Was Adamantium named after 80's pop star Adam Ant?
Anyway, Fermi's Paradox isn't so paradoxical. It's a supposition based on pure speculation. Also, the Universe is big, really big, and we may be the only inhabitants of the Milky Way, which itself is really big. We just don't know. Regardless, even we, the only known intelligent life-form, haven't managed interstellar travel. Assuming we do, how many ships would we send out? How many ships would it take to visit even one-percent of the galaxy? Let's not forget, we're talking about ships that would take generations of crew to get almost anywhere, based on what we know of physics.
Same with Drake's Equation. It's a statistical projection based on a sample of exactly one. Not much of a sample, that. If we had any idea of how life arose, we might be able to make some predictions.
I remember when MySpace wasn't about bands. I remember when Facebook was for college students. They both came after Friendster, which came after the commercialization of the web. If we'd stuck with Gopher, Archie, and Veronica, we wouldn't be in this mess. Now, get off my internet, you damn kids!
Right, I don't get what his point is. We have a whole section of our brains dedicated to recognizing faces, so naturally, we experience pareidolia all the time.
"Imagine that: a human face, emerging from the averaging of inanimate objects like combination locks, metal finishes and coffeemakers. And yet, there it is, a face that’s recognizably human. All it takes is a pretty remarkable combination of psychology, design and technology, and shadows of ourselves begin to emerge."
It's got nothing to do with "psychology, design and technology". It has to do with how our brains are hard-wired.
Look, the guy is right. These people don't think of themselves as evil. They think they're doing God's work, (as does everybody else). It's impossible to express a nuanced thought on Twitter because:no space, but I bet this is what he meant. And yes, the Outrage Brigade behaves like an idiot, (or moron, if you prefer). When a lynch mob forms, whether online or IRL, they're not about to ask anyone for clarification, and they're not in a thoughtful mood. I mean, look at some of the comments here.
Rather than target amyloid, the lab decided to zero in on the major risk factor for the disease–old age. Using cell-based screens against old age-associated brain toxicities, they synthesized J147.
If they're targeting "old age", why would anti-aging effects be surprising?
Does anyone understand exactly what this drug is doing? I'm not able to parse that second sentence, possibly because my brain is too old.
I'm not paying for data, I'm paying to be connected to the internet, period. If it's truly a few bad apples, and not just a money grab, then figure out a way to deal with them. We in the US already have the shittiest, most expensive internet service of any "developed" nation. These assholes want to make it worse? Cloud storage is a different matter. There's no reason why you can't set a limit there, and most companies do. As for phones, I really don't care too much, personally. I'm not one of these people obsessively playing with their phone all day, and certainly not trying to watch video on it. Nevertheless, once you give an inch to these corporations, they try to take a mile. I can see them squeezing harder and harder, trying to wring more money out of us over time. Indeed, "unlimited" plans and flat rates were a response to just that kind of thing. It's exactly why I went to T-Mobile. I got tired of unexpected charges showing up on my bill every month.
That's what I'm worried about, albeit for different reasons. I'm afraid that, eventually, I won't be able to buy a coffee maker, a TV, or a refrigerator, that isn't basically spyware.
As for the people who think they're being made ill by electromagnetism, there's a nice little community in West Virginia they might enjoy. But the so-called internet of things isn't going to make much difference in that regard. They - we - are already inundated by electromagnetic fields.
I can verify that. I don't have to go fifteen miles before it's all 2G in every direction for the next one-hundred and fifty miles. I live in a small town on the North Carolina coast. As a truck driver, I have traveled pretty much everywhere, and 2G is the standard outside of the larger cities, if you can get a signal. As for Mississippi, slow down there, feller. They ain't got to the book learnin' era yet. Mississippi has been dead last in every education metric for a long, long time.
There's lots of alternative transportation options, not so many pay phones these days. Myself, there are a lot of things I value more highly than my car. Not sure I'd trade it for a phone, but I'm not one who fiddles with his phone all day. But, if I had to choose between my record collection and my car, I'd definitely be walking.
There's a truck weigh station in Kentucky, on I-75, where truck drivers have to pass through what can only be an x-ray scanner. I wonder how much of a dose you get each time you pass through? I've also had my truck x-rayed at the border by the Americans, (it's always my home team, the Americans, giving the hassles at the border), but at least I was allowed to exit the truck. They did not find the six-pack of Canadian beer I was smuggling.
