I was just teasing. Lighten up. However. a lot of people *do* use SimCity 2000 as an argument against solar power with the mistaken idea that Maxis did some sort of research. They're in the same group who think nuke plants produce glowing green waste like on the Simpsons. I'll stop caring about that when those people are no longer allowed to vote.
And many people who are experts on the subject matter feel that this is a very doable technology and could easily be profitable after the up front costs.
but 200 Mw? please
Baby steps. You have to start somewhere. Getting something actually up there is a great idea. We'll learn a lot. If it's a total bust, you de-orbit it and move on with lessons learned. If these people are willing to invest the cash, what do you care? We should be wishing them luck.
Maybe because it's something that can be done right now and quickly, and the war on drugs causes a lot of problems?
Our educational system, for example, needs to be declared bankrupt, completely wiped out in a controlled demolition, and rebuilt from the ground up. Is that going to happen next week? Health care? There's probably hundreds of proposal, from small tweaqks to whole systems, published by various think tanks and academic institutions and industry groups from all over the ideological spectrum. There's solutions to just about everything floating around out there. It's proof enough that politicians really are not interested in solving anything. Anyone over the age of 18 who hasn't figured that out isn't paying attention.
Here's a site by law enforcement people who oppose the drug war because they have witnessed first hand the toll it takes.
Read around the LEAP site. There's one report by someone doing some lobbying for pot legalization where a politician tells them they are, in all likelihood, correct in their pro-pot arguments, but that he will, regardless, never vote that way. Does that sound like problem solving to you?
A real democracy would be a disaster, simply because most people lack the inclination to become educated on the large number of social issues.
The other problem is that most politicians suffer from the same lack. Look at our state government here in California. They live in a big bubble and have no freaking clue what is going on.
The other other problem is that our system is now designed (or, more accurately, has evolved) to put only extremist sociopaths into office. They're all batshit insane on the inside their thick, insulated skulls. And, sorry kids, that includes Obama. he was just two points less insane than McCain, but 1000 points less insane that Palin. Seriously, McCain threw the election by choosing Palin.
Not sure where you went to school, but in my high school, you took the class most appropriate to your abilities at the time. Some were taking basic math and algebra in 10th grade while I was in a precalculus class. In 12th grade I was in an early morning advanced calculus class taught by a professor from the local university.
There is no "math class" at that level anymore, at least in my experience. Even middle school was like that because I got my advanced algebra there.
As for the essay linked by the original article. it smacks of the "whole language" approach that swept through schools here in California in the 1980s and 1990s, much to its detriment. I actually went into the article expecting to agree with Mr. Mathematician, but wound up thinking the guy is a loon (after slogging through *TWO* overwrought analogies). I get what he wants, but you don't toss out the basic foundations of functional mathematics to accomplish it.
Don't worry. Our state government in Sacramento is working diligently toward that goal.:-P
Government: We passed the largest state tax increase in U.S. history in the middle of a massive economic slump! Yay!
California: (falls over face first and vomits jobs and taxpayers into neighboring states. people spend even less due to 10% sales taxes. tax revenues actually go down)
Govenrment: D'oh! That haz teh FAIL! Who do we do now? I know! Let's raise taxes again! It'll be sure to work differently this time!
California: (death rattle)
Government: D'oh!
This little skit was brought to you by gerrymandering, and the letters F and U.
Both of which also have large ghetto type areas which house hundreds of people who I'm sure that most of us here wouldn't want living in our backyards.
Truth be told, I really don't want *anyone* living in my backyard.
But... but... I thought urban was hip and with it, and we're supposed to make fun of anyone within line of sight of more than two trees next to one another.;-)
Country mouse: I have a yard with three trees. City mouse: Cousin marrying hillbilly!!!
They should talk to Suda 51's team. They did a fricken open world city on the Wii in No More Heroes. The motion control was well integrated. Not too much, not too little. Yeah, it was no Liberty City, but I have to imagine the game engine could be developed and improved further. It was almost a release title for the Wii. We'll see how the Conduit fares.
I'm using my Wii more and more. No More Heroes was a hoot. I'm playing the latest Tales Of Symphonia, and there's some interesting RPG and adventure games coming out as seen at E3 (Fragile and that 2D one by the Odin Sphere team... the name escapes me). I even rediscovered point and click fun with the Strong Bad games on WiiWare. I'll be renting Deadly Creatures and Madworld soon. Heck, there's even a few GameCube games (playing GC games is an undersung feature of the Wii, IMHO) I missed that I might rent. I never played Pikmin or Eternal Darkness.
But I was patient. It was obvious the Wii's success blindsided a lot of the bigger developers. I figured it would take a couple years for good games to start showing up, and they are starting appear.
No More Heroes on the Wii was a decent sandbox game. I'm sure a couple iterations of the engine with better streaming could lead to bigger and more detailed worlds.
Astronomers calculate there is a tiny chance that Mars or Venus could collide with Earth -- though it would not happen for at least a billion years.
That's no reason not to print another $500 billion to study the problem! If it saves just one child's life in a billion years, then it's worth it! Why do you hate the Earth? Hater.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't F with us or we'll turn our eco-friendly power beam on you!
Now hold still for ten years while we roast you alive! Muh ha ha ha! D'oh! He moved. Hold still!!!!
I was just teasing. Lighten up. However. a lot of people *do* use SimCity 2000 as an argument against solar power with the mistaken idea that Maxis did some sort of research. They're in the same group who think nuke plants produce glowing green waste like on the Simpsons. I'll stop caring about that when those people are no longer allowed to vote.
