Another big RIGHT-ON to you and Matt and Cristophe and the other Pan contributors for making an excellent piece of software. You guys rule.
And a special thanks to you guys and Gabi for adding yEnc support so quickly.
Re:What has been done with them?
on
Soviet Moon Rocket
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Kistler had a project underway to create a re-usable launch vehicle. I thought it had gone belly-up, but according to the Kistler Aerospace web site, they expect to begin commercial operations next year (2003). It looks like maybe they got an infusion of NASA money, which is itself drying up, so their schedule might take a hit.
I've been watching Kistler with some interest for years now, and I continue to wish them all the best. Unlike some of the cranks and profiteers, they seem to be serious about making money in space.
How did you come by a check for $2.94? I thought all his bounty checks were powers of two.
In any case, you may now imagine my face turning green. Twice--once for each check. I burn with envy, a hard gem-like green flame.
I feel so insignificant. But wait, I have a genuine Grace Hopper nanosecond, handed to me by the admiral herself. Does that count? Any envy out there, huh, huh? Just a little? Nah, just not the same. I bow to your bug-finding prowess.
So basically they've decided to erradicate an entire species because they 'got in our way'.
You betcha. As Daniel Quinn has pointed out at length, the idea of wiping out anything that gets in our way is central to the majority of present-day human culture. Somewhat grim, and definitely not sustainable, but true.
Read Ishmael. Shudder. To mis-quote Ellison, sleep well, my heavy-metal babies.
Do you think that Esperanto would appeal much to Chinese speakers?
It sure would. China today is one of the most active locations for Esperanto. The magazine El Popola Chinio (From People's China) is one of the largest and most professionally-produced anywhere. The largest and most modern Esperanto dictionary is Zhang's recent Chinese-Esperanto dictionary. Chinese Esperantists probably outnumber their counterparts in the USA by a wide margin, though I have no data on this. By all accounts, the Chinese like Esperanto just fine!
Absolutely. However, there's a lot of visceral inertia (I can say that in public, can't I?) to overcome before most people will consider learning any other language. It's tied up pretty deeply in their personal and cultural identity. Witness the vitriolic attack by the (clearly under-informed) AC who replied to you first.
Personally, I think it's just fear. Fear by people who are used to being very competent at what they do, of being put in a situation where they aren't the Alpha for a while. I lucked out, picked up Esperanto in high school because I found it very geeky and I was a stone geek. All the other kids laughed, which was nothing new. I'm very glad I spent the amazingly short time to learn the basics; now I'm reading translated literature (some of it from Chinese!) at a fairly advanced level, with ease.
As for the attacker, sigh... I don't have the energy to form a proper rebuttal. I guess I'd note that Esperanto is the single biggest success story in the constructed-language world, the longest-lived, and its speakers have increased in numbers pretty steadily since the beginning. But don't take my word for it (and if geeks are reading this, they won't), see for yourself. Those links were good; here are some others:
That being said, I couldn't help but get the impression that Bush didn't rise to the occasion on his public
statements. The first one I heard on the radio sounded hollow, not heartfelt, almost as if he was still in
campaign mode, using buzzwords, making calculated references to his religion.
Yeah, I felt the same way. Could be explained by the presumption that he's in total shock and denial--a new prez, and suddenly the biggest home-soil strike this country has ever experienced, on his watch. I know I'd be piss-kneed.
But the most curious thing about Bush that I saw was a very brief clip of him being told the news as he was reading to children in Florida. Of all the clips they've been showing over and over all day, that one I saw only once. Since then, they've just been describing it verbally.
The oddest thing is, the verbal descriptions all said that Bush was "visibly shaken." Um, not in the clip I saw. In point of fact, the look on his face said only one thing to me: "Oh, that was today??"
Not that our new government would ever have any role in such a heinous act, no-o-o-o.
Right, but Sorenson claims they can't release the codec because Apple won't let them. Of course, Apple is quick to note that the codec belongs to Sorenson. How convenient! Since they leave it to me to decide who's gumming up the works, I choose Apple.
... the result of that war has been settled & done with.
Funny, that's what everyone, and I do mean everyone, was saying about Netscape in 1995, '96, and '97--that the war was over, and Netscape had won. Nothing is forever, not even a diamond, and certainly not Microsoft.
I am reminded of the scene in the movie Amadeus where a "musical authority" is looking at one of the then-unknown Mozart's compositions. His opinion: "Too many notes." Um, yeah, whatever you say, chief.
The definitive point is made by Wired themselves, on the third "page" of the article. They note that they are making this change "despite conventional wisdom". Sorry, guys, conventional wisdom is the language, in the case of languages like English without a Central Authority. Donald Knuth is right, Wired is wrong--it's "email".
Actually, that was just the third one of this mission. It's like the 40th or 50th (?) spacewalk of the US space program overall. And they did two or three walks on the mission a few weeks ago. I may be wrong, but I think every shuttle visit to ISS so far has involved at least one EVA.
Okay, CyberCandy doesn't let you buy "candy from around the world", it lets people from around the world (or at least from the UK) buy candy from the USA. Well, darn--I can get that at the corner store. I was really hoping for someplace where I could buy Violet Crumbles. If those aren't The Perfect Candy Bar, lord take me now.
