Moving tiles means there are gaps. Gaps means things can be wedged into those gaps. Now what happens when you're running in VR land and wedge your foot into the fast-moving tiles? Suddenly, not being able to see your real-world foot doesn't sound so good...
Okay, I'll confess ignorance. I have two questions about this new Microsoft service.
1) How is a Blog Service any different from Slashdot journals?
2) Why would people pay money to Microsoft to post comments and short, misspelled paragraphs about their lives?
Now that I've posted, I followed the link to refresh my memory. It seems like the more we explore, the better guesses we can provide for the variables. (I suppose that statement should be mod'ed (-1 Duh) )
When I first read about Drake's equation, I remember thinking "How will they ever know the percentage of star systems that have planets?" Here we are thirty-mumble years later and there are reasonable data to support values for those variables.
I remember reading about Drake equation, and the reasoning behind it looks valid. But if I remember correctly, the results vary wildly depending on what you pick for some of the variables. The equation can "predict" life on every other planet, or it can predict that Earth is the only Big Blue Marble in the game.
Thanks, Planesdragon. You're restoring my faith in political discourse. I am so tired of the "you disagree with me, you must be an idiot" discussions I've seen lately.
I find it hard to believe that Al Gore wouldn't have authorized the military to invade...
We'll just have to disagree on this one, seeing as it would take a crystal ball to definitively answer.
Oh, and it's not a question if Kerry will or won't stay the course in Iraq. Of course he will;
I'm waiting for Mr. Kerry to tell me that's what he'll do. I've seen enough people screaming for immediate withdrawal without considering the consequences for this to not be an "of course he will" answer.
Because a President is a person, not a plan.
You raise a valid point. But I believe that the President needs a plan.
If you had asked Bush in 1999 what his plan was...
Again, maybe. we'll never know. And again, I didn't see the Clinton administration dealing with the terrorists.
I hope you're right about the Bush/Powell/Rumsfield plan being good.
As far as deficit goes, we recovered from the Cold War deficits of the '80s, so I'm not worried so much about that... yet. We've already crossed a no-return point. Iraq has to be stabilized before the US pulls out.
I still believe that Bush will be the better President to wrap up Iraq. But if Kerry wins it in November, I pray that he'll have the sense and courage to do the right thing.
You must not value your opinions too much to post as AC. But I'll respond anyway...
To some degree, I am against someone without a plan. Kerry can wave hands and claim his undefined choice will be better, but I can't really make that judgment until I see some particulars.
I won't argue that the Iraq War was a good or bad idea. That's wasted oxygen. As I said before, I was not in favor of it -- but it's a big ugly fact and we are in the middle of it. Do we deal with the current situation by folding and letting the terrorists own Iraq? Or do we deal with this ugly situation by sticking with it until Iraq has a stable government that has a reasonable chance of not turning into a terrorist homeland? You already know my choice.
You're making assumptions when you say it's "painfully clear" that Kerry is the better choice. He may be the better choice, but it's not painfully clear.
I'm amazed that you would think Gore would have taken any action. Given the Clinton/Gore track record on Al Queda, I believe it wouldn't have gone beyond harsh words.
That a trick question, isn't it? 11SEP2001 falls into that range. I suspect some folks would answer "no" regardless of who was in office.
I believe the Iraq War was ill-advised. But I also believe that if Bush were not in office, the Taliban would still own Afganistan.
Besides, if Kerry is elected, what will change (as far as Iraq is concerned)? Kerry only has two choices:
(a) continue the war until Iraqi internal forces can handle the country, or
(b) order immediate troop withdrawal (either total or partial, makes no difference in the long run)
If Kerry chooses (a), then he's just doing what Bush will do if re-elected. If Kerry chooses (b), then Iraq really will become the Official Terrorist Homeland. And while the Democrats will point out that it's Bush's fault, that won't comfort many people when the next round of 9/11 style attacks occur.
Kerry is playing both sides. Last week on NPR, there was some clip with an 8-year-old asking Kerry what he would do about the war in Iraq. What struck me about the exchange was that after Kerry insulted Bush, he refused to answer the question. He spent all the time asking the kid what he would do!
