"but that water is a base requiremet for life because of its properties as a solvent."
Liquid hydrocarbons like methane are excellent solvents, and have a lower freezing point thus extending the range of possibilities on the lower end. Vapor states of these comparatively large molecule compounds are also excellent solvents. In temps/densities close to condensing they have more fluid like properties than the smaller molecules of water vapor, thus extending the range upward. The lower temperature points of state change for these compounds could provide a more effective and less reactive source of energy for a process like life in low energy environments. Plus these compounds themselves are rich sources of building material. I suspect it may be likely that there is life, even intelligent life that does not require water or oxygen at all. Heck it may even be more prevalent than the life we know.
I work as a technician in a health care enviroment, I drill a fair bit of stainless and every now and then a wee bit of titanium, granite or ceramics. I use a water/alcohol/baking soda slurry with all these efforts regardless of the bit type. I picked up the baking soda trick up from another coworker a while back. I suspect the baking soda may help with the thermal properties, I know it helps reduce the mess by reducing runnoff. And I always do it slow and hard:)
It's a tragedy that certain forces have managed to convince so many americans that rights really worth fighting for are things like the right to guns and the right to not have health insurance.
One Americans take on this:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin
I for one can't help but to be concerned about gun registeration and permitting issues in the US. I live in a permitted concealed carry state but have reservations about adding my name to such a database.
I will say that the lack of firearms would not be a complete victory for a facist state. If personal protection devices (firearms for now and the near future) are ever severly restricted or outright confiscated in the US the existing goverment at the time may very well find out that there are plenty of other much more efficant ways to propragate the "dangers" they fear. The local fueling stations, supermarkets and garden/hardware stores are full of 'em.
On the same note technology in general is a double edge sword for such states, theres ALWAYS a hack for ANY technology. Overall technology is a leveling agent, always adding to the power of adept individuals. And remember it is they who are the danger;)
They've turned the country into a partisan sinkhole, where people are so busy choosing sides and playing favorites that they've forgotten what really matters, namely what the guys are actually doing. It was a master play.
The games called good cop, bad cop, nothing new to see here folks, move along.
Slightly offtopic, but...because Sony has a monopoly on what, that they have abused how?
I would never suggest that have monopolies on corporate idiots, but somehow they certainly have managed to hire a lot of them lately, and they should be abused, daily. Also while Sony designs and builds fine hardware they also have the knack for picking standards that die. Anybody else watch what standard Sony is pitching and betting on the other prime contender? Maybe this DRM fisaco will wake up or clean up the boardroom. It is a shame to see some of the finest design and engeering people in the world have their work abused and rendered useless by clueless management.
"or you think at least 1/5 of Americans are irrational and insane"
Actually I believe that about that number are simply too stupid to live without others dragging their dumb asses along. But I would put the "20% of Americans believing that incidents of fraud aided the 2004 reelection campaign" at the opposite end, you know the smart and tired but ethical folks doing all the dragging.
The resulting graphite dust would seem to me to be a problem with electronics and such. Not to mention the issues of the tiny bits of graphite and rubber if they used an eraser as well. Solutions to all problems may obey Occam's law, however the law is a bit recursive or antropic in nature as it assumes the ideal solution as known. In the real world complex problems often demand complex solutions.
I do not agree that electronic voting as a future method of technology is in itself bad. I do agree that the USA's immature implementation of it has been reckless, incompetent, susceptible to, and seemingly drenched in fraud and abuse. Thus far it has been a terrible waste of money and has caused grave damage to the nation and the democratic process.
The same type of picture exist's in the implementation of computers with other parts of our lives. My current work is as a controls systems technician for a health care foundation. I have seen terrible implementations of computers all too often as people unfamiliar with the technology involved get taken for a ride by incompetent and/or unethical contractors/vendors. I have also seem many otherwise excellent systems ruined by staff or management uncomfortable and/or incompetent in the technology. If however computerized control systems are realisticaly planned, implemented with stable technology, installed in a craftsman like manner and managed by properly trained persons they can be wonderfully consistent, precise and emotionally and economically rewarding tools.
With all important systems, like life support, regular calibration and verification is required to know all is as it should be. In the most critical stuff manual backup systems are required for simple redundancy. In all cases the documentation of these matters must be open as possible in design and process to prevent false interptation or manipulation of the data.
This is the type of implementation it will take to provide a sufficient level of comfort for me to trust electronic voting. NOT a technology that uses closed source software running on propriatory hardware by a secretive and very partisan corporation. NOT with operation and documentation by incompetent and/or partisan local officials who retire to secretive closed sessions to "examine" the data. And for all the partisan flaming howlers out there, I don't care what party it is, this time it was the Republicrats, next time it may be the Demulicans, think about it all of ya, please.
This was mode'd a "Score:5, Insightful" Should have been mode'd a -5 for stupid. All this amounts to is a good way to get your door and face kicked in. JCR however, much I respect your intent and vigor in asserting your civil rights, and thus my own, at the point they ask for entry its 99% probable your already screwed, pissing them off will not help at all.
"Warrant smorant" says one jackbooted thug to the others, continuing with, "You smell dope? I smell dope" And thus it looks just like yet another of hundreds of thousands of probable cause entries to me. Of course few care if the dope user/dealer down the street gets their civil rights trampled on, right?
In "For Whom The Bell Tolls", Papa Hemingway noted that if the bell tolls for any man it tolls for all men. In respect to our future I am reminded of a quote by that ole slut puppy Benjamin Franklin, "We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately", whom BTW had a price on his head at the time.
