Well, that may be true, except each of those pieces will continue to be attracted towards earth, and if they don't reach escape velocity as they pass, they'll go into orbit around us, having been caught in the gravity well surrounding earth - or worse, deorbit after a short while. Predicting where such pieces would fall would be a futile endeavor.:(
Even if that scenario didn't come true, if the asteroid was big enough to damage earth (1km or larger in diameter), unless the bomb was placed in the center of the asteroid, most of the asteroid would remain in one piece - only the surface would be blasted away. An atomic bomb going off in space with nothing to push against will make a lovely fireworks display but do zero useful work. At best, AT BEST, a missle-based delivery system would be able to impart only 50% of its available power as it would explode in an omnidirectional fashion.
That movie was so unrealistic it wasn't funny. For starters, their bomb wasn't much more than a firecracker, and for an asteroid the size of texas (astrologically speaking - very, very, unlikely) burying it a mere, what, 300 meters down, would do nothing. An asteroid in space would have a very bad case of gas for about 2 minutes and then continue happily on its merry way.
The solution isn't to try to blow it up, because those pieces are all still moving in the same direction - meaning rather than a single impact on a single continent, you now have hundred-meter sized fragments falling over the entire hemisphere, but instead to hook a space tug up to it and gently push it out of the way while it is still 0.5 AMU or so away.
Bombs don't destroy things, they merely take larger things and turn them many smaller things.
Having just finished reading Arthur C. Clarke's book Hammer of God (a book I heartily recommend), I've spent alittle time thinking about this too. The question isn't if the asteroid will hit, it is when, and this report will without question bear that out.
What we need is, in addition to being able to detect them, is outposts on other planets. It is necessary for the survival of our species and if we could just get our act together long enough to stop squabbling over things like money and national debt, we could help ensure that the human race won't be snuffed out like the dinosaurs before us.
We ought to put NASA under the DoD and give it a similar budget - afterall, this IS about defense - it is defense against mother nature.
Maybe. That's not always true. If you, say, lived on the moon, it wouldn't be efficient at all! Or for that matter, anything in space - because the sun is an abundant source of energy, but chemical energy is very precious in space.
Not only that, but why are all RC cars not powered by gasoline?
Easy, they don't pay you worth a sh*t to do that, and they make huge profits off of you. Not only that, but you can't without a special arrangement and a license with them, as it is a felony to distribute power directly onto the grid anyway.
Okay, I'm sorry. As many people have pointed out by now, LDP != ibiblio. Being that that is all *I* use it for, I assumed that was the only relation it had to linux. That wasn't what I was trying to get at, however - it's that alot of money is pouring into this community and triggering rapid changes - maybe not all for the better. I stepped on ibiblio while pointing this out, and I'm sorry. My frustrations are directed towards the LDP people, not them.
You truly are an idiot. I've been reading your comments with my jaw dropped to the table, how can anyone be so narrow sited?
I'm not narrow-minded, I'm selfish, there's a difference and if you had read my posts, you'd have noticed. Maybe you were distracted?
You seem to think that iBiblio/metalabs is just the site that hosts the LDP.
That's all that matters to me, like I said, I'm a selfish bastard. But if you had read my post you'd have noticed this isn't about ibiblio. Of course, you didn't pause to notice that and instead went on flaming... you probably missed the 4 other examples and how this is representative of a continuing trend in the linux community. One that I don't like. It's called an "opinion", and like an asshole everybody has one.
If you've got a complaint about the LDP take it up with the LDP, or better yet start your own project.
I have complained to them. Infact, a slashdot article resulted from this and they did (after much ado) fix one of the things I complained about.
People like you really hurt our community, you go around taking and taking, then instead of giving back you just complain.
A critic provides a valuable service whether you realize it or not. People who were critical of Einstein's theories provided a useful public service as when the dust settled we had general relativity. By playing the devil's advocate, or being critical of someone's work, you are providing a service, that is, if it isn't about ego or an i'm-better-than-you-are attitude which many non-scientists get confused over.
