Are you going to use the raw material, or are you going to smelt it into something other than ore? How much would it cost to send a complete mining, smelting, power generation factory to the Moon?
It is probably cheaper to send the truck into space from Earth.
God, even in the Bible, never showed a strong tendency to explain the Why, of anything.
Which is *why* ID isn't science.
That is precisely the mission of science: to explain why something looks or acts the way it does.
As a side note, please name one novel experiment proposed to test ID since Behe published "Darwin's Black Box". In the nearly ten years since the publication of his treatise, I have not found one experiment that has been proposed to test ID's notion of 'irreducible complexity', or heard of an unqualified definition of what design elements would qualify as 'intelligent'. Why is that?
Or are you, like God, not going to exhibit the strong tendency to explain 'why'?
...software that will allow the monitoring of blogs, wikis, news feeds, consumer review sites, newsgroups, and other community-generated content..
Great just what I need to fill those empty hours between my wife, kids, kids activities, work, writing proposals for more work, graduate studies, my property, my animals, and my hobbies.
I just abandon that huge waste of time I call sleep so that I can stay current on my Blog-Spotting.
Not necessarily. It would just mean that the law in the 5th Circuit is different than the law in the 2nd Circuit. It happens quite frequently.
True, but when the SCOTUS has been asked to review a decision once and it gets a second divergent opinion in a different circuit it is pretty likely that it will get a hearing.
Seriously though, why post the results of a competition regarding obfuscated source code if we are unable to view the entries ourselves? Seem the announcement was a bit of a let down if all we get to see is a couple of output files from some of the entries.
Sigh... I miss the old days when awards announcements didn't have a trailer.
As such, I gather *nix systems can and do have similar problems.
The volume is different, to be sure. That is probably an artifact of the number of users running the OS.
But your point is well taken; no operating system is immune to attack. Unfortunately, Windows users generally lack the discipline to patch their machines regularly. I don't know many *nix system users who do not perform regular updates.
That probably accounts for the low infection rates of *nix-related system.
Okay, so it is critical. The advisory contains the patch to correct the problem. This only becomes an issue if Windows users don't patch their machines.
What is the likelihood that users won't patch their machines? (cough!)
From TFA:
Mehta doesn't expect the latest Windows flaws to be exploited in a widespread attack. "We're not bracing for any major worm or malware outbreak, but we do expect them to be used in targeted attacks," Mehta said. "There is user interaction required, there has to be someone sitting at the other end in order to be compromised."
Yeah, like viewing an image from usenet. No one ever does that.
Blood-forming organ (Bone marrow) syndrome (>100 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide at the most rapid pace (such as bone marrow, the spleen and lymphatic tissue). Symptoms include internal bleeding, fatigue, bacterial infections, and fever.
Gastrointestinal tract syndrome (>1000 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide less rapidly (such as the linings of the stomach and intestines). Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, electrolytic imbalance, loss of digestion ability, bleeding ulcers, and the symptoms of blood-forming organ syndrome.
Central nervous system syndrome (>5000 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that do not reproduce such as nerve cells. Symptoms include loss of coordination, confusion, coma, convulsions, shock, and the symptoms of the blood forming organ and gastrointestinal tract syndromes. Scientists now have evidence that death under these conditions is not caused by actual radiation damage to the nervous system, but rather from complications caused by internal bleeding, and fluid and pressure build-up on the brain
Other effects from an acute dose include:
200 to 300 rad to the skin can result in the reddening of the skin (erythema), similar to a mild sunburn and may result in hair loss due to damage to hair follicles.
125 to 200 rad to the ovaries can result in prolonged or permanent suppression of menstruation in about fifty percent (50%) of women.
600 rad to the ovaries or testicles can result in permanent sterilization.
50 rad to the thyroid gland can result in benign (non cancerous) tumors.
As a group, the effects caused by acute doses are called deterministic. Broadly speaking, this means that severity of the effect is determined by the amount of dose received. Deterministic effects usually have some threshold level - below which, the effect will probably not occur, but above which the effect is expected. When the dose is above the threshold, the severity of the effect increases as the dose increases.