Unless you've inherited it, that's how you become wealthy - by taking small amounts of money from a lot of people. And at some point, that's how all wealth was acquired. It's not necessarily stealing.
The rich wouldn't have to fear their poor friends if they weren't so intent on hanging onto all of their money. If you're a billionaire, you could easily make all your old friends millionaires, and still have more money than you need. Then, your friends would no longer be dependent on you if you wanted to do something together. But, generous people rarely become wealthy, because they're not the ones chasing it.
Well, the automobile, in general, really changed the World. But you're right in thinking people don't realize how deeply trucking affects our lives. Literally everything we own was delivered by truck, in whole or in part, from the houses we live in, to every object within the house, from the clothes on our backs, to the food we eat.
I really don't trust any ratings done by "consumers" because the way I see people do ratings is, if they like it it, they give five stars, and if they don't like it, they give one star. Also, on seller sites such as eBay, or Discogs, it seems you're expected to give five stars to any seller who merely sends you the thing you ordered. Obviously, that leaves no room for a seller who goes above and beyond. If you give less then five stars, they'll flip out. I guess I can't blame them since that is the convention, now. Nevertheless, it makes the five-star rating system useless. Another surprise for me was when I found out the ratings on Netflix weren't generated by other viewers, but rather by Netflix guessing what I would think, based on my watching history.
Also, yes, everyone is aware of the physical basis for the kg. What about your pound? Is it based on something the "metric-ers" haven't found yet? Oh wait, it's based on the kg...
Obviously, the pound precedes kilogram, so it is not "based" on the kilogram. It is referenced to the kilogram, which itself has become too fuzzy for precision measurement. Hence the desire to find a more precise reference. All measurements are essentially arbitrary, and convertible.
I agree that the math is easier in metric, but since I didn't grow up using metric, I find working with Imperial easier because I "know" how long a foot is, and how much a pound weighs, etc. But, if metric were imposed upon us, like it was in Europe, we would eventually get used to it. Certainly our children would.
If everyone is handed a free replicator, and power is free, I suppose you wouldn't need money. I suppose you could get someone to make you a replicator with their replicator. I guess I didn't spend enough time watching Star Trek, but how do you get a house?
They ban smoking indoors, remove all the ashtrays, then people whine about that.
But, I think what the OP meant when asking whether soda were the "new smoking" is, have people been shamed into quitting by a consensus that's been reached, mostly through reports in the media, that soda is awful? In that sense, I think it's decent comparison. The attempt at social engineering wasn't quite so deliberate, or concerted, in this case, but it's been effective. I think another aspect of this is that it's part of the trend of over-protectiveness we see in parents nowadays. The fears are mostly around giving it to children, and parents have to worry they'll get dirty looks if their kids are seen drinking it. And certainly this attitude influences the way people think about soda for themselves, as well.
Coffee generally contains a lot more caffeine than so-called energy drinks. Also, yes caffeine is a drug, and that's where (most) people expect the "energy" to come from, so it's not deceptive in that sense. Otherwise, people would just eat food.
That would be third-hand carbonation, if your exposure results from contact with the children of soda drinkers. Following the same immutable Laws of Homeopathy that apply to tobacco smoke, third-hand carbonation is many times more deadly than drinking it straight! I'm surprised the media isn't already on top of this.
It's also great for cleaning records and filling my humidor! Not sure I've ever tasted it, though.
Here's what I think of all this: Food is not medicine. I can't understand why people get obsessed about this kind of thing. The only thing I worry about getting from food, or drink, is a delicious taste in my mouth, and maybe a buzz. A little common sense goes a long way.
I love it. "We decided to hire a lawyer, now you must pay for it." Nevermind that they could've simply picked up the phone and asked the dude to take down the posters.
Here's what I wonder: Why not simply not pay them? Even if they went to court and won, it's usually impossible to enforce this kind of stuff.
Slashdot Mirror
Was Adamantium named after 80's pop star Adam Ant?
