The fact is that usually, the blades aren't rotating at such an high speed. I think nowadays, the rotational speed of modern turbines doesn't exceed 30 RPM, even if that means that given the length of the blades, the tips can go up to 150 MPH.
Even if a confirmation of the failure of Beagle 2 would be a huge disappointment, we have to keep in mind that Mars Express has successfully swooped into Mars' orbit.
And even if the most spectacular experiments were to be conducted by Beagle 2, Mars Express carries numerous instruments :
A sub-surface sounding radar which could be used to find ice under the surface,
a high resolution stereo camera to analyse further the topology of Mars,
visible, infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers to analyse the composition of the surface and the atmosphere,
and an "Energetic Neutral Atoms Analyser" to quantify the interactions between solar winds and martian atmosphere.
Rejoice ! We and scientists will still get our christmas present !
Also... Gauntlet on XMAME? 4 people crowded around your computer desk... I can imagine the comfort level there. 3 people probably can't see the screen well enough, and even if they can, the crowded space will make this interesting for about 20 minutes of gameplay... a novelty.
What ? There are numerous shared screen multiplayer games that will allow you to gather 4 or more people around a computer desk, and for most they are VERY enjoyable. Think about Micro Machines, Worms, Bomberman, Chu-Chu Rocket...
You're missing a lot of fun here !
However, I think the main obstacle that prevent Debian from being more widely accepted is the fact that the debian folks are very reluctant to package "wizards" and automatic configuration scripts in the distribution.
Of course, there is debconf, but its invocation is rather tricky for non Debian-savy users.
I'd tend to disagree with you, even in the field of complex math teaching.
There is no denying that the CAS of these calculators is very powerful, and often can't be challenged for solving equations or calculating triple integrals. But at best, these kinds of tools can help you working faster and more efficiently, but not do the work for you.
In physics, the calculator (or Maple, Mathematica, Matlab..) can solve your equations saving your time - and some of your nights - but cannot put into equations your problem which is the real deal.
In mathematics, the calculator might be capable of determining the kernels and images of linear applications as an example, but comes short for solving anything that requires to find a proper demonstration. So it won't get you very far.
At last, it could be argued that because of the huge amount of memory modern calculators feature, student are becoming lazy and shove all the formulas into their calcs instead of learning them. Yes, it might be a shame. However, it is sometimes said that the important is not to know all the information by heart, but to know where you will be able to find it.
From the previous articles about the 49G+, it looks like the calculator is to run an updated 49G ROM (with the ARM9 will emulating the Saturn CPU from the 49G).
Now, I wonder if HP is going to make the updated ROM and its subsequent revisions available for 49G owners... that would indeed be very kind of them, but they might also want to increase their sales figures by making 49G zealots switch to the 49G+.
An engine doesn't have to use DX(8,9,10) features to be interesting. As an example, the Serious Sam engine (OpenGL) harldy used any never-seen-before features, but the sheer size of the levels you could create with it was truely revolutionnary.
"Instead of an online, somewhat trackable, moderately controllable service, the RIAA is now faced with millions of teens (and pre-teens) with computers and CD burners."
Is this news ? I don't think that the recent lawsuits sparked an increase in the CD-to-CD copies. It's probably the most commonplace piracy around. Actually, I've been burning music CDs long before I even had broadband...
I used to do this regularly, when in the early milestones it was regular for Mozilla to corrupt an user profile.
However, there should really be a function implemented in the UI to do import/export operations on the user profiles. It seems quite a shame to have functions to import address books from the Netscape 4.x format, but not the mozilla format.
"Seriously, though, I think the driving tests need to be 10x harder."
I tend to disagree. There are several things to keep in mind:
- Driving is not a privilege, in most situations it is a need for everyday's life. Making tests harder would only make the learning curve longer.
- Even this would probably not have a real effect on road safety, as once you've passed your test you can drive as bad as you want (until you're caught by the police or crash in a tree).
To illustrate this, let's take the example of France. This country has "difficult" (compared to several other countries) driving tests, but still experiences a high rate of mortality on its roads...
I believed the EU Parliament had about no power, that its main role was only controlling the other institutions.