I would just treat employees at my company like subcontractors. I'd tell them exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it, and how I wanted the deliverable to look. Then I would discuss and negotiate a schedule for delivery and hold the employee accountable for making it happen.
For the most part, That is how my life operates right now. I only show up between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm because that is when my customers show up for work.
Because those were brutal regimes that exploited the colonized people to the advantage of the empire's citizens. Often, the justification for exploitation was that they colonized people were objectively inferior according to the religious and cultural traditions and mythology and it was their place in the world to serve their empirical masters. We now recognize that those justifications are fig leafs for the morally corrupt to hide a more simple motivation: greed.
You seem to have missed a couple of points in your counter-argument: US colonization of island-nations in the South Pacific and the systematic extermination of American Native populations.
We were brutal colonizers and exploiters. That is why I am questioning the impulse by some to treat the US any differently than empires of the past.
>>If the US declines to exert its power and influence, you can bet that China will.
You present us with a false dichotomy between imperialism and isolationism. In fact, most people agree that the US should exert its influence, in co-operation with other democratic nations.
I have not used my example to argue for isolationism or make excuses for imperialism. I just recognize that their is a strong impulse stretching back through US history for isolationism, and that the voices of those who support that foreign policy objective are reinforced by criticism of US policy from abroad.
There is a strong streak of "they can go fuck themselves" in the US electorate.
You bemoan the fact that other nations have conflicts of interest and can't be trusted, but for some reason you fail to pursue that to its logical conclusion: The US should hold itself to the highest standards of democracy and transparency and have an impeccable record of weeding out corruption in its own house.
I see no a priori reason for your use of the word 'should'.
The hypocrisy of some people who denounce the UN and European nations for their corruption, but protect and defend the behavior of our own American scoundrels is, quite frankly, disgusting. They hold themselves up as the standard bearers of morality when pointing their fingers at other people, but refuse to apply the standard to themselves.
Why should the US hold themselves to a standard that no one else seems to maintain? I agree that some Americans (read: Republicans) are hypocritical for pointing their fingers at others, but I made no such claim.
The subtext of your argument is that everyone is immoral, so let's just let it all go to shit.
No, I believe that the US is capable of providing the kind of moral leadership that you claim we are responsible for, but have failed to read one reason why we "should". Is your argument that the reason the US should provide this moral compass is because no one else will?
At least we come out on top and its not as bad as it could be.
That may be the simplist point that can be made, but it isn't a bad starting point.
>>Are you going to tell me that the everyone around the world will just arbitrarily keep the global map static? You must be smoking something.
Not arbitrarily. What kept the US map static for so many centuries? Not democracy, but respect and enforcement of the Constitution.
The map of the US has grown from 1789 to today (a point you make below, but I am trying to address this particular point). I agree that the only thing that has kept it from flying apart at the seams is our respect for the Constitution, but that enforcement hasn't always been uniform. See Andrew Jackson and the Cherokee Nation and Abraham Lincoln and his suspension of habeas corpus.
The profound achievement of the founding of this country is that it brought together 13 colonies all with competing interests and created a single, co-operative entity. The Constitution and the make-up of the government was designed to prevent one pow
Perhaps it is merely the rose-tinted memories of my father's stories (WW II vet), but the U.S. used to ASPIRE to much more than just being the least bad....
Yes, a soft appeal to emotion rather than a rigorous argument. So sue me for rampant sentimentality and patriotism.
Believe me, I'm not happy with the fact that the US is the least worst of the bunch. Yes, we did aspire to better things, but our basest emotions have currently got the better of us. I find it sad that there is grudging support for a ban on torture by US forces and the CIA.
When you are no better than your enemies, why fight them?
Rember the Saddam / Rumsfeld handshake? How about Cheney's Haliburton making deals to set up oil drilling sites for Saddam while Iraq was embargo'ed under Clinton?