And he's a perfect illustration of the fact, abundantly illustrated throughout history by geniuses greater and smaller than Mr. Metcalfe, that being a genius doesn't prevent you from being a crank, from holding firm to ideas that the rest of us consider, well, odd, to put the most charitable face on it.
I respect a lot of what Mr. Metcalfe has to say. And I consider a lot of what he says to be pure bunk. He'd probably think the same of me if he knew me. Such is life.
The info on interlingua.com is biased as well as esperanto.org...
Too true! As I mentioned in another post, language is similar to religion in the fervent, deep-seated (not to say irrational) conviction it inspires in people. And that's understandable--speech is usually one of the first truly complex things a human learns in his or her life, and it's closely tied to personal identity. Threaten, or even question, someone's language, and they usually react as if you had attacked them personally.
I have no personal animosity toward Interlingua, but historically it has been promoted mostly as a reaction (and alternative) to Esperanto, not as a language whose individual characteristics merit its existence. The Interlingua folks probably had/have good reasons for promoting the language, but I haven't heard any persuasive ones. I shall similarly research it at the site you give, however. Fermita menso naskigas senvaloran frukton!
Esperanto advocacy groups say that almost every day. And almost every time they say it, they get shouted down. The world will take to Esperanto when it's ready for it, not before. You can't force people to change a belief this fundamental. Esperanto advocacy groups know that beliefs about language border on the religious--strongly held, not logic-based, and seldom changed by external pressure.
I keep hoping that the 'net will help people realize that their own language isn't universal, but judging from most of the posts on this story, that will take, um, quite some time. I'm fairly certain that an international auxiliary language will eventually be adopted; whether the world chooses to take advantage of the work already done on Esperanto, or decides to start afresh, I cannot say.
In any case, go here or here for some starting points in learning about La Lingvo Internacia.
Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not know, so cannot say. -- Zathras.
Slashdot Mirror
Why didn't I think of that?! Now, whenever I'm ready to stand up or walk, I'll announce in a loud voice, "I'm about to move. Please stand clear!"
All I'll need is one of those alarms that goes beep-beep-beep when I back up, and I'll be all set!
Another big RIGHT-ON to you and Matt and Cristophe and the other Pan contributors for making an excellent piece of software. You guys rule.
And a special thanks to you guys and Gabi for adding yEnc support so quickly.
Kistler had a project underway to create a re-usable launch vehicle. I thought it had gone belly-up, but according to the Kistler Aerospace web site, they expect to begin commercial operations next year (2003). It looks like maybe they got an infusion of NASA money, which is itself drying up, so their schedule might take a hit.
I've been watching Kistler with some interest for years now, and I continue to wish them all the best. Unlike some of the cranks and profiteers, they seem to be serious about making money in space.
To cash my two Knuth checks: $2.94 + $2.56
How did you come by a check for $2.94? I thought all his bounty checks were powers of two.
In any case, you may now imagine my face turning green. Twice--once for each check. I burn with envy, a hard gem-like green flame.
I feel so insignificant. But wait, I have a genuine Grace Hopper nanosecond, handed to me by the admiral herself. Does that count? Any envy out there, huh, huh? Just a little? Nah, just not the same. I bow to your bug-finding prowess.
So basically they've decided to erradicate an entire species because they 'got in our way'.
You betcha. As Daniel Quinn has pointed out at length, the idea of wiping out anything that gets in our way is central to the majority of present-day human culture. Somewhat grim, and definitely not sustainable, but true.
Read Ishmael. Shudder. To mis-quote Ellison, sleep well, my heavy-metal babies.
Ho, me man, me man ... don'tcha be tellin a group of angry hackers that they can't do something ...
"Away ... from ... computer"? What is this of which you speak? Your words fall strangely on my ears, good sir.
Do you think that Esperanto would appeal much to Chinese speakers?
It sure would. China today is one of the most active locations for Esperanto. The magazine El Popola Chinio (From People's China) is one of the largest and most professionally-produced anywhere. The largest and most modern Esperanto dictionary is Zhang's recent Chinese-Esperanto dictionary. Chinese Esperantists probably outnumber their counterparts in the USA by a wide margin, though I have no data on this. By all accounts, the Chinese like Esperanto just fine!
Absolutely. However, there's a lot of visceral inertia (I can say that in public, can't I?) to overcome before most people will consider learning any other language. It's tied up pretty deeply in their personal and cultural identity. Witness the vitriolic attack by the (clearly under-informed) AC who replied to you first.
Personally, I think it's just fear. Fear by people who are used to being very competent at what they do, of being put in a situation where they aren't the Alpha for a while. I lucked out, picked up Esperanto in high school because I found it very geeky and I was a stone geek. All the other kids laughed, which was nothing new. I'm very glad I spent the amazingly short time to learn the basics; now I'm reading translated literature (some of it from Chinese!) at a fairly advanced level, with ease.
