In the latest update the UK's dominant telco said:
BT was given clearance to access the tunnel at 21.00 on Monday night.
Teams have worked through the night getting equipment into the tunnel, and setting up power, lighting and ventilation systems.
Jointing on the first cables will begin shortly and will continue round the clock. Working conditions in the tunnel are poor, and we cannot say at this stage how long the whole process will take. As cables are brought back into service, service to customers will be gradually restored.
Separately we have set up alternative ducts between the two buildings and will be putting in fibre cable during the course of the day - once this is in place and operational (probably from tonight) this too will bring service back to customers.
We now have two banks of payphones in place (at Macclesfield and Prestbury) and we are continuing to work closely with the emergency authorities to reduce the impact on communities.
Its purpose was to resist a Hiroshima sized twenty-kiloton atom bomb, and preserve essential communications links even if the centre of Manchester had been flattened.
Doh.
Looking out my office window (Manchester city centre) I see plenty of buildings, but my ADSL at home is down. I think the Reg's suggestion that it "has brought chaos to the region as emergency services struggle to cope with a communication blackout" is a little far fetched. I don't think most people have even noticed.
Should probably be moded +5 insightful aswell. If it is proposed that life on earth could have started on Mars and been blasted here on a bit of rock, i don't see why the opposite couldn't have happened. It's quite feasable that life on mars is decended from bacteria on a stray rock from earth. The BBC article mentions there are bacteria here on earth that could live there:-
On Earth, there are organisms called methanogens - microbes that produce methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. These organisms do not need oxygen to thrive, and they are thought to be the type of microbes that could possibly live on Mars.
...it is kinda embarrasing for the US when Europe has to take charge... We're supposed to be the strongest, so why can't we deal with our own problems?
I think mainly because American politics is heavily dominated by the interest of big business, more so than any other country
I like your idea, but i'm not sure the analogy holds together. Taking the most important 3 organs for life in your body, the lungs, heart and brain. They are all enclosed in and protected by a very strong,rigid and fairly brittle material.
I think a lot of peoples reason for getting high speed internet is pornography.
The latest Tiscali broadband advert in the UK show a jpg downloading slowly one line at a time, showing what looks like an ass or breast being revield, then speeds up (demonstrating the broadband capacity) to show something innocent like 2 boiled eggs strategicly placed.
They might as well just say 'buy broadband to get faster porn'.
1m^3 has a mass of exactly 1 Tonne (Metric) by definition
1m^3 = 1.102 Short (US) Tons
1m^3 = 0.984 Long (Old UK) Tons
I'm amazed to see ppl on/. surprised at the weight of water. Over here in Europe where we use the metric system it's common knowledge 1000Kg=1Tonne=1m^3 as it's so easy to remember.
From link We have found that this works on all opaque candy made with sugar
Sounds like any sugar based sweet will work.
Besides why anyone would want to put a wintogreen lifesaver in there mouth is beyond me. For anyone who has ever been in a boys changing room before a rugby match in England....That is what they taste like.... 'Deep Heat'. Weird.
Speaking as an American, I have to say... yes, we are more ignorant than Europeans
As a Brit I would dearly like to agree with you wholeheartedly. However i feel i should introduce a little perspective.
Chances are that the brits and europeans that most Americans see, come from the upper-middle and upper classes. A well educated,well informed and generally nice bunch (the kind you would meet on a day trip to York minster). Of course there are also a large number of less well-off citizens who couldn't point North if you gave them a compass. These tend to come from areas (places like Burnley where about 40% of the local council is run by the ultra right wing BNP)where most Americans wouldn't go and they are unlikely to be able to scrape together the money for a cultural visit to the US.
In short we have our fair share of ignorant people, maybe just a few less than America:)
I know it's hitching a ride on another ship, but the comparison still holds that it cost a fraction of the price, and is going to do some groundbreaking (literally) science. I'm not sure if that is the cutting edge, but its certainly a cutting edge.
This is quite true, milk is sold in 0.234 and 0.568 litre cartons, sometimes they don't even mention that this is a pint. This is more to do with Europes love of SI than the Brits though
The most ammusing post i've seen in ages, wish there were more Northern Brits with mod points;-)
Re:So instead
on
Global Dimming
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
cloud seeding from aircraft exhaust
This is the exact thought that i had. I remember reading some analysis that said there was a significantly larger temperature range recorded due to the reduction in cloud cover over the US in the days following Sept 11th, as all the planes were grounded.Link
It makes sense that on average the increase in cloud would also reduce the solar radiation.Has anyone plotted, global flight hours of jet aircraft against year on year dimming effect? Sounds like a likely answer to me, especially as roughly speaking jet travel started in the early 50's and has grown steadily since.
For passengers train travel only makes sense over the time scale of 10mins to 3hours. Anything less makes more sense by bus and anything more might aswell be flown. In a country the scale of the US that limits trains to daily commuter journeys to the burbs and fast intercity links between not too distant cities. Not many will ever take the train NY->LA.