Yes, I remember those. You seem to be stuck on that particular issue.
If you want to comment on the fact that European businesses were propping Saddam up, I've got no beef with that. Just don't forget that there were US-based firms just as interested in making a buck out of the samr situation.
Who forgot the fact that US companies were engaged in deals with Iraq? If you are asking me to comment on them then yes, US firms were equally culpable for their actions in supporting Saddam.
As for your other points, they seem to boil down to; - if the US does not use its might to push contries around, other contries will step up to use their might to do the same thing.
Not might - will. You have evidence that China and/or Russia would not step into the power vacuum? I do. It is called the later part of the 20th Century.
- al-Quaeda attacked in order to protest the fact that Saddam was getting paided off.
Yeah! Anyone that had business dealings with Saddam should have the s#!t fined out of them. Oh wait, that includes Haliburton and most of the senior officials of this administration. Never mind.
And your comments relative to the other points I made are... ?
While the Internet was largely academic and US focused it made sense for it to be run from the US but it quite simply isn't like that any more.
Hmmm.... I thought the internet was originally a military tool for government-contracted academics, military contractors, and civilian miltary employees to use on US weapons projects.
Throughout history there has always been a country leading their sphere of influence, dominating smaller countries with their policies. China and Japan in Asia, India, Persia, and Greeks, Romans in the SE Asia, the Mediterranean, and Persian Gulf, and all of the Houses of Europe have all been regional and global players who influenced the affairs of their neighbors and colonies. So why is the US treated so differently?
I don't doubt that the US is viewed by many as a bully who should just step back and let others control their own destiny. Okay, so then what? Are you going to tell me that the everyone around the world will just arbitrarily keep the global map static? You must be smoking something.
In every power vacuum throughout human history there has been a rush by next-tier players for the top spot. If the US declines to exert its power and influence, you can bet that China will. Russia will also step up and exert its power and authority over its smaller neighbors. Don't believe me? You don't read even recent history very well.
For over a century the US has represented the dreams and fears of every country in the world. Our impulse to export freedom and democracy may be misplaced and unwelcome, but consider the alternatives that history has served up. How many powerful nations have simply taken a pass when it comes to taking over a vanquished enemy? Are Germany and Japan the sole territory of the US? What about France?
I'm not saying that every policy that the US has exported overseas is great for the people we screw with. Our policies haven't always been real helpful to the US. But considering the alternatives, who would you rather were in our shoes?
And don't forget who catches the shit for the policies of our partners. France, Russia, and Germany were selling shit to Saddam as fast as they could, but which one of these countries is the primary target of Al Quaeda in Iraq? Do you think that the absence of the US would make these fuckers disappear? Do you think any piss-ant global jihadist movement that wants attention will blow up the government buildings in Sierra Leone? Local rebels might, but global terrorists don't gain their street cred by blowing up one of the smallest and poorest nations on the face of the planet.
The fact is that if a country like the US didn't exist the rest of the world would have to invent one. Criticize the US all you like. Just be glad you aren't the ones "on point".
Slashdot Mirror
I'll never know until they release it for Linux.
mine 20 tons out of the moon
Mine twenty tons of what?
Are you going to use the raw material, or are you going to smelt it into something other than ore? How much would it cost to send a complete mining, smelting, power generation factory to the Moon?
It is probably cheaper to send the truck into space from Earth.
That would make the rig smaller than an 18-weeler. Their gross weight capacity is 40 tons.
That would place it safely in the realm of 'Cube Truck' capacity.
Hell, they wouldn't even have to stop at the scales in some states.
God, even in the Bible, never showed a strong tendency to explain the Why, of anything.
Which is *why* ID isn't science.
That is precisely the mission of science: to explain why something looks or acts the way it does.
As a side note, please name one novel experiment proposed to test ID since Behe published "Darwin's Black Box". In the nearly ten years since the publication of his treatise, I have not found one experiment that has been proposed to test ID's notion of 'irreducible complexity', or heard of an unqualified definition of what design elements would qualify as 'intelligent'. Why is that?
