This idea is so batshit crazy...I think we should do it. I don't even care whether it works as advertised. The Great Wall of China will pale in comparison.
You unjustly honor the term 'pirate' when you apply it to someone whose crime was facilitating communication.
(And on that euphemistic note...)
I'll have you know real actual piracy is quite the honorable career. What nobler pursuit than redistribution of wealth? Even most current governments know this.
though the time compression idea to make long timeframes a bit more comprehensible loses its usefulness with ludicrously long timeframes. By the author's own admission, at that point "the difference between “regular” years and Universe years isn’t so big". Chances are you won't find 10^140 much easier to grasp than 10^150.
I'd like to see a logarithmic representation all the way out, sort of a temporal version of Powers of Ten.
Everyone lives their own life, regardless of how much one's parent(s) try to foist their own childhood onto them. We each develop our own sense of nostalgia, which (unless one's parents go to unusual lengths to insulate one from society) will likely be influenced much more by pop culture/technology contemporary to their own formative years than the previous generation's.
That being said, the desire to expose one's kid to the cool stuff you loved as a kid is a strong one, one that I too feel sometimes. For many people, childhood through about 12 or so is the setting for some of their fondest memories, and sharing those memories with your offspring can seem like a way to relive and rekindle the magic of those times. Besides, do you really expect to cram an entire generation's worth of stuff into your kid's childhood? Might as well not force the issue and overdo it, lest they grow tired of or even come to loathe your fascinations. Let your kid(s) live in the now, but give them just a taste now and then of what you enjoyed at their age; maybe let them "catch" you playing some old game or something on an emulator (or even drag out the old NES etc). If they are intrigued, they'll seek out more on their own. But be sure to spend ample time doing with them things that they like.
(Though I don't exactly know why, I do somewhat contradict myself when it comes to Star Wars; I'm pretty firmly in the originals-first-then-prequels camp.)
You have amusingly confused a lower quality PSU to a much higher quality one
I agree with your post in essence, but take exception to your word choice here; PSU power rating does not determine quality. As it's generally accepted that PSU's are most efficient when under moderately heavy load relative to its rated maximum (the sweet spot of course varies) high quality PSU's exist in a range of power ratings to accommodate a range of load needs. It makes little sense to throw a 1500W-capable PSU at a system that will never peak over 450W.
I share your regret that stuff like this doesn't provoke more excitement. I think in some ways science (like so many things in life) can be a victim of its own success. For example, the proliferation of gorgeous space photos resulting from HST has had a spoiling effect on the populace. To many, pretty space pictures like this have been a dime a dozen for over 20 years; its uniqueness is lost on the unwashed masses (and even many of us nerds). The same thing happened with the shuttle; at first, launches were heralded events; eventually, the novelty wore off and the majority of the populace probably couldn't even tell you if a shuttle was in orbit at any given moment. I reckon many have no insights to contribute on this beyond "cool photo is cool", which doesn't make for compelling, thoughtful conversation.
In stark contrast, were this a story about space policy or budgeting or something going wrong (ie a disaster) or how things should/could/would be, you'd have no shortage of opinions.
Plus I think we've been in a sort of space doldrums since the shuttle retirement (the ascension of space privatization notwithstanding) and I bet when Orion/SLS take off (pun unintended) things will pick up. When Cosmos aired, it was uniquely positioned to inspire many to wonder about their universe. Now we have entire channels (albeit often locked away in expensive upper cable tiers) dedicated to science. I don't know, maybe Neil deGrasse Tyson's Cosmos sequel will help rekindle some of that scientific wonder.
I dunno about other Citrix products, but in my experience Xenapp blows. Overly long application launch times, force quitting an ornery app causes a server disconnect (thereby force quitting all its apps), clipboard gets out of sync between local device and the server (or between servers)...and (though I imagine it's just a setting in which case I can blame my company for the policy) auto-disconnect after about 35 minutes of inactivity, which likewise closes all served apps - no saving your work.
