Human bodies rot a lot faster than that. How many plague corpses could possibly still be around? If you do not bother with the American burial method, preserve the body and seal it in a metal tube, humans rot as fast as any other mammal our size. You would probably be lucky to find teeth from a plague victim.
Interestingly, they have recoveredYersina pestis DNA from buried 16th century plague victims. It would be at least theoretically possible to get smallpox DNA out of buried victims. Not easy, but within the technical reach of a moderately adept molecular biology lab. Of which there are many, many examples scattered about the planet.
Oh, and I would have zero problems with a requirement - worldwide - that says to connect a "general-purpose" computer to the Internet you have to have a license of some sort. Something you have to prove your qualifications to get.
This works so well for roadways. In general, Jersey barriers are the only things between you and the afterlife. Thank God for concrete.
Thorium reactors wouldn't have been affected by an earthquake either. Their inherent safety, the abundance of reactor material and the cost effectiveness totally trumps existing nuclear designs as well as solar and wind power for ultimate sustainability.
Except for the fact that commercial Thorium cycle reactors don't exist just yet - it's a great idea.
Why do you say that? The Rep Rap can produce the same quality as this commercial 3D printer if built properly and can fit in a better form factor if you really needed it to. What can this device do that the Rep Rap can't?
This thing has sub millimeter precision levels - I don't think the Rep Rap is quite so precise. That puts it in the potential tool category. The Fine Machine also uses a 'resin' based substrate and might well be strong enough and stable enough to make useful objects. The Rep Rap seems to be limited by it's relatively weak thermoplastic material.
A high school football player just last week died during practice. MANY kids are hurt doing team sports in schools. There's a KNOWN, DEFINITE health threat, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt!
If they can ban stuff based on the vague possibility of a problem, why not ban what is PROVEN to be one!
Interesting question: What would happen to a Fukashima style failure if they could not have dumped all that radioactive waste into the sea, thus making it 'disappear'?
Hydro isn't terribly cheap either. In the little town I'm in, we're trying to develop two new hydro sources. One is just raising an existing dam - 20 million for about 10 MW, the other is a new site that is 'supposed' to cost 25 million for about 20 MW. We could probably get a couple of Toshiba 4S units in for that price (if they existed)(yes, I'm being a tad sarcastic).
But upfront costs for hydro, even under excellent circumstances, are breaking the bank in a lot of places. Part of this is due to regulatory issues, part do the the current financial climate (it's hard to raise cheap money, and no the US Federal government is not very hydro friendly). So the easy way out is to burn something. Coal, nat gas, oil, politicians, lobbyists.
Thats splitting the hair, coal plants and oil plants absolutely have explosions and people die all the time. Coal dust is terrifyingly explosive, just google around a little and you'll see that coal dust explosions are unfortunately very common. Usually only a few people die, but plants themselves have been leveed such as the Kleen Energy Systems gas plant in 2010 that was almost destroyed.
That's absolutely true. The big difference is that when a nuclear plant has a big problem (Chernobyl or Fukashima style), the issues can remain over hundreds or thousands of years. That doesn't happen even if an oil refinery goes totally tits up in a spectacular fashion. That has a tendency to bother people for long periods of time. Even if authorities are capable of keeping the cancer rates down (and it appears that with the knowledge we have that can be done in any functional society, Russia perhaps not so much), the sheer costs of doing so are fantastic (and not typically calculated when figuring kwh costs for nuc plants). Yes, you can clean up even highly contaminated wastes (see the Hanford Reservation) but I'm not sure that the Japanese are prepared to bulldoze a couple of prefectures every 20 - 30 years.
The biggest problem with nuclear power isn't really the physics, isn't really the politics, isn't the pollution - it's the way the critically important engineering safeguards and concepts have been routinely subverted to lessen economic and political issues. You CAN make nuclear power pretty damned safe. We (as a species) don't seem to be doing exactly that. Nuclear power ISN'T safe if you don't shut down reactors after their design life is exceeded, if you don't religiously upgrade safety and structural systems, if you minimize geologic hazards, if you try to maximize economic returns, if you don't actually build out the improved reactors you design.
"A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that."
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams
The US also has missiles designed to lock onto transceivers and destroy them. Your satellite uplink might not last long.
These work best in a relatively 'quiet' RF environment. In the US, there would be lots of uplinks and it would be relatively difficult to get the 'right' one. But you're correct, the US does have significant anti-pretty-damned-much-everything capability. The big question would be, if the shit hits the fan and you have a general civil-war type conflict, how much can you expect the military to do? Further, while we do have anti RF devices, we don't have that many of them.
Just a little Armchair Armageddon thinking on a Saturday morning.
All engineers take note of what they did and how they did it, it's up to us to do the same thing if something like that happens in our country.