Why should I vote for Kerry if he doesn't even have a plan?
I don't know about others, but I can't. She's just kind of bland and generic -- in both beauty and talent. But instead of wanting to bash her, I just feel really sorry for her -- her life is a train wreck in the making.
There's a line from a Nancy Griffith (genre="folk") song that goes "When beauty's all you offer, how soon the world discovers when your beauty's gone". I think that really applies to her.
My sons participate in the TMSCA (Texas Math and Science Coaches Association) mathematics competitions during the school year. It's a middle school competition that consists of 12 meets during the school year, 2 qualifying meets, and 1 state competition (for those who qualified). Each meet consists of four different types of tests (Number Sense, Mathematics, Calculator, and Science)*
There are rules and time limits. The ones who have talent and the ones who practice tend to win. Awards given out and emotions run high. I think this meets all the qualifications for a sport.
However, anyone who believes this is equivalent to physical competition is deceiving themselves. The Olympics are historically for athletic sports. Including intellectual sports would be wrong in my opinion. If anything, they should be given their own competition.
"Wilson's reaching for the cos() key, no wait, he's going for the tan()!" -- I just don't see it getting the ratings:)
*For those who are interested: Number Sense tests the ability to work problems completely in your head. (No scratch paper!).
Mathematics is a multiple choice "solve the equation".
Calculator is a fill-in-the-blank test with insanely complex formulas and geometry problems (calculators may be used, duh!). I like calculator test in that they slip in Common Sense(tm). They'll often have equations that solve to 1 if the child notices that the top and bottom of the fraction are the same.
Finally, the science test is multiple choice on physics, chemistry, earth science.
I had the same thought. Do we really want Earth's defenses named after a character who hallucenated that windmills were evil giants?
On the other hand, IIRC, one of the themes of the book was many people tended to humor Don Q. and --in the humoring-- they joined him in his fantasy world. Maybe the name is an attempt to get buy-in on the project?
I have to admit that Sancho is appropriately-named, since throughout the entire book, Sancho held back and observed instead of joining Don Q. in action.
It'd recover faster if the gov't paid more for unemployment.
You're kidding, right? If I'd been paid more unemployment, I would have spent my time working on personal projects instead of looking for a job. I suspect that would slow down growth, not speed it up.
In response to the grandparent's comment: Your view of whether the economy is improving or not is probably maps to whether or not you have a job. It's looking pretty good for me right now. After 12 months of unemployment and freelancing, I finally landed a job at a company that earned enough to pay a bonus.
Doesn't anyone in this world drink regular coffee anymore
I wonder the same thing! On a couple of occasions, I've bought Starbucks' house coffee and it tasted hyper-burnt. I'll put up with that from a 75-cent/cup diner, but not from a $2.50/cup Trendy Retail Chain.
All of their other hot-candy-bar-in-a-cup offerings taste pretty good -- for a dessert! But in the morning, I want caffine, not sugar.
"Its just people shuffling around in bad clothes and having pointless conversations. If I want to see that I can go to the mall on weekdays and watch old people."
...or rent Waking Life. Wooo. Talk about wanting my two hours back.
I'll have to admit, watching the different styles of animation was interesting... for a bit. With some good editing, it would have made a terrific 15 minute short.
Altering your example:
New Evil Villain(To hero)Your puny race is no match for our might. You shall die like[Note 1] that pitiful robot race. (Turns to New Evil Villain Sidekick) What were their names?
New Evil Villain Sidekick: They were eliminated so fast, we never learned their names, m'lord.
[Note 1] For bonus points, the actor can pronounce "die like" to sound like "Dalek".
The moderators really need a -1: Didn't Get The Cultural Reference option. I believe the parent was refering to a Dilbert cartoon (Dilbert used to "40% fact" to alarm the Pointy-Haired Boss.)
But I have to tell you, it makes me sad to see the trademark sign after characters' names. I'm sure there are 50 good reasons why it has to be that way, but it just seems wrong to see Captain Avery Sisko(TM).