If you are not concerned about the civil rights of your neighbor, don't expect him to care about yours when your day in the barrel comes. So please continue to be vocal in these regards, just try to be smart about it because your neighbors will likely just standby and cheer as you get your head kicked in. These things I know from experience.
The need to aquire a search warrant rarely places an undue burden on law enforcement, they are not that hard to get, indeed IMHO often way too easy. I might not mind the compromise of having a feature in a cell phone that would give specific permissions to the service provider to provide unwarranted information to law enforcement. IF that is it can be enabled and disabled by the owner and be EPROM password protected. This would allow the user to diminish their own liberty with minimun infringement of my own.
"Life without liberty is not much of a life" Matthew (wilec)(me)
"If you're dead then privacy ain't going to matter too much" schlumpf_louise
"Give me liberty or give me death" Patrick Henry
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson
"It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own." Thomas Jefferson
"Let me be a free man -- free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religon of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself -- and I will obey every law, or submit me to the penalty" Heinmot Tooyalaket (Chief Joseph) of the Nez Perc'es
"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly" Henry David Thoreau
#Reply to Windows TROLL #Sorry but it simply computes that: {
{
IF (((it is too slow) ++ (it crashes)) == (it runs Windows))
}
{
THEN (Do not take pot shots the messenger)
}
{
ELSE (Quit whinning about topic choices and just ignore the ones you dislike)
} }
This is not of our doing, you know where the fault lies, either your user habits or your OS or sometimes both. Anyway for some strange reason I tend to suspect Microsoft would line up with Intel on this issue. If either organization,or most university and corporate board level types, had any real vision they would be able to see the high probability of a huge payback on programs such as this.
Heck I might even get one to throw in the toolbox/truck as a PDA, data logger, calculator, ect. I use old OS/2/DOS/Windows 486 and 386 laptops like this now, WiFi & USB support would be really handy and a light weight distro of Linux, BSD, QNX, etc. would be a nice fit.
Right, the way I read it the peoples arms ARE the means with which they may regulate the militia. This was well observed by our beloved ole geek genius of a slut puppy Ben as:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin
I for one do not keep firearms simply to kill defenseless furry animals, though if I get hungry enough I might take it back up:). I keep firearms to protect myself and those I care for from harm.
American readers and their "leaders" should remember this passage......
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
I am disgusted by the attitude of so many who trash the ACLU for defending the rights of others with whom they happen to disagree. A quote from my favorite student of science, philosohper, farmer, architect and for dang sure a horn dog of note kinda sums it up.
"It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own." Thomas Jefferson
As for those who say just let them have it, who cares , its such a little thing, give it to them and maybe they will go away and leave us alone, anyway we have to do it or (insert FUD on boogeyman/scapegoat du'jour). Well my view is supported best by another quote from that ole slut puppy Ben again and my favorite quote from my favorite ole drunk from one of my ancestral homes across the pond.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." Winston Churchill
Kinda funny don't you think that the ideals presented by some of the greatest minds, ideals that are the basis for our existence as a people are so at odds with the current world view of our leaders? Really amazing just how on topic they still are today isn't it? Isn't it scarey that by posting this type of opinion, as I do fairly often:), there is little doubt that I am on a few lists of possibly dangerous malcontents? Heck think maybe that by simply replying to my rants you could make it on a list yourself? Well heres another rather on topic observation from our buddy Ben.
"We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Benjamin Franklin
"Delusions are easily the most dangerous of these. In the IT context the most common delusion is simply that what we know is right in general or applicable to some specific issue when, in reality, it isn't. We know, and we act accordingly - with frequently catastrophic results."
As Will Rogers noted "It ain't what people don't know that gets 'em in the most trouble, its the things they know that ain't so."
#1 Comparisons of and debate on the specific technical merits of Windows/Linux while certainly useful for power users and developers simply confuses 95% of users.
#2 Technical merits aside (see #1 above) 95% of the user wanted features found in Linux distros are clones of Windows features. Most users already have experience with Windows, so this is what they want.
#3 As long as Windows comes preinstalled and thus prepurchased on 95% of the new 'disposable' PC products (see #2 above) Linux will remain in a marginalized position.
#4 Corporate PC client implementation tends to follow home user base due to training issues, and 95% of that is Windows and will probably continue to be (see #3 above).
#5 Servers "serve clients", and with such being 95% Windows (see #4 above), well the progression is obvious.
Aside from all this, as I like my boxes naked:), the latest and greatest distribution of Linux purchased from eBay for chump change is a 'no brainer' compared to the purchase price of Windows. I also like the technical merits of Linux, especially on the stability and security issues.
Linux has the technical and price advantage, what it needs to do is to leap frog Windows in its feature set instead of following it. Remember this is the feature set the average users will want. What could it be? How about communication and media access and control integration, home security and controls automation integration, maybe a well designed 3D desktop along the lines of Sun's Looking Glass before Microsoft does it. Maybe a real 'personal agent' assistant program, no I am not saying reincarnate MS Bob, a real agent with useful features.
Anyway if the discussion is about improving Linux technically why compare a peach of an OS like Linux to a lemon like Windows. I think it would be more productive to compare it to say an Apple:).
As someone that fits most definitions of introvert pretty well, I would say you have hit pretty close to the mark. The reason I don't care to involve myself in most social situations is simple. Most people that occupy these events are self serving idiots that have no interest in my thoughts short of however they can use me in some self serving manner. It is much easier and simpler for me not involve myself in it in the first place.
