Let's say anyone can submit up to 100 patents. These patents would only be allowed for submission during a one month period (December). So a company can do all the innovation they want over the year, filling out the appropriate forms, and then submitting in December.
The patents are all researched for the following year. Then, that December the worthy patents are awarded. If any conflicts are found, they let the appropriate entities know and they can duke it out.
"And.. to those who say 'change the channel', I have tried that as well. The sad fact is that there are hardly any alternatives because almost EVERY show is doing it. There are not many intellectually stimulating shows to watch - unless you want to watch PBS all the time."
Here's a radical idea, turn the TV off and read a book. Or, get your Kentucky-Fried ass off the couch and do something more productive than draining the power grid and strecthing out your jogging pants.
The shows aren't "sneaking" anything. It's there because a majority of people want it there. There is a reason why shows like "Desperate Housewives" are insanely popular (hint: It's not because people find it offensive).
But getting back to your troll, I don't see anyone taping your eyelids back to your ass and welding you to your couch.
You don't like what's on TV? Fine, don't watch it. Sell the smutbox and get yourself a computer or a stationary bike. Buy a set of encyclopedias for all I care. BUT IT"S NOT YOU"RE FUCKING RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT WATCH!
Millions of years ago an evil faction of microbes bent on world domination were exiled to a boulder and ejected from Earth as a meteorite. However, unbeknownst to the good microbes of Earth, the meteorite landed on another world very much like their home. They called it Mars.
Angry at their rejection from their home, the microbes greatest genetics adapted quickly to the new world and began wiping all other life off the face of planet. The world grew harsh and cold. And there was much anger and gnashing of organelles.
But they never forgot what happened on Earth, and now teaming armies of mutated strains waited silently for their chance to take back the world that so rightly belonged to them....
We've been bombarded by martian meteorites for millions of years, if not longer.
Chances are taht whatever exists/existed on mars is already here.
And there's always the possibility that life started on Mars first and landed here.
Caution is always a smart strategy. However, using sensationalistic headlines to try and spread fear and panic to the general populace is not only stupid, but counterproductive.
Bacteria on Mars, if any still exists, would have evolved to survive in that climate. A quarter of our gravity, small magnetic field, 1/100 of our atmospheric pressure, mostly carbon-monoxide atmosphere, low water content, high UV radiation, massive temerpature swings (dropping to the freezing point of co2), etc etc.
That sounds like a hostile environment to Earth life, but to them it's just peachy. But this does not mean the microbes would thrive in our conditions. Especially if they had adapted to using the high UV radiation levels for energy. To these microbes, Earth would be to them like Venus is to us.
It is highly unlikely that a life form on Mars brought to Earth would cause widespread devastation. It's far more likely that Earth based bacteria, having evolved to the conditions here, would whupitsass if the foreign environment didn't kill it first.
While using hydrogen is more dangerous than using helium, you would need ALOT of hydrogen to blow up your chromatograph.
Correction, you need a lot of hydrogen AND oxygen for you chromatograph to explode. Under typical atmospheric conditions, hydrogen burns off quickly but doesn't explode. Vaporized gasoline EXPLODES!
Helium is quite abundant in space and on the moon (scans show high concentrations of helium and helium-3). And, when we get fusion to be commercially viable, you'll have all the helium you'll ever need. In a pinch, that's we'd go to space to get it. And those sources are being constantly replenished by the solar wind. It would cost more for a while, but we wouldn't run out.
It's great that you have strong feelings and all, but stop bringing up the Hindenburg in relation to hydrogen dangers. A good portion of the hydrogen escaped, and what did burn burnt quickly. The problem was the flammable mixture of magnesium on the hulls. That's why the Hindenburg went up like a tinder box.
Our bodies are pre-programmed to self destruct. Yeah, we gather damage and such as the years go by, but it's our own genetic code that tells our body, "Okay, you've lived long enough".
Why? So that our offspring will have the resources we took up, and we deposit resources back into the food chain. If no one died, then there would be fewer resources, not to mention it would slow down the evolutionary process (especially with a mentality like some people have: kill everyone who is different).
In fact, I would find it plausible that the earliest life forms on this planent may have been immortal. This would have worked for awhile until the sheer population numbers could not be supported by the environment.
Death is not a curse, or evil. It's a survival trait.
With all that said though, I fully expect us to reach a point where death due to old age will be a thing of the past. However, we would need to address many issues before we did. Resources, space, etc..
