Gibson himself is well aware of how science fiction becomes dated. He even wrote a short story partly based on that concept ("The Gernsback Continuum") in which the main character suffers from visions of the 1950s "future that never was." Personally, I don't see it as a problem. As long as the world of the story is logical and self-consistent, does it matter whether it matches up exactly with reality? And as other posters have noted, Gibson's work is less about the technology itself than the technology's effect on society. And his views on that, I think, are still quite relevant.
Adoption of the metric system is the first step on the slippery slope to communism. I will grant the difficulty of converting back for those nations that have already made this mistake, and so I move that we rechristen the "kilometer" the "freedom mile."
Walking around neighborhoods? More like driving around in vans with obnoxious loudspeakers.
The campaign posters are funny, too. It's obvious that they're heavily regulated as to content and layout. Candidate name, picture, office desired, party name, brief generic slogan.
It's like the elections are designed to be boring. I'm almost glad I can't vote...
I don't follow your reasoning. It's easier to go on welfare than become a "hard-core gangsta," as well. I imagine there's substantial overlap. And in fact I've read that a lot of gang members have legitimate minimum wage jobs on the side. I think it's an open question as to the effect expanding/reducing welfare and social programs has on crime.
To a certain extent it's true. Tigers and other big cats don't naturally consider human beings prey and will generally avoid them in the wild, but if they happen to discover how easy we are to kill, there's a marked amount of recidivism.
That's assuming the student issued the dev key turns off the antitheft feature. I imagine anyone privacy-conscious (or paranoid) enough to do so would be likely to take pains to ensure the machine's physical security as well.
It's my understanding that the book was basically an edited transcript of a Dungeons and Dragons game run by the authors. Is that in fact the case? Regardless (and this is of course just my opinion) it made me never want to read a book based on a game ever again. I can't think of a single thing I liked about it. If D&D really was the instrument of Satan then the guy has remarkably questionable taste.
I think these are mostly misconceptions, arising from what I would guess to be mainly cultural reasons. I live in Japan, and lots of people here ride bikes with none of the above concerns. One problem (from a north american perspective) might be that these bikes aren't remotely "sexy." They're mostly single-speed steel frame beasts with baskets, fender racks and little friction-powered headlights. Here are your concerns addressed:
*You sweat (not good for dating/going to work)
You can change when you get there, or alternatively just deal with it.
*No place to store your groceries (or for the slashdot crowd, taking your rig to a lan party)
Basket.
*No place for the girlfriend to sit
Fender rack.
*No air conditioning
Wind.
*Sun
Good.
*Rain
It's entirely possible to hold an umbrella while you ride. Ahh, I forgot they don't use those in the states, either.
Ok, I know bikes aren't practical in the US, but not necessarily for the reasons you outlined. Mainly I'd be worried about getting killed by a car, or the fact that everything is so damn far apart and products are sold in such bulk quantities. I can guarantee if people rode bikes in the US there'd be no Wal Mart.
Rumor has it that it's going to be priced around $8000 US. Which is pretty outrageous given that you gan do the same with a PC and some software plus a midi controller for a fraction of that. Not to mention that Alesis is releasing a similarly spec'd beast expected to retail closer to $2000.
I got a word doc from a friend months ago, a screenplay that appeared to be for EP3. I assumed it was a fake, although it was a very good one. Thing is, the title is "Revenge of the Sith." Maybe it's the real thing?
Slashdot Mirror
The World Inside by Robert Silverberg.
Hope there were no lobsters in the vicinity.
Gibson himself is well aware of how science fiction becomes dated. He even wrote a short story partly based on that concept ("The Gernsback Continuum") in which the main character suffers from visions of the 1950s "future that never was." Personally, I don't see it as a problem. As long as the world of the story is logical and self-consistent, does it matter whether it matches up exactly with reality? And as other posters have noted, Gibson's work is less about the technology itself than the technology's effect on society. And his views on that, I think, are still quite relevant.
