There's a heck of a lot of things that are hard about that problem. I do, however, think we have the technology to do it. The Scale-Invariant Feature Transform algorithm is now 2 years old. There are open source implementations and many demonstrations of it being used effectively. This algorithm makes recognising parts something you can do in realtime. All the dexterity required to fiddle about with those parts and put them together has been solved a number of times, but mostly by academics who don't commercialize their research, so you'd probably have to solve that again.
For nearly half a century now we've know how to get into orbit using less energy than the brute force rocket approach. Space tethers are well understood technology that these guys could use to pick up a payload in "space" and swing it into orbit. Tethers that reach into the atmosphere are also possible but the math is just that much harder. Rockets are not the only way to space, they just require the least amount of in-orbit infrastructure. Once you have that infrastructure up there though, they really don't make a lot of sense.
I'm trying to think of an example of that and I'm simply not. It's not like you can compare it to a commuter busway, the subsidy provided by the government in that case is minor, and even in that case you'd be hard pressed to claim that the passengers were paying their own way - they're not, the government is subsidizing them. Similarly, you can't claim that Ansari is paying the "market price" for a trip to the ISS, as there is no market - right now there's only one place to go if you want such a trip and you can't have a market with only one seller in it.
It could have earned some money that Rutan could have put into making his SpaceShipTwo, and further stimulated the market to encourage others to do the same. Instead, what it did was quiet the market and force people to write yet-another-business-plan.
She sure is. Just as much an astronaut as Denis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, and Greg Olsen.
Before becoming an astronaut she worked as a chemist for Mars Incorporated. She was selected as astronaut by lottery on November 25, 1989 after responding to a radio advertisement asking for applicants to be the first British astronaut. The mission was known as Project Juno and was funded by the Soviet Union and a group of British companies. Helen Sharman was selected from a field of over 13,000 applicants.
Before flying, Helen spent 18 months of intensive flight training in Star City.
According to Wikipedia. If you're saying you have to pay for your own ticket to earn the title of "tourist" then I gotta wonder whether you would object to calling someone who wins a trip to Disney Land in a lottery a "tourist". I know I wouldn't.
It's a bit much to suggest that Anousheh Ansari is paying her own way. Especially seeing as it was the Ansari X-Prize that really defined what "paying your own way" means for a space vehicle. What's lacking in this debate is that using the term "space tourist" is supposed to help open the door for people who want to pay their own way. It's supposed to stimulate this market to vote with their dollars and get people offering services. This was also what the X-Prize was supposed to do of course.. but that seems to have been a bust with Rutan selling up to develop yet another suborbital system instead of just immediately offering services with the one they had. Paul Allen invested all that money so Rutan could win the X-Prize and do what? Get more investment from the Branson group? No, he threw in his two dimes so you and I could have a go in Space Ship One.
meh. Helen Sharman kinda predates her by 15 years. Not to mention the fact that neither actually like the term "space tourist" and have claimed they are the first such.
Promotions don't get linked to movies because the cinemas make such HUGE profits they don't need to encourage people to come blow their money on $18 popcorn.
You're just making stupid disingenuous statements. Most people don't want an X, they want something that allows them to do things-you-do-with-X. It's just semantic nonsense.
You did not just censor my comment in your quote did you? The fact that you live in anedotic evidence land where everyone does the same as your mother's boyfriends does not mean that the market no longer values upgradability.
most people who buy a computer don't want a computer per se
And Mac lovers wonder why they only have 10% of the market share. Yes, self important man, when I buy a computer I want a computer. When I buy a car, I want a car. Claiming that I don't really want a car per se, I actually want the independence that a car provides is bullshit. Go back to art school.
And similarly you just answered the original question. The reason why the rest of the computer industry hasn't switch to the all-in-one model is that the majority of people who buy computers want a computer, not an excuse to enjoy the smell of their own farts.
Slashdot Mirror
The energy comes from solar panels that you use to push against the earth's magnetic field, so yes, I am talking about elctrodynamic tethers.
There's a heck of a lot of things that are hard about that problem. I do, however, think we have the technology to do it. The Scale-Invariant Feature Transform algorithm is now 2 years old. There are open source implementations and many demonstrations of it being used effectively. This algorithm makes recognising parts something you can do in realtime. All the dexterity required to fiddle about with those parts and put them together has been solved a number of times, but mostly by academics who don't commercialize their research, so you'd probably have to solve that again.
