I tried to calculate the amount of energy saved vs. the energy expended by recycling Aluminum or Paper, I couldn't make it even close. The real problem environmentalists miss is the energy issue - we are going to run out of energy long before we ever come close of running out of Alumininum. Aluminum recycling is particularly stupid because it's so cheap to refine in mass quantities.
Bottles work to recycle, if like in most of Canada, they are washed and reused instead of broken down and remelted. I remember the numbers being a little closer for glass, depending on the type.
The problem people forget is nothing is free. You need to collect the material. That's energy. Then you need to transport the materials to a center, where they are trucked yet again. All the while burning gasoline and diesel - don't forget those emissions in your calculations. Then you need to expend more energy to reduce the material to a simple state, then more energy still to reform it. The end product often needs to be recombined with unrecycled material to get an acceptable grade of finished product.
Do the environmentalists have any idea how paper is recycled? It's not friendly - you need very powerful chemicals to break up the bonds to reform into pulp. Where do you think those chemicals go when they're used up?
The sad thing is often it makes more sense to throw it away. Recycling is DEFINATELY not based on a solid background. It is a feel good, useless exercise to make children and ignorant adults feel better about their MASSIVE impact on the environment.
If you REALLY care about the environment, live close to where you work or telecommute so you don't have to drive and waste gas. Drive a small car. No, you don't need a SUV. Yes, they're nice. Use LESS material. Buy material in BULK so you don't have packaging. Limit your consumption of electricity. If you really want to help, don't have more than one or two children. If you're not selfish at all - don't have ANY children. Those things will make a real impact.
Recycling a bottle just makes you feel good, because the government must be right.
Show me the science. Recycling, until then, remains a bad joke. There is no shortage of land for landfills. There is no shortage of trees. Trees are the least of our problems. There is certainly no shortage of either iron or aluminum in the earth's crust. There is no shortage of silica. What there IS a shortage of is ENERGY. Wars are being fought over oil - thousands of people die over oil. Many more will in the future. People do not die over glass bottles.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Do you know where this expression came from? Do you know why recycling is last on that expression? Because it doesn't work.
Rant off.