...libraries may have no books at all, only a small cube in the middle of it that wifis texts to people from their homes.
I've thought about this before as well. I think the two things that libraries do have going for them are those who cannot afford net connections themselves, and the fact that reading something on paper is still easier than reading something on the screen. Of course Xerox's e-paper could also take care of the latter while free net connections could take of the former, thus allowing your prediction to come true faster than I would think.
There are many out there, myself included, who will never get rid of books. They are just too cool to ever be fully rid of. Of course if there is some type of massive paper famine in a couple years or so, that will change I'm sure, but I have a very hard time parting with any of my books.
I was worried too till I saw that Rick berman was one of the project leads. Since there is no concept to simple, elegant, or powerful that his ego cannot suffocate into oblivion, I think we're safe.
Remember playing cowboys and indians, or hide-and seek? How about adult paintball?
Play is inherently with other people. it's not really "fun" if it isn't shared.
I think you might be mixing up the conept of "play" and "fun." There are quite a few things that are "fun" which tend to be solo activities. My solo training flights were a blast, but, of neccesity, solo. Does that mean that they weren't fun? Play for the most part is with others, but nowhere is it written that the "other" must be human. Ever "play" with a dog? Or a cat? Playing with an AI is a means to for play just like anything else in the virtual world. Indeed I find the computer to be a far more satisfying opponent than the human ones most of the time!
You are certainly welcome to your beliefs, and I don't know that I would argue against you if your premise was that folks needed more human interactions (/. bias notwithstanding) but I think you have taken this a bit too far.
I remember Opus worrying about this when Milo told him that there were Satellites that could see you doing those private unmentionable things. Opus ended up on the cover of USA Today scratching his armpit the next day. Maybe we ought to track the number of pizza's ordered by the analysis centers when Defcon, Hope, and skin fests like the Oscars happen.
Transferring a novel to the screen is not as easy a task as most people tend to believe. A book portrays what is going on within the character, a movie portrays the character's interactions with others. The Peter Jackson philosophy of which I am speaking is one of trying to remain true to the story. Since it is impossible to tell the exact story of the book, the idea is stay true to the overarching story, which is what he did. You obviously disagree with that, but I think he did an excellent job. When I saw the movie after having read the books I was disappointed that certain characters and events were not included, but I also remembered that this was a movie. It could not capture 100% of what I read. If it could, there would be little point to reading it, right?
What hollywood has been about in the past is taking something with a built in audience, just like LoTR, and putting out something that was crap because it already had a built in audience. Rick "f'n" Berman is a prime example of this with his Trek offerings. Instead Peter Jackson kept a reverence for the books in his movies that I truly do think came through. Because of that, more people read the books than they otherwise would have, and the legacy of Tolkien was strengthened. That is the philosophy that I support.
JarJar will not be in the theatrical release. However, he will be inserted in the DVD edition because "that's we really wanted to do all along..."
In all seriousness though, I find myself more excited about this version than the Hollywood version. I hope the Peter Jackson philosophy continues to trickle through movie making.
Well, here's the thing. In my pilot training training I was taught that a "G" is a unit measuring the force of gravity that you feel. At 1G, I feel like I would normally walking down the street or sitting down with my 230lb body. At 2g, I would feel twice the weight, etc. In Aerobatic flight I experienced a sustained 4.5 G's and it really did feel like I weighed over 1,000lbs (I actually felt like my teeth were getting pushed into my jaw)! Zero G then, is when it feels like you are floating, and is pretty fun to do in a small airplane. Add power, pull up, and then as you push the nose over, you and everyone else in the airplane floats. There's no wind pushing against you and it does not feel like you are falling, it feels like you have no weight, ie 0G! So in that sense, though it might technically be inaccurate, I think the description is apt.
I've never gone skydiving before, but I have always imagined that it feels an awful lot like falling- something which I have done. I can tell you that the feeling of weightlessness is very different from the sensation of falling. Maybe falling for quite a while makes all the difference but somehow I just don't see that it would.
Finally, if you have that $3k to spend, why not invest it in a Private Pilot Certificate so you can go out and experience it for yourself whenever you have the hankering?
Indeed it was meant as a compliment. I laughed out loud reading it the first time around and still chuckled while reading it to reply. With this one though, and this is just meant to be honest critiziscm, you seem to have overreached a bit. The biblical reference is good, but you have to remember that amongst those "every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed[,]" are herbs and such that are poisonous. Therefore it was not God's intention that we consume all of them. The Constitutional arguments could also use further refienment. Argument by anecdote can be emotionally grasping, but it really fails as a means of logical persuasion. Finally, as for Chulhu, I haven't yet read any Lovecraft, but would be interested in any recommendations you may have.
