Wouldn't it be more efficient to store the energy as, say, natural gas, which you can burn in a natural gas generator to create electricity when you need it? I mean, given that it's already stored that way to start with...
It's worth pointing out that millions of people watched some of the least interesting humans on the planet do nothing more than share a house for a few months, a dozen at a time, for over a decade. At one point, the UK devoted an entire TV channel to nothing else, even while everyone in the house was asleep - with a second channel showing exactly the same thing but delayed by an hour. You know, in case anyone missed any of the really good bits, like snoring.
I'm excited to think we can go to Mars, but at the same time, I'm a little depressed that people will watch every minute of it for decades.
Perhaps, but when it comes to human activity, driving is a special case. Driving brings out the inner idiot and the inner asshole in people. Also the inner absent-minded easily-distracted "oh it's only a ton of metal moving at 60 mph, no need to pay any *real* attention" fool in many cases. The sooner computers start doing driving for us, the better.
I've been on a treadmill desk at home since November - even got a brief mention in the news as apparently I was one of the first in the UK to give it a try. I can't recommend it enough. I walk at 1 kph, which doesn't detract from my abilities at all as far as I can tell. Even if it did, the increased alertness and mental stamina (no more afternoon sluggishness) would more than make up for it - no contest. And then there are all the health benefits that come with the extra physical activity, even though it's really, really gentle exercise. I just wish I could have this at work for 8 hours a day instead of just evenings and weekends.
Exactly. The mess of different and incompatible "services" offered on TVs are a matter of supreme indifference to me.
I have a computer hooked up to my TV and sound system; that's where my old computer goes when I buy a new one. It's much more capable than the built-in software on any TV; it's a general-purpose device that I can configure any way I like. My TV doesn't need to do anything more than display the image it's told to.
I'm concerned about both genuine mistakes and deliberate abuse. Remember that clause in the UK ID card bill which would have given the Home Secretary the power to invalidate any person's card for any arbitrary reason - no charge, no evidence, no due process at all, just a "switching off" of that person's legal right to walk the street? How long before the government decides it needs the power to just switch off a person's right to buy petrol with a similar lack of due process?
I'm waiting for the first Raspberry Pi colocation company to open - along the lines of Mac Mini Colo. But outside the USA, so there's less risk of my major hardware investment being seized by the feds - you know, for being creative on a Sunday without permission or something...
Seriously, colo could get pretty damn cheap with these little beasties.
Allow me to second the recommendation; Kismot is an excellent curry house. If you're ever in Edinburgh and fancy a curry, check it out. There's also a good pub - The Auld Hoose - just round the corner. The two combined make for an excellent evening out, and an awful morning after.:)
Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury in the UK any more. If they demand your password, "I've forgotten it," is not a valid defense. You're not presumed innocent, and you're most likely going to jail. The maximum sentence for this under the RIP Act is two years. I wrote to my MP about this when the law was being debated, and to his credit, he did at least forward my letter to the Home Secretary at the time (David Blunkett) - who sent me a template "It's not a snooper's charter," response.
Slashdot Mirror
"Facebook won't collect any of the personal information with which it interacts."
"Whoo-ee," said Crowley. "Where have you been?"
Wouldn't it be more efficient to store the energy as, say, natural gas, which you can burn in a natural gas generator to create electricity when you need it? I mean, given that it's already stored that way to start with...
It's worth pointing out that millions of people watched some of the least interesting humans on the planet do nothing more than share a house for a few months, a dozen at a time, for over a decade. At one point, the UK devoted an entire TV channel to nothing else, even while everyone in the house was asleep - with a second channel showing exactly the same thing but delayed by an hour. You know, in case anyone missed any of the really good bits, like snoring.
I'm excited to think we can go to Mars, but at the same time, I'm a little depressed that people will watch every minute of it for decades.
Perhaps, but when it comes to human activity, driving is a special case. Driving brings out the inner idiot and the inner asshole in people. Also the inner absent-minded easily-distracted "oh it's only a ton of metal moving at 60 mph, no need to pay any *real* attention" fool in many cases. The sooner computers start doing driving for us, the better.
I've been on a treadmill desk at home since November - even got a brief mention in the news as apparently I was one of the first in the UK to give it a try. I can't recommend it enough. I walk at 1 kph, which doesn't detract from my abilities at all as far as I can tell. Even if it did, the increased alertness and mental stamina (no more afternoon sluggishness) would more than make up for it - no contest. And then there are all the health benefits that come with the extra physical activity, even though it's really, really gentle exercise. I just wish I could have this at work for 8 hours a day instead of just evenings and weekends.
There's a recipe for making your own walking workstation on the cheap in this thread on Office Walkers.
Exactly. The mess of different and incompatible "services" offered on TVs are a matter of supreme indifference to me. I have a computer hooked up to my TV and sound system; that's where my old computer goes when I buy a new one. It's much more capable than the built-in software on any TV; it's a general-purpose device that I can configure any way I like. My TV doesn't need to do anything more than display the image it's told to.
I'm concerned about both genuine mistakes and deliberate abuse. Remember that clause in the UK ID card bill which would have given the Home Secretary the power to invalidate any person's card for any arbitrary reason - no charge, no evidence, no due process at all, just a "switching off" of that person's legal right to walk the street? How long before the government decides it needs the power to just switch off a person's right to buy petrol with a similar lack of due process?
I'm waiting for the first Raspberry Pi colocation company to open - along the lines of Mac Mini Colo. But outside the USA, so there's less risk of my major hardware investment being seized by the feds - you know, for being creative on a Sunday without permission or something...
Seriously, colo could get pretty damn cheap with these little beasties.
C:\>_
That looks like Mohammed holding a gun to me.
*Vat* is zis man doing here?
"While I might think my country can make some pretty stupid choices, they aren't the kind that would destroy civilization."
Three more, more words: Mutually Assured Destruction.
Allow me to second the recommendation; Kismot is an excellent curry house. If you're ever in Edinburgh and fancy a curry, check it out. There's also a good pub - The Auld Hoose - just round the corner. The two combined make for an excellent evening out, and an awful morning after. :)
"CCTV does work"
No, it doesn't - ask all the researchers who did actual studies on behalf of the Home Office: CCTV systems 'fail to cut crime'
...or google 'home office study cctv'
"Researchers have identified the genetic mutation behind the condition."
Good. Can the rest of us have it now, please?
Good. Next story please...
Too bloody right. Tom Baker *is* the Doctor. And Daleks do *not* fly. Trust me; I'm British, and the uni I went to was well posh...
He's establishing his DNA as "prior art".
Exactly. And this needs to be done before commercial ownership of our genetic makeup gets any further out of control.
I'm on Facebook. How do I find out if Lovely Faces has "profiled" me?
...if they'll use footage from Dr. Strangelove?
"Slavery is illegal. No-one else can own your body except you."
And government should not be an exception, covertly or otherwise, to this.
"Now, I just don't travel."
Good boy. Stay. Stay.
"How do you know someone won't go homicidal while on pot?"
In the immortal words of the great prophet Hicks: "Because it's fucking impossible."
It gets worse. The other day I found out this girl I like actually believes in homeopathy.
(shudders)
Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury in the UK any more. If they demand your password, "I've forgotten it," is not a valid defense. You're not presumed innocent, and you're most likely going to jail. The maximum sentence for this under the RIP Act is two years. I wrote to my MP about this when the law was being debated, and to his credit, he did at least forward my letter to the Home Secretary at the time (David Blunkett) - who sent me a template "It's not a snooper's charter," response.
Kiribati is superbly strategically located; with a friend in northern Africa and a slice of bread each, you can make a perfect earth sandwich.