Anyway, Fermi's Paradox isn't so paradoxical. It's a supposition based on pure speculation. Also, the Universe is big, really big, and we may be the only inhabitants of the Milky Way, which itself is really big. We just don't know. Regardless, even we, the only known intelligent life-form, haven't managed interstellar travel. Assuming we do, how many ships would we send out? How many ships would it take to visit even one-percent of the galaxy? Let's not forget, we're talking about ships that would take generations of crew to get almost anywhere, based on what we know of physics.
Same with Drake's Equation. It's a statistical projection based on a sample of exactly one. Not much of a sample, that. If we had any idea of how life arose, we might be able to make some predictions.
I remember when MySpace wasn't about bands. I remember when Facebook was for college students. They both came after Friendster, which came after the commercialization of the web. If we'd stuck with Gopher, Archie, and Veronica, we wouldn't be in this mess. Now, get off my internet, you damn kids!
Are we talking about Sonny Bono?
Right, I don't get what his point is. We have a whole section of our brains dedicated to recognizing faces, so naturally, we experience pareidolia all the time.
"Imagine that: a human face, emerging from the averaging of inanimate objects like combination locks, metal finishes and coffeemakers. And yet, there it is, a face that’s recognizably human. All it takes is a pretty remarkable combination of psychology, design and technology, and shadows of ourselves begin to emerge."
It's got nothing to do with "psychology, design and technology". It has to do with how our brains are hard-wired.
Look, the guy is right. These people don't think of themselves as evil. They think they're doing God's work, (as does everybody else). It's impossible to express a nuanced thought on Twitter because:no space, but I bet this is what he meant. And yes, the Outrage Brigade behaves like an idiot, (or moron, if you prefer). When a lynch mob forms, whether online or IRL, they're not about to ask anyone for clarification, and they're not in a thoughtful mood. I mean, look at some of the comments here.
Rather than target amyloid, the lab decided to zero in on the major risk factor for the disease–old age. Using cell-based screens against old age-associated brain toxicities, they synthesized J147.
If they're targeting "old age", why would anti-aging effects be surprising?
Does anyone understand exactly what this drug is doing? I'm not able to parse that second sentence, possibly because my brain is too old.
I'm not paying for data, I'm paying to be connected to the internet, period. If it's truly a few bad apples, and not just a money grab, then figure out a way to deal with them. We in the US already have the shittiest, most expensive internet service of any "developed" nation. These assholes want to make it worse?
Cloud storage is a different matter. There's no reason why you can't set a limit there, and most companies do.
As for phones, I really don't care too much, personally. I'm not one of these people obsessively playing with their phone all day, and certainly not trying to watch video on it. Nevertheless, once you give an inch to these corporations, they try to take a mile. I can see them squeezing harder and harder, trying to wring more money out of us over time. Indeed, "unlimited" plans and flat rates were a response to just that kind of thing. It's exactly why I went to T-Mobile. I got tired of unexpected charges showing up on my bill every month.
That's what I'm worried about, albeit for different reasons. I'm afraid that, eventually, I won't be able to buy a coffee maker, a TV, or a refrigerator, that isn't basically spyware.
As for the people who think they're being made ill by electromagnetism, there's a nice little community in West Virginia they might enjoy. But the so-called internet of things isn't going to make much difference in that regard. They - we - are already inundated by electromagnetic fields.
I can verify that. I don't have to go fifteen miles before it's all 2G in every direction for the next one-hundred and fifty miles. I live in a small town on the North Carolina coast. As a truck driver, I have traveled pretty much everywhere, and 2G is the standard outside of the larger cities, if you can get a signal.
As for Mississippi, slow down there, feller. They ain't got to the book learnin' era yet. Mississippi has been dead last in every education metric for a long, long time.
Maybe the hacksaw was one of those "gag gifts"? He would of baked it into a cake, but the drone was too small to carry it.
There's lots of alternative transportation options, not so many pay phones these days. Myself, there are a lot of things I value more highly than my car. Not sure I'd trade it for a phone, but I'm not one who fiddles with his phone all day. But, if I had to choose between my record collection and my car, I'd definitely be walking.
There's a truck weigh station in Kentucky, on I-75, where truck drivers have to pass through what can only be an x-ray scanner. I wonder how much of a dose you get each time you pass through? I've also had my truck x-rayed at the border by the Americans, (it's always my home team, the Americans, giving the hassles at the border), but at least I was allowed to exit the truck. They did not find the six-pack of Canadian beer I was smuggling.