I usually don't respond to AC's, but I really had to thank you for the best laugh I had all day! That was a pretty funny raving troll; indeed probably one of the best I've ever had the honor of receiving.
can you also let me know when Duke Nukem Forever comes out
Duke Nukem Forever is set to be released in a box set with the original unfscked with Star Wars trilogy, along with Rick Berman's three hour apology speech for what he has done to Star Trek. Unfortunately its release will happen on the exact same day that the Pentagon announces that it now considers the world "safe" and will be disbanding itself accordingly. Due to the lack of press over the release, all three features will tank. Luckily for the studios, however, no one will notice due to the overwhelming victory of the combined Bigoot and Antlantis forces over a disbelieving US. Or something like that...
If you see me watching one of these things on a plane, please leave me alone.
Of course!
Just because I don't understand doesn't mean I'm going to attempt to enforce my view on someone watching it. I have just noticed that people are becoming more and more insular from society and withdrawn. If you're commuting two hours each way than life sucks. A lot. Same with flying from the East coast to Japan every 6-8 weeks to see to your sick parents.
Some people might very well have valid reasons for this technology, yourself included. But what about the others? I do not believe that everyone and their dog is using these just for commuting, or just on long redeye flights. My experience has taught me that it is easier to disengage from reality than it is to experience it. Its the same issue I have with drug and alcohol use-- society breaks down when large numbers remove themselves from the social fabric.
What can we do about it? Well I don't see that there is anything we really can do except make an individual decision to not drop out of society. It would not surprise me that most people don't see it that way, but there you go. I have a question for you out of curiosity, since your posts implies that you no longer commute four hours a day. Would you have made that change to no longer commute that long every day if you did not have a readily available means of tuning it out? In other words, if all you could do was take in the scenery and talk to your fellow commuters, would it have motivated you to make the change the sooner?
Plane trips can be tedious, but airports are immensely fun for people watching. Especially because of all the new secuirty and folks having to scramble to make their plane after a hour wait for the wand. I usually just bring a paperback tho', its small, light, and the battery only runs out if I fall asleep;-)
On a WTMI note, I also happen to love the smell of jet fuel. Airports are fun just for that alone. That plus watching 500,000lbs accelerate to 150+ kts and take off is a pretty awesome sight as well. If you have to fly out of Newark New Jersey though, you have my sympathies-- the windows are so high you can't see a darn thing on the ramp!
I agree, and must say that the whole point is somewhat lost on me. What's wrong with actually taking in your surroundings? Or talking to people? Isn't having access to movies, tv shows, etc. at home enough? Do we really need to be able to watch a movie at any given moment? I realize that this is not exactly the "geek" party line, but at some point do we really need to bring everything with us?
I agree whole-heartedly! I have indeed done the paint thing with my wife and am amazed that she can differentiate between colors that to my eyes looks alike. I think just the fact that colors like "mauve" and "fuschia" exist is more than adequate support for the notion.
I choose my battles with people who don't know what a straw man IS
I believe Sun-Tzu said something similar to this in his Art of War. To loosely paraphrase, one way to ensure victory is to make sure you only fight those who are weaker.
Slashdot Mirror
I've thought about this before as well. I think the two things that libraries do have going for them are those who cannot afford net connections themselves, and the fact that reading something on paper is still easier than reading something on the screen. Of course Xerox's e-paper could also take care of the latter while free net connections could take of the former, thus allowing your prediction to come true faster than I would think.
There are many out there, myself included, who will never get rid of books. They are just too cool to ever be fully rid of. Of course if there is some type of massive paper famine in a couple years or so, that will change I'm sure, but I have a very hard time parting with any of my books.
eBay. Buyer pays for shipping.
I was worried too till I saw that Rick berman was one of the project leads. Since there is no concept to simple, elegant, or powerful that his ego cannot suffocate into oblivion, I think we're safe.
it's not really "fun" if it isn't shared.
I think you might be mixing up the conept of "play" and "fun." There are quite a few things that are "fun" which tend to be solo activities. My solo training flights were a blast, but, of neccesity, solo. Does that mean that they weren't fun? Play for the most part is with others, but nowhere is it written that the "other" must be human. Ever "play" with a dog? Or a cat? Playing with an AI is a means to for play just like anything else in the virtual world. Indeed I find the computer to be a far more satisfying opponent than the human ones most of the time!
You are certainly welcome to your beliefs, and I don't know that I would argue against you if your premise was that folks needed more human interactions (/. bias notwithstanding) but I think you have taken this a bit too far.
You can't make an omelette without breaking a few Wookies.
I remember Opus worrying about this when Milo told him that there were Satellites that could see you doing those private unmentionable things. Opus ended up on the cover of USA Today scratching his armpit the next day. Maybe we ought to track the number of pizza's ordered by the analysis centers when Defcon, Hope, and skin fests like the Oscars happen.