Personally, I wouldn't mind living for at least a few hundred years to do the things I would like to do.:)
But before that happens, I think our species has a little more growing up to do.:)
~X~ "After living for 2000 years, I can truly say it is the same shit, just a different day."
The researh was reported in Nature, one of the most well respected scientific journals.
No insult to you, but I'll take the word of the scientists in a peer reviewed journal over yours.
If, like Bush, you seem to think everything is fine with the world or maybe just a little less than fine you need to get out more.
You don't need to be a scientist to see the drastic effects. The glaciers on many well known mountains have receeded. I'm not talking about a few feet, I'm talking hundreds of yards to miles (the Everest base camp used to be snow covered, now the snowline is five miles upslope). Kilamanjaro's ice cap has drastically shrunk (just look at pictures now versus pictures taken 20 years ago).
Warm water creatures are appearing in areas that they've never been in before (off the coast of Alaska, fish nets have been pulling up squids that usually only appear off the California coast). In several places, the arctic tundra has warmed so much that the permafrost is gone (leading to some buildings falling apart). Grasslands and trees are moving more northward.
These are not isolated incidents. They're happening all over the world. I'm sure anyone living in the colder climates on here will tell you that they're noticing some changes.
I'm even noticing changes where I live. White christmas's are becoming more of an exception than the rule. The winters start later and end earlier. It's December and ski-slopes are completly bare, not just because of lack of snowfall but because the temps have been too high to have the snow machines run.
Just out of curiousity, I did some poking around on the mitral valve prolapse he has apparently "developed".
The chest pains, faintness, shortness of breath are spot on for panic attacks as a result of a hyperactive autonomic nervous system, which coincindentally appear more often in people with such heart issues as mitral valve prolapse syndrome.
Other symptoms may include:
Migraine headaches
Dizzy, spacy feeling
Difficulty concentrating
Balance problems, vertigo
Insomnia, sleep disturbances
Hyperventilation; shortness of breath
Palpitations of the heart; skipped or irregular heart beat
Panic attacks, with pounding heart beat
Phantom chest pain with no apparent physiological cause
Hypersensitive startle reflex
Cold sweats
Cold hands and feet
Numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes
Bowel urgency, diarrhea, constipation
Sensitivity to drugs, including alcohol, caffeine, and medications.
People with mitral valve prolapse are especially sensitive to all kinds of drugs and medications.
Some triggers:
Hypoglycemia
Adrenal instability, with hyperactivity followed by adrenal exhaustion
Hypothyroidism
Chemical sensitivities
Food reactions
Fluctuating sex hormones, especially estrogen, causing worsened symptoms of PMS and menopause
Magnesium deficiency
IANAMD but after reading his description, it sounds more like a stressed out person having repeated panic attacks with the flu.:)
Except for when said 3D artist forgets to lock a mesh to a bone in 3DSMax and drives the programmers crazy trying to find the bug in their code causing the orc-gut that swallowed the world.
Physically there is a mental exhaustion limit, and no matter how much caffiene or other substances you pump into your body, your brain will just quit.
Sure, you can work for 80 hours a week. However, during that time your brain is burning chemicals. Sleep is required to regenerate the loss. Sleep deprivation/mental over-work is similar to any other mind altering state. You think you're doing fine and being just as productive, however in reality your performance gets worse and worse. And yes, when your brain reaches its limit IT WILL SHUT YOU DOWN! Passing out is usually the main result.
BTW, that's also not really good for the rest of your body, considering your brain is the regulator.
Doing long hours for short durations aren't bad. But the longer the period of time, the more self -defeating it becomes.
~X~
Re:So why the US don't follow Canada's steps...
on
NYT on EA Games
·
· Score: 1
Did they finally fix the ridiculous BS laws in Canada that EA pushed through? THat'd be good news.
However, in the great state of CA, if you work in the entertainment industry, you are exempt from OT. You could be worked 24/7, and nothing in the law says anything about compensation. Hollywood wouldn't have it.
And while programming is a tech profession, it has also been lobbied...er...um...deemed to be an entertainment profession.
80 hours a week, $60,000 in LA will get you a mediocre apartment AT BEST, money to pay the bills, and a car that gets you to work and back. If you're lucky, you may even be able to save a little.
40 hours a week @ $40000 in Kansas would get you a nice house with a decent car with change to spare.