Americans Show 'Surprising Willingness' To Accept Internet Surveillance
Uh, who, exactly, is surprised at this late date?
Unless you've inherited it, that's how you become wealthy - by taking small amounts of money from a lot of people. And at some point, that's how all wealth was acquired. It's not necessarily stealing.
The rich wouldn't have to fear their poor friends if they weren't so intent on hanging onto all of their money. If you're a billionaire, you could easily make all your old friends millionaires, and still have more money than you need. Then, your friends would no longer be dependent on you if you wanted to do something together. But, generous people rarely become wealthy, because they're not the ones chasing it.
Well, the automobile, in general, really changed the World. But you're right in thinking people don't realize how deeply trucking affects our lives. Literally everything we own was delivered by truck, in whole or in part, from the houses we live in, to every object within the house, from the clothes on our backs, to the food we eat.
I really don't trust any ratings done by "consumers" because the way I see people do ratings is, if they like it it, they give five stars, and if they don't like it, they give one star. Also, on seller sites such as eBay, or Discogs, it seems you're expected to give five stars to any seller who merely sends you the thing you ordered. Obviously, that leaves no room for a seller who goes above and beyond. If you give less then five stars, they'll flip out. I guess I can't blame them since that is the convention, now. Nevertheless, it makes the five-star rating system useless.
Another surprise for me was when I found out the ratings on Netflix weren't generated by other viewers, but rather by Netflix guessing what I would think, based on my watching history.
Also, yes, everyone is aware of the physical basis for the kg. What about your pound? Is it based on something the "metric-ers" haven't found yet? Oh wait, it's based on the kg...
Obviously, the pound precedes kilogram, so it is not "based" on the kilogram. It is referenced to the kilogram, which itself has become too fuzzy for precision measurement. Hence the desire to find a more precise reference. All measurements are essentially arbitrary, and convertible.
I agree that the math is easier in metric, but since I didn't grow up using metric, I find working with Imperial easier because I "know" how long a foot is, and how much a pound weighs, etc. But, if metric were imposed upon us, like it was in Europe, we would eventually get used to it. Certainly our children would.
I mean, who is actually going to buy it now?
All those guys who "just read it for the articles".
If everyone is handed a free replicator, and power is free, I suppose you wouldn't need money. I suppose you could get someone to make you a replicator with their replicator. I guess I didn't spend enough time watching Star Trek, but how do you get a house?
They ban smoking indoors, remove all the ashtrays, then people whine about that.
But, I think what the OP meant when asking whether soda were the "new smoking" is, have people been shamed into quitting by a consensus that's been reached, mostly through reports in the media, that soda is awful? In that sense, I think it's decent comparison. The attempt at social engineering wasn't quite so deliberate, or concerted, in this case, but it's been effective.
I think another aspect of this is that it's part of the trend of over-protectiveness we see in parents nowadays. The fears are mostly around giving it to children, and parents have to worry they'll get dirty looks if their kids are seen drinking it. And certainly this attitude influences the way people think about soda for themselves, as well.
Coffee generally contains a lot more caffeine than so-called energy drinks. Also, yes caffeine is a drug, and that's where (most) people expect the "energy" to come from, so it's not deceptive in that sense. Otherwise, people would just eat food.
That would be third-hand carbonation, if your exposure results from contact with the children of soda drinkers. Following the same immutable Laws of Homeopathy that apply to tobacco smoke, third-hand carbonation is many times more deadly than drinking it straight! I'm surprised the media isn't already on top of this.
(By all means, surprise me with a link)
I bet snopes.com has a page dedicated to that, er, fact.
It's also great for cleaning records and filling my humidor! Not sure I've ever tasted it, though.
Here's what I think of all this: Food is not medicine. I can't understand why people get obsessed about this kind of thing. The only thing I worry about getting from food, or drink, is a delicious taste in my mouth, and maybe a buzz. A little common sense goes a long way.
I love it. "We decided to hire a lawyer, now you must pay for it." Nevermind that they could've simply picked up the phone and asked the dude to take down the posters.
Here's what I wonder: Why not simply not pay them? Even if they went to court and won, it's usually impossible to enforce this kind of stuff.