The real pity is that you don't know how many people come to me to troubleshoot their linux systems, or how much documentation I have written behind the scenes, or how many managers I've convinced to run linux (and, I might add, saved them thousands). You have the analytical skills of a lobotomized flatworm. You are incapable of seeing past your own nose to notice that people can contribute without writing the next Apache or another HOWTO. The most valuable resource one can provide is themselves and I've done that. What have YOU done, Travis?
Its not their responsiblity to write Linux documentation. Since when does a library have a responsibility to write its contents?
Maybe it's just because I don't see a need for a library like this. I DO see a need (a big huge gaping hole of a need) to get quality linux documentation out the door. This was trumpeted as being good for the OSS movement, but I'm rather wondering if maybe it would have been better spent elsewhere. Call me selfish, but I'd rather have one good linux documentation site than a hundred online libraries all with mediocre linux documentation.
Remember when sunsite.unc.edu started in 1992, we were funded by Sun for many happy years. Now someone close to open source community contributes (Bob Young and Marc Ewing) and you get all excited! This is a good thing -- not a sell-out or purchase.
Well, fine then.. you guys have been going downhill independently of the funding then. Switching between document formats, requiring that things be filed only one way (rather than just getting the documentation out there!!), redesigning the website and then leaving key features out (like the ability to access the HOWTOs directly).. and only after a hundred plus people complained was that fixed.
You guys are dedicating your efforts to the one thing we don't need anything more of - fancy, standardized websites. If I wanted that, I'd go to linux.com. No, I need thorough, recent, documentation on linux. Microsoft products suck, but atleast they have Technet and the knowledgebase. What does linux have? A bunch of gurus who say they know everything but can't explain it to anyone except themselves. Load of good that does anyone!
My advice - take that 4 million and get people writing documentation. Hire tech writers, some staff to do the research, and get us some decent docs! That's what you're known for.. or were...
Anyone else noticing the rapid commercialization of the linux community?
Main linux website - slashdot, aquired by andover.net. IPO soon. Main linux documentation repository - $4 million in "grant" money, name change. Main linux hardware VAR - VA Linux, went IPO. Main linux distribution - Redhat, went IPO. Main linux developers - aquired by Transmeta or Redhat.
And all the while, nobody is noticing the secondary effects - on slashdot all of the former "Best of the best" linux users have shuffled off onto private listservs, leaving only the trolls. Linux documentation - between the LinDoc and SomethingElseDoc nobody seems to have the willpower to write documentation because it might "Be in the wrong format". So much for the open source spirit of "anyone can contribute". Rather like forcing anyone submitting a resume to make it in Word, not that anyone notices the parallels. VA Linux, post-aquisition - prices went up, and while the options broadened, I don't recommend them to non-businesses b/c the costs are too high. Didn't use to be that way. RedHat, great distribution, but it's been having some growing pains since becoming a real company. Just ask the Enlightenment crew, or Gnome for that matter. Then we have Linus. On the kernel dev list he used to be very active in talking to newcomers and old-hat developers alike. Now with all the publicity, you're lucky to get a response, and he only makes brief excursions into the list. Many other developers have moved towards the "isolation factor" - too busy to answer e-mails?
There's a huge shift going on in the linux community and everyone's too busy shouting "$! $!" to notice. In a year or two... nobody will be able to recognize this community anymore. The Bruce Perens and the Richard Stallmans will have been chastized out of the community - even now they're being quietly but forcefully nudged away from the limelight. What was once the central argument for linux is now barely even a footnote - freedom.
We're auctioning votes, the politicians, and now even the 'net. Hmm... I suppose it had to happen eventually... well.. I guess it's time to auction off my karma...
I say we yankees mail them and say "Thanks for agreeing with us. Ever since the Boston Tea Party you guys have been trying to one up us. Glad you've finally seen the light!"
If that don't sink this bill... I don't know what will.
True, open source is about people not technology.
