Depending on how high the speculators drive up the price of oil, the oil shales may or may not become worthwhile to exploit (which will require billions of dollars of additional investment, and probably a decade or two).
Abdullah was supposed to show up again to promote his book, but given the situation in the Middle East, he sent the Ambassador instead. Interestingly enough, he's a Pretender to the Throne of Iraq--if they ever brought back the monarchy, I think they could do quite a bit worse than him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Zeid_bin_Ra'ad
Let me preface what I'm about to say by saying that from everything I've read and seen, and with the comparative openness of Jordan and Jordanian society, I think King Abdullah (and King Hussein before him) is a good man and leader, and in no way compares to some of the people that follow. I think many foreign dignitaries come off quite well on the Daily Show and the Colbert Report (like Pakistani ex-president Pervez Musharraf, and former Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak)--it's their opportunity to present themselves to a good portion of the American public (and given the international distribution, probably a not-insignificant amount of viewers throughout the western world). I have a feeling that were Asma (Emma) and/or Bashar al-Assad ever to go on, they'd probably be similarly charming and well-spoken. During World War II, Joseph Stalin cultivated the image of Uncle Joe in Allied countries.
All that said, Jordan hasn't launched invasions of its neighbours, there don't seem to be mass-graves or concentration camps in Jordan, there haven't been brutal and bloody crackdowns (as in Libya or Syria), and Jordan is open enough to the rest of the world that we'd probably be able to tell.
Just like rootbeer, they're so bubbly, and cloying, and... Happy. And the worst part is that if you drink enough of it, you actually start to *like* it.
Paraphrased from Quark and Garak
For that price, you're looking at quite used (and possibly of questionable calibration / shape--or from someone offering a family / friends discount). But if you're a hobbyist, you could always build your own using a computer, a microcontroller with an A/D and a serial / USB interface, and a graphics package. I believe you may also be able to find some USB-based ones that are basically what I described previously in the back of Circuit Cellar or some such.
When Michael Faraday was asked about the usefulness of his newly-invented dynamo [the first electric generator, and the invention which paved the way for electricity] by then British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, he supposedly replied, "Of what use is a new born babe?"
Actually, logic, analog, and memory are all CMOS (or CMOS-ish in the case of Flash) and can all be made on the same silicon production lines. Ditto for certain sensors (cameras, basic sensors like temperature and pressure). Sure, once you get up to silicon MEMS devices, like accelerometers or gyroscopes, it becomes trickier and possibly more expensive, but there really is no fundamental incompatibility. TI and Analog Devices have been able to incorporate MEMS with CMOS bits quite successfully in their respective MEMS devices (though they are the only two to do so commercially, to my knowledge).
Various companies have tried to integrate all these functions together in System-on-Chip or basic cell-phone on chip ICs, but the real killer has been cost and yield (related to the large areas required to implement, and implement adequately, all these functions). The best examples of these SOCs (albeit in a cut-down form) are the everything-but-sink microcontrollers put out by the likes of ATMEL and Microchip.
"The odds are stacked against us! We have no hope and our best option is to surrender immediately!" -(Paraphrased) Jack, DS9 Statistical Improbabilities
Yes, JWST will give the chance to do different things than Hubble, but it will also give us the ability to look behind the veil and stare back to when the universe was only a billion or so years old. They've termed it the "First Light Telescope" since they believe that it'll be able to see light from the point when (if the theories are correct) the universe cooled sufficiently to become opaque to light. Not to flame, but I think that certainly qualifies as better understanding our universe. If nothing, maybe we could bronze an old white dwarf and mount pictures from the JWST next to it:-)
I was quite the fervent supporter of the Hubble up until I attended a talk by Dr. Philip Stahl, from the Marshall Space Center, and optics technical lead on the new James Webb Space Telescope.
Yes, the JWST is an infrared telescope. But, as another post further down alludes to incorrectly (for which they were smacked down and corrected by someone else) the James Webb is able to see further back into the history of the universe than we have ever been able to observe. What started out as visible light all those billions of years ago (and billions of light years away) becomes red-shifted into the infrared as the universe expands and, in a nearly literal fashion, stretches out that incoming light.
So while the Hubble has been responsible for a lot of great science, and truly breath-taking images, we have the potential to do so much more and better understand our universe with the JWST. We haven't maxed out the potential of the Hubble (probably never would), and I would love to keep it, but if there's only enough to deploy the JWST (and it's already been pushed back by several years), or keep on servicing the Hubble, my vote would be in favour of the JWST.
I'd say they hyped the existence of the Nanofab pretty extensively, and even if you're an undergrad in Engineering or a few of the Sciences (Physics comes to mind) you've probably heard of the existence of the