Before you comment on pay, you should take into account the cost of living and what your making for your hours.
~X~ In response to a recruiter: "Yes, I worked in the games industry for several years. No, I don't want to go back."
"...but pornographic images stay in the brain forever"
So do images of your children. And your wife. And your family.
So does an image of a human being being torn to shreds from from an RPG in Iraq, or a beheading, or a video of missles hitting large crowds of people, or war. But we have plenty of kids over there witnessing that.
What is the primary characteristic of all life forms?
Give up? REPRODUCTION.
I can't believe that a majority of people in this country belive that sex is the root of all evil.
"Eroto-toxins"? WTF?
Sex is how we reproduce and IF YOU WEREN"T MEANT TO DO IT YOUR BRAIN WOULDN"T LIKE IT!!!
Pornography addicting? No more addicting than any other activity.
And someone please tell me exactly what is so harmful about seeing people naked? What is the harm of seeing a woman's breast? It's our puritanical back-asswards society that has made the breast into a sexual object. The primary role of a breast is to produce milk for infants. So again I ask, what harm comes from seeing an object used to raise and nurture newborn life?
For fuck's sake these idiots ramble on about the irreversible harm pornography is doing to our children. What abou the lack of schooling, food, and shelter millions of children suffer. Don't you think that's the real problem?
Pornography would not be an issue if stupid, pious, ignorant, bastards like these didn't make it so. IT"S NATURE, GET OVER IT!
If you're comparing sex to an illegal drug, then we should also compare food and water to illegal drugs. We have to have water all the time. When we drink it, especially on a hot day, it makes us feel good. If we don't drink it, we start getting headaches, hallucinations, and even death.
What's that you say? Water's different because we need it to survive? WELL SO IS SEX! It's been that way for thousands of years and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon.
Pornography = illegal drug? My ass! There were and still are civilizations where the individuals do not wear clothes and they seem to be getting along just fine. Nudist colonies seem to have very little trouble maintaining normal social order. You can't use a handful of people who already have PROBLEMS to back up a report.
The porn industry is a MULTI-BILLION dollar industry. This would suggest that many, many individuals delve into some kind of porn. Sex shops are quite prominent. But according to what these jackasses say, pornography will destroy the world.
What will destroy the world is letting people like this dictate policy to the masses. Fucking hypocrites.
Your correct about history lying around, at least in New England.
There are many places where you can just randomly start walking through woods and suddenly come upon a rock wall. Most of these are well over 200 years old (old farm markers) and it's not uncommon to find arrowheads and other such "knick-knacks" lying around.
Fundamental problem: The moon is NOT in a geostationary orbit. This means that the base of the elevator would need to be on a track that would allow it to move.
But the track can't be fixed either, as the moon's orbit is not on a fixed plane. It changes by a few degress over a 13 year cycle. Then you also have to consider the tilting of the earth throughout the seasons.
So in order for this to work, You would need to have the base of the elevator on a varying track running across the surface of the globe.
The only way to get round this problem is to have the base of the elevator hang loose at the edge of space closest to earth. Then you could more cheaply transport materials, but you still need to transport the material up to the base of the elevator (which would change in position depending on where the moon is in its cycle and the season on earth).
One other thing to consider. The material used as the cable better be non-conductive (or very very well insulated). A cable 256,000 miles long is going to generate quite a charge moving through earth's magnetosphere. Maybe the power could be used for the elevator, or tapped here on the ground.
These are just the problems I forsee off the top of my head.
An elevator to the moon has significant engineering difficulties that would need to be overcome, (and in fact, could be downright impossible). It's far easier to build an elevator that just gets us into space.
The problem is, that it is within state laws. In California, entertainment is an EXEMPT class. A few years ago, the big game companies pushed to have the computer game industry pushed into that category. So unfortunately, I don't see this class action lawsuit going anywhere. The judge may feel sympathy, but he/she is bound by the law.
The big game makers pushed for even more draconian measures in Canada. EA Canada is worse, being more like indentured servitude.
You want to know real dirt about the gaming industry? Go to www.fatbabies.com.
"QUIT! See how much you like the unemployment line. How many people here would kill for that job at EA? You make me want to puke."
Do you know how many people get killed by working for EA? That company destroyed some of the best game programmers by running them straight into the ground.
~X~ "And with a wave of my magic modding rod, I amke you TROLL!"