Unless he's driving north of the Artic circle, I think that heat would be a problem. At my last job, we had an E450 inside a server closet. During the summer, the cheap landlord started shutting the building A/C off over the weekend. By Saturday, the E450 had heated the closet up enough to cause it to shutdown.
The next week, we left the server room door open. It lasted until Sunday before shutting down.
The week after that, we left the server door open and set a fan in the doorway to pull air out of the server closet. That worked until August (this was Texas). By that time, enough of the other tenet's goldfish and plants had died, the landlord started leaving the A/C on over the weekends.
Slashdot Mirror
Moving tiles means there are gaps. Gaps means things can be wedged into those gaps. Now what happens when you're running in VR land and wedge your foot into the fast-moving tiles? Suddenly, not being able to see your real-world foot doesn't sound so good ...
I wonder how long it will be befor they implement subscriptions?
Okay, I'll confess ignorance. I have two questions about this new Microsoft service.
1) How is a Blog Service any different from Slashdot journals?
2) Why would people pay money to Microsoft to post comments and short, misspelled paragraphs about their lives?
So you're saying that Segways are really Daleks in disguise?
When I first read about Drake's equation, I remember thinking "How will they ever know the percentage of star systems that have planets?" Here we are thirty-mumble years later and there are reasonable data to support values for those variables.
I guess I'll go read that fine article now. :)
I find it hard to believe that Al Gore wouldn't have authorized the military to invade...
We'll just have to disagree on this one, seeing as it would take a crystal ball to definitively answer.
Oh, and it's not a question if Kerry will or won't stay the course in Iraq. Of course he will;
I'm waiting for Mr. Kerry to tell me that's what he'll do. I've seen enough people screaming for immediate withdrawal without considering the consequences for this to not be an "of course he will" answer.
Because a President is a person, not a plan.
You raise a valid point. But I believe that the President needs a plan.
If you had asked Bush in 1999 what his plan was...
Again, maybe. we'll never know. And again, I didn't see the Clinton administration dealing with the terrorists.
I hope you're right about the Bush/Powell/Rumsfield plan being good.
As far as deficit goes, we recovered from the Cold War deficits of the '80s, so I'm not worried so much about that ... yet. We've already crossed a no-return point. Iraq has to be stabilized before the US pulls out.
I still believe that Bush will be the better President to wrap up Iraq. But if Kerry wins it in November, I pray that he'll have the sense and courage to do the right thing.
To some degree, I am against someone without a plan. Kerry can wave hands and claim his undefined choice will be better, but I can't really make that judgment until I see some particulars.
I won't argue that the Iraq War was a good or bad idea. That's wasted oxygen. As I said before, I was not in favor of it -- but it's a big ugly fact and we are in the middle of it. Do we deal with the current situation by folding and letting the terrorists own Iraq? Or do we deal with this ugly situation by sticking with it until Iraq has a stable government that has a reasonable chance of not turning into a terrorist homeland? You already know my choice.
You're making assumptions when you say it's "painfully clear" that Kerry is the better choice. He may be the better choice, but it's not painfully clear.
I'm amazed that you would think Gore would have taken any action. Given the Clinton/Gore track record on Al Queda, I believe it wouldn't have gone beyond harsh words.
That a trick question, isn't it? 11SEP2001 falls into that range. I suspect some folks would answer "no" regardless of who was in office.
I believe the Iraq War was ill-advised. But I also believe that if Bush were not in office, the Taliban would still own Afganistan.
Besides, if Kerry is elected, what will change (as far as Iraq is concerned)? Kerry only has two choices:
(a) continue the war until Iraqi internal forces can handle the country, or
(b) order immediate troop withdrawal (either total or partial, makes no difference in the long run)
If Kerry chooses (a), then he's just doing what Bush will do if re-elected. If Kerry chooses (b), then Iraq really will become the Official Terrorist Homeland. And while the Democrats will point out that it's Bush's fault, that won't comfort many people when the next round of 9/11 style attacks occur.
Kerry is playing both sides. Last week on NPR, there was some clip with an 8-year-old asking Kerry what he would do about the war in Iraq. What struck me about the exchange was that after Kerry insulted Bush, he refused to answer the question. He spent all the time asking the kid what he would do!