Or are you, like God, not going to exhibit the strong tendency to explain 'why'?
...software that will allow the monitoring of blogs, wikis, news feeds, consumer review sites, newsgroups, and other community-generated content..
Great just what I need to fill those empty hours between my wife, kids, kids activities, work, writing proposals for more work, graduate studies, my property, my animals, and my hobbies.
I just abandon that huge waste of time I call sleep so that I can stay current on my Blog-Spotting.
Maybe they are really available but are difficult to see?
Wow! Now THAT'S a *contest*!
Not necessarily. It would just mean that the law in the 5th Circuit is different than the law in the 2nd Circuit. It happens quite frequently.
True, but when the SCOTUS has been asked to review a decision once and it gets a second divergent opinion in a different circuit it is pretty likely that it will get a hearing.
What's with that?
Seriously though, why post the results of a competition regarding obfuscated source code if we are unable to view the entries ourselves? Seem the announcement was a bit of a let down if all we get to see is a couple of output files from some of the entries.
Sigh... I miss the old days when awards announcements didn't have a trailer.
As such, I gather *nix systems can and do have similar problems.
The volume is different, to be sure. That is probably an artifact of the number of users running the OS.
But your point is well taken; no operating system is immune to attack. Unfortunately, Windows users generally lack the discipline to patch their machines regularly. I don't know many *nix system users who do not perform regular updates.
That probably accounts for the low infection rates of *nix-related system.
So usenet is dead?
Netcraft confirms it!
No, it also becomes a problem when/if the patch breaks something else, like it did with one of last months security fixes.
Windows programs NEVER break applica.,M0$2;mfwe-23487.we
Okay, so it is critical. The advisory contains the patch to correct the problem. This only becomes an issue if Windows users don't patch their machines.
What is the likelihood that users won't patch their machines? (cough!)
From TFA:
Mehta doesn't expect the latest Windows flaws to be exploited in a widespread attack. "We're not bracing for any major worm or malware outbreak, but we do expect them to be used in targeted attacks," Mehta said. "There is user interaction required, there has to be someone sitting at the other end in order to be compromised."
Yeah, like viewing an image from usenet. No one ever does that.
If you're in Louisiana, don't get too excited until the 5th Circuit rules the same way.
Or rules just the opposite of the 2nd Circuit.
That would trigger a review by the SCOTUS and a decision one way or the other.
I thought the software title Defender was already taken.
From the following website:
Blood-forming organ (Bone marrow) syndrome (>100 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide at the most rapid pace (such as bone marrow, the spleen and lymphatic tissue). Symptoms include internal bleeding, fatigue, bacterial infections, and fever.
Gastrointestinal tract syndrome (>1000 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that divide less rapidly (such as the linings of the stomach and intestines). Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, electrolytic imbalance, loss of digestion ability, bleeding ulcers, and the symptoms of blood-forming organ syndrome.
Central nervous system syndrome (>5000 rad) is characterized by damage to cells that do not reproduce such as nerve cells. Symptoms include loss of coordination, confusion, coma, convulsions, shock, and the symptoms of the blood forming organ and gastrointestinal tract syndromes. Scientists now have evidence that death under these conditions is not caused by actual radiation damage to the nervous system, but rather from complications caused by internal bleeding, and fluid and pressure build-up on the brain
Other effects from an acute dose include:
200 to 300 rad to the skin can result in the reddening of the skin (erythema), similar to a mild sunburn and may result in hair loss due to damage to hair follicles.
125 to 200 rad to the ovaries can result in prolonged or permanent suppression of menstruation in about fifty percent (50%) of women.
600 rad to the ovaries or testicles can result in permanent sterilization.
50 rad to the thyroid gland can result in benign (non cancerous) tumors.