After a little research: The Parliament's powers, which have grown very substantially since the 1957 Treaty of Rome and especially since the 1986 Single European Act, now include:
* the right to examine, amend, or reject most proposals for EU legislation and the EU budget;
* the right to approve the appointment of the President and other members of the European Commission;
* the right to approve all important agreements with non-member countries, including the admission of new members;
* the right to examine every aspect of EU activity through questions to the Commission and the Council of Ministers, special committees of inquiry, and regular debates on the Union's annual legislative programme and the work-programme of each six-month presidency.
And more specifically, since the Amsterdam treaty:
The EP's powers were radically altered by the Treaty on European Union signed at Maastricht in 1992 (and hence known as the Maastricht Treaty). As a result of this treaty (which entered into force on 1 November 1993), Parliament wields a power of codecision together with the Council of Ministers on legislation in important policy areas including the single market, culture, education, health, research and the environment.
Parliament's lawmaking powers have been significantly expanded as a result of the Amsterdam Treaty, which was signed on 2 October 1997 and entered into force on 1 May 1999. From now on the EP will have an equal say on legislation in 38 areas instead of the current 15. These will include employment, social policy, health, transport, consumer protection, further developments in the single market (e.g. free movement of workers and freedom of establishment), education and vocational training.
The basic assumption of the codecision procedure is that Parliament and Council are equal. Its aim is to bring about a consensus between the two institutions. Agreement is reached via the "conciliation procedure", which follows on from Parliament's second reading. Under this procedure Parliament and Council are equally represented on a Conciliation Committee, whose task is to reconcile divergent positions of the two sides. Experience shows that in the vast majority of cases the procedure works. When it doesn't work, the legislative process has failed. This means that, under codecision, EU legislation cannot be adopted against Parliament's will.
So it seems we have to see what the European Council (which holds true power) has to say on this matter.
On a related note, check this older article.
It is about printing tissues with modified inkjet printers, a prospect which seems even more fascinating than artificial bone replacements.
Mhh ? I don't really see in which way the problem would be specific to bending devices. In my pocket, a device is as likely to bend as to be compressed (clicking on its eventual buttons).
So it is just a matter of having a locking function or not...
"And if it really is nothing more than a difference between 'nature did it at random' and 'we caused it ourself' then wearing glasses, getting braces, having a tooth pulled, having any medial operation, all of those are non natural changes to our design that you should be aginst too"
Well, there might be several factors one might consider to declare himself against engineering, however I'll just examine the parallel you raised with medical operations.
As now, there is no deniying we are still at the dawn of genetical engineering. Experiments like the Copycat clone have shown us that we were far from understanding precisely animal genetic enginerring.
In my opinion, besides all the ethical objections that arise against human genetic engineering, the main difference between this and new experimental medical treatments is the fact that artificial genes could be transmitted by heridity.
Let's imagine we were to find some kind of great genetic enhancement (this is purely rethorical), so we use some sort of virus (or other techniques...) to innoculate new genes into a panel of people. X years later on, we discover wrong side-effects with it (we're not going to go into details...), but we already have one generation or more of babies who were potentially born with this gene.
You might tell me, genetic diseases are not nothing new. However, I can't imagine ourselves taking the risk of creating new ones.
What about the advances in rail transportation ? Namely, conventionnal bullet trains (TGV, ICE, Shinkansen) and above all magnetic levitation trains (MagLev, Transrapid).
So far, the TGV has reached 515 km/h and has a commercial speed of 320 km/h, while the Maglev reached 550 km/h.
I can only agree with you when you say such things are not breaktroughs, but fast transportation for anyone, either by trains or planes is indeed a significant fact of the late 20th century.
Slashdot Mirror
The fact is that usually, the blades aren't rotating at such an high speed. I think nowadays, the rotational speed of modern turbines doesn't exceed 30 RPM, even if that means that given the length of the blades, the tips can go up to 150 MPH.
Even if a confirmation of the failure of Beagle 2 would be a huge disappointment, we have to keep in mind that Mars Express has successfully swooped into Mars' orbit.
And even if the most spectacular experiments were to be conducted by Beagle 2, Mars Express carries numerous instruments :
A sub-surface sounding radar which could be used to find ice under the surface,
a high resolution stereo camera to analyse further the topology of Mars,
visible, infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers to analyse the composition of the surface and the atmosphere,
and an "Energetic Neutral Atoms Analyser" to quantify the interactions between solar winds and martian atmosphere.