I was a game programmer. I did a lot of titles. But just over a couple years ago I realized that if I wanted any semblance of a life, I would have to leave it.
Don't get me wrong, I love game developing. But it's not a job. It's not a career. It is a life. Because that is all you think about. It is all you do. And don't expect any compensation for sacrificing endless hours, family, and friends in the process.
The turning point for me was when I sat down and figured out how much I was actually making, based on a 8 hour day. My wife was actually making more than I was an hour.
We also wanted to start a family. However when you work at a job where you may not get to spend you're vacation time, it just doesn't make sense.
THe games industry is just like any other entertainment industry, except the real workers have no power (unlike movies with the screen actors guild). Even in the porn industry they have some fairly good representation.
However, it is far more profitable for a company to get fresh faces cheap, burn them out, and then get another batch. Disgusting, but done in the name of the dollar.
Is a "Game Maker's Union" the answer? I'm not so sure about that. There are too many young and naive kids out there who would do anything to get a game industry job (poor souls). And unions have there own set of problems.
I have a friend who worked in the business side of software. One day, we were chatting about work. He rarely worked more than 40 hours a week, had better benefits, got comp time when he did work overtime, and could actually take vacations. And he was making more than I was.
The game industry started to lose its luster.
When you're a single gung ho, wanna make the next best-seller, type a guy, the game industry looks like an awesome place. But after you work yourself to exhaustion only to realize that the only people making money is the top brass, the thrill of seeing your title in the top 10 or on store shelves becomes more muted.
Eventually, real-life sets in.
After the last title I worked on went gold, I walked into my boss's office and said I was quitting. My love for game programming was no longer enough to keep me going the long hours away from my real life.
I took a job with my friend, and have yet to regret it.
Are these stories rare? Sadly no. Those in the industry know that it is far more common for publishers and developers to act like EA. Anyone who doesn't quickly gets crushed out of existence. It reminds of a line in Pirates of The Carribean: "Take all you can. Give nothing back." That's the game industry.
My advice is if you're a really talented and intelligent programmer, go work for google or *gasp* microsoft. Those guys really know how to treat there employees, or so I've heard.
~X~ "Is the game done? Oh yeah, you were on vacation."
According to the CDC statistics, you are 8 times more likely to die from your bathtub.
My fellow Americans, for sak of our liberties and freedom, do not bathe. We must take a stand against those bathtubs and showers that would serve to terrorize and kill us. We must deal a deadly blow to these bathtubs and showers, before they can strike us again and kill more innocent Americans.
In this epic battle you are either with us or against us. If you find that your family, friends, or cowrokers are clean, well groomed, or not reeking of body odor, then do your civic duty and report them to your nearest law enforcement office.
MY fellow Americans, we will remain united for truth, justice, and uncleanliness in these trying times.
At 70 nm between disc pits, you're starting to reach the quantum limit (that's the UV laser). Simple dust particles too small for your eye to see could cause megabytes of data loss on reading and writing. I'm assuming they're either working out the problems (vacuum sealed discs) or already solved them. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the next "disc" using x-rays or gamma rays.
For instance, at the energies X-rays, you're now talking electrons. The chance of an error increases enormously. The media would have have to be made of something akin to diamond,or another type of crystal so that the diffraction of the rays could be interpereted as data. And even then, random "tunneling" and such could cause data issues. You'd also have to keep the radiation energy low, or encase the drive in a lead sarcophagus. And forget about gamma ray discs.
I think the next big step will be solid state (crystal matrices or the like) and not disk based. Though if they do work out the dust/scratch problem on the UV discs I'd probably get one.:)
Slashdot Mirror
How about patent quotas on a submission schedule?
Let's say anyone can submit up to 100 patents. These patents would only be allowed for submission during a one month period (December). So a company can do all the innovation they want over the year, filling out the appropriate forms, and then submitting in December.
The patents are all researched for the following year. Then, that December the worthy patents are awarded. If any conflicts are found, they let the appropriate entities know and they can duke it out.
~X~
Troll. But I'll feed you anyway.
"And.. to those who say 'change the channel', I have tried that as well. The sad fact is that there are hardly any alternatives because almost EVERY show is doing it. There are not many intellectually stimulating shows to watch - unless you want to watch PBS all the time."
Here's a radical idea, turn the TV off and read a book. Or, get your Kentucky-Fried ass off the couch and do something more productive than draining the power grid and strecthing out your jogging pants.
