It's the high seas - international waters. Some fuckhead comes at you in a zodiac and opens up with his AK47? I can imagine the interview...
Q: So - you saw the boat approach. It had people inside and you could see they were armed. They opened fire with warning shots over your boat. You looked through the scope of your rifle at the shooter. What did you feel?
A: The recoil of my rifle.
If I was in a 30ft yacht or a 500m container ship, if someone approached my ship on the high seas, I would be VERY wary, and the instant anyone tried anything rash, I would instantly perforate them with overwhelming firepower, especially if I was in a small boat, as I would feel much more vulnerable. If I'm in a small private boat, I am NOT in the mood for taking visitors in the middle of the ocean of any size or variety and would consider ANY such visitor a threat. If I am in a giant commercial ship, I am ONLY interested in properly flagged and responding government vessels coming for a visit. The rest are either pirates or Darwinbait.
I completely agree. If you're in international waters, these idiots have whatever is coming to them. I think two of these would be more than sufficient to turn them into fish food.
Perhaps the most provocative implication of Garrett's theory is that conserving energy doesn't reduce energy use, but spurs economic growth and more energy use."
This was discovered a LONG time ago - like 1865. It's called Jevon's Paradox.
However, Jevon's (and Garrett) get turned upside down when energy sources deplete and costs for energy steadily increase. Then, the only way you can have economic growth IS through massive conservation, insofar as a society's base usage decreases faster than the net energy in the system does, thereby leaving a margin. This margin allows for "growth". As the system bumps up against depletion rates, the cost spikes and the economy contracts and energy use decreases again below depletion, allowing for more "growth". However, the total area under the growth curve is always decreasing as well - hence it is a "relative" growth. This relative growth needs to be put DIRECTLY into alternative energy systems, or you can kiss technical civilisation goodbye.
The sad part is, if we continue to demand absolute growth, and we do not create MASSIVE energy systems and mitigation systems, we'll drive civilisation right off a cliff. It'll make the movie "The Road" look like a documentary.
I love the Chinese people - very fine people, respect for education, pretty girls, good solid folks. But their government is crap, and has been crap for 100 years, and the current collection of power mad bullies running the joint are a bunch of asshats who deserve all the punishment and torture they meet out upon their rivals and those who seek to exercise their basic human rights as outlined in the UN Charter.
To the people of China: Welcome to the 21st century. We're glad you made it.
To the Chinese Government: FUCK YOU. YOU SCUM SUCKING FREAKS.
contribute to the decline. SF (often) comes from a techno-utopian world view of unlimited resources and unlimited growth. Present conditions seem to contradict that, and there is a greater awareness of the downside of industrialism. As a consequence, SF of a techno-utopian variety has less credibility.
And before a bunch of techno-utopians get their knickers in a bunch, I'm pointing out DEGREES of things, not some idiotic blinkered 1/0 true/false Bullcrap. Perceptions, whether true or false, are perceptions, and if people are seeing things like flat oil production since 2005, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out we're in deep doo doo.
I need to know how much of the internet is 1, and how much is 0.
That's a really good question. I'm betting that it's more nothing than something. But I wonder if the nothing is as big compared to the something as things are to the void.
Just use an uninterrupted power supply system. It can be built to draw current only when the batteries are low, and that can be programmed in, so that the actual draw of electricity is orthogonal to the use of the electricity. Think kind of like a Prius.
People forget the interweb thingie is international in scope and reach. As long as you speak the language of the locals, you can go make a mess and there is little anyone can do about it. Example: Some little douchebag in Miami might find a local chat group or BBS or blog or whatever in.... I dunno... New Zealand. And he'll go there and stink the place up and get a bunch of people pissed off, call them names and just generally act like an ass. EVEN IF the people in NZ find out his identity, there isn't jackshit they can do about it. Therefore, there is no real reason to go after some anonymous coward for being a dick. If that were possible, you'd see the traffic volume and level of stupidity here on slashdot drop a lot.
does that wind prediction system use? Including the manufacture and maintenance of the satellites? Take that value and subtract it from the total energy output.
Wind has a high Energy Return On Energy Invested (EROEI) but it's not as high as many people think. Similar to nuclear. Sure: X kilos of U generate gobs of power, but building, maintaining, decommissioning, and dismantling the plant and its waste is very energy intensive.
Slashdot Mirror
Q: So - you saw the boat approach. It had people inside and you could see they were armed. They opened fire with warning shots over your boat. You looked through the scope of your rifle at the shooter. What did you feel?
A: The recoil of my rifle.