However it is not that I do not care at all for the plight of others, I do care very much about the misfortunes of others and the world in general. I just don't care to expose myself face to face to what is usually superficial whining, someones lightly reasoned pitch of their world view, or worst of all meaningless babble just to 'make conversation'.
I do enjoy well reasoned, even to include non-sophist contentious discussions on any of a wide variety of topics. However it seems that 98+ percent of people are either incapable of or at least disinterested in such discussion. I do not care to engage in empty yap about trivial stuff that I have zero interest in. I especially do not care to engage in political or spiritual discussions with the typical brain dead FOX news fan. In short most social encounters either bore me to tears or tick me off.
The best type of wood burners are down drafters. They were a bit rare in the US in the late 80's but several Norther European companies manufactured some nice ones. I built my own down draft wood burning boiler about that time out of a 300 gal tank, firebrick, copper tubing, misc heavy steel components and a bunch of old HVAC and intercom parts.
I don't know just how "clean" it was on a technical basis, but the flue gases usually ran clear or slightly white when operating at the usual temperatures of about 325-375F burning mostly oak or hickory. The principle involved is that flues gases are routed through the bed of coals instead of off the top of the fire, thus burning off the particulates in the smoke. The only real problems I had were in dealing with the very high temps in the coal bed which was literally hell for some mild steel parts.
I agree, there is way too much postured yap about what OS folks use, much less which specific distro, it's not a religion, of which there is also way to much...shut up Matt don't get yourself started. I rather enjoy upgrading or loading a new OS and mostly enjoy setting it up, as long as most stuff works pretty well on a basic level.Sure there are some annoyances but most current Linux do pretty well in this regard.
I have been using Linux on and off for about 10 years (since Caldera 1.0). During this time I ran OS/2 as my primary use OS. I have also ran various versions of Windows as required to keep current with my employers needs. I still do much the same, except that I now use Linux more and more for my personal use. I have moved my wife to Linux, which saves me the pain of reinstalling Windows every few months. I have not chosen to update OS/2 since IBM decided to extract blood via an expensive subscription service. The other so called upgrade path for OS/2, ecOS is also expensive and seems to be quite controversial on Usenet. Since my job no longer requires it I refuse to involve myself in the masochistic endeavor of paying hundreds to upgrade my rarely used copy of NT4 to XP.
On the other hand every few months I can hop onto eBay, and try a new flavor of Linux for chump change. The latest round involved checking out about 20 distros at a cost of less than one sixth the cost of upgrading OS/2 or Windows. I settled on Fedora Core4 for myself, and Mandrivia 10.2 for my wife, and passed several'live' distro CD's around for friends to try. I will definately spend five bucks or so to try Fedora Core 5 and for that fact 6 as soon as it hits eBay! I guess my grandmother was right "the best things in life are free", or at least cheap.
I was also raised as a Christian, baptist. I remember being frightened by some of it, bored by most, puzzled by some parts and impressed by some as well. I believe it was about age nine of so that the puzzled parts generated questions nobody would answer to my satisfaction.
I don't buy that school makes or breaks critical thinkers, and I don't think that hearing conflicting (even idiotic) ideas poisons a FINE mind. For a duller mind it can be very influential. And lets face it there are more dimwits out there than geniuses.
I agree education is pretty much a mess anyways. My favorite high school teacher,a Mr John Porter, taught history, government, social studies in a manner that focused on the use of hypothetical formulation and testing as topical research methods. He rewarded spontaneous critical thinking with extra credit, used an interactive lecture rather than mote regurgitation of a book, always had an extra credit essay topic for tests. He used the idea of individual and group topical projects and graded on you use of well researched facts and the logic of your argument. I also had a psychology teacher a Mr Wendel Johnson who was also my principle. Wendel used similar methods as Mr Porter, in his own special way . He had a way of getting really into your mind very quickly and in a way that made you feel well you just trusted him, A rascal, bit of a ham who I don't believe ever once took himself too serious, I miss him, he died a few years back.
I also had a screwed up high school experience despite the above mention teachers great efforts, most of it was as you described, useless or just too boring to stand. I quit or got expelled several times eventually finishing via a state colleges correspondence course ware, did not attend a graduation. I went to work, tech school and more work. Whether I am successful of not is a subjective issue but I also work in the tech field, a controls systems specialist for a health care foundation. Of course I would like more $, who wouldn't? I probably could have achieved a lot more in this regard, but I preform a critically needed service in a exception way. Anyhow I suspect a really good technician is better for the world than a bad nuclear physicist.
The way I see it the best way to combat ignorance is with more information, not less. ID should not be banned, it should be taught, just not as science, and not exclusively. It is a world view crafted by a specific religious sect. Most do so in an effort to undermine those who they see as interfering and undermining with their control of the parent/child relationship. I have some understanding for their situation but no compassion for their actions because they by their actions are trying to exact the same on myself and in my view even worst, as their actions corrupt and undermine the logic of the scientific method.
I see a simple and logical fix for this situation.Comparative religion should be required from late elementary through undergrads as a subset of comparative philosophy. It should be taught in the same general manner as math, language skills, history and science, progressively more detailed and complex. These classes should be inclusive of all major philosophical ideologys, religions, and world views as well as a sampling of those less practiced. In fact much more attention should be required for teaching the great quest of philosophical discourse as expressed by Socrates' as "The unexamined life is not worth living". In the same tone, a comparative format for government, civics and political science should get a bit more time than say PE.