As a group, the effects caused by acute doses are called deterministic. Broadly speaking, this means that severity of the effect is determined by the amount of dose received. Deterministic effects usually have some threshold level - below which, the effect will probably not occur, but above which the effect is expected. When the dose is above the threshold, the severity of the effect increases as the dose increases.
"And even if true, next time, won't the pirates just wear earplugs?"
Depends on the frequency of the tone. Bone transmission of sound is possible at the dB ratings cited in the article.
Unprotected by earplugs or earmuffs a person can go deaf within a couple of minutes at dB ratings above 110.
I would just treat employees at my company like subcontractors. I'd tell them exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it, and how I wanted the deliverable to look. Then I would discuss and negotiate a schedule for delivery and hold the employee accountable for making it happen.
For the most part, That is how my life operates right now. I only show up between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm because that is when my customers show up for work.
>>So why is the US treated so differently?
Because those were brutal regimes that exploited the colonized people to the advantage of the empire's citizens. Often, the justification for exploitation was that they colonized people were objectively inferior according to the religious and cultural traditions and mythology and it was their place in the world to serve their empirical masters. We now recognize that those justifications are fig leafs for the morally corrupt to hide a more simple motivation: greed.
You seem to have missed a couple of points in your counter-argument: US colonization of island-nations in the South Pacific and the systematic extermination of American Native populations.
We were brutal colonizers and exploiters. That is why I am questioning the impulse by some to treat the US any differently than empires of the past.
>>If the US declines to exert its power and influence, you can bet that China will.
You present us with a false dichotomy between imperialism and isolationism. In fact, most people agree that the US should exert its influence, in co-operation with other democratic nations.
I have not used my example to argue for isolationism or make excuses for imperialism. I just recognize that their is a strong impulse stretching back through US history for isolationism, and that the voices of those who support that foreign policy objective are reinforced by criticism of US policy from abroad.
There is a strong streak of "they can go fuck themselves" in the US electorate.
You bemoan the fact that other nations have conflicts of interest and can't be trusted, but for some reason you fail to pursue that to its logical conclusion: The US should hold itself to the highest standards of democracy and transparency and have an impeccable record of weeding out corruption in its own house.
I see no a priori reason for your use of the word 'should'.
The hypocrisy of some people who denounce the UN and European nations for their corruption, but protect and defend the behavior of our own American scoundrels is, quite frankly, disgusting. They hold themselves up as the standard bearers of morality when pointing their fingers at other people, but refuse to apply the standard to themselves.
Why should the US hold themselves to a standard that no one else seems to maintain? I agree that some Americans (read: Republicans) are hypocritical for pointing their fingers at others, but I made no such claim.
The subtext of your argument is that everyone is immoral, so let's just let it all go to shit.
No, I believe that the US is capable of providing the kind of moral leadership that you claim we are responsible for, but have failed to read one reason why we "should". Is your argument that the reason the US should provide this moral compass is because no one else will?
At least we come out on top and its not as bad as it could be.
That may be the simplist point that can be made, but it isn't a bad starting point.
>>Are you going to tell me that the everyone around the world will just arbitrarily keep the global map static? You must be smoking something.
Not arbitrarily. What kept the US map static for so many centuries? Not democracy, but respect and enforcement of the Constitution.
The map of the US has grown from 1789 to today (a point you make below, but I am trying to address this particular point). I agree that the only thing that has kept it from flying apart at the seams is our respect for the Constitution, but that enforcement hasn't always been uniform. See Andrew Jackson and the Cherokee Nation and Abraham Lincoln and his suspension of habeas corpus.
The profound achievement of the founding of this country is that it brought together 13 colonies all with competing interests and created a single, co-operative entity. The Constitution and the make-up of the government was designed to prevent one pow
Perhaps it is merely the rose-tinted memories of my father's stories (WW II vet), but the U.S. used to ASPIRE to much more than just being the least bad....
Yes, a soft appeal to emotion rather than a rigorous argument. So sue me for rampant sentimentality and patriotism.
