That the Russians has a near unlimited supply of poor untrained peasants to fling at the enemy on mass does not say much for their strategy. If Germany had not made the bone headed move to invade Russia at the onset of one of the coldest winters in decades, the war would have turned out much differently. You also forget the AIR POWER that the Americans brought to bear on Germany's manufacturing cities and supply lines. Without manufacturing, the German war machine collapsed. It was American technological might that saved the world in WWII, not Russian brawn, which only resulted in millions more needless casualties on all sides.
The good news is that there will be more capacity in the next year or two, but the Egypt Revolution has held up development. I'm in Cairo and can thankfully say that bittorrent is working again! yay! =)
Getting the free computers (old computers at that) is the easy part.
Making use of those computers is the difficult part.
Where will the computers be stored? At the very least, they need to be in a secure room in the school, free from leaky roofs (especially during heavy rains), free of bugs (ants love computers!), and you'll need bars on the windows and a reinforced lockable door; Is there security at the school? What about electricity? Is a generator needed? Voltage stabilizers? Or will they be using solar panels and an inverter system?
Who will be appointed to manage the computer room? Do they need training?
Will there be internet access? How will that be paid for? You may be able to make a special deal with a local provider (large corps love to look good by giving back).
Again, what will the computers be used for? Do you need specific software? If there is no specified curriculum, the kids will just be browsing porn and playing games (teachers too!) Or they'll be using them for private reasons.
The key word here is sustainability. Its very easy to give a poor school some hand-me-down hardware, its much more difficult and challenging to turn it into something useful, sustainable, and create a place where children will actually learn something about information technology.
The point of Earth Hour is public awareness, to get people talking, thinking, discussing solutions. To experience one solitary hour without electricity exposes westerners to the daily hardship that billions around the world face due to lack of electricity. I'm here in Egypt, they currently have a 20% electricity generation deficit. This means that even though I may live in one of the best neighborhoods in Cairo, I experience low-shedding 1 hour every second day. My Earth Hour is every second day! So, can the hipster who doesn't have a clue who submitted this story, pull his head out of his self-important ass? You're either part of the problem, or part of the solution. Bitching about awareness of the inequality in the world as being a waste of time is being part of the problem.
There are all indications that the coming robotic revolution will usher in a new era of human peace and prosperity. Robots have no emotion, no bias. Imagine deploying a few hundred (or thousand) semi-autonomous robotic peacekeepers into a conflict zone. They maintain the peace 24/7, they never tire, they are alert and objective in their duties. War is traditionally an incredibly wasteful and expensive exercise. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan! $1 trillion and thousands of allied casualties. Deploy a robot army and watch the costs come down. No need for living quarters, no need of food or water, logistics becomes cheaper in every aspect.
Like them or loath them, Drones are incredibly efficient in what they do. They are very lethal, but they are precise. How many innocents died in the decades of embargo on Iraq and the subsequent large scale bombings under Bush? Estimates run into over 100,000. Use of drones in Libya, Mali, Yemen, Pakistan have reduced costs by hundreds of millions and prevented thousands of needless casualties. Drones are the future and the US has an edge that will not give up.
No kidding, as I am here in Cairo, Egypt, there are these piles of rocks known as the only remaining wonders of the ancient world. But no, it must have been aliens!
You think that everyone who will work in these fledgling Space corporations is going to have a PHD or be an engineer? They need practical people with practical, marketable skills. As a new industry, they need skilled people across the whole spectrum. Those who train up now will have an edge in this new job market.
Pakistan is a beautiful country, particularly in the North. And their food is fantastic, the people are hospitable. It is tragic that the government there has little desire or ability to keep a lid on these extremist wackos. Pakistan is indeed a dangerous country.
But think about it, here we are in the second decade of the 21st century, and we have notorious cyber terrorists hacking banking systems, wrecking havoc! It's like, the future man! Johnny Mnemonic here we come! Hack the planet!
IN SPACE! Come on man, this stuff would be perfect in space. Also once we modify ourselves to meld with the artificial, we'll be able to move beyond this pale blue dot.
Are you dumb or something? The US is the only country that can print its own money to infinity. It is literally impossible for the US to default, unlike say, USSR.
Oh come now. If you going to insult the OP, at least back up your rhetoric with something coherent. I think Russia is much happier being a middling power now made of of a handful of oligarchs. Much more manageable.
There are 350 million Arabs and Muslims in the MENA region, Israel with their ~6.5 million Jewish population is the clear aggressor, having killed thousands while also imprisoning over a million people in the world's largest prison. Inevitability dictates that the situation will not last much longer. Even apartheid South Africa lasted less than fifty years. The Arab Spring continues...
Slashdot Mirror
France also had many french fascist collaborators that assisted the Germans...
Oh god, excuse the poor spelling.