Successful civilizations are those best enabled to make use of the information of their time to discern the unknown before their competitors. Civilizations fail for various reasons but one base cause is to be bested by another better enabled competitor. I'll go for more information over less anytime as long as it pertains to the question at hand. What nature of creature are we? Why do we exist? Do we have a purpose? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What could such a purpose be? Of all we do not know, could some of it consist of other types of existence we are incapable of perceiving or understanding? All these are valid questions, some fall under the domain of scientific inquiry. For some we do not have the tools in our current scientific knowledge base to investigate properly. Some may be interpreted as valid questions for both philosophy and science.
However this does not means that philosophy should be taught as science or visa versa. Science is a toolkit for exploration of the universe. If some accept it as a philosophy they are distorting it's purpose, undermining its value as a tool and limiting their own knowledge base. Philosophy is an exploration of our existence and relationship to the universe. That science was born of philosophical inquires into logic and nature is not the issue. It has evolved into a logical method for the formation and testing of hypothetical, the testing part is required or it is not science.
A simple anthromorphic argument for our existence can be made from the same "evidence" as ID presents. Things are how they are, because thats how they have to be to exist they way they do. The THEORY of Evolution is not based on an anthromorphic argument, it is an investigation based on multitudes of individually trivial bits of information being assembled into logical sequences and patterns. It itself is evolving as our information increases.
As one with agnostic leanings I do not presume to know the mind of a God whose existence I am not sure of. But for all I know God one day noted, hey that some pretty nice looking pond scum there, wonder what I could evolve it into? For all I know we have a God given destiny to save the universe from itself. Time may tell, then again time may be not an issue at all. Heck, I for one am not sure if I love more the great mystery of the unknown or the revelations of the tidbits.
The assertion that "The Black Death is believed to be carried by fleas on rats"may not be entirely factual. Some have looked at micro migration patterns and the general speed of transmission once a community was exposed and expressed doubt that the rat/flea vector was solely responsible. There is also a pneumonia mutation or variation of the plague that may be transfered directly between humans via airborne droplet, much like like another bacteria, TB or your common rhino viruses and influenensa. This could account for transmission where there were problems in the rat/flea only vector theory.
As for the lethality of the plague, from what I remember reading there was some indication that its onset in a community came in multiple waves of individual high mortality, not in a evenly spaced manner. This may have been caused by variations like the pneumonia following the initial bubonic form or visa versa. Also as with many bacterium and virile it is possible that it could at times become dormant. Both of these would have acted to restrict its tendency to "burn out" quickly while eventually having horrendous high mortality numbers.
Another issue is secondary diseases like influenesa, cholera or anthrax, etc may have contributed to the mortality rate. Overall I would have to agree with DrYak that if a disease can both cross infect birds, but is of low lethality to them, but terribly lethal to humans, given birds ability to fly and many birds tendency to migrate, we would likely be in serious trouble. Though I believe a contagion that merely affects humans with say a several day gestation before symptoms, treatment resistance and a high mortality rate we would easily do ourselves in without help from the birds.
wilec
That's funny, it was the part that enticed me the most. I like the idea that I could power up (enhance? control?)the quantum dot LEDS emissions wirelessly with a laser. Seems this might be most handy.
wilec
Yea "market value", right, can you make this any grayer, these values are typically manipulated downward in these issues.
The "eminent domain" thread keeps popping out, I know US law addresses this issue, with an ugly draconian efficiency with the recent decisions. However since Roche is a Swiss company that may not mean not very much in Taiwan. I am not sure how the Swiss, Taiwan or probably most important international laws land on "eminent domain" issues. Of course since international law is set by appointed peons of an few faux elected pigeons and an corporate oliarchy I suspect the usual outcomes. I do feel that intellectual property deserves maybe different not necessarily any more consideration than real property. Anyway, that nations are dealing with these issues in such a form may be sign that the unregulated "greed is good" form of capitalism rampant in the world may have began hitting the limits of acceptance. The drug companies are some of the worst examples of this type of world view.
And I have heard about enough malarkey about the "investments" made by corporate entities. Since these are 100+ tax deductible, the end cost to the corporate entity is less than zero. What really peeves me is the marketing costs are too, and more money falls down this black hole that anything with a real ROI. Light marketing industry regulation, and slippery kickback deals cost both the tax payer and the shareholders dearly. Plus I am sure R&D expenses are inflated as much as possible like all others. The end effect is most corporate entities actually end up being subsidized by taxpayers. Get corporate off welfare and the poor won't need it! Another issue, public university's do most of the high risk, low return baseline research anyway, sure they get some returns off the programs that should reduce burden on the taxpayer, I said SOME and SHOULD.
I'm just happy its a European corporate thief this time.
wilec
SciFi authors from Vern to Campbell to Roddenberry have mostly seen this as inevitable. They may miss the details but this genera of literature has a excellent record for divining the general direction. Note just how Orwellian the world has become in actions like CCTV survellience, drug testing, bioID and even in the inverted logic of the titles of corporate and government divisions. How about the tools of technology and warfare predicted by Verne and others. To expect that humankind, given its nature and history would NOT militarize space is silly.
Matthew
Slashdot Mirror
"but that water is a base requiremet for life because of its properties as a solvent."