You should check out Chopping Block by Lee A. Herold. I have a feeling you and Butch would get a long well;-)
What hollywood has been about in the past is taking something with a built in audience, just like LoTR, and putting out something that was crap because it already had a built in audience. Rick "f'n" Berman is a prime example of this with his Trek offerings. Instead Peter Jackson kept a reverence for the books in his movies that I truly do think came through. Because of that, more people read the books than they otherwise would have, and the legacy of Tolkien was strengthened. That is the philosophy that I support.
In all seriousness though, I find myself more excited about this version than the Hollywood version. I hope the Peter Jackson philosophy continues to trickle through movie making.
I've never gone skydiving before, but I have always imagined that it feels an awful lot like falling- something which I have done. I can tell you that the feeling of weightlessness is very different from the sensation of falling. Maybe falling for quite a while makes all the difference but somehow I just don't see that it would.
Finally, if you have that $3k to spend, why not invest it in a Private Pilot Certificate so you can go out and experience it for yourself whenever you have the hankering?
Indeed it was meant as a compliment. I laughed out loud reading it the first time around and still chuckled while reading it to reply. With this one though, and this is just meant to be honest critiziscm, you seem to have overreached a bit. The biblical reference is good, but you have to remember that amongst those "every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed[,]" are herbs and such that are poisonous. Therefore it was not God's intention that we consume all of them. The Constitutional arguments could also use further refienment. Argument by anecdote can be emotionally grasping, but it really fails as a means of logical persuasion. Finally, as for Chulhu, I haven't yet read any Lovecraft, but would be interested in any recommendations you may have.
I usually don't respond to AC's, but I really had to thank you for the best laugh I had all day! That was a pretty funny raving troll; indeed probably one of the best I've ever had the honor of receiving.
I liken it to watching the Yankees play the Red Sox. Who do you root for? Personally, I go with the meteorite;-) So far though, no such luck.
Duke Nukem Forever is set to be released in a box set with the original unfscked with Star Wars trilogy, along with Rick Berman's three hour apology speech for what he has done to Star Trek. Unfortunately its release will happen on the exact same day that the Pentagon announces that it now considers the world "safe" and will be disbanding itself accordingly. Due to the lack of press over the release, all three features will tank. Luckily for the studios, however, no one will notice due to the overwhelming victory of the combined Bigoot and Antlantis forces over a disbelieving US. Or something like that...
Well, you won't have to. The CD is $20, the mini console with twin joysticks (Oldskool Style) and built in games is $45.
Of course!
Just because I don't understand doesn't mean I'm going to attempt to enforce my view on someone watching it. I have just noticed that people are becoming more and more insular from society and withdrawn. If you're commuting two hours each way than life sucks. A lot. Same with flying from the East coast to Japan every 6-8 weeks to see to your sick parents.
Some people might very well have valid reasons for this technology, yourself included. But what about the others? I do not believe that everyone and their dog is using these just for commuting, or just on long redeye flights. My experience has taught me that it is easier to disengage from reality than it is to experience it. Its the same issue I have with drug and alcohol use-- society breaks down when large numbers remove themselves from the social fabric.
What can we do about it? Well I don't see that there is anything we really can do except make an individual decision to not drop out of society. It would not surprise me that most people don't see it that way, but there you go. I have a question for you out of curiosity, since your posts implies that you no longer commute four hours a day. Would you have made that change to no longer commute that long every day if you did not have a readily available means of tuning it out? In other words, if all you could do was take in the scenery and talk to your fellow commuters, would it have motivated you to make the change the sooner?
On a WTMI note, I also happen to love the smell of jet fuel. Airports are fun just for that alone. That plus watching 500,000lbs accelerate to 150+ kts and take off is a pretty awesome sight as well. If you have to fly out of Newark New Jersey though, you have my sympathies-- the windows are so high you can't see a darn thing on the ramp!
I agree, and must say that the whole point is somewhat lost on me. What's wrong with actually taking in your surroundings? Or talking to people? Isn't having access to movies, tv shows, etc. at home enough? Do we really need to be able to watch a movie at any given moment? I realize that this is not exactly the "geek" party line, but at some point do we really need to bring everything with us?
Obviously not intelligent.
Especially if its the Wesley Snipes version...
I agree whole-heartedly! I have indeed done the paint thing with my wife and am amazed that she can differentiate between colors that to my eyes looks alike. I think just the fact that colors like "mauve" and "fuschia" exist is more than adequate support for the notion.
I believe Sun-Tzu said something similar to this in his Art of War. To loosely paraphrase, one way to ensure victory is to make sure you only fight those who are weaker.
I see you've played knify spoony before!
Thanks! I actually felt my eyes pop when they stopped looking at the horrendous IT color!
You tell me this with three, THREE! bananas already in the pcmcia slot. Dangnabbit!