If I was in a 30ft yacht or a 500m container ship, if someone approached my ship on the high seas, I would be VERY wary, and the instant anyone tried anything rash, I would instantly perforate them with overwhelming firepower, especially if I was in a small boat, as I would feel much more vulnerable. If I'm in a small private boat, I am NOT in the mood for taking visitors in the middle of the ocean of any size or variety and would consider ANY such visitor a threat. If I am in a giant commercial ship, I am ONLY interested in properly flagged and responding government vessels coming for a visit. The rest are either pirates or Darwinbait.
RS
Frankly, I think a 5 inch gun is a bit extreme - I think these would do well.
the presence of armed men in a small high speed boat cruising at you in an interception vector.
I completely agree. If you're in international waters, these idiots have whatever is coming to them. I think two of these would be more than sufficient to turn them into fish food.
I'm a bozo, aren't you?
And I am not a scam. The scam is the real estate branch of the business dept. Those fuckers should be in jail.
This was discovered a LONG time ago - like 1865. It's called Jevon's Paradox.
However, Jevon's (and Garrett) get turned upside down when energy sources deplete and costs for energy steadily increase. Then, the only way you can have economic growth IS through massive conservation, insofar as a society's base usage decreases faster than the net energy in the system does, thereby leaving a margin. This margin allows for "growth". As the system bumps up against depletion rates, the cost spikes and the economy contracts and energy use decreases again below depletion, allowing for more "growth". However, the total area under the growth curve is always decreasing as well - hence it is a "relative" growth. This relative growth needs to be put DIRECTLY into alternative energy systems, or you can kiss technical civilisation goodbye.
The sad part is, if we continue to demand absolute growth, and we do not create MASSIVE energy systems and mitigation systems, we'll drive civilisation right off a cliff. It'll make the movie "The Road" look like a documentary.
RS
no, just sci.astro in the 90s.
It's a tradition in Robotmaking - viz Maria from Metropolis.
Men build sexually arousing robots - mythologically it goes back to Pygmalion and Galatea.
When men pretend to be robots, it just comes off as ridiculous.
finnergenergenerg?
The universe is a giant plutonium atom. Archimedes told me so.
It's like what Handey said:
If you're walking down the street and a mannequin falls out of a window - go and catch it - after all, hey - it's a free dummy!
RS
I love the Chinese people - very fine people, respect for education, pretty girls, good solid folks. But their government is crap, and has been crap for 100 years, and the current collection of power mad bullies running the joint are a bunch of asshats who deserve all the punishment and torture they meet out upon their rivals and those who seek to exercise their basic human rights as outlined in the UN Charter.
To the people of China: Welcome to the 21st century. We're glad you made it.
To the Chinese Government: FUCK YOU. YOU SCUM SUCKING FREAKS.
RS
By the way - no amount of steel wool will clean the image of that video from your retinas. It's wonderful and terror inducing at the same time.
RS
is such a BITCH.
And before a bunch of techno-utopians get their knickers in a bunch, I'm pointing out DEGREES of things, not some idiotic blinkered 1/0 true/false Bullcrap. Perceptions, whether true or false, are perceptions, and if people are seeing things like flat oil production since 2005, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out we're in deep doo doo.
RS
That's a really good question. I'm betting that it's more nothing than something. But I wonder if the nothing is as big compared to the something as things are to the void.
We are Atlantis.
It doesn't weigh anything, ever. It has its servant do that.
Oh,
Of COURSE NOT. They let the NSA do that for them!
RS
bunch of arm-waving idiocy.
NEXT!
Given what is left of HP after the hurricane Carly destroyed the place.
live in another country.
People forget the interweb thingie is international in scope and reach. As long as you speak the language of the locals, you can go make a mess and there is little anyone can do about it. Example: Some little douchebag in Miami might find a local chat group or BBS or blog or whatever in.... I dunno... New Zealand. And he'll go there and stink the place up and get a bunch of people pissed off, call them names and just generally act like an ass. EVEN IF the people in NZ find out his identity, there isn't jackshit they can do about it. Therefore, there is no real reason to go after some anonymous coward for being a dick. If that were possible, you'd see the traffic volume and level of stupidity here on slashdot drop a lot.
Hmmmm... Maybe it is a good idea...
(joking)
RS
Wind has a high Energy Return On Energy Invested (EROEI) but it's not as high as many people think. Similar to nuclear. Sure: X kilos of U generate gobs of power, but building, maintaining, decommissioning, and dismantling the plant and its waste is very energy intensive.
RS
(quickly ducks)
RS