Liquid hydrocarbons like methane are excellent solvents, and have a lower freezing point thus extending the range of possibilities on the lower end. Vapor states of these comparatively large molecule compounds are also excellent solvents. In temps/densities close to condensing they have more fluid like properties than the smaller molecules of water vapor, thus extending the range upward. The lower temperature points of state change for these compounds could provide a more effective and less reactive source of energy for a process like life in low energy environments. Plus these compounds themselves are rich sources of building material. I suspect it may be likely that there is life, even intelligent life that does not require water or oxygen at all. Heck it may even be more prevalent than the life we know.
Matthew
I work as a technician in a health care enviroment, I drill a fair bit of stainless and every now and then a wee bit of titanium, granite or ceramics. I use a water/alcohol/baking soda slurry with all these efforts regardless of the bit type. I picked up the baking soda trick up from another coworker a while back. I suspect the baking soda may help with the thermal properties, I know it helps reduce the mess by reducing runnoff. And I always do it slow and hard :)
Thanks for the PDF chart and other links.
Matthew
It's a tragedy that certain forces have managed to convince so many americans that rights really worth fighting for are things like the right to guns and the right to not have health insurance.
One Americans take on this:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin
I for one can't help but to be concerned about gun registeration and permitting issues in the US. I live in a permitted concealed carry state but have reservations about adding my name to such a database.
I will say that the lack of firearms would not be a complete victory for a facist state. If personal protection devices (firearms for now and the near future) are ever severly restricted or outright confiscated in the US the existing goverment at the time may very well find out that there are plenty of other much more efficant ways to propragate the "dangers" they fear. The local fueling stations, supermarkets and garden/hardware stores are full of 'em.
On the same note technology in general is a double edge sword for such states, theres ALWAYS a hack for ANY technology. Overall technology is a leveling agent, always adding to the power of adept individuals. And remember it is they who are the danger ;)
Matthew
They've turned the country into a partisan sinkhole, where people are so busy choosing sides and playing favorites that they've forgotten what really matters, namely what the guys are actually doing. It was a master play.
The games called good cop, bad cop, nothing new to see here folks, move along.
Matthew
Careful as a obviously dangerous malcontent you might very well wakeup in Cuba or even worst, New Jersey.
Matthew
Slightly offtopic, but ...because Sony has a monopoly on what, that they have abused how?
I would never suggest that have monopolies on corporate idiots, but somehow they certainly have managed to hire a lot of them lately, and they should be abused, daily. Also while Sony designs and builds fine hardware they also have the knack for picking standards that die. Anybody else watch what standard Sony is pitching and betting on the other prime contender? Maybe this DRM fisaco will wake up or clean up the boardroom. It is a shame to see some of the finest design and engeering people in the world have their work abused and rendered useless by clueless management.
Matthew
"or you think at least 1/5 of Americans are irrational and insane"
Actually I believe that about that number are simply too stupid to live without others dragging their dumb asses along. But I would put the "20% of Americans believing that incidents of fraud aided the 2004 reelection campaign" at the opposite end, you know the smart and tired but ethical folks doing all the dragging.
Matthew
"And the soviets used a pencil."
The resulting graphite dust would seem to me to be a problem with electronics and such. Not to mention the issues of the tiny bits of graphite and rubber if they used an eraser as well. Solutions to all problems may obey Occam's law, however the law is a bit recursive or antropic in nature as it assumes the ideal solution as known. In the real world complex problems often demand complex solutions.
I do not agree that electronic voting as a future method of technology is in itself bad. I do agree that the USA's immature implementation of it has been reckless, incompetent, susceptible to, and seemingly drenched in fraud and abuse. Thus far it has been a terrible waste of money and has caused grave damage to the nation and the democratic process.
The same type of picture exist's in the implementation of computers with other parts of our lives. My current work is as a controls systems technician for a health care foundation. I have seen terrible implementations of computers all too often as people unfamiliar with the technology involved get taken for a ride by incompetent and/or unethical contractors/vendors. I have also seem many otherwise excellent systems ruined by staff or management uncomfortable and/or incompetent in the technology. If however computerized control systems are realisticaly planned, implemented with stable technology, installed in a craftsman like manner and managed by properly trained persons they can be wonderfully consistent, precise and emotionally and economically rewarding tools.
With all important systems, like life support, regular calibration and verification is required to know all is as it should be. In the most critical stuff manual backup systems are required for simple redundancy. In all cases the documentation of these matters must be open as possible in design and process to prevent false interptation or manipulation of the data.
This is the type of implementation it will take to provide a sufficient level of comfort for me to trust electronic voting. NOT a technology that uses closed source software running on propriatory hardware by a secretive and very partisan corporation. NOT with operation and documentation by incompetent and/or partisan local officials who retire to secretive closed sessions to "examine" the data. And for all the partisan flaming howlers out there, I don't care what party it is, this time it was the Republicrats, next time it may be the Demulicans, think about it all of ya, please.
Matthew
This was mode'd a "Score:5, Insightful" Should have been mode'd a -5 for stupid. All this amounts to is a good way to get your door and face kicked in. JCR however, much I respect your intent and vigor in asserting your civil rights, and thus my own, at the point they ask for entry its 99% probable your already screwed, pissing them off will not help at all.
"Warrant smorant" says one jackbooted thug to the others, continuing with, "You smell dope? I smell dope" And thus it looks just like yet another of hundreds of thousands of probable cause entries to me. Of course few care if the dope user/dealer down the street gets their civil rights trampled on, right?
In "For Whom The Bell Tolls", Papa Hemingway noted that if the bell tolls for any man it tolls for all men. In respect to our future I am reminded of a quote by that ole slut puppy Benjamin Franklin, "We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately", whom BTW had a price on his head at the time.
