What a sad, short-sighted view of our destiny as a species. To me it seems perfectly obvious that if we stay on this planet, and only this planet, long enough that our chance of extinction is 100%. Since "long enough" is quite variable, I would place getting off this rock at the top of the priority list.
Unless, of course, you believe that the FSM is going to whisk you away to paradise while the rest of us queue up for the lake of fire.
Anybody else of the opinion that RealNetworks isn't in a position to be giving advice to anyone? They totally squandered the brand recognition they once enjoyed, though IMHO that has more to do with poor marketing decisions than technological weaknesses.
I don't deny that that the Space Shuttle is a marvel of engineering, but scaling it down to the point where it could fit under by a YB-type carrier AND carry a decent payload just doesn't seem feasible, unless the Air Force has already mastered hypersonic flight with scramjets.
I *want* to believe, but I doubt seriously if we have achieved this just yet.
It would take a major breakthrough in fuel technology and/or hypersonic flight to make it from 100,000 ft. to 300 miles, even starting at mach 3. A craft the size of this hypothetical spaceplane would need a huge amount of fuel for that, not to mention heavy heat shielding a la the STS.
I'm betting the NRO has found much cheaper methods of quietly getting satellites into unannounced orbits.
If you're looking for something compact, rugged and with a decent screen, the Garmin 60CS would be a good choice. I've had mine for two years and have put it through hell - backcountry hiking, sailing, flying, dousing it in mud, beer and water (it's waterproof.) The screen is small but readable in just about any lighting condition (great in direct sun!)
My only complaint with Garmin is the expense of the maps, but I've yet to see much serious competition as far as hardware goes.
Space travel isn't safe. From its inception it has been inherently unsafe, due to the extreme technical challenges involved. Of course NASA should to the best it can to minimize the risks, but spaceflight may never be as safe as modern airliners. Does that mean we should give up on manned spaceflight?
If we convince ourselves that we should, then our species deserves the eventual extinction that will be its fate. The long-term survival of our species depends on conquring spaceflight, because sooner or later our planet WILL become inhospitable, for one reason or another. I for one hope we're all over the galaxy by then.
You, sir, are full of it. I edit code with Dreamweaver every day, and find it perfectly stable and, if used properly, compliant. Let me guess: you're a Quanta+ developer. I would love to see OSS catch on in a big way but the truth is: in the business world it's like trying to sell a new car without a warranty.
Most assuredly - from humvees to workstations, people always want what other people don't have. In the case of computers it's been my experience that the users who care the most about getting the "newest version" are the ones who know the least about the version they're using. My parents harrassed me for weeks until I drove up to help them "upgrade" from AOL 7 to 8. What was the rush?
Sadly, I seriously doubt that the OS marketplace will differ much in 2006. The Microsoft gorilla is still giving the majority of users what they want, at a lower cost and with fewer "hassles" than the competition.
Given a choice, most people will use whatever looks the most like what they used to use. People like my parents don't give a fig what OS they're running as long as they can get easy support when they need it. Like many similar users, they don't like change being forced upon them, even if it means new features or better security.
Appealing to the lowest common denominator is the only way I see to give M$ some actual competition. Go Lindows!
I agree with many of you that this is a poor way to spend a large amount of taxpayer dollars, BUT - if these kids are going to get laptops it only makes sense that they get familiar with the operating system that 95% of them will be using in their future jobs: M$ Windows. As much as we may wish otherwise, if you work in an office you're probably using a Wintel PC (unless you're a/. reader, of course).
As far as administration, which is easier to find: a compentent M$ network admin or someone who can network OSX?
Just my $.02
Slashdot Mirror
It's a trap! (sorry, couldn't resist)
What a sad, short-sighted view of our destiny as a species. To me it seems perfectly obvious that if we stay on this planet, and only this planet, long enough that our chance of extinction is 100%. Since "long enough" is quite variable, I would place getting off this rock at the top of the priority list.
Unless, of course, you believe that the FSM is going to whisk you away to paradise while the rest of us queue up for the lake of fire.
Anybody else of the opinion that RealNetworks isn't in a position to be giving advice to anyone? They totally squandered the brand recognition they once enjoyed, though IMHO that has more to do with poor marketing decisions than technological weaknesses.
I don't deny that that the Space Shuttle is a marvel of engineering, but scaling it down to the point where it could fit under by a YB-type carrier AND carry a decent payload just doesn't seem feasible, unless the Air Force has already mastered hypersonic flight with scramjets.
I *want* to believe, but I doubt seriously if we have achieved this just yet. It would take a major breakthrough in fuel technology and/or hypersonic flight to make it from 100,000 ft. to 300 miles, even starting at mach 3. A craft the size of this hypothetical spaceplane would need a huge amount of fuel for that, not to mention heavy heat shielding a la the STS. I'm betting the NRO has found much cheaper methods of quietly getting satellites into unannounced orbits.
If you're looking for something compact, rugged and with a decent screen, the Garmin 60CS would be a good choice. I've had mine for two years and have put it through hell - backcountry hiking, sailing, flying, dousing it in mud, beer and water (it's waterproof.) The screen is small but readable in just about any lighting condition (great in direct sun!)
My only complaint with Garmin is the expense of the maps, but I've yet to see much serious competition as far as hardware goes.
I would actually buy one of these things if they'd included an ebook reader. I guess MS figures reading for pleasure is going the way of the dodo.
My local community is the world.
So thought your average Roman, at one point. Our arrogance will lead us down the path to a similar fate: decay from within.
Space travel isn't safe. From its inception it has been inherently unsafe, due to the extreme technical challenges involved. Of course NASA should to the best it can to minimize the risks, but spaceflight may never be as safe as modern airliners. Does that mean we should give up on manned spaceflight?
If we convince ourselves that we should, then our species deserves the eventual extinction that will be its fate. The long-term survival of our species depends on conquring spaceflight, because sooner or later our planet WILL become inhospitable, for one reason or another. I for one hope we're all over the galaxy by then.
You, sir, are full of it. I edit code with Dreamweaver every day, and find it perfectly stable and, if used properly, compliant. Let me guess: you're a Quanta+ developer. I would love to see OSS catch on in a big way but the truth is: in the business world it's like trying to sell a new car without a warranty.
Most assuredly - from humvees to workstations, people always want what other people don't have. In the case of computers it's been my experience that the users who care the most about getting the "newest version" are the ones who know the least about the version they're using. My parents harrassed me for weeks until I drove up to help them "upgrade" from AOL 7 to 8. What was the rush?
"My buddy at work said it's much better."
Um, actually it's asp.net (hence the .aspx extension)
Not all ASP developers are oblivious to standards, for the record.
Sadly, I seriously doubt that the OS marketplace will differ much in 2006. The Microsoft gorilla is still giving the majority of users what they want, at a lower cost and with fewer "hassles" than the competition. Given a choice, most people will use whatever looks the most like what they used to use. People like my parents don't give a fig what OS they're running as long as they can get easy support when they need it. Like many similar users, they don't like change being forced upon them, even if it means new features or better security. Appealing to the lowest common denominator is the only way I see to give M$ some actual competition. Go Lindows!
How long until you can get the SunnComm DRM code on a t-shirt?
I agree with many of you that this is a poor way to spend a large amount of taxpayer dollars, BUT - if these kids are going to get laptops it only makes sense that they get familiar with the operating system that 95% of them will be using in their future jobs: M$ Windows. As much as we may wish otherwise, if you work in an office you're probably using a Wintel PC (unless you're a /. reader, of course).
As far as administration, which is easier to find: a compentent M$ network admin or someone who can network OSX?
Just my $.02