This is interesting (and it's better reporting than we get from most sources, thank you, Al Jezeera). Basically, modern network infrastructure is controlled by a relatively small number of technical staff. Even if a government manages to cut the major fiber optic backbones, there is enough expertise and equipment in the world to 'work around' that problem.
Ghaddaffi (or how ever you spell it) made the mistake of allowing a small mobile provider to keep control of it's subscriber database. They used that info, along with a cobbled together satellite and land line network to patch things up well enough to essentially be a command and control system for the opposition.
Could the US Government be more effective in a general meelee in the US itself? Perhaps. The US military has a higher degree of technical competence than Libya's but if there really was a new 'civil war' level of discontent, there would be defections left and right.
The Internet is designed to route around damage. This is taking it to another level. May you live in interesting times, indeed.
I have no idea what anyone would use a 32Gbyte or 64Gbyte SD-card for, it is an insane amount of storage for most digital cameras, but pretty neat for storing entire seasons of TV-series, or all the music you have ever had the chance to leech.
Video. The new thing in DSLRs is videos and even dedicated video cameras are using SD. 64 GB is a nice big number for video.
Seriously. I'd've thought that making $800k a year would tend to make one mellow.
I'm convinced it's vitamin D deficiency from sitting indoors in a darkened room all of their professional life. And they are only pulling down about half that. That's enough to make anybody cranky.
Your confusing a discrete (and presumably simple and cheap since you mention remote rural areas) test for a specific series of pathogens with a 'tricorder' - a more generalized device capable of being pointed at a person with an essentially random medical problem and come up with a diagnosis before the next commercial break. The former is (relatively) easy. The latter is likely impossible.
And don't go arguing away the tricorder definition. I've seen every damned episode at least a dozen times.
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Human bodies rot a lot faster than that. How many plague corpses could possibly still be around? If you do not bother with the American burial method, preserve the body and seal it in a metal tube, humans rot as fast as any other mammal our size. You would probably be lucky to find teeth from a plague victim.
Interestingly, they have recovered Yersina pestis DNA from buried 16th century plague victims. It would be at least theoretically possible to get smallpox DNA out of buried victims. Not easy, but within the technical reach of a moderately adept molecular biology lab. Of which there are many, many examples scattered about the planet.
Oh, and I would have zero problems with a requirement - worldwide - that says to connect a "general-purpose" computer to the Internet you have to have a license of some sort. Something you have to prove your qualifications to get.
This works so well for roadways. In general, Jersey barriers are the only things between you and the afterlife. Thank God for concrete.
Thorium reactors wouldn't have been affected by an earthquake either. Their inherent safety, the abundance of reactor material and the cost effectiveness totally trumps existing nuclear designs as well as solar and wind power for ultimate sustainability.
Except for the fact that commercial Thorium cycle reactors don't exist just yet - it's a great idea.
Why do you say that? The Rep Rap can produce the same quality as this commercial 3D printer if built properly and can fit in a better form factor if you really needed it to. What can this device do that the Rep Rap can't?
This thing has sub millimeter precision levels - I don't think the Rep Rap is quite so precise. That puts it in the potential tool category. The Fine Machine also uses a 'resin' based substrate and might well be strong enough and stable enough to make useful objects. The Rep Rap seems to be limited by it's relatively weak thermoplastic material.
Do Want.
That went right over your head, huh?
Radio waves do that. They're transparent. Hard to see.
Cheetos. Chef. Two words that ordinarily don't reside in the same paragraph.
A high school football player just last week died during practice. MANY kids are hurt doing team sports in schools. There's a KNOWN, DEFINITE health threat, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt!
If they can ban stuff based on the vague possibility of a problem, why not ban what is PROVEN to be one!
No, we need to BAN EVERYTHING!
It's the only way to be sure.
Ronald Regan is George Bush's fault!
Temporally, I'd be a little happier if it were the other way around. If Ronald Regan is George Bush's fault we have a problem in the Time Tunnel.
... this could have been describing a metaphysical system to measure karma ...
Uh Oh. Slashdot's moderation system is in big trouble....
A government that actually does its job (protect the citizens' rights). Good for them.
Right. And just sort of ignores major problems with nuclear reactors. Nice set of priorities there.
You guys want furries to run around everywhere?
"I enjoy intercourse with small domestic fauna."
Thanks for qualifying that. Heaven forbid you having conjugal relations with foreign animals. That would be just perverse.
Did you miss the dozen or so 10 foot high underwater robots working on the spill?
Everything is George Bush's fault. Well, except for a few things that are Ronald Regan's fault....
Interesting question: What would happen to a Fukashima style failure if they could not have dumped all that radioactive waste into the sea, thus making it 'disappear'?
Hydro isn't terribly cheap either. In the little town I'm in, we're trying to develop two new hydro sources. One is just raising an existing dam - 20 million for about 10 MW, the other is a new site that is 'supposed' to cost 25 million for about 20 MW. We could probably get a couple of Toshiba 4S units in for that price (if they existed)(yes, I'm being a tad sarcastic).