Believe me, I'm not happy with the fact that the US is the least worst of the bunch. Yes, we did aspire to better things, but our basest emotions have currently got the better of us. I find it sad that there is grudging support for a ban on torture by US forces and the CIA.
When you are no better than your enemies, why fight them?
Rember the Saddam / Rumsfeld handshake? How about Cheney's Haliburton making deals to set up oil drilling sites for Saddam while Iraq was embargo'ed under Clinton?
Yes, I remember those. You seem to be stuck on that particular issue.
If you want to comment on the fact that European businesses were propping Saddam up, I've got no beef with that. Just don't forget that there were US-based firms just as interested in making a buck out of the samr situation.
Who forgot the fact that US companies were engaged in deals with Iraq? If you are asking me to comment on them then yes, US firms were equally culpable for their actions in supporting Saddam.
As for your other points, they seem to boil down to;
- if the US does not use its might to push contries around, other contries will step up to use their might to do the same thing.
Not might - will. You have evidence that China and/or Russia would not step into the power vacuum? I do. It is called the later part of the 20th Century.
- al-Quaeda attacked in order to protest the fact that Saddam was getting paided off.
You misread my orignal post. RTFP post again.
Yeah! Anyone that had business dealings with Saddam should have the s#!t fined out of them. Oh wait, that includes Haliburton and most of the senior officials of this administration. Never mind.
And your comments relative to the other points I made are... ?
While the Internet was largely academic and US focused it made sense for it to be run from the US but it quite simply isn't like that any more.
Hmmm.... I thought the internet was originally a military tool for government-contracted academics, military contractors, and civilian miltary employees to use on US weapons projects.
Throughout history there has always been a country leading their sphere of influence, dominating smaller countries with their policies. China and Japan in Asia, India, Persia, and Greeks, Romans in the SE Asia, the Mediterranean, and Persian Gulf, and all of the Houses of Europe have all been regional and global players who influenced the affairs of their neighbors and colonies. So why is the US treated so differently?
I don't doubt that the US is viewed by many as a bully who should just step back and let others control their own destiny. Okay, so then what? Are you going to tell me that the everyone around the world will just arbitrarily keep the global map static? You must be smoking something.
In every power vacuum throughout human history there has been a rush by next-tier players for the top spot. If the US declines to exert its power and influence, you can bet that China will. Russia will also step up and exert its power and authority over its smaller neighbors. Don't believe me? You don't read even recent history very well.
For over a century the US has represented the dreams and fears of every country in the world. Our impulse to export freedom and democracy may be misplaced and unwelcome, but consider the alternatives that history has served up. How many powerful nations have simply taken a pass when it comes to taking over a vanquished enemy? Are Germany and Japan the sole territory of the US? What about France?
I'm not saying that every policy that the US has exported overseas is great for the people we screw with. Our policies haven't always been real helpful to the US. But considering the alternatives, who would you rather were in our shoes?
And don't forget who catches the shit for the policies of our partners. France, Russia, and Germany were selling shit to Saddam as fast as they could, but which one of these countries is the primary target of Al Quaeda in Iraq? Do you think that the absence of the US would make these fuckers disappear? Do you think any piss-ant global jihadist movement that wants attention will blow up the government buildings in Sierra Leone? Local rebels might, but global terrorists don't gain their street cred by blowing up one of the smallest and poorest nations on the face of the planet.
The fact is that if a country like the US didn't exist the rest of the world would have to invent one. Criticize the US all you like. Just be glad you aren't the ones "on point".
A Marilyn Manson Doctrine?
Ewwwww......
I believe the scarcity of refineries and nuclear plants has more to do with rampant NIMBYism than any love of environmentalists by the United States.
Possibly, but there is a great deal of "politics disguised as science" associated with nuclear power.
I don't think you'll find many liberals or conservatives who want a nuclear reactor in their backyard.
I'd take one. They provide power and jobs.
Now the conservatives might want it in someone else's backyard, but not their own.
You mean 'conservatives' or Republicans?
I doubt you mean conservatives.