If you are not concerned about the civil rights of your neighbor, don't expect him to care about yours when your day in the barrel comes. So please continue to be vocal in these regards, just try to be smart about it because your neighbors will likely just standby and cheer as you get your head kicked in. These things I know from experience.
Matthew
The need to aquire a search warrant rarely places an undue burden on law enforcement, they are not that hard to get, indeed IMHO often way too easy. I might not mind the compromise of having a feature in a cell phone that would give specific permissions to the service provider to provide unwarranted information to law enforcement. IF that is it can be enabled and disabled by the owner and be EPROM password protected. This would allow the user to diminish their own liberty with minimun infringement of my own.
"Life without liberty is not much of a life"
Matthew (wilec)(me)
"If you're dead then privacy ain't going to matter too much"
schlumpf_louise
"Give me liberty or give me death"
Patrick Henry
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Benjamin Franklin
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
Thomas Jefferson
"It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own."
Thomas Jefferson
"Let me be a free man -- free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religon of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself -- and I will obey every law, or submit me to the penalty"
Heinmot Tooyalaket (Chief Joseph) of the Nez Perc'es
"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly"
Henry David Thoreau
"commit your "indescretion", call your cellphone" Where are you making this call from anyway? Matthew
#Reply to Windows TROLL
#Sorry but it simply computes that:
{
{
IF (((it is too slow) ++ (it crashes)) == (it runs Windows))
}
{
THEN (Do not take pot shots the messenger)
}
{
ELSE (Quit whinning about topic choices and just ignore the ones you dislike)
}
}
This is not of our doing, you know where the fault lies, either your user habits or your OS or sometimes both. Anyway for some strange reason I tend to suspect Microsoft would line up with Intel on this issue. If either organization,or most university and corporate board level types, had any real vision they would be able to see the high probability of a huge payback on programs such as this.
Heck I might even get one to throw in the toolbox/truck as a PDA, data logger, calculator, ect. I use old OS/2/DOS/Windows 486 and 386 laptops like this now, WiFi & USB support would be really handy and a light weight distro of Linux, BSD, QNX, etc. would be a nice fit.
Kudos to MIT, again!
Matthew
Right, the way I read it the peoples arms ARE the means with which they may regulate the militia. This was well observed by our beloved ole geek genius of a slut puppy Ben as:
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin
I for one do not keep firearms simply to kill defenseless furry animals, though if I get hungry enough I might take it back up :). I keep firearms to protect myself and those I care for from harm.
......
American readers and their "leaders" should remember this passage
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
I am disgusted by the attitude of so many who trash the ACLU for defending the rights of others with whom they happen to disagree. A quote from my favorite student of science, philosohper, farmer, architect and for dang sure a horn dog of note kinda sums it up.
"It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own." Thomas Jefferson
As for those who say just let them have it, who cares , its such a little thing, give it to them and maybe they will go away and leave us alone, anyway we have to do it or (insert FUD on boogeyman/scapegoat du'jour). Well my view is supported best by another quote from that ole slut puppy Ben again and my favorite quote from my favorite ole drunk from one of my ancestral homes across the pond.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." Winston Churchill
Kinda funny don't you think that the ideals presented by some of the greatest minds, ideals that are the basis for our existence as a people are so at odds with the current world view of our leaders? Really amazing just how on topic they still are today isn't it? Isn't it scarey that by posting this type of opinion, as I do fairly often :), there is little doubt that I am on a few lists of possibly dangerous malcontents? Heck think maybe that by simply replying to my rants you could make it on a list yourself? Well heres another rather on topic observation from our buddy Ben.
"We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Benjamin Franklin
Hope I got some of ya thinking.
http://hypersynergy.com/Matthew
"Delusions are easily the most dangerous of these. In the IT context the most common delusion is simply that what we know is right in general or applicable to some specific issue when, in reality, it isn't. We know, and we act accordingly - with frequently catastrophic results."
As Will Rogers noted "It ain't what people don't know that gets 'em in the most trouble, its the things they know that ain't so."
Matthew
#1 Comparisons of and debate on the specific technical merits of Windows/Linux while certainly useful for power users and developers simply confuses 95% of users.
:), the latest and greatest distribution of Linux purchased from eBay for chump change is a 'no brainer' compared to the purchase price of Windows. I also like the technical merits of Linux, especially on the stability and security issues.
:).
#2 Technical merits aside (see #1 above) 95% of the user wanted features found in Linux distros are clones of Windows features. Most users already have experience with Windows, so this is what they want.
#3 As long as Windows comes preinstalled and thus prepurchased on 95% of the new 'disposable' PC products (see #2 above) Linux will remain in a marginalized position.
#4 Corporate PC client implementation tends to follow home user base due to training issues, and 95% of that is Windows and will probably continue to be (see #3 above).
#5 Servers "serve clients", and with such being 95% Windows (see #4 above), well the progression is obvious.
Aside from all this, as I like my boxes naked
Linux has the technical and price advantage, what it needs to do is to leap frog Windows in its feature set instead of following it. Remember this is the feature set the average users will want. What could it be? How about communication and media access and control integration, home security and controls automation integration, maybe a well designed 3D desktop along the lines of Sun's Looking Glass before Microsoft does it. Maybe a real 'personal agent' assistant program, no I am not saying reincarnate MS Bob, a real agent with useful features.