Rejoice ! We and scientists will still get our christmas present !
Also... Gauntlet on XMAME? 4 people crowded around your computer desk... I can imagine the comfort level there. 3 people probably can't see the screen well enough, and even if they can, the crowded space will make this interesting for about 20 minutes of gameplay... a novelty.
What ? There are numerous shared screen multiplayer games that will allow you to gather 4 or more people around a computer desk, and for most they are VERY enjoyable. Think about Micro Machines, Worms, Bomberman, Chu-Chu Rocket... You're missing a lot of fun here !
" I'm not talking down on GNOME here, but KDE is more mature and all the major business wins Linux has had so far were with (and because of) KDE."
Then what about Java Desktop, which includes only GNOME ?
However, I think the main obstacle that prevent Debian from being more widely accepted is the fact that the debian folks are very reluctant to package "wizards" and automatic configuration scripts in the distribution.
Of course, there is debconf, but its invocation is rather tricky for non Debian-savy users.
I'd tend to disagree with you, even in the field of complex math teaching.
There is no denying that the CAS of these calculators is very powerful, and often can't be challenged for solving equations or calculating triple integrals. But at best, these kinds of tools can help you working faster and more efficiently, but not do the work for you.
In physics, the calculator (or Maple, Mathematica, Matlab..) can solve your equations saving your time - and some of your nights - but cannot put into equations your problem which is the real deal.
In mathematics, the calculator might be capable of determining the kernels and images of linear applications as an example, but comes short for solving anything that requires to find a proper demonstration. So it won't get you very far.
At last, it could be argued that because of the huge amount of memory modern calculators feature, student are becoming lazy and shove all the formulas into their calcs instead of learning them. Yes, it might be a shame. However, it is sometimes said that the important is not to know all the information by heart, but to know where you will be able to find it.
Maybe the fact it has a dedicated keyboard to enter mathematic expressions ?
From the previous articles about the 49G+, it looks like the calculator is to run an updated 49G ROM (with the ARM9 will emulating the Saturn CPU from the 49G).
Now, I wonder if HP is going to make the updated ROM and its subsequent revisions available for 49G owners... that would indeed be very kind of them, but they might also want to increase their sales figures by making 49G zealots switch to the 49G+.
Meanwhile, just use one of the plenty of distributed computing programs that already exist for scientific research, if ever you got bored by SETI@home...
Analytical Spectroscopy Research Group
evolution@home
eOn
Climate Prediction
Distributed Particle Accelerator Design
LifeMapper
etc...
An engine doesn't have to use DX(8,9,10) features to be interesting. As an example, the Serious Sam engine (OpenGL) harldy used any never-seen-before features, but the sheer size of the levels you could create with it was truely revolutionnary.
"Telecomms use strictly Unix and not windows for a good reason"
Just for information, most of the systems of France Telecom are running OS/2 (yes, it is still used somewhere !).
"Instead of an online, somewhat trackable, moderately controllable service, the RIAA is now faced with millions of teens (and pre-teens) with computers and CD burners."
Is this news ? I don't think that the recent lawsuits sparked an increase in the CD-to-CD copies. It's probably the most commonplace piracy around. Actually, I've been burning music CDs long before I even had broadband...
I used to do this regularly, when in the early milestones it was regular for Mozilla to corrupt an user profile.
However, there should really be a function implemented in the UI to do import/export operations on the user profiles. It seems quite a shame to have functions to import address books from the Netscape 4.x format, but not the mozilla format.
See bugs 82485 or 22689 for an outline.
On a related note, I wonder what happens to the Japanese Maglev in case of a power outage.
"IIRC, the statistics show that most accidents are not caused by skilled drivers driving badly, but unskilled drivers driving badly"
That's an intersting point that would, as you say, invalidate my logic.
Could you link me to more information on these statistics ?
"Seriously, though, I think the driving tests need to be 10x harder."
I tend to disagree. There are several things to keep in mind:
- Driving is not a privilege, in most situations it is a need for everyday's life. Making tests harder would only make the learning curve longer.
- Even this would probably not have a real effect on road safety, as once you've passed your test you can drive as bad as you want (until you're caught by the police or crash in a tree).