As a result, despite the proclimations from the Open Source movement, ego *definately* gets involved. SourceForge is a tribute to how often open source can fail - there are reams of "ghost" projects out there where no work is being done. For every Apache and Mozilla projects there are a thousand slashcodes (Rob - the "24 hours" speech set you up for that one *g*).
The key aspect of open source remains, however - once it reaches critical mass, for whatever reason, the project quickly takes off and you would be wise not to stand in the way.
Yes, Infoseek. Altavista also experimented with it, very quietly. No word on if they succeeded. Try using the keywords sex, computers, games, and news and see if any of the responses from the search engine are fishy.
Ramen noodles typically contain a small amount of what appear to be plastic vegetable look-alikes. I believe they're there to subconsciously make you believe that eating the noodles is more nutritious than the styrofoam they come in.
This is very old news, infact, slashdot reported it about 4 weeks ago, IIRC. This is great for Google, but more importantly for us - because it represents an alternative to ADVERTISING, which all the other search engines have been co-opted into doing.
Google does do advertising, yes, but it is obvious - they do not attempt to hide it like some search engines.
So, uhh, call me selfish, but this is good for me and therefore I fully endorse this move. =)
Represent the customers by declining to go to a trade show that doesn't want to display what they want.
Another sign that the RIAA will eventually have to bow to popular demand - we got our music, and we aren't going back to the stone age on account of "intellectual property" or "copy protection", regardless of what congress belches out or how illegal they make it. The revolution has begun!
So, when you are having an argument with someone and the other person backs up his view with a URL, it is not acceptable unless subscription is not required.
My response to your insightful comment is in the the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'
Slashdot Mirror
Even if that scenario didn't come true, if the asteroid was big enough to damage earth (1km or larger in diameter), unless the bomb was placed in the center of the asteroid, most of the asteroid would remain in one piece - only the surface would be blasted away. An atomic bomb going off in space with nothing to push against will make a lovely fireworks display but do zero useful work. At best, AT BEST, a missle-based delivery system would be able to impart only 50% of its available power as it would explode in an omnidirectional fashion.
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The solution isn't to try to blow it up, because those pieces are all still moving in the same direction - meaning rather than a single impact on a single continent, you now have hundred-meter sized fragments falling over the entire hemisphere, but instead to hook a space tug up to it and gently push it out of the way while it is still 0.5 AMU or so away.
Bombs don't destroy things, they merely take larger things and turn them many smaller things.
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What we need is, in addition to being able to detect them, is outposts on other planets. It is necessary for the survival of our species and if we could just get our act together long enough to stop squabbling over things like money and national debt, we could help ensure that the human race won't be snuffed out like the dinosaurs before us.
We ought to put NASA under the DoD and give it a similar budget - afterall, this IS about defense - it is defense against mother nature.
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Remember, statistics are like bikinis - suggestive and revealing, but you don't see everything.
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Not only that, but why are all RC cars not powered by gasoline?
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I'm not narrow-minded, I'm selfish, there's a difference and if you had read my posts, you'd have noticed. Maybe you were distracted?
You seem to think that iBiblio/metalabs is just the site that hosts the LDP.
That's all that matters to me, like I said, I'm a selfish bastard. But if you had read my post you'd have noticed this isn't about ibiblio. Of course, you didn't pause to notice that and instead went on flaming... you probably missed the 4 other examples and how this is representative of a continuing trend in the linux community. One that I don't like. It's called an "opinion", and like an asshole everybody has one.
If you've got a complaint about the LDP take it up with the LDP, or better yet start your own project.
I have complained to them. Infact, a slashdot article resulted from this and they did (after much ado) fix one of the things I complained about.
People like you really hurt our community, you go around taking and taking, then instead of giving back you just complain.
A critic provides a valuable service whether you realize it or not. People who were critical of Einstein's theories provided a useful public service as when the dust settled we had general relativity. By playing the devil's advocate, or being critical of someone's work, you are providing a service, that is, if it isn't about ego or an i'm-better-than-you-are attitude which many non-scientists get confused over.