Anyway if the discussion is about improving Linux technically why compare a peach of an OS like Linux to a lemon like Windows. I think it would be more productive to compare it to say an Apple
Matthew
As someone that fits most definitions of introvert pretty well, I would say you have hit pretty close to the mark. The reason I don't care to involve myself in most social situations is simple. Most people that occupy these events are self serving idiots that have no interest in my thoughts short of however they can use me in some self serving manner. It is much easier and simpler for me not involve myself in it in the first place.
However it is not that I do not care at all for the plight of others, I do care very much about the misfortunes of others and the world in general. I just don't care to expose myself face to face to what is usually superficial whining, someones lightly reasoned pitch of their world view, or worst of all meaningless babble just to 'make conversation'.
I do enjoy well reasoned, even to include non-sophist contentious discussions on any of a wide variety of topics. However it seems that 98+ percent of people are either incapable of or at least disinterested in such discussion. I do not care to engage in empty yap about trivial stuff that I have zero interest in. I especially do not care to engage in political or spiritual discussions with the typical brain dead FOX news fan. In short most social encounters either bore me to tears or tick me off.
Matthew
Reagan also didn't waste any time pulling out of Lebonon.
The best type of wood burners are down drafters. They were a bit rare in the US in the late 80's but several Norther European companies manufactured some nice ones. I built my own down draft wood burning boiler about that time out of a 300 gal tank, firebrick, copper tubing, misc heavy steel components and a bunch of old HVAC and intercom parts.
I don't know just how "clean" it was on a technical basis, but the flue gases usually ran clear or slightly white when operating at the usual temperatures of about 325-375F burning mostly oak or hickory. The principle involved is that flues gases are routed through the bed of coals instead of off the top of the fire, thus burning off the particulates in the smoke. The only real problems I had were in dealing with the very high temps in the coal bed which was literally hell for some mild steel parts.
Matthew
I agree, there is way too much postured yap about what OS folks use, much less which specific distro, it's not a religion, of which there is also way to much...shut up Matt don't get yourself started. I rather enjoy upgrading or loading a new OS and mostly enjoy setting it up, as long as most stuff works pretty well on a basic level.Sure there are some annoyances but most current Linux do pretty well in this regard.
I have been using Linux on and off for about 10 years (since Caldera 1.0). During this time I ran OS/2 as my primary use OS. I have also ran various versions of Windows as required to keep current with my employers needs. I still do much the same, except that I now use Linux more and more for my personal use. I have moved my wife to Linux, which saves me the pain of reinstalling Windows every few months. I have not chosen to update OS/2 since IBM decided to extract blood via an expensive subscription service. The other so called upgrade path for OS/2, ecOS is also expensive and seems to be quite controversial on Usenet. Since my job no longer requires it I refuse to involve myself in the masochistic endeavor of paying hundreds to upgrade my rarely used copy of NT4 to XP.
On the other hand every few months I can hop onto eBay, and try a new flavor of Linux for chump change. The latest round involved checking out about 20 distros at a cost of less than one sixth the cost of upgrading OS/2 or Windows. I settled on Fedora Core4 for myself, and Mandrivia 10.2 for my wife, and passed several'live' distro CD's around for friends to try. I will definately spend five bucks or so to try Fedora Core 5 and for that fact 6 as soon as it hits eBay! I guess my grandmother was right "the best things in life are free", or at least cheap.
Matthew
I was also raised as a Christian, baptist. I remember being frightened by some of it, bored by most, puzzled by some parts and impressed by some as well. I believe it was about age nine of so that the puzzled parts generated questions nobody would answer to my satisfaction.
,a Mr John Porter, taught history, government, social studies in a manner that focused on the use of hypothetical formulation and testing as topical research methods. He rewarded spontaneous critical thinking with extra credit, used an interactive lecture rather than mote regurgitation of a book, always had an extra credit essay topic for tests. He used the idea of individual and group topical projects and graded on you use of well researched facts and the logic of your argument. I also had a psychology teacher a Mr Wendel Johnson who was also my principle. Wendel used similar methods as Mr Porter, in his own special way . He had a way of getting really into your mind very quickly and in a way that made you feel well you just trusted him, A rascal, bit of a ham who I don't believe ever once took himself too serious, I miss him, he died a few years back.
I don't buy that school makes or breaks critical thinkers, and I don't think that hearing conflicting (even idiotic) ideas poisons a FINE mind. For a duller mind it can be very influential. And lets face it there are more dimwits out there than geniuses.
I agree education is pretty much a mess anyways. My favorite high school teacher
I also had a screwed up high school experience despite the above mention teachers great efforts, most of it was as you described, useless or just too boring to stand. I quit or got expelled several times eventually finishing via a state colleges correspondence course ware, did not attend a graduation. I went to work, tech school and more work. Whether I am successful of not is a subjective issue but I also work in the tech field, a controls systems specialist for a health care foundation. Of course I would like more $, who wouldn't? I probably could have achieved a lot more in this regard, but I preform a critically needed service in a exception way. Anyhow I suspect a really good technician is better for the world than a bad nuclear physicist.
Matthew
The way I see it the best way to combat ignorance is with more information, not less. ID should not be banned, it should be taught, just not as science, and not exclusively. It is a world view crafted by a specific religious sect. Most do so in an effort to undermine those who they see as interfering and undermining with their control of the parent/child relationship. I have some understanding for their situation but no compassion for their actions because they by their actions are trying to exact the same on myself and in my view even worst, as their actions corrupt and undermine the logic of the scientific method.