The shows aren't "sneaking" anything. It's there because a majority of people want it there. There is a reason why shows like "Desperate Housewives" are insanely popular (hint: It's not because people find it offensive).
But getting back to your troll, I don't see anyone taping your eyelids back to your ass and welding you to your couch.
You don't like what's on TV? Fine, don't watch it. Sell the smutbox and get yourself a computer or a stationary bike. Buy a set of encyclopedias for all I care. BUT IT"S NOT YOU"RE FUCKING RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT WATCH!
~X~
I can see the movie intro now...
Millions of years ago an evil faction of microbes bent on world domination were exiled to a boulder and ejected from Earth as a meteorite. However, unbeknownst to the good microbes of Earth, the meteorite landed on another world very much like their home. They called it Mars.
Angry at their rejection from their home, the microbes greatest genetics adapted quickly to the new world and began wiping all other life off the face of planet. The world grew harsh and cold. And there was much anger and gnashing of organelles.
But they never forgot what happened on Earth, and now teaming armies of mutated strains waited silently for their chance to take back the world that so rightly belonged to them....
Now they have their chance....
And nothing can stop them.....dunnadanda!!!
MUTATED MICROBES FROM MARS!
~X~
I agree.
We've been bombarded by martian meteorites for millions of years, if not longer.
Chances are taht whatever exists/existed on mars is already here.
And there's always the possibility that life started on Mars first and landed here.
Caution is always a smart strategy. However, using sensationalistic headlines to try and spread fear and panic to the general populace is not only stupid, but counterproductive.
Bacteria on Mars, if any still exists, would have evolved to survive in that climate. A quarter of our gravity, small magnetic field, 1/100 of our atmospheric pressure, mostly carbon-monoxide atmosphere, low water content, high UV radiation, massive temerpature swings (dropping to the freezing point of co2), etc etc.
That sounds like a hostile environment to Earth life, but to them it's just peachy. But this does not mean the microbes would thrive in our conditions. Especially if they had adapted to using the high UV radiation levels for energy. To these microbes, Earth would be to them like Venus is to us.
It is highly unlikely that a life form on Mars brought to Earth would cause widespread devastation. It's far more likely that Earth based bacteria, having evolved to the conditions here, would whupitsass if the foreign environment didn't kill it first.
~X~
While using hydrogen is more dangerous than using helium, you would need ALOT of hydrogen to blow up your chromatograph.
Correction, you need a lot of hydrogen AND oxygen for you chromatograph to explode. Under typical atmospheric conditions, hydrogen burns off quickly but doesn't explode. Vaporized gasoline EXPLODES!
Helium is quite abundant in space and on the moon (scans show high concentrations of helium and helium-3). And, when we get fusion to be commercially viable, you'll have all the helium you'll ever need. In a pinch, that's we'd go to space to get it. And those sources are being constantly replenished by the solar wind. It would cost more for a while, but we wouldn't run out.
It's great that you have strong feelings and all, but stop bringing up the Hindenburg in relation to hydrogen dangers. A good portion of the hydrogen escaped, and what did burn burnt quickly. The problem was the flammable mixture of magnesium on the hulls. That's why the Hindenburg went up like a tinder box.
~X~
Death was evolved as a species survival trait.
:)
:)
Our bodies are pre-programmed to self destruct. Yeah, we gather damage and such as the years go by, but it's our own genetic code that tells our body, "Okay, you've lived long enough".
Why? So that our offspring will have the resources we took up, and we deposit resources back into the food chain. If no one died, then there would be fewer resources, not to mention it would slow down the evolutionary process (especially with a mentality like some people have: kill everyone who is different).
In fact, I would find it plausible that the earliest life forms on this planent may have been immortal. This would have worked for awhile until the sheer population numbers could not be supported by the environment.
Death is not a curse, or evil. It's a survival trait.
With all that said though, I fully expect us to reach a point where death due to old age will be a thing of the past. However, we would need to address many issues before we did. Resources, space, etc..
Personally, I wouldn't mind living for at least a few hundred years to do the things I would like to do.
But before that happens, I think our species has a little more growing up to do.
~X~
"After living for 2000 years, I can truly say it is the same shit, just a different day."
Get used to it. Global warming doesn't mean it gets warm everywhere. Some places will get colder.
:)
A good chunk of northern europe will turn into an Alaskan type ice box if global warming gets too far partially or totally shuts down the gulf stream.