And many people who are experts on the subject matter feel that this is a very doable technology and could easily be profitable after the up front costs.
but 200 Mw? please
Baby steps. You have to start somewhere. Getting something actually up there is a great idea. We'll learn a lot. If it's a total bust, you de-orbit it and move on with lessons learned. If these people are willing to invest the cash, what do you care? We should be wishing them luck.
wish the skeptic in me would be quiet.
I wish people wouldn't use video games as their scientific cites.
Maybe because it's something that can be done right now and quickly, and the war on drugs causes a lot of problems?
Our educational system, for example, needs to be declared bankrupt, completely wiped out in a controlled demolition, and rebuilt from the ground up. Is that going to happen next week? Health care? There's probably hundreds of proposal, from small tweaqks to whole systems, published by various think tanks and academic institutions and industry groups from all over the ideological spectrum. There's solutions to just about everything floating around out there. It's proof enough that politicians really are not interested in solving anything. Anyone over the age of 18 who hasn't figured that out isn't paying attention.
Here's a site by law enforcement people who oppose the drug war because they have witnessed first hand the toll it takes.
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
Read around the LEAP site. There's one report by someone doing some lobbying for pot legalization where a politician tells them they are, in all likelihood, correct in their pro-pot arguments, but that he will, regardless, never vote that way. Does that sound like problem solving to you?
A real democracy would be a disaster, simply because most people lack the inclination to become educated on the large number of social issues.
The other problem is that most politicians suffer from the same lack. Look at our state government here in California. They live in a big bubble and have no freaking clue what is going on.
The other other problem is that our system is now designed (or, more accurately, has evolved) to put only extremist sociopaths into office. They're all batshit insane on the inside their thick, insulated skulls. And, sorry kids, that includes Obama. he was just two points less insane than McCain, but 1000 points less insane that Palin. Seriously, McCain threw the election by choosing Palin.
however, wtf is "meatspace"? I have *never* heard this term used before.
It's the greater monkeysphere.
Not sure where you went to school, but in my high school, you took the class most appropriate to your abilities at the time. Some were taking basic math and algebra in 10th grade while I was in a precalculus class. In 12th grade I was in an early morning advanced calculus class taught by a professor from the local university.
There is no "math class" at that level anymore, at least in my experience. Even middle school was like that because I got my advanced algebra there.
As for the essay linked by the original article. it smacks of the "whole language" approach that swept through schools here in California in the 1980s and 1990s, much to its detriment. I actually went into the article expecting to agree with Mr. Mathematician, but wound up thinking the guy is a loon (after slogging through *TWO* overwrought analogies). I get what he wants, but you don't toss out the basic foundations of functional mathematics to accomplish it.
I implore you to read his essay with every atom of my being.
Well, OK, seeing as I can use *your* atoms.
death to california
Don't worry. Our state government in Sacramento is working diligently toward that goal. :-P
Government: We passed the largest state tax increase in U.S. history in the middle of a massive economic slump! Yay!
California: (falls over face first and vomits jobs and taxpayers into neighboring states. people spend even less due to 10% sales taxes. tax revenues actually go down)
Govenrment: D'oh! That haz teh FAIL! Who do we do now? I know! Let's raise taxes again! It'll be sure to work differently this time!
California: (death rattle)
Government: D'oh!
This little skit was brought to you by gerrymandering, and the letters F and U.
Ooo! Ooo! (waving hand) Californian here! Can Sacramento go third?
And then Corona. Why? Just because.
Both of which also have large ghetto type areas which house hundreds of people who I'm sure that most of us here wouldn't want living in our backyards.
Truth be told, I really don't want *anyone* living in my backyard.
But... but... I thought urban was hip and with it, and we're supposed to make fun of anyone within line of sight of more than two trees next to one another. ;-)
Country mouse: I have a yard with three trees.
City mouse: Cousin marrying hillbilly!!!
Call it "Delta City" and police it with robocops, and I'll *so* sign off on it.
That would be really tough, especially getting the beaver to hold the camera and take a picture of your wife.
Go forth into the world and create printers that do not jam and an Outlook that does not freeze!
I know. I meant design error from the user's POV.
You can say all you want about a poor design of the keyboard and limitations of the hardware.
Especially since, you know, the article was about *design* failures.
Well... at least it wasn't spread out over 15 pages.
They should talk to Suda 51's team. They did a fricken open world city on the Wii in No More Heroes. The motion control was well integrated. Not too much, not too little. Yeah, it was no Liberty City, but I have to imagine the game engine could be developed and improved further. It was almost a release title for the Wii. We'll see how the Conduit fares.
I'm using my Wii more and more. No More Heroes was a hoot. I'm playing the latest Tales Of Symphonia, and there's some interesting RPG and adventure games coming out as seen at E3 (Fragile and that 2D one by the Odin Sphere team... the name escapes me). I even rediscovered point and click fun with the Strong Bad games on WiiWare. I'll be renting Deadly Creatures and Madworld soon. Heck, there's even a few GameCube games (playing GC games is an undersung feature of the Wii, IMHO) I missed that I might rent. I never played Pikmin or Eternal Darkness.
But I was patient. It was obvious the Wii's success blindsided a lot of the bigger developers. I figured it would take a couple years for good games to start showing up, and they are starting appear.
No More Heroes on the Wii was a decent sandbox game. I'm sure a couple iterations of the engine with better streaming could lead to bigger and more detailed worlds.
Astronomers calculate there is a tiny chance that Mars or Venus could collide with Earth -- though it would not happen for at least a billion years.
That's no reason not to print another $500 billion to study the problem! If it saves just one child's life in a billion years, then it's worth it! Why do you hate the Earth? Hater.
Hanged? He wasn't friends with David Carradine, was he?
Bankruptcy is the best thing that can happen to this state.
The disturbing thing about your code is its mandate of only two parties.