The real pity is that you don't know how many people come to me to troubleshoot their linux systems, or how much documentation I have written behind the scenes, or how many managers I've convinced to run linux (and, I might add, saved them thousands). You have the analytical skills of a lobotomized flatworm. You are incapable of seeing past your own nose to notice that people can contribute without writing the next Apache or another HOWTO. The most valuable resource one can provide is themselves and I've done that. What have YOU done, Travis?
--
Maybe it's just because I don't see a need for a library like this. I DO see a need (a big huge gaping hole of a need) to get quality linux documentation out the door. This was trumpeted as being good for the OSS movement, but I'm rather wondering if maybe it would have been better spent elsewhere. Call me selfish, but I'd rather have one good linux documentation site than a hundred online libraries all with mediocre linux documentation.
--
Well, fine then.. you guys have been going downhill independently of the funding then. Switching between document formats, requiring that things be filed only one way (rather than just getting the documentation out there!!), redesigning the website and then leaving key features out (like the ability to access the HOWTOs directly).. and only after a hundred plus people complained was that fixed.
You guys are dedicating your efforts to the one thing we don't need anything more of - fancy, standardized websites. If I wanted that, I'd go to linux.com. No, I need thorough, recent, documentation on linux. Microsoft products suck, but atleast they have Technet and the knowledgebase. What does linux have? A bunch of gurus who say they know everything but can't explain it to anyone except themselves. Load of good that does anyone!
My advice - take that 4 million and get people writing documentation. Hire tech writers, some staff to do the research, and get us some decent docs! That's what you're known for.. or were...
--
Main linux website - slashdot, aquired by andover.net. IPO soon. Main linux documentation repository - $4 million in "grant" money, name change. Main linux hardware VAR - VA Linux, went IPO. Main linux distribution - Redhat, went IPO. Main linux developers - aquired by Transmeta or Redhat.
And all the while, nobody is noticing the secondary effects - on slashdot all of the former "Best of the best" linux users have shuffled off onto private listservs, leaving only the trolls. Linux documentation - between the LinDoc and SomethingElseDoc nobody seems to have the willpower to write documentation because it might "Be in the wrong format". So much for the open source spirit of "anyone can contribute". Rather like forcing anyone submitting a resume to make it in Word, not that anyone notices the parallels. VA Linux, post-aquisition - prices went up, and while the options broadened, I don't recommend them to non-businesses b/c the costs are too high. Didn't use to be that way. RedHat, great distribution, but it's been having some growing pains since becoming a real company. Just ask the Enlightenment crew, or Gnome for that matter. Then we have Linus. On the kernel dev list he used to be very active in talking to newcomers and old-hat developers alike. Now with all the publicity, you're lucky to get a response, and he only makes brief excursions into the list. Many other developers have moved towards the "isolation factor" - too busy to answer e-mails?
There's a huge shift going on in the linux community and everyone's too busy shouting "$! $!" to notice. In a year or two... nobody will be able to recognize this community anymore. The Bruce Perens and the Richard Stallmans will have been chastized out of the community - even now they're being quietly but forcefully nudged away from the limelight. What was once the central argument for linux is now barely even a footnote - freedom.
Viva FreeBSD, I guess.
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Solved that problem: encrypt the disks.
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Cheers,
~ Signal 11
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If that don't sink this bill... I don't know what will.
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The key aspect of open source remains, however - once it reaches critical mass, for whatever reason, the project quickly takes off and you would be wise not to stand in the way.
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Google does do advertising, yes, but it is obvious - they do not attempt to hide it like some search engines.
So, uhh, call me selfish, but this is good for me and therefore I fully endorse this move. =)
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that's just my point. Nobody cares.
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Represent the customers by declining to go to a trade show that doesn't want to display what they want.
Another sign that the RIAA will eventually have to bow to popular demand - we got our music, and we aren't going back to the stone age on account of "intellectual property" or "copy protection", regardless of what congress belches out or how illegal they make it. The revolution has begun!
--
My response to your insightful comment is in the the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.'
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