But the forces at Lpoints aren't perfectly balanced - there is always variation from the minute changes in orbits and masses of the primary bodies, small effects from other bodies, particle and photon impacts, etc.
I would think it'd be pretty difficult to take all those changes into account and keep them outside the instrument noise.
It's not the terrorists we can find that are dangerous, they are the stupid ones. (I mean come on, planning an attack on a publicly monitorable chatroom? That's beyond stupid...)
It's the ones we can't find before they strike that matter. So doesn't preparation for emergencies (as has been pointed out before here many times) make more sense than what our government is doing?
Seems to be quite a bit of irrational misunderstanding on that point, don't there;-)
Most people severely underestimate the power of propoganda, as you point out... until it takes a chunk out of their butt.
While it's true that it's unlikely we could completely destroy ourselves, it's also very possible that we could set our level of technology, medicine and civilization back far enough that nature could destroy us.
A large-scale nuclear war would qualify for that. So would widespread biological warfare. Or resource warfare.
Or, say, 80 years from now some fanatics get a hold of enough technological resources to dump a 50km or so asteroid on the surface. It probably wouldn't destroy *life* but it almost certainly would lead to the conditions necessary to destroy *humans*.
What Hawkins was asking, I think, was how do we as a civilization survive the changes we are incurring on ourselves.
The answer is... who the hell knows? We have to meet each challenge as it comes. But we have to *meet* those challenges, not deny that they exist or attempt to curtail possible solutions because they don't benefit the few at the expense of the many...
That depends on your income versus the cost and availability of such items, doesn't it?
Here in the US - and in some other countries - I'd agree with you that most people would see it that way. But it's not true for a large portion of the planet.
*I* wash and reuse ziplock bags and many other "disposable" items (mostly I try to avoid them where I can). Not because I can't afford to throw them away and buy new again, but because I deplore waste. "Reuse and recycle" is a good thing, no matter what the economy allows people to do... we live on a home with finite resources. Large, yes, but finite.
Enthusiasm for the job is the most important qualification. Anyone worth working for will recognize it.
To the article poster: Take it from someone who left college and built a life - get out and relax more often. Hard to do in school, I know. But you certainly sound like you need to get "outside" more. When I was in college, I was always stressed right to the edge, and it didn't take much to push me over into "fight/flight" mode.
Sounds to me like you need to take some time off and go seek what you've lost - which is yourself. Good luck...
Slashdot Mirror
Arguing with those who are wholly owned is futile...
They are the Borg. Resistance is Futile. (Bullshit.)
SB
It's about control and personal profit, purely. Anyone who can't see that needs to be hit upside the head with illegal government tactics. Oh, wait...
"No Winter Lasts Forever, No Spring Skips Its Turn"
No summer lasts forever...
SB
Not to mention what happens when black hat hackers discover how to get into the system.
They will. It's inevitable. There is no system devised by humans that is proof against other, smarter humans.
There is *always* someone smarter. Always.
SB
Since when does drafting legislation fall under the purview and powers of the FBI?
SB
till you pulled out.
:-)
Sorry, had to correct you
SB
and a new career is created... internet plumbers. Have snakes, have crack, will travel.
;-)
Last mile dark hackers?
SB
Short times scales, tho?
SB
Assuming that over the duration of the experiment there is a meaningful average.
SB
But the forces at Lpoints aren't perfectly balanced - there is always variation from the minute changes in orbits and masses of the primary bodies, small effects from other bodies, particle and photon impacts, etc.
I would think it'd be pretty difficult to take all those changes into account and keep them outside the instrument noise.
Am I missing something? (likely
SB
Yes.
;-)
It's not the terrorists we can find that are dangerous, they are the stupid ones. (I mean come on, planning an attack on a publicly monitorable chatroom? That's beyond stupid...)
It's the ones we can't find before they strike that matter. So doesn't preparation for emergencies (as has been pointed out before here many times) make more sense than what our government is doing?