However, you won't need to worry about the impossible superstorms in the movie the Day after
Tomorrow at least.
~X~
The researh was reported in Nature, one of the most well respected scientific journals.
No insult to you, but I'll take the word of the scientists in a peer reviewed journal over yours.
If, like Bush, you seem to think everything is fine with the world or maybe just a little less than fine you need to get out more.
You don't need to be a scientist to see the drastic effects. The glaciers on many well known mountains have receeded. I'm not talking about a few feet, I'm talking hundreds of yards to miles (the Everest base camp used to be snow covered, now the snowline is five miles upslope). Kilamanjaro's ice cap has drastically shrunk (just look at pictures now versus pictures taken 20 years ago).
Warm water creatures are appearing in areas that they've never been in before (off the coast of Alaska, fish nets have been pulling up squids that usually only appear off the California coast). In several places, the arctic tundra has warmed so much that the permafrost is gone (leading to some buildings falling apart). Grasslands and trees are moving more northward.
These are not isolated incidents. They're happening all over the world. I'm sure anyone living in the colder climates on here will tell you that they're noticing some changes.
I'm even noticing changes where I live. White christmas's are becoming more of an exception than the rule. The winters start later and end earlier.
It's December and ski-slopes are completly bare, not just because of lack of snowfall but because the temps have been too high to have the snow machines run.
It's amazing and freaky all at the same time.
~X~
With all science there is some risk.
But why do this?
With the massive shortages of organs for transplantation, we need to do somehing.
Using stem cells to grow new organs or repair damaged ones was a good idea until Bush nipped that in the bud.
So instead of that relatively safe research, scientist are looking to alter animals to grow the organs for us.
But, as you point out, there are many risks involved. Transpecies pandemics is just one of them.
~X~
"If ignorance is bliss then Bush must be living in a fucking paradise."
Just out of curiousity, I did some poking around on the mitral valve prolapse he has apparently "developed".
:)
The chest pains, faintness, shortness of breath are spot on for panic attacks as a result of a hyperactive autonomic nervous system, which coincindentally appear more often in people with such heart issues as mitral valve prolapse syndrome.
Other symptoms may include:
Migraine headaches
Dizzy, spacy feeling
Difficulty concentrating
Balance problems, vertigo
Insomnia, sleep disturbances
Hyperventilation; shortness of breath
Palpitations of the heart; skipped or irregular heart beat
Panic attacks, with pounding heart beat
Phantom chest pain with no apparent physiological cause
Hypersensitive startle reflex
Cold sweats
Cold hands and feet
Numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes
Bowel urgency, diarrhea, constipation
Sensitivity to drugs, including alcohol, caffeine, and medications.
People with mitral valve prolapse are especially sensitive to all kinds of drugs and medications.
Some triggers:
Hypoglycemia
Adrenal instability, with hyperactivity followed by adrenal exhaustion
Hypothyroidism
Chemical sensitivities
Food reactions
Fluctuating sex hormones, especially estrogen, causing worsened symptoms of PMS and menopause
Magnesium deficiency
IANAMD but after reading his description, it sounds more like a stressed out person having repeated panic attacks with the flu.
There's a ton of info on this on the web.
~X~
Except for when said 3D artist forgets to lock a mesh to a bone in 3DSMax and drives the programmers crazy trying to find the bug in their code causing the orc-gut that swallowed the world.
~X~
Physically there is a mental exhaustion limit, and no matter how much caffiene or other substances you pump into your body, your brain will just quit.
Sure, you can work for 80 hours a week. However, during that time your brain is burning chemicals. Sleep is required to regenerate the loss. Sleep deprivation/mental over-work is similar to any other mind altering state. You think you're doing fine and being just as productive, however in reality your performance gets worse and worse. And yes, when your brain reaches its limit IT WILL SHUT YOU DOWN! Passing out is usually the main result.
BTW, that's also not really good for the rest of your body, considering your brain is the regulator.
Doing long hours for short durations aren't bad. But the longer the period of time, the more self -defeating it becomes.
~X~
Did they finally fix the ridiculous BS laws in Canada that EA pushed through? THat'd be good news.
However, in the great state of CA, if you work in the entertainment industry, you are exempt from OT. You could be worked 24/7, and nothing in the law says anything about compensation. Hollywood wouldn't have it.
And while programming is a tech profession, it has also been lobbied...er...um...deemed to be an entertainment profession.