But upfront costs for hydro, even under excellent circumstances, are breaking the bank in a lot of places. Part of this is due to regulatory issues, part do the the current financial climate (it's hard to raise cheap money, and no the US Federal government is not very hydro friendly). So the easy way out is to burn something. Coal, nat gas, oil, politicians, lobbyists.
Thats splitting the hair, coal plants and oil plants absolutely have explosions and people die all the time. Coal dust is terrifyingly explosive, just google around a little and you'll see that coal dust explosions are unfortunately very common. Usually only a few people die, but plants themselves have been leveed such as the Kleen Energy Systems gas plant in 2010 that was almost destroyed.
That's absolutely true. The big difference is that when a nuclear plant has a big problem (Chernobyl or Fukashima style), the issues can remain over hundreds or thousands of years. That doesn't happen even if an oil refinery goes totally tits up in a spectacular fashion. That has a tendency to bother people for long periods of time. Even if authorities are capable of keeping the cancer rates down (and it appears that with the knowledge we have that can be done in any functional society, Russia perhaps not so much), the sheer costs of doing so are fantastic (and not typically calculated when figuring kwh costs for nuc plants). Yes, you can clean up even highly contaminated wastes (see the Hanford Reservation) but I'm not sure that the Japanese are prepared to bulldoze a couple of prefectures every 20 - 30 years.
The biggest problem with nuclear power isn't really the physics, isn't really the politics, isn't the pollution - it's the way the critically important engineering safeguards and concepts have been routinely subverted to lessen economic and political issues. You CAN make nuclear power pretty damned safe. We (as a species) don't seem to be doing exactly that. Nuclear power ISN'T safe if you don't shut down reactors after their design life is exceeded, if you don't religiously upgrade safety and structural systems, if you minimize geologic hazards, if you try to maximize economic returns, if you don't actually build out the improved reactors you design.
"A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that."
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams
Wait a minute... Amazon's cloud crashed 4/21, the day after Sony realized they'd been pwned and took down PSN.
Is there something Amazon isn't saying, like maybe they were pwned too??
And it was the day after 4/20 - therefore it had something to do with stoners.
George Bush didn't support legalization of marijuana.
Goddamnit. It's GEORGE BUSH'S FAULT!
No, that's the A-Team. Don't you know anything?
The US also has missiles designed to lock onto transceivers and destroy them. Your satellite uplink might not last long.
These work best in a relatively 'quiet' RF environment. In the US, there would be lots of uplinks and it would be relatively difficult to get the 'right' one. But you're correct, the US does have significant anti-pretty-damned-much-everything capability. The big question would be, if the shit hits the fan and you have a general civil-war type conflict, how much can you expect the military to do? Further, while we do have anti RF devices, we don't have that many of them.
Just a little Armchair Armageddon thinking on a Saturday morning.
All engineers take note of what they did and how they did it, it's up to us to do the same thing if something like that happens in our country.
This is interesting (and it's better reporting than we get from most sources, thank you, Al Jezeera). Basically, modern network infrastructure is controlled by a relatively small number of technical staff. Even if a government manages to cut the major fiber optic backbones, there is enough expertise and equipment in the world to 'work around' that problem.
Ghaddaffi (or how ever you spell it) made the mistake of allowing a small mobile provider to keep control of it's subscriber database. They used that info, along with a cobbled together satellite and land line network to patch things up well enough to essentially be a command and control system for the opposition.
Could the US Government be more effective in a general meelee in the US itself? Perhaps. The US military has a higher degree of technical competence than Libya's but if there really was a new 'civil war' level of discontent, there would be defections left and right.
The Internet is designed to route around damage. This is taking it to another level. May you live in interesting times, indeed.
Oh, it's mostly here. You won't want to pay for it, but they are very nice.
I have no idea what anyone would use a 32Gbyte or 64Gbyte SD-card for, it is an insane amount of storage for most digital cameras, but pretty neat for storing entire seasons of TV-series, or all the music you have ever had the chance to leech.
Video. The new thing in DSLRs is videos and even dedicated video cameras are using SD. 64 GB is a nice big number for video.
Holy poop man, radiologists. What a bunch.
Seriously. I'd've thought that making $800k a year would tend to make one mellow.
I'm convinced it's vitamin D deficiency from sitting indoors in a darkened room all of their professional life. And they are only pulling down about half that. That's enough to make anybody cranky.
Your confusing a discrete (and presumably simple and cheap since you mention remote rural areas) test for a specific series of pathogens with a 'tricorder' - a more generalized device capable of being pointed at a person with an essentially random medical problem and come up with a diagnosis before the next commercial break. The former is (relatively) easy. The latter is likely impossible.
And don't go arguing away the tricorder definition. I've seen every damned episode at least a dozen times.