Did I just read someone's Knight Rider fanfiction erotica? Thanks, Slashdot.
So by "funding the website" they mean "funding the prodigious cocaine habits of council members?"
Adoption of the metric system is the first step on the slippery slope to communism. I will grant the difficulty of converting back for those nations that have already made this mistake, and so I move that we rechristen the "kilometer" the "freedom mile."
http://achewood.com/index.php?date=08172004
Walking around neighborhoods? More like driving around in vans with obnoxious loudspeakers. The campaign posters are funny, too. It's obvious that they're heavily regulated as to content and layout. Candidate name, picture, office desired, party name, brief generic slogan. It's like the elections are designed to be boring. I'm almost glad I can't vote...
I expect Yahoo Answers can help out with the first question, at least... http://encyclopediadramatica.com/How_is_babby_formed%3F
Sounds like an awfully technical solution. I wonder why he didn't just use the power of prayer?
I don't follow your reasoning. It's easier to go on welfare than become a "hard-core gangsta," as well. I imagine there's substantial overlap. And in fact I've read that a lot of gang members have legitimate minimum wage jobs on the side. I think it's an open question as to the effect expanding/reducing welfare and social programs has on crime.
You forgot to write something in your sig block, dude.
Heh, I went to BGSU. Apparently the zombie problems have only worsened in the 6 years since I graduated.
To a certain extent it's true. Tigers and other big cats don't naturally consider human beings prey and will generally avoid them in the wild, but if they happen to discover how easy we are to kill, there's a marked amount of recidivism.
You're not Brandon Sanderson by any chance, are you?
That's assuming the student issued the dev key turns off the antitheft feature. I imagine anyone privacy-conscious (or paranoid) enough to do so would be likely to take pains to ensure the machine's physical security as well.
What makes it all even weirder is that the loan-word "smart" means slim in Japanese!
That was annoying. It seemed like Dvorak was just interviewing himself - he kept interrupting and answering his own damn questions.
Heh, they had that one in my high school library. When I read it (which was, uh, several times) I was always amazed that it stayed on the shelves.
I find that it's occasionally worth a look.
It's my understanding that the book was basically an edited transcript of a Dungeons and Dragons game run by the authors. Is that in fact the case? Regardless (and this is of course just my opinion) it made me never want to read a book based on a game ever again. I can't think of a single thing I liked about it. If D&D really was the instrument of Satan then the guy has remarkably questionable taste.
I think these are mostly misconceptions, arising from what I would guess to be mainly cultural reasons. I live in Japan, and lots of people here ride bikes with none of the above concerns. One problem (from a north american perspective) might be that these bikes aren't remotely "sexy." They're mostly single-speed steel frame beasts with baskets, fender racks and little friction-powered headlights. Here are your concerns addressed:
*You sweat (not good for dating/going to work)
You can change when you get there, or alternatively just deal with it.
*No place to store your groceries (or for the slashdot crowd, taking your rig to a lan party)
Basket.
*No place for the girlfriend to sit
Fender rack.
*No air conditioning
Wind.
*Sun
Good.
*Rain
It's entirely possible to hold an umbrella while you ride. Ahh, I forgot they don't use those in the states, either.
Ok, I know bikes aren't practical in the US, but not necessarily for the reasons you outlined. Mainly I'd be worried about getting killed by a car, or the fact that everything is so damn far apart and products are sold in such bulk quantities. I can guarantee if people rode bikes in the US there'd be no Wal Mart.
I'll agree. However, I would not choose to drag my $8000 workstation on stage, either...
Rumor has it that it's going to be priced around $8000 US. Which is pretty outrageous given that you gan do the same with a PC and some software plus a midi controller for a fraction of that. Not to mention that Alesis is releasing a similarly spec'd beast expected to retail closer to $2000.
I got a word doc from a friend months ago, a screenplay that appeared to be for EP3. I assumed it was a fake, although it was a very good one. Thing is, the title is "Revenge of the Sith." Maybe it's the real thing?