I wouldn't mind if Google focused at least some effort on improving search, such as
- make domain clustering optional (like it used to be: initially present all results within a given domain as "one" result, with a breakout link to show all results from just that domain; maybe display PageRank (*gasp*) to indicate that there are multiple "authoritative/popular" pages within a given domain);
- add more powerful advanced search options. Something like "search for 'X', but don't count instances of X that are part of the phrase 'X Y'." For example I want to search for word X, but I'm not interested in instances of unrelated phrase "X Y", however some pages that contain "X Y" might also have some relevant info regarding "X", so I would want to see those pages, but only ranked highly if "X" is prevalent in the page, not "X Y". As far as I'm aware Google currently offers no way to do this.
That gives me an idea I hadn't thought of before. Microsoft has never sought to convert the masses, convincing them to fall in love the company of their own free will (ostensibly) - that's Apple's game. No, they've always just sought to dominate.
I hereby submit that Slashdot's Microsoft icon (Gates Borg) be replaced with Gates Saruman. The Apple icon should really be Jobs Borg (he didn't die, he was just fully assimilated).
Technological progress has tended to result in miniaturization. While courtesy can be demanded with something obvious like Glass and bluetooth headsets, the same cannot be said for pen recorders or other extremely inconspicuous recording devices that current technology has already made possible. Things that were once only within the realm of Mission: Impossible and government-funded espionage are becoming commercially-available everyday items. It's only a matter of time before we see (hear!) headsets the size of a tiny in-ear hearing aid. What happens when technology advances to the point that we have Google Contact Lenses? Or even ocular implants? Then, how will one know whether they are being recorded?
Since long before Google Glass was conceived, (nearly) every human has come with a built-in, always-on, inconspicuous recording system. Whenever you're within sight or hearing (or even smell) of another, you are - not may be - being recorded. The difference is technology allows for a much more reliable replay function (as opposed to the human memory, which for most people is not all that great). Sooner or later we will have to come to terms with that fact.
Given how readily people exchange privacy (and even relative anonymity) for security/utility/titillation/social chatter, I expect society will become desensitized to omnipresent recording long before personal always-on artificial recording devices become ubiquitous. But I don't see that as necessarily a bad thing. I'm optimistic that we will endure and even manage to flourish as we explore the technological frontier.
I hope they're the ones that did it, because whether they are or not, in the eyes of a public starving for villains to blame they're now as good as guilty.
Slashdot Mirror
You and I must be planets then.
This idea is so batshit crazy...I think we should do it. I don't even care whether it works as advertised. The Great Wall of China will pale in comparison.
This could be our Apollo.
*sheds
If it shed light it would be the world's biggest fucking flashlight.
I fail to see how a Fleshlight shed's light.
You unjustly honor the term 'pirate' when you apply it to someone whose crime was facilitating communication.
(And on that euphemistic note...)
I'll have you know real actual piracy is quite the honorable career. What nobler pursuit than redistribution of wealth? Even most current governments know this.
I've discovered quite an amazing amount of sexual diversity through Google. Much of which is also racially diverse.
Well this is what happens when we delve too greedily, too deep. We awaken things.
/*Mood Alarm Trigger Event*/
If mood=="horny" and activeApplicationType==browser
AlertMaritalUnit()
though the time compression idea to make long timeframes a bit more comprehensible loses its usefulness with ludicrously long timeframes. By the author's own admission, at that point "the difference between “regular” years and Universe years isn’t so big". Chances are you won't find 10^140 much easier to grasp than 10^150.
I'd like to see a logarithmic representation all the way out, sort of a temporal version of Powers of Ten.
After all, they say "do what you know"...
Everyone lives their own life, regardless of how much one's parent(s) try to foist their own childhood onto them. We each develop our own sense of nostalgia, which (unless one's parents go to unusual lengths to insulate one from society) will likely be influenced much more by pop culture/technology contemporary to their own formative years than the previous generation's.
That being said, the desire to expose one's kid to the cool stuff you loved as a kid is a strong one, one that I too feel sometimes. For many people, childhood through about 12 or so is the setting for some of their fondest memories, and sharing those memories with your offspring can seem like a way to relive and rekindle the magic of those times. Besides, do you really expect to cram an entire generation's worth of stuff into your kid's childhood? Might as well not force the issue and overdo it, lest they grow tired of or even come to loathe your fascinations. Let your kid(s) live in the now, but give them just a taste now and then of what you enjoyed at their age; maybe let them "catch" you playing some old game or something on an emulator (or even drag out the old NES etc). If they are intrigued, they'll seek out more on their own. But be sure to spend ample time doing with them things that they like.