Yeah I thought it kinda sucked too.
~X~
80 hours a week, $60,000 in LA will get you a mediocre apartment AT BEST, money to pay the bills, and a car that gets you to work and back. If you're lucky, you may even be able to save a little.
40 hours a week @ $40000 in Kansas would get you a nice house with a decent car with change to spare.
Before you comment on pay, you should take into account the cost of living and what your making for your hours.
~X~
In response to a recruiter: "Yes, I worked in the games industry for several years. No, I don't want to go back."
Well this IS Slashdot you know.... :)
~X~
I think we need to start a new religious faction: "The Followers of Porn".
Priest Johnson: "And verily she rubbed herself vigorously, letting out a joyous cry to her lover! Can I get a climax?"
Congregation: "CLIMAX!"
Priest Johnson: "And the Hefner saw this act, and knew it was good."
~X~
"...but pornographic images stay in the brain forever"
So do images of your children. And your wife. And your family.
So does an image of a human being being torn to shreds from from an RPG in Iraq, or a beheading, or a video of missles hitting large crowds of people, or war. But we have plenty of kids over there witnessing that.
Fucking assholes.
~X~
What is the primary characteristic of all life forms?
Give up? REPRODUCTION.
I can't believe that a majority of people in this country belive that sex is the root of all evil.
"Eroto-toxins"? WTF?
Sex is how we reproduce and IF YOU WEREN"T MEANT TO DO IT YOUR BRAIN WOULDN"T LIKE IT!!!
Pornography addicting? No more addicting than any other activity.
And someone please tell me exactly what is so harmful about seeing people naked? What is the harm of seeing a woman's breast? It's our puritanical back-asswards society that has made the breast into a sexual object. The primary role of a breast is to produce milk for infants. So again I ask, what harm comes from seeing an object used to raise and nurture newborn life?
For fuck's sake these idiots ramble on about the irreversible harm pornography is doing to our children. What abou the lack of schooling, food, and shelter millions of children suffer. Don't you think that's the real problem?
Pornography would not be an issue if stupid, pious, ignorant, bastards like these didn't make it so. IT"S NATURE, GET OVER IT!
If you're comparing sex to an illegal drug, then we should also compare food and water to illegal drugs. We have to have water all the time. When we drink it, especially on a hot day, it makes us feel good. If we don't drink it, we start getting headaches, hallucinations, and even death.
What's that you say? Water's different because we need it to survive? WELL SO IS SEX! It's been that way for thousands of years and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon.
Pornography = illegal drug? My ass! There were and still are civilizations where the individuals do not wear clothes and they seem to be getting along just fine. Nudist colonies seem to have very little trouble maintaining normal social order. You can't use a handful of people who already have PROBLEMS to back up a report.
The porn industry is a MULTI-BILLION dollar industry. This would suggest that many, many individuals delve into some kind of porn. Sex shops are quite prominent. But according to what these jackasses say, pornography will destroy the world.
What will destroy the world is letting people like this dictate policy to the masses. Fucking hypocrites.
~X~
Your correct about history lying around, at least in New England.
There are many places where you can just randomly start walking through woods and suddenly come upon a rock wall. Most of these are well over 200 years old (old farm markers) and it's not uncommon to find arrowheads and other such "knick-knacks" lying around.
~X~
Fundamental problem: The moon is NOT in a geostationary orbit. This means that the base of the elevator would need to be on a track that would allow it to move.
But the track can't be fixed either, as the moon's orbit is not on a fixed plane. It changes by a few degress over a 13 year cycle. Then you also have to consider the tilting of the earth throughout the seasons.
So in order for this to work, You would need to have the base of the elevator on a varying track running across the surface of the globe.
The only way to get round this problem is to have the base of the elevator hang loose at the edge of space closest to earth. Then you could more cheaply transport materials, but you still need to transport the material up to the base of the elevator (which would change in position depending on where the moon is in its cycle and the season on earth).
One other thing to consider. The material used as the cable better be non-conductive (or very very well insulated). A cable 256,000 miles long is going to generate quite a charge moving through earth's magnetosphere. Maybe the power could be used for the elevator, or tapped here on the ground.
These are just the problems I forsee off the top of my head.
An elevator to the moon has significant engineering difficulties that would need to be overcome, (and in fact, could be downright impossible). It's far easier to build an elevator that just gets us into space.