To illustrate this, let's take the example of France. This country has "difficult" (compared to several other countries) driving tests, but still experiences a high rate of mortality on its roads...
"Self driving cars are stupid. High speed rail would be much cheaper and much more efficient." This is indeed quite insightful.
I believed the EU Parliament had about no power, that its main role was only controlling the other institutions.
After a little research:
The Parliament's powers, which have grown very substantially since the 1957 Treaty of Rome and especially since the 1986 Single European Act, now include: * the right to examine, amend, or reject most proposals for EU legislation and the EU budget; * the right to approve the appointment of the President and other members of the European Commission; * the right to approve all important agreements with non-member countries, including the admission of new members; * the right to examine every aspect of EU activity through questions to the Commission and the Council of Ministers, special committees of inquiry, and regular debates on the Union's annual legislative programme and the work-programme of each six-month presidency.
And more specifically, since the Amsterdam treaty:
The EP's powers were radically altered by the Treaty on European Union signed at Maastricht in 1992 (and hence known as the Maastricht Treaty). As a result of this treaty (which entered into force on 1 November 1993), Parliament wields a power of codecision together with the Council of Ministers on legislation in important policy areas including the single market, culture, education, health, research and the environment. Parliament's lawmaking powers have been significantly expanded as a result of the Amsterdam Treaty, which was signed on 2 October 1997 and entered into force on 1 May 1999. From now on the EP will have an equal say on legislation in 38 areas instead of the current 15. These will include employment, social policy, health, transport, consumer protection, further developments in the single market (e.g. free movement of workers and freedom of establishment), education and vocational training. The basic assumption of the codecision procedure is that Parliament and Council are equal. Its aim is to bring about a consensus between the two institutions. Agreement is reached via the "conciliation procedure", which follows on from Parliament's second reading. Under this procedure Parliament and Council are equally represented on a Conciliation Committee, whose task is to reconcile divergent positions of the two sides. Experience shows that in the vast majority of cases the procedure works. When it doesn't work, the legislative process has failed. This means that, under codecision, EU legislation cannot be adopted against Parliament's will.
So it seems we have to see what the European Council (which holds true power) has to say on this matter.
It's a rather nice (still text-based) replacement for dselect, which can also be used as a non-interactive frontend for apt-get and apt-cache.
apt-get install aptitude
Even if it was $10-$20 NOBODY would pay extra for it.
How many people did buy IBM Viavoice software or Dragon dictate software ?
Check :
Tissue engineers grow penis in the lab
Wonderful science.
On a related note, check this older article.
It is about printing tissues with modified inkjet printers, a prospect which seems even more fascinating than artificial bone replacements.
Mhh ? I don't really see in which way the problem would be specific to bending devices. In my pocket, a device is as likely to bend as to be compressed (clicking on its eventual buttons).
So it is just a matter of having a locking function or not...
"And if it really is nothing more than a difference between 'nature did it at random' and 'we caused it ourself' then wearing glasses, getting braces, having a tooth pulled, having any medial operation, all of those are non natural changes to our design that you should be aginst too"
Well, there might be several factors one might consider to declare himself against engineering, however I'll just examine the parallel you raised with medical operations.
As now, there is no deniying we are still at the dawn of genetical engineering. Experiments like the Copycat clone have shown us that we were far from understanding precisely animal genetic enginerring.
In my opinion, besides all the ethical objections that arise against human genetic engineering, the main difference between this and new experimental medical treatments is the fact that artificial genes could be transmitted by heridity.
Let's imagine we were to find some kind of great genetic enhancement (this is purely rethorical), so we use some sort of virus (or other techniques...) to innoculate new genes into a panel of people. X years later on, we discover wrong side-effects with it (we're not going to go into details...), but we already have one generation or more of babies who were potentially born with this gene.
You might tell me, genetic diseases are not nothing new. However, I can't imagine ourselves taking the risk of creating new ones.
What about the advances in rail transportation ? Namely, conventionnal bullet trains (TGV, ICE, Shinkansen) and above all magnetic levitation trains (MagLev, Transrapid).
So far, the TGV has reached 515 km/h and has a commercial speed of 320 km/h, while the Maglev reached 550 km/h.
I can only agree with you when you say such things are not breaktroughs, but fast transportation for anyone, either by trains or planes is indeed a significant fact of the late 20th century.