(Though I don't exactly know why, I do somewhat contradict myself when it comes to Star Wars; I'm pretty firmly in the originals-first-then-prequels camp.)
You have amusingly confused a lower quality PSU to a much higher quality one
I agree with your post in essence, but take exception to your word choice here; PSU power rating does not determine quality. As it's generally accepted that PSU's are most efficient when under moderately heavy load relative to its rated maximum (the sweet spot of course varies) high quality PSU's exist in a range of power ratings to accommodate a range of load needs. It makes little sense to throw a 1500W-capable PSU at a system that will never peak over 450W.
In stark contrast, were this a story about space policy or budgeting or something going wrong (ie a disaster) or how things should/could/would be, you'd have no shortage of opinions.
Plus I think we've been in a sort of space doldrums since the shuttle retirement (the ascension of space privatization notwithstanding) and I bet when Orion/SLS take off (pun unintended) things will pick up. When Cosmos aired, it was uniquely positioned to inspire many to wonder about their universe. Now we have entire channels (albeit often locked away in expensive upper cable tiers) dedicated to science. I don't know, maybe Neil deGrasse Tyson's Cosmos sequel will help rekindle some of that scientific wonder.
if somebody leaks that database
I better get started downloading then; at my typical speeds, it's going to take 32,000 years to get a copy.
While I agree with you, pray tell just how might one go about copying (let alone leaking) a multi-exabyte database?
I guess one is not allowed to call something a "change" unless it is a radical alteration then?
We came up with the modern national park (Yosemite was the first)
Surely you meant Yellowstone?
I dunno about other Citrix products, but in my experience Xenapp blows. Overly long application launch times, force quitting an ornery app causes a server disconnect (thereby force quitting all its apps), clipboard gets out of sync between local device and the server (or between servers)...and (though I imagine it's just a setting in which case I can blame my company for the policy) auto-disconnect after about 35 minutes of inactivity, which likewise closes all served apps - no saving your work.
In short, the cause of multiple headaches daily.
The premise is based on an incorrect look at human history.
Some people might beg to differ.
Maybe not incorrect, so much as incomplete.
ONE tool to do it all
That gives me an idea I hadn't thought of before. Microsoft has never sought to convert the masses, convincing them to fall in love the company of their own free will (ostensibly) - that's Apple's game. No, they've always just sought to dominate.
I hereby submit that Slashdot's Microsoft icon (Gates Borg) be replaced with Gates Saruman. The Apple icon should really be Jobs Borg (he didn't die, he was just fully assimilated).
Their stated goal for the Xbox One is to have a single device provide "all of your entertainment."
it will not be backward-compatible with Xbox 360 games
These two statements are mutually exclusive.
Technological progress has tended to result in miniaturization. While courtesy can be demanded with something obvious like Glass and bluetooth headsets, the same cannot be said for pen recorders or other extremely inconspicuous recording devices that current technology has already made possible. Things that were once only within the realm of Mission: Impossible and government-funded espionage are becoming commercially-available everyday items. It's only a matter of time before we see (hear!) headsets the size of a tiny in-ear hearing aid. What happens when technology advances to the point that we have Google Contact Lenses? Or even ocular implants? Then, how will one know whether they are being recorded?
Since long before Google Glass was conceived, (nearly) every human has come with a built-in, always-on, inconspicuous recording system. Whenever you're within sight or hearing (or even smell) of another, you are - not may be - being recorded. The difference is technology allows for a much more reliable replay function (as opposed to the human memory, which for most people is not all that great). Sooner or later we will have to come to terms with that fact.
Given how readily people exchange privacy (and even relative anonymity) for security/utility/titillation/social chatter, I expect society will become desensitized to omnipresent recording long before personal always-on artificial recording devices become ubiquitous. But I don't see that as necessarily a bad thing. I'm optimistic that we will endure and even manage to flourish as we explore the technological frontier.
Except then the corps would just invent a way to turn locals into lobbyists, through incentives or what have you.
I hope they're the ones that did it, because whether they are or not, in the eyes of a public starving for villains to blame they're now as good as guilty.
Why buy one, when you can have two for twice the price?