Now, that would be cool.
For nearly half a century now we've know how to get into orbit using less energy than the brute force rocket approach. Space tethers are well understood technology that these guys could use to pick up a payload in "space" and swing it into orbit. Tethers that reach into the atmosphere are also possible but the math is just that much harder. Rockets are not the only way to space, they just require the least amount of in-orbit infrastructure. Once you have that infrastructure up there though, they really don't make a lot of sense.
monopoly market is an oxymoron.
People were doing that before the X-Prize was won.
I'm trying to think of an example of that and I'm simply not. It's not like you can compare it to a commuter busway, the subsidy provided by the government in that case is minor, and even in that case you'd be hard pressed to claim that the passengers were paying their own way - they're not, the government is subsidizing them. Similarly, you can't claim that Ansari is paying the "market price" for a trip to the ISS, as there is no market - right now there's only one place to go if you want such a trip and you can't have a market with only one seller in it.
Ah, touché.
Check out this site.. I know the guy who runs it, for him it really is a labour of love.
Fuck science, spend it on colonisation.
It could have earned some money that Rutan could have put into making his SpaceShipTwo, and further stimulated the market to encourage others to do the same. Instead, what it did was quiet the market and force people to write yet-another-business-plan.
She sure is. Just as much an astronaut as Denis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, and Greg Olsen.
Before becoming an astronaut she worked as a chemist for Mars Incorporated. She was selected as astronaut by lottery on November 25, 1989 after responding to a radio advertisement asking for applicants to be the first British astronaut. The mission was known as Project Juno and was funded by the Soviet Union and a group of British companies. Helen Sharman was selected from a field of over 13,000 applicants.
Before flying, Helen spent 18 months of intensive flight training in Star City.
According to Wikipedia. If you're saying you have to pay for your own ticket to earn the title of "tourist" then I gotta wonder whether you would object to calling someone who wins a trip to Disney Land in a lottery a "tourist". I know I wouldn't.
It's a bit much to suggest that Anousheh Ansari is paying her own way. Especially seeing as it was the Ansari X-Prize that really defined what "paying your own way" means for a space vehicle. What's lacking in this debate is that using the term "space tourist" is supposed to help open the door for people who want to pay their own way. It's supposed to stimulate this market to vote with their dollars and get people offering services. This was also what the X-Prize was supposed to do of course.. but that seems to have been a bust with Rutan selling up to develop yet another suborbital system instead of just immediately offering services with the one they had. Paul Allen invested all that money so Rutan could win the X-Prize and do what? Get more investment from the Branson group? No, he threw in his two dimes so you and I could have a go in Space Ship One.
meh. Helen Sharman kinda predates her by 15 years. Not to mention the fact that neither actually like the term "space tourist" and have claimed they are the first such.
Promotions don't get linked to movies because the cinemas make such HUGE profits they don't need to encourage people to come blow their money on $18 popcorn.
You are aware that this technology wasn't in the model we're actually talking about right? You couldn't even plug a second monitor into that model.
http://slashdot.org/search.pl?query=David+Brin
Their search doesn't work, what makes you think they could possibly know they are posting a dup? It's nice like they actually read this site.
hehe, I love it. "Apple gives people what they want!" "no they don't." "Well, err, Dell and Gateway offer full systems too." Way to non sequitur.
I don't see where you get off proclaiming Apple gives people what they want when the vast majority of people don't want Apple computers.
You're just making stupid disingenuous statements. Most people don't want an X, they want something that allows them to do things-you-do-with-X. It's just semantic nonsense.
$10 curtains block the light just as well as $200 curtains.. but people still buy the $200 curtains.
Are you trying to suggest that only pretenious wankers by Macs?
Next they'll be digitally editing Shatner's hair and waist lines.
You did not just censor my comment in your quote did you? The fact that you live in anedotic evidence land where everyone does the same as your mother's boyfriends does not mean that the market no longer values upgradability.
most people who buy a computer don't want a computer per se
And Mac lovers wonder why they only have 10% of the market share. Yes, self important man, when I buy a computer I want a computer. When I buy a car, I want a car. Claiming that I don't really want a car per se, I actually want the independence that a car provides is bullshit. Go back to art school.
And similarly you just answered the original question. The reason why the rest of the computer industry hasn't switch to the all-in-one model is that the majority of people who buy computers want a computer, not an excuse to enjoy the smell of their own farts.