Seems to be quite a bit of irrational misunderstanding on that point, don't there
Most people severely underestimate the power of propoganda, as you point out... until it takes a chunk out of their butt.
SB
The US isn't going to become a dictatorship in 8 years, in 2008 the ruling party is going to lose massively at the polls.
To who?
SB
While it's true that it's unlikely we could completely destroy ourselves, it's also very possible that we could set our level of technology, medicine and civilization back far enough that nature could destroy us.
A large-scale nuclear war would qualify for that. So would widespread biological warfare. Or resource warfare.
Or, say, 80 years from now some fanatics get a hold of enough technological resources to dump a 50km or so asteroid on the surface. It probably wouldn't destroy *life* but it almost certainly would lead to the conditions necessary to destroy *humans*.
What Hawkins was asking, I think, was how do we as a civilization survive the changes we are incurring on ourselves.
The answer is... who the hell knows? We have to meet each challenge as it comes. But we have to *meet* those challenges, not deny that they exist or attempt to curtail possible solutions because they don't benefit the few at the expense of the many...
SB
That depends on your income versus the cost and availability of such items, doesn't it?
Here in the US - and in some other countries - I'd agree with you that most people would see it that way. But it's not true for a large portion of the planet.
*I* wash and reuse ziplock bags and many other "disposable" items (mostly I try to avoid them where I can). Not because I can't afford to throw them away and buy new again, but because I deplore waste. "Reuse and recycle" is a good thing, no matter what the economy allows people to do... we live on a home with finite resources. Large, yes, but finite.
SB
More than twenty years for me, now...
Keep flyin'
SB
But if software patience ends, what'll happen to Hurd? Or DNF?
SB
Oh Gawd grant me mod points at this time in life... I'll give you everything and devote my life to boiling angel hair, I swear...
Parent cannot be modded +1Funny enough.
SB
College student, by any chance?
No, wait, you couldn't be. You have too much stuff...
SB
Here is a good place to start (note, not permalink, scroll down) http://spaceweather3.com/
look for xp14
I've emailed spaceweather about their lack of permalinks, anyone know why they don't answer?
Or am I missing something?
SB
a completely new firewall which might actually remove the need for a 3rd party firewall.
bwahahahahahahha
I can HARDLY wait. A secure operating system from the developers of an OS that has zero day exploits reported at least once a month? Riiiiiggght.
BTW, Vista isn't "freely available". Sure, the beta, in a sense, is. But the final, "polished", OS will be expensive as hell.
Quit making excuses for Microsoft. They already have a very expensive PR dept for that sort of thing.
Sigh.
SB
Ah.
I hadn't noticed the checkbox doohicky...
SB
then store the potions of these points relative to each other
Eye of frog, tail of newt, wing of bat, potion of fingerprint points. Great. Now they've resorted to spell-casting in order to confirm identities.
Ok, it's not that funny. Laugh anyway.
(Good points, BTW. I doubt these people's databases are any more secure than anyone else's - which means, not.)
SB
Weird. The summer camp vs. MySpace slashdot article also shows up under your journal link.
/.'s database has indigestion. Or is this not a bug, but a new Feature?
;-)
Methinks
Could this be the first sign of the coming Singularity?
*puzzled*
SB
Strikes me that what is unclear is the politics.
SB
In addition to the universe where the Outsiders have solved all of those problems, and will sell them to us - at a price.
SB
Exactly.
Life is long, classes are but a short part of it.
Enthusiasm for the job is the most important qualification. Anyone worth working for will recognize it.
To the article poster: Take it from someone who left college and built a life - get out and relax more often. Hard to do in school, I know. But you certainly sound like you need to get "outside" more. When I was in college, I was always stressed right to the edge, and it didn't take much to push me over into "fight/flight" mode.
Sounds to me like you need to take some time off and go seek what you've lost - which is yourself. Good luck...
SB