Why should I vote for Kerry if he doesn't even have a plan?
There's a line from a Nancy Griffith (genre="folk") song that goes "When beauty's all you offer, how soon the world discovers when your beauty's gone". I think that really applies to her.
Now, where did I put that Forthy-Thousand Dollar bill?
My sons participate in the TMSCA (Texas Math and Science Coaches Association) mathematics competitions during the school year. It's a middle school competition that consists of 12 meets during the school year, 2 qualifying meets, and 1 state competition (for those who qualified). Each meet consists of four different types of tests (Number Sense, Mathematics, Calculator, and Science) *
There are rules and time limits. The ones who have talent and the ones who practice tend to win. Awards given out and emotions run high. I think this meets all the qualifications for a sport.
However, anyone who believes this is equivalent to physical competition is deceiving themselves. The Olympics are historically for athletic sports. Including intellectual sports would be wrong in my opinion. If anything, they should be given their own competition.
"Wilson's reaching for the cos() key, no wait, he's going for the tan()!" -- I just don't see it getting the ratings :)
* For those who are interested:
Number Sense tests the ability to work problems completely in your head. (No scratch paper!).
Mathematics is a multiple choice "solve the equation".
Calculator is a fill-in-the-blank test with insanely complex formulas and geometry problems (calculators may be used, duh!). I like calculator test in that they slip in Common Sense(tm). They'll often have equations that solve to 1 if the child notices that the top and bottom of the fraction are the same.
Finally, the science test is multiple choice on physics, chemistry, earth science.
I didn't know Chuckles the Clown spoke Latin!
On the other hand, IIRC, one of the themes of the book was many people tended to humor Don Q. and --in the humoring-- they joined him in his fantasy world. Maybe the name is an attempt to get buy-in on the project?
I have to admit that Sancho is appropriately-named, since throughout the entire book, Sancho held back and observed instead of joining Don Q. in action.
You're kidding, right? If I'd been paid more unemployment, I would have spent my time working on personal projects instead of looking for a job. I suspect that would slow down growth, not speed it up.
In response to the grandparent's comment: Your view of whether the economy is improving or not is probably maps to whether or not you have a job. It's looking pretty good for me right now. After 12 months of unemployment and freelancing, I finally landed a job at a company that earned enough to pay a bonus.
I wonder the same thing! On a couple of occasions, I've bought Starbucks' house coffee and it tasted hyper-burnt. I'll put up with that from a 75-cent/cup diner, but not from a $2.50/cup Trendy Retail Chain.
All of their other hot-candy-bar-in-a-cup offerings taste pretty good -- for a dessert! But in the morning, I want caffine, not sugar.
Interesting. I had read THX stood for The Human eXperiment.
I'll have to admit, watching the different styles of animation was interesting ... for a bit. With some good editing, it would have made a terrific 15 minute short.
Actually, you should never confuse Wall Street expectations with reality.
"Argh! My Armani ripped! Sell! SELL!"
Altering your example:
New Evil Villain(To hero)Your puny race is no match for our might. You shall die like[Note 1] that pitiful robot race. (Turns to New Evil Villain Sidekick) What were their names?
New Evil Villain Sidekick: They were eliminated so fast, we never learned their names, m'lord.
[Note 1] For bonus points, the actor can pronounce "die like" to sound like "Dalek".
I think you meant to say WNTSAEFT
I've heard of "death by a thousand cuts", but this will turn into "bancruptcy by a million micropayments"
The moderators really need a -1: Didn't Get The Cultural Reference option. I believe the parent was refering to a Dilbert cartoon (Dilbert used to "40% fact" to alarm the Pointy-Haired Boss.)
But I have to tell you, it makes me sad to see the trademark sign after characters' names. I'm sure there are 50 good reasons why it has to be that way, but it just seems wrong to see Captain Avery Sisko(TM).
The next week, we left the server room door open. It lasted until Sunday before shutting down.
The week after that, we left the server door open and set a fan in the doorway to pull air out of the server closet. That worked until August (this was Texas). By that time, enough of the other tenet's goldfish and plants had died, the landlord started leaving the A/C on over the weekends.