Think about the support structure needed to really START a new civilization.
I'd be happy if we just actually made a START. I think we are going to need a major shift in the way our entire geo-political system works for us to even get that far. Otherwise everything you say is perfectly valid.
But with all that stuff, it has to come FROM somewhere so you have a bit of a chicken and the egg issue. How do you get all the raw steel, machinery, etc, up to START to build, let alone start to create a worthwhile place to live and work?
Well I'd like to think that we could have some sort of concerted effort to perfect long strand Carbon Nano Tubes and build a space elevator - but I honestly don't think it's gonna happen. We'd need that sort of material anyway to create underwater cities and increase the population density of our existing cities simply because if we go backwards in population growth (worldwide) we will not be able to maintain our existing infrastructure and humanity will slip into decline. Look at what's happening in Russia now. Sure a nation might recover, but an entire race - I'm not so sure.
With the costs of "shipping" being astronomically high right now, something on the order of hundreds to thousands PER POUND? Just who do you think has the money to SERIOUSLY look into actually creating a moon base?
No one. I expect that if we are ever going to do it, it will be an endevour the whole human race (as in all nations) carry out or it won't happen. Unfortunately I think the human race's propensity to want to kill each other will probably prevent that from happening, short of an asteroid crashing into us to make us focus on our survival.
Even if the government funds such an initiative and subsidizes the startup costs, what company is really going to take that risk?
None, they can't, they aren't big enough. It's a government exercise at the very minimum, and even the largest governments efforts to date are, at best, parodies of what a true space program *should* look like. So far, all our most potent science is devoted to how we can best destroy ourselves and until we can change that part of our nature, one day we will succeed. Our space programs everywhere have always been an afterbirth of the military - sad but true. Case in point Space Shuttle, Soyuz.
The reality is, as a race, to date, we failed our stewardship of our own planet, whose resources were all available to use at the peak of our civilisation to build a glorious future and we've failed to evolve past our own destructive nature.
We either go in this generation or we miss the chance and prove we are not fit to survive. I'm not attacking you but look around, it's not just global warming and energy production - every biological system on the face of the earth is in decline. The intelligence of our species was never meant to be contained, look at how we fight for resources. Yet we still can't overcome the structures previous generations have put in place to comfort us from the ugly harsh realities of life. I know it sounds negative, but it's not really - just pragmatic. I would actually welcome a constructive change, so if what I say next appals you - there may still be hope.
Still, a decline of the human race won't be too bad, especially as the world recovers from our constant demands the world will probably be very bountiful. Maybe in another, say, thousand years we might even get another chance to begin human history, but it will be a lot harder. An even if we fail then and become again nomadic and begin the slow trek to extinction (hard to believe now for sure) the earth will again nurture us until we are gone.
Then as all traces of us disappear and with only half a billion years left of her own life left before the sun swallows her maybe some other race will see a shimmering blue world up for grabs and overcome what we could not. If they make it here they might find what we've left on the moon, kind of like a headstone, and wonder about us.
For that, at least, we can feel that the space program has achieved something.
We can't get really serious about this until we start building on 1970's technology and initiate the electric guitar/ spaceship.
I was just playing my guitar to get over it. I bet the electric guitar spaceship would have a massive power cord:-P, and I bet the countdown will go 5..1..5..0.. lift off!!!!!!!!
I know you'll probably mod me a troll but I have a sinking felling that me and actually many of the people reading slashdot will never see a real push into space by humanity. I really want to remain optimistic about it but for me this whole orion project is like a reminder of where we *could* have been at the completion of the Apollo launchers.
Don't get me wrong I hope we get off this rock and have a *real* space program but I suspect that I am not the only person reading this that thinks they were born before their time.
Good luck NASA, I hope it all goes well, this time.
I sure hope he's fronting the $8B in debt forgiveness for that new share.
Maybe he will have to sell his
little boat
(second link is a pdf).
I know, it's a drop in the ocean compared to the actual sums being dealt with, but to think this guy is the second richest guy in Microsoft. At least the Channel shareholders have some idea where the money goes.
I did software asset management for a large IT corporate and this is exactly the case. Many of my recommendations were to implement Open Source solutions where the option was available. Really large business have been forced into paying license fees even when their licences were legit, but their practices for tracking those licenses were poor, and I'm talking in multi millions of dollars.
Worse still, you can fork over what they think you owe them OR when you do get audited your business grinds to a halt. Certainly a little publicised downside to the closed source model.
It's almost like X11 for games in the home. I wonder if X11 and OpenGL would be fast enough to do this and the latency/bandwidth of DSL lines be handled for the games?
I got a sense of vapour product from the article - but I'm tired so I might of missed something.
I'm not too aware of any marsupials that devolved from meat eating to eating leaves, but there you are.
Kangaroos! There was some fossil evidence of them in a carnivorous state. Big, scary fast with teeth. Even today they can be shitheads as herbivores. I was feeding a doe and she dug her claws into me so I wouldn't leave until she ate all the birdseed that was actually for the parrots. Lucky kangaroos taste good.
Furry comes to mind, impressive animal comes to mind, but cute?
Well when you consider that the other animal that used to be on the island was a Tasmanian Tiger, maybe it's just cute for Tasmania.
Maybe not as cute as a Koala but damn it's so sad to see the little guys with those horrible facial tumours . Besides the loss to humanity of the only known remaining carnivorous marsupial in the world would be an incredible tragedy. So, until a cure is found for the incredibly rare transmissible cancer that's killing them all, yes they are cute (well I think they are cute).
I am impressed that Torvalds knows about this issue, and credo to him for raising people's awareness.
Miscoroft has a whole series in the 'Of Death' error business unit
First there was the 'Blue Screen Of Death' then
The 'Red Screen of Death'
The 'Error 74 of Death'
But also several new series...