Freight is a different matter however. Especially if the cargo isn't perishable, transportation by plane over long distance makes no sense. It doesn't matter if it takes 3hrs or 3days to ship plastic widgets from x to y.
Ok aberystwyth Uni isn't top of the league tables. But to be fair, the guy who did the work is no doubt somewhat of an expert in the field, with good A levels and a good degree. Chances are that he thought it would be a laugh to work it out and get a lot of cheap publicity for his dept. More likely it is the Journo who hasn't got the faintest clue about science having completed a degree in media studies at Manchester Poly (oops I mean Metropolitain University;).
Besides, his target audiance is the general public.
A simple solution would be to wear earplugs while shopping.
That would have the added advantage of not being subliminaly guided to buy stuff by the background music they play. (See pdf
Suppose you'd have to choose the right music on your mp3 player though, else you might find yourself buying all sorts of stuff you don't want (sure someone will bypass my lack of wit and think a comedy examples)
When i was in the S of France this year there was a guy on the beachside with one of these printers. You picked up a stone off the beach designed a little picture/name/saying/whatever to be printed on it, and he burnt it into the stone there and then. It made cool personalised presents for all my friends.
What happens if a very light weight Solar sail, travelling at great speeds runs into a cloud of dust flying in the opposite direction?(Say from the tail of a comet, that could probably leave such a trail)
Would it just puncture holes through the sail. Or would the sail catch the particles slowing down and increasing it's mass in the process, making for a slugish sail.
I apologize in advance if this is stupid, but isn't what you're talking about exactly what SETI does?
The question is not at all stupid. SETI@Home does this
Well not quite. The distinction that needs making is that SETI@Home, etc. Is a parallel implimentation of a serial code. Whereas the GRID that CERN is talking about is a parallel implimentation of a parallel code, or even just a single parallel code. Where the calculations that are taking place are done on such huge datasets that they require thounsands of processors to work together on the problem.
So the code would split the calculations between the processors, but interprocessor communication would be an essential part of the program. Meaning that it could only be done on machines with fast interconnects, ie super-computers. Each of the computers in the GRID will have around a TFlop max output, and when there linked together, it should give some awesome power....
Slashdot Mirror
The Reg is carrying this as the latest update:-
In the latest update the UK's dominant telco said: BT was given clearance to access the tunnel at 21.00 on Monday night. Teams have worked through the night getting equipment into the tunnel, and setting up power, lighting and ventilation systems. Jointing on the first cables will begin shortly and will continue round the clock. Working conditions in the tunnel are poor, and we cannot say at this stage how long the whole process will take. As cables are brought back into service, service to customers will be gradually restored. Separately we have set up alternative ducts between the two buildings and will be putting in fibre cable during the course of the day - once this is in place and operational (probably from tonight) this too will bring service back to customers. We now have two banks of payphones in place (at Macclesfield and Prestbury) and we are continuing to work closely with the emergency authorities to reduce the impact on communities.
Engineer ordered to remove oxygen from tunnel, takes own initative before consulting line manager
Its purpose was to resist a Hiroshima sized twenty-kiloton atom bomb, and preserve essential communications links even if the centre of Manchester had been flattened.
Doh.
Looking out my office window (Manchester city centre) I see plenty of buildings, but my ADSL at home is down. I think the Reg's suggestion that it "has brought chaos to the region as emergency services struggle to cope with a communication blackout" is a little far fetched. I don't think most people have even noticed.
On the other hand, there's 2000 people in Moss Side with AK-47s.
Oy, i just bought a house in Moss Side... stop dissin the neighbourhood. I bet at tops there's only 20 ppl with AK's, don't exagerate :)
Seriously though i'd not be too worried about walking through Moss Side at night, I think places like Totenham are a lot more scary.
He who smelt it, dealt it.
Should probably be moded +5 insightful aswell. If it is proposed that life on earth could have started on Mars and been blasted here on a bit of rock, i don't see why the opposite couldn't have happened. It's quite feasable that life on mars is decended from bacteria on a stray rock from earth. The BBC article mentions there are bacteria here on earth that could live there:-
On Earth, there are organisms called methanogens - microbes that produce methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. These organisms do not need oxygen to thrive, and they are thought to be the type of microbes that could possibly live on Mars.
Ergo 'he who smelt it,dealt it'
I think mainly because American politics is heavily dominated by the interest of big business, more so than any other country
I like your idea, but i'm not sure the analogy holds together. Taking the most important 3 organs for life in your body, the lungs, heart and brain. They are all enclosed in and protected by a very strong,rigid and fairly brittle material.
What about an audio recording of a verbal contract? is that worth ferrous tape it's magnetised on?
with the possible exception of the telegraph
Morse code porn never did catch on
-... .-. . .- ... - ;o)
(Could have been more interesting without the /. junk character rules, /. is so 21st century centric:)
I think a lot of peoples reason for getting high speed internet is pornography.