As for the attacker, sigh ... I don't have the energy to form a proper rebuttal. I guess I'd note that Esperanto is the single biggest success story in the constructed-language world, the longest-lived, and its speakers have increased in numbers pretty steadily since the beginning. But don't take my word for it (and if geeks are reading this, they won't), see for yourself. Those links were good; here are some others:
Iru. Jenu. Lernu. Ghuu.
Cuz it's not just a foot, it's a stylized letter "G", for GNOME.
(If we started using backward letters, Toys Backward-R Us would sue so fast ...)
That being said, I couldn't help but get the impression that Bush didn't rise to the occasion on his public statements. The first one I heard on the radio sounded hollow, not heartfelt, almost as if he was still in campaign mode, using buzzwords, making calculated references to his religion.
Yeah, I felt the same way. Could be explained by the presumption that he's in total shock and denial--a new prez, and suddenly the biggest home-soil strike this country has ever experienced, on his watch. I know I'd be piss-kneed.
But the most curious thing about Bush that I saw was a very brief clip of him being told the news as he was reading to children in Florida. Of all the clips they've been showing over and over all day, that one I saw only once. Since then, they've just been describing it verbally.
The oddest thing is, the verbal descriptions all said that Bush was "visibly shaken." Um, not in the clip I saw. In point of fact, the look on his face said only one thing to me: "Oh, that was today??"
Not that our new government would ever have any role in such a heinous act, no-o-o-o.
I second the emotion. I laughed so hard I almost shit myself. Unlike Lucas, I'd have had to use plain old bog paper.
StaticEngine, you da man!
Asimov probably said it more than once, but the quote is usually attributed to Arthur C. Clarke.
Right, but Sorenson claims they can't release the codec because Apple won't let them. Of course, Apple is quick to note that the codec belongs to Sorenson. How convenient! Since they leave it to me to decide who's gumming up the works, I choose Apple.
Sure would be nice to be able to play Sorenson-encoded Quicktime movies on my Linux box. Heck, I'd even install *BSD if that's what it took.
I'd wager that the folks who contribute to the Internet Ray Tracing Competition feel that what they do is fine art. Sure looks like art to me.
Funny, that's what everyone, and I do mean everyone, was saying about Netscape in 1995, '96, and '97--that the war was over, and Netscape had won. Nothing is forever, not even a diamond, and certainly not Microsoft.
I am reminded of the scene in the movie Amadeus where a "musical authority" is looking at one of the then-unknown Mozart's compositions. His opinion: "Too many notes." Um, yeah, whatever you say, chief.
"Aww, he's no fun ... he fell right over!"
The definitive point is made by Wired themselves, on the third "page" of the article. They note that they are making this change "despite conventional wisdom". Sorry, guys, conventional wisdom is the language, in the case of languages like English without a Central Authority. Donald Knuth is right, Wired is wrong--it's "email".
Actually, that was just the third one of this mission. It's like the 40th or 50th (?) spacewalk of the US space program overall. And they did two or three walks on the mission a few weeks ago. I may be wrong, but I think every shuttle visit to ISS so far has involved at least one EVA.
Okay, CyberCandy doesn't let you buy "candy from around the world", it lets people from around the world (or at least from the UK) buy candy from the USA. Well, darn--I can get that at the corner store. I was really hoping for someplace where I could buy Violet Crumbles. If those aren't The Perfect Candy Bar, lord take me now.
I'll say it again: Bob Metcalfe is a genius.
And he's a perfect illustration of the fact, abundantly illustrated throughout history by geniuses greater and smaller than Mr. Metcalfe, that being a genius doesn't prevent you from being a crank, from holding firm to ideas that the rest of us consider, well, odd, to put the most charitable face on it.
I respect a lot of what Mr. Metcalfe has to say. And I consider a lot of what he says to be pure bunk. He'd probably think the same of me if he knew me. Such is life.
The info on interlingua.com is biased as well as esperanto.org ...
Too true! As I mentioned in another post, language is similar to religion in the fervent, deep-seated (not to say irrational) conviction it inspires in people. And that's understandable--speech is usually one of the first truly complex things a human learns in his or her life, and it's closely tied to personal identity. Threaten, or even question, someone's language, and they usually react as if you had attacked them personally.
I have no personal animosity toward Interlingua, but historically it has been promoted mostly as a reaction (and alternative) to Esperanto, not as a language whose individual characteristics merit its existence. The Interlingua folks probably had/have good reasons for promoting the language, but I haven't heard any persuasive ones. I shall similarly research it at the site you give, however. Fermita menso naskigas senvaloran frukton!
Esperanto advocacy groups say that almost every day. And almost every time they say it, they get shouted down. The world will take to Esperanto when it's ready for it, not before. You can't force people to change a belief this fundamental. Esperanto advocacy groups know that beliefs about language border on the religious--strongly held, not logic-based, and seldom changed by external pressure.
I keep hoping that the 'net will help people realize that their own language isn't universal, but judging from most of the posts on this story, that will take, um, quite some time. I'm fairly certain that an international auxiliary language will eventually be adopted; whether the world chooses to take advantage of the work already done on Esperanto, or decides to start afresh, I cannot say.
In any case, go here or here for some starting points in learning about La Lingvo Internacia.
Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not know, so cannot say. -- Zathras.