~X~
The problem is, that it is within state laws. In California, entertainment is an EXEMPT class. A few years ago, the big game companies pushed to have the computer game industry pushed into that category. So unfortunately, I don't see this class action lawsuit going anywhere. The judge may feel sympathy, but he/she is bound by the law.
The big game makers pushed for even more draconian measures in Canada. EA Canada is worse, being more like indentured servitude.
You want to know real dirt about the gaming industry? Go to www.fatbabies.com.
~X~
"It puts the code on the server!!"
"QUIT! See how much you like the unemployment line. How many people here would kill for that job at EA? You make me want to puke."
Do you know how many people get killed by working for EA? That company destroyed some of the best game programmers by running them straight into the ground.
~X~
"And with a wave of my magic modding rod, I amke you TROLL!"
I was a game programmer. I did a lot of titles. But just over a couple years ago I realized that if I wanted any semblance of a life, I would have to leave it.
Don't get me wrong, I love game developing. But it's not a job. It's not a career. It is a life. Because that is all you think about. It is all you do. And don't expect any compensation for sacrificing endless hours, family, and friends in the process.
The turning point for me was when I sat down and figured out how much I was actually making, based on a 8 hour day. My wife was actually making more than I was an hour.
We also wanted to start a family. However when you work at a job where you may not get to spend you're vacation time, it just doesn't make sense.
THe games industry is just like any other entertainment industry, except the real workers have no power (unlike movies with the screen actors guild). Even in the porn industry they have some fairly good representation.
However, it is far more profitable for a company to get fresh faces cheap, burn them out, and then get another batch. Disgusting, but done in the name of the dollar.
Is a "Game Maker's Union" the answer? I'm not so sure about that. There are too many young and naive kids out there who would do anything to get a game industry job (poor souls). And unions have there own set of problems.
I have a friend who worked in the business side of software. One day, we were chatting about work. He rarely worked more than 40 hours a week, had better benefits, got comp time when he did work overtime, and could actually take vacations. And he was making more than I was.
The game industry started to lose its luster.
When you're a single gung ho, wanna make the next best-seller, type a guy, the game industry looks like an awesome place. But after you work yourself to exhaustion only to realize that the only people making money is the top brass, the thrill of seeing your title in the top 10 or on store shelves becomes more muted.
Eventually, real-life sets in.
After the last title I worked on went gold, I walked into my boss's office and said I was quitting. My love for game programming was no longer enough to keep me going the long hours away from my real life.
I took a job with my friend, and have yet to regret it.
Are these stories rare? Sadly no. Those in the industry know that it is far more common for publishers and developers to act like EA. Anyone who doesn't quickly gets crushed out of existence. It reminds of a line in Pirates of The Carribean: "Take all you can. Give nothing back." That's the game industry.
My advice is if you're a really talented and intelligent programmer, go work for google or *gasp* microsoft. Those guys really know how to treat there employees, or so I've heard.
~X~
"Is the game done? Oh yeah, you were on vacation."
According to the CDC statistics, you are 8 times more likely to die from your bathtub.
My fellow Americans, for sak of our liberties and freedom, do not bathe. We must take a stand against those bathtubs and showers that would serve to terrorize and kill us. We must deal a deadly blow to these bathtubs and showers, before they can strike us again and kill more innocent Americans.
In this epic battle you are either with us or against us. If you find that your family, friends, or cowrokers are clean, well groomed, or not reeking of body odor, then do your civic duty and report them to your nearest law enforcement office.
MY fellow Americans, we will remain united for truth, justice, and uncleanliness in these trying times.
~X~
At 70 nm between disc pits, you're starting to reach the quantum limit (that's the UV laser). Simple dust particles too small for your eye to see could cause megabytes of data loss on reading and writing. I'm assuming they're either working out the problems (vacuum sealed discs) or already solved them. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the next "disc" using x-rays or gamma rays.
:)
For instance, at the energies X-rays, you're now talking electrons. The chance of an error increases enormously. The media would have have to be made of something akin to diamond,or another type of crystal so that the diffraction of the rays could be interpereted as data. And even then, random "tunneling" and such could cause data issues. You'd also have to keep the radiation energy low, or encase the drive in a lead sarcophagus. And forget about gamma ray discs.
I think the next big step will be solid state (crystal matrices or the like) and not disk based. Though if they do work out the dust/scratch problem on the UV discs I'd probably get one.
~X~