The latest Tiscali broadband advert in the UK show a jpg downloading slowly one line at a time, showing what looks like an ass or breast being revield, then speeds up (demonstrating the broadband capacity) to show something innocent like 2 boiled eggs strategicly placed.
They might as well just say 'buy broadband to get faster porn'.
1m^3 has a mass of exactly 1 Tonne (Metric) by definition
1m^3 = 1.102 Short (US) Tons
1m^3 = 0.984 Long (Old UK) Tons
I'm amazed to see ppl on /. surprised at the weight of water. Over here in Europe where we use the metric system it's common knowledge 1000Kg=1Tonne=1m^3 as it's so easy to remember.
From link We have found that this works on all opaque candy made with sugar
Sounds like any sugar based sweet will work.
Besides why anyone would want to put a wintogreen lifesaver in there mouth is beyond me. For anyone who has ever been in a boys changing room before a rugby match in England....That is what they taste like .... 'Deep Heat'. Weird.
Speaking as an American, I have to say ... yes, we are more ignorant than Europeans
As a Brit I would dearly like to agree with you wholeheartedly. However i feel i should introduce a little perspective.
Chances are that the brits and europeans that most Americans see, come from the upper-middle and upper classes. A well educated,well informed and generally nice bunch (the kind you would meet on a day trip to York minster). Of course there are also a large number of less well-off citizens who couldn't point North if you gave them a compass. These tend to come from areas (places like Burnley where about 40% of the local council is run by the ultra right wing BNP)where most Americans wouldn't go and they are unlikely to be able to scrape together the money for a cultural visit to the US.
In short we have our fair share of ignorant people, maybe just a few less than America :)
Whether it was a waste of money or not estimate of the Apollo 13 mission cost is put at about 1 400 000 000 $ (1994 prices) Ref
Wheras the Beagle2 project cost 30 000 000 GBP (2003 prices)
I know it's hitching a ride on another ship, but the comparison still holds that it cost a fraction of the price, and is going to do some groundbreaking (literally) science. I'm not sure if that is the cutting edge, but its certainly a cutting edge.
This is quite true, milk is sold in 0.234 and 0.568 litre cartons, sometimes they don't even mention that this is a pint. This is more to do with Europes love of SI than the Brits though
The most ammusing post i've seen in ages, wish there were more Northern Brits with mod points ;-)
This is the exact thought that i had. I remember reading some analysis that said there was a significantly larger temperature range recorded due to the reduction in cloud cover over the US in the days following Sept 11th, as all the planes were grounded.Link
It makes sense that on average the increase in cloud would also reduce the solar radiation.Has anyone plotted, global flight hours of jet aircraft against year on year dimming effect? Sounds like a likely answer to me, especially as roughly speaking jet travel started in the early 50's and has grown steadily since.
Freight is a different matter however. Especially if the cargo isn't perishable, transportation by plane over long distance makes no sense. It doesn't matter if it takes 3hrs or 3days to ship plastic widgets from x to y.
Besides, his target audiance is the general public.
A simple solution would be to wear earplugs while shopping.
That would have the added advantage of not being subliminaly guided to buy stuff by the background music they play. (See pdf
Suppose you'd have to choose the right music on your mp3 player though, else you might find yourself buying all sorts of stuff you don't want (sure someone will bypass my lack of wit and think a comedy examples)
When i was in the S of France this year there was a guy on the beachside with one of these printers. You picked up a stone off the beach designed a little picture/name/saying/whatever to be printed on it, and he burnt it into the stone there and then. It made cool personalised presents for all my friends.
If you don't mind all ur a,b,d,e,o,p,q 's having holes in them then i don't see why not. So long as you don't put a border round everything ;)
1x10^3 W/m^2 times number of m^2 in city (~1x10^8m) ~= 1x10^11 W
1x10^8 W/m^2 times number of m^2 in laser(~1x10^-1) ~= 1x10^7 W
Ok you need a lot of solar panel...but the energy you get is immensly more even if they are only 1/4 as efficient
What happens if a very light weight Solar sail, travelling at great speeds runs into a cloud of dust flying in the opposite direction?(Say from the tail of a comet, that could probably leave such a trail)
Would it just puncture holes through the sail. Or would the sail catch the particles slowing down and increasing it's mass in the process, making for a slugish sail.
I apologize in advance if this is stupid, but isn't what you're talking about exactly what SETI does? The question is not at all stupid. SETI@Home does this
Well not quite. The distinction that needs making is that SETI@Home, etc. Is a parallel implimentation of a serial code. Whereas the GRID that CERN is talking about is a parallel implimentation of a parallel code, or even just a single parallel code. Where the calculations that are taking place are done on such huge datasets that they require thounsands of processors to work together on the problem.
So the code would split the calculations between the processors, but interprocessor communication would be an essential part of the program. Meaning that it could only be done on machines with fast interconnects, ie super-computers. Each of the computers in the GRID will have around a TFlop max output, and when there linked together, it should give some awesome power....
Just imagine a beowolf cluster of those things ;)