That the Russians has a near unlimited supply of poor untrained peasants to fling at the enemy on mass does not say much for their strategy. If Germany had not made the bone headed move to invade Russia at the onset of one of the coldest winters in decades, the war would have turned out much differently. You also forget the AIR POWER that the Americans brought to bear on Germany's manufacturing cities and supply lines. Without manufacturing, the German war machine collapsed. It was American technological might that saved the world in WWII, not Russian brawn, which only resulted in millions more needless casualties on all sides.
The good news is that there will be more capacity in the next year or two, but the Egypt Revolution has held up development. I'm in Cairo and can thankfully say that bittorrent is working again! yay! =)
Making use of those computers is the difficult part.
Where will the computers be stored? At the very least, they need to be in a secure room in the school, free from leaky roofs (especially during heavy rains), free of bugs (ants love computers!), and you'll need bars on the windows and a reinforced lockable door; Is there security at the school? What about electricity? Is a generator needed? Voltage stabilizers? Or will they be using solar panels and an inverter system? Who will be appointed to manage the computer room? Do they need training? Will there be internet access? How will that be paid for? You may be able to make a special deal with a local provider (large corps love to look good by giving back).
Again, what will the computers be used for? Do you need specific software? If there is no specified curriculum, the kids will just be browsing porn and playing games (teachers too!) Or they'll be using them for private reasons.
The key word here is sustainability. Its very easy to give a poor school some hand-me-down hardware, its much more difficult and challenging to turn it into something useful, sustainable, and create a place where children will actually learn something about information technology.
You speak the truth! Alberta goes from boom to bust.
The point of Earth Hour is public awareness, to get people talking, thinking, discussing solutions. To experience one solitary hour without electricity exposes westerners to the daily hardship that billions around the world face due to lack of electricity. I'm here in Egypt, they currently have a 20% electricity generation deficit. This means that even though I may live in one of the best neighborhoods in Cairo, I experience low-shedding 1 hour every second day. My Earth Hour is every second day! So, can the hipster who doesn't have a clue who submitted this story, pull his head out of his self-important ass? You're either part of the problem, or part of the solution. Bitching about awareness of the inequality in the world as being a waste of time is being part of the problem.
There are all indications that the coming robotic revolution will usher in a new era of human peace and prosperity. Robots have no emotion, no bias. Imagine deploying a few hundred (or thousand) semi-autonomous robotic peacekeepers into a conflict zone. They maintain the peace 24/7, they never tire, they are alert and objective in their duties. War is traditionally an incredibly wasteful and expensive exercise. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan! $1 trillion and thousands of allied casualties. Deploy a robot army and watch the costs come down. No need for living quarters, no need of food or water, logistics becomes cheaper in every aspect.
Like them or loath them, Drones are incredibly efficient in what they do. They are very lethal, but they are precise. How many innocents died in the decades of embargo on Iraq and the subsequent large scale bombings under Bush? Estimates run into over 100,000. Use of drones in Libya, Mali, Yemen, Pakistan have reduced costs by hundreds of millions and prevented thousands of needless casualties. Drones are the future and the US has an edge that will not give up.
Economics is not a science.
No kidding, as I am here in Cairo, Egypt, there are these piles of rocks known as the only remaining wonders of the ancient world. But no, it must have been aliens!
Here you go sir, one internet cookie with extra sprinkles!
You think that everyone who will work in these fledgling Space corporations is going to have a PHD or be an engineer? They need practical people with practical, marketable skills. As a new industry, they need skilled people across the whole spectrum. Those who train up now will have an edge in this new job market.
I would like to be a space logistics technician, or delivery boy.
It's a cover for the giant robot killer factory that lies beneath. ;)
I would be willing to pay a few tens of thousands of dollars to get SILENCE back.
100 billion planets and I have to be stuck on this one.
Too bad $60 billion of that will be siphoned off to slush funds and other nefarious activities.
Pakistan is a beautiful country, particularly in the North. And their food is fantastic, the people are hospitable. It is tragic that the government there has little desire or ability to keep a lid on these extremist wackos. Pakistan is indeed a dangerous country.
But think about it, here we are in the second decade of the 21st century, and we have notorious cyber terrorists hacking banking systems, wrecking havoc! It's like, the future man! Johnny Mnemonic here we come! Hack the planet!
IN SPACE! Come on man, this stuff would be perfect in space. Also once we modify ourselves to meld with the artificial, we'll be able to move beyond this pale blue dot.
Are you dumb or something? The US is the only country that can print its own money to infinity. It is literally impossible for the US to default, unlike say, USSR.
You're a sad little man Mr. Alex Belits.
Oh come now. If you going to insult the OP, at least back up your rhetoric with something coherent. I think Russia is much happier being a middling power now made of of a handful of oligarchs. Much more manageable.
There are 350 million Arabs and Muslims in the MENA region, Israel with their ~6.5 million Jewish population is the clear aggressor, having killed thousands while also imprisoning over a million people in the world's largest prison. Inevitability dictates that the situation will not last much longer. Even apartheid South Africa lasted less than fifty years. The Arab Spring continues...
When enough Israeli's quit succumbing to the psychology of victim's complex (or martyr's complex), they will have peace.