The 'Corrupted Registry Entry of Annoyance'
The 'Lost Office Document of Aggravation'
The 'SQL Server Lost data of Frustration'
and the 'File system of falling off throughput for no apparent reason of Complete Bewilderment'
Slashdot Mirror
I'd be happy if we just actually made a START. I think we are going to need a major shift in the way our entire geo-political system works for us to even get that far. Otherwise everything you say is perfectly valid.
Well I'd like to think that we could have some sort of concerted effort to perfect long strand Carbon Nano Tubes and build a space elevator - but I honestly don't think it's gonna happen. We'd need that sort of material anyway to create underwater cities and increase the population density of our existing cities simply because if we go backwards in population growth (worldwide) we will not be able to maintain our existing infrastructure and humanity will slip into decline. Look at what's happening in Russia now. Sure a nation might recover, but an entire race - I'm not so sure.
No one. I expect that if we are ever going to do it, it will be an endevour the whole human race (as in all nations) carry out or it won't happen. Unfortunately I think the human race's propensity to want to kill each other will probably prevent that from happening, short of an asteroid crashing into us to make us focus on our survival.
None, they can't, they aren't big enough. It's a government exercise at the very minimum, and even the largest governments efforts to date are, at best, parodies of what a true space program *should* look like. So far, all our most potent science is devoted to how we can best destroy ourselves and until we can change that part of our nature, one day we will succeed. Our space programs everywhere have always been an afterbirth of the military - sad but true. Case in point Space Shuttle, Soyuz.
The reality is, as a race, to date, we failed our stewardship of our own planet, whose resources were all available to use at the peak of our civilisation to build a glorious future and we've failed to evolve past our own destructive nature.
We either go in this generation or we miss the chance and prove we are not fit to survive. I'm not attacking you but look around, it's not just global warming and energy production - every biological system on the face of the earth is in decline. The intelligence of our species was never meant to be contained, look at how we fight for resources. Yet we still can't overcome the structures previous generations have put in place to comfort us from the ugly harsh realities of life. I know it sounds negative, but it's not really - just pragmatic. I would actually welcome a constructive change, so if what I say next appals you - there may still be hope.
Still, a decline of the human race won't be too bad, especially as the world recovers from our constant demands the world will probably be very bountiful. Maybe in another, say, thousand years we might even get another chance to begin human history, but it will be a lot harder. An even if we fail then and become again nomadic and begin the slow trek to extinction (hard to believe now for sure) the earth will again nurture us until we are gone.
Then as all traces of us disappear and with only half a billion years left of her own life left before the sun swallows her maybe some other race will see a shimmering blue world up for grabs and overcome what we could not. If they make it here they might find what we've left on the moon, kind of like a headstone, and wonder about us.
For that, at least, we can feel that the space program has achieved something.
I was just playing my guitar to get over it. I bet the electric guitar spaceship would have a massive power cord :-P, and I bet the countdown will go 5..1..5..0.. lift off!!!!!!!!
Don't get me wrong I hope we get off this rock and have a *real* space program but I suspect that I am not the only person reading this that thinks they were born before their time.
Good luck NASA, I hope it all goes well, this time.
I guess it depends on which chopper you used that day.
Maybe he will have to sell his little boat (second link is a pdf).
I know, it's a drop in the ocean compared to the actual sums being dealt with, but to think this guy is the second richest guy in Microsoft. At least the Channel shareholders have some idea where the money goes.
urg! IBM PC with cassette port keeps cave warm, you insensitive clod.
Which for those of you who don't know is Tool's Disgustipated! Of interest though is how the song ends which I think sums this all up nicely...
this is necessary this is necessary life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life this is necessary ...Maybe it was a tar baby.
Jamie challenged the geeks to get rid of 'sockpuppet''s from slashdot using 'Buster', some aluminium nitrate, and some socks.
The boom was the sound of heads exploding trying to comprehend the concept of a 'sockpuppet' from the beauty challenge .
to photograph the earth from the ISS.
Worse still, you can fork over what they think you owe them OR when you do get audited your business grinds to a halt. Certainly a little publicised downside to the closed source model.
I hear deer tastes good too!
DumbedDown = MoreSmarterer.
I know I could have used this chute the morning after a heavy curry. There is a lot to be said for reducing the splashdown impact.
Just give me a beer mate!!!
I got a sense of vapour product from the article - but I'm tired so I might of missed something.
Kangaroos! There was some fossil evidence of them in a carnivorous state. Big, scary fast with teeth. Even today they can be shitheads as herbivores. I was feeding a doe and she dug her claws into me so I wouldn't leave until she ate all the birdseed that was actually for the parrots. Lucky kangaroos taste good.
I'm sure that this new system from Microsoft will work flawlessly with my PS2 running Lunix!!!
Thank you for that, and thank you Linux community!
Two heads? That's not a missed out feature!!!
I did, thanks for that, but I didn't know that opossums were carnivorous - so thanks for that too.
Well when you consider that the other animal that used to be on the island was a Tasmanian Tiger, maybe it's just cute for Tasmania.
Maybe not as cute as a Koala but damn it's so sad to see the little guys with those horrible facial tumours . Besides the loss to humanity of the only known remaining carnivorous marsupial in the world would be an incredible tragedy. So, until a cure is found for the incredibly rare transmissible cancer that's killing them all, yes they are cute (well I think they are cute).
I am impressed that Torvalds knows about this issue, and credo to him for raising people's awareness.
Always wondered what Satan looked like.
It's the context switching that kills you.
But also several new series...
The 'Corrupted Registry Entry of Annoyance' The 'Lost Office Document of Aggravation' The 'SQL Server Lost data of Frustration' and the 'File system of falling off throughput for no apparent reason of Complete Bewilderment'News at six