I see a simple and logical fix for this situation.Comparative religion should be required from late elementary through undergrads as a subset of comparative philosophy. It should be taught in the same general manner as math, language skills, history and science, progressively more detailed and complex. These classes should be inclusive of all major philosophical ideologys, religions, and world views as well as a sampling of those less practiced. In fact much more attention should be required for teaching the great quest of philosophical discourse as expressed by Socrates' as "The unexamined life is not worth living". In the same tone, a comparative format for government, civics and political science should get a bit more time than say PE.
Successful civilizations are those best enabled to make use of the information of their time to discern the unknown before their competitors. Civilizations fail for various reasons but one base cause is to be bested by another better enabled competitor. I'll go for more information over less anytime as long as it pertains to the question at hand. What nature of creature are we? Why do we exist? Do we have a purpose? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What could such a purpose be? Of all we do not know, could some of it consist of other types of existence we are incapable of perceiving or understanding? All these are valid questions, some fall under the domain of scientific inquiry. For some we do not have the tools in our current scientific knowledge base to investigate properly. Some may be interpreted as valid questions for both philosophy and science.
However this does not means that philosophy should be taught as science or visa versa. Science is a toolkit for exploration of the universe. If some accept it as a philosophy they are distorting it's purpose, undermining its value as a tool and limiting their own knowledge base. Philosophy is an exploration of our existence and relationship to the universe. That science was born of philosophical inquires into logic and nature is not the issue. It has evolved into a logical method for the formation and testing of hypothetical, the testing part is required or it is not science.
A simple anthromorphic argument for our existence can be made from the same "evidence" as ID presents. Things are how they are, because thats how they have to be to exist they way they do. The THEORY of Evolution is not based on an anthromorphic argument, it is an investigation based on multitudes of individually trivial bits of information being assembled into logical sequences and patterns. It itself is evolving as our information increases.
As one with agnostic leanings I do not presume to know the mind of a God whose existence I am not sure of. But for all I know God one day noted, hey that some pretty nice looking pond scum there, wonder what I could evolve it into? For all I know we have a God given destiny to save the universe from itself. Time may tell, then again time may be not an issue at all. Heck, I for one am not sure if I love more the great mystery of the unknown or the revelations of the tidbits.
Matthew
The assertion that "The Black Death is believed to be carried by fleas on rats"may not be entirely factual. Some have looked at micro migration patterns and the general speed of transmission once a community was exposed and expressed doubt that the rat/flea vector was solely responsible. There is also a pneumonia mutation or variation of the plague that may be transfered directly between humans via airborne droplet, much like like another bacteria, TB or your common rhino viruses and influenensa. This could account for transmission where there were problems in the rat/flea only vector theory. As for the lethality of the plague, from what I remember reading there was some indication that its onset in a community came in multiple waves of individual high mortality, not in a evenly spaced manner. This may have been caused by variations like the pneumonia following the initial bubonic form or visa versa. Also as with many bacterium and virile it is possible that it could at times become dormant. Both of these would have acted to restrict its tendency to "burn out" quickly while eventually having horrendous high mortality numbers. Another issue is secondary diseases like influenesa, cholera or anthrax, etc may have contributed to the mortality rate. Overall I would have to agree with DrYak that if a disease can both cross infect birds, but is of low lethality to them, but terribly lethal to humans, given birds ability to fly and many birds tendency to migrate, we would likely be in serious trouble. Though I believe a contagion that merely affects humans with say a several day gestation before symptoms, treatment resistance and a high mortality rate we would easily do ourselves in without help from the birds. wilec
That's funny, it was the part that enticed me the most. I like the idea that I could power up (enhance? control?)the quantum dot LEDS emissions wirelessly with a laser. Seems this might be most handy. wilec
Yea "market value", right, can you make this any grayer, these values are typically manipulated downward in these issues. The "eminent domain" thread keeps popping out, I know US law addresses this issue, with an ugly draconian efficiency with the recent decisions. However since Roche is a Swiss company that may not mean not very much in Taiwan. I am not sure how the Swiss, Taiwan or probably most important international laws land on "eminent domain" issues. Of course since international law is set by appointed peons of an few faux elected pigeons and an corporate oliarchy I suspect the usual outcomes. I do feel that intellectual property deserves maybe different not necessarily any more consideration than real property. Anyway, that nations are dealing with these issues in such a form may be sign that the unregulated "greed is good" form of capitalism rampant in the world may have began hitting the limits of acceptance. The drug companies are some of the worst examples of this type of world view. And I have heard about enough malarkey about the "investments" made by corporate entities. Since these are 100+ tax deductible, the end cost to the corporate entity is less than zero. What really peeves me is the marketing costs are too, and more money falls down this black hole that anything with a real ROI. Light marketing industry regulation, and slippery kickback deals cost both the tax payer and the shareholders dearly. Plus I am sure R&D expenses are inflated as much as possible like all others. The end effect is most corporate entities actually end up being subsidized by taxpayers. Get corporate off welfare and the poor won't need it! Another issue, public university's do most of the high risk, low return baseline research anyway, sure they get some returns off the programs that should reduce burden on the taxpayer, I said SOME and SHOULD. I'm just happy its a European corporate thief this time. wilec
SciFi authors from Vern to Campbell to Roddenberry have mostly seen this as inevitable. They may miss the details but this genera of literature has a excellent record for divining the general direction. Note just how Orwellian the world has become in actions like CCTV survellience, drug testing, bioID and even in the inverted logic of the titles of corporate and government divisions. How about the tools of technology and warfare predicted by Verne and others. To expect that humankind, given its nature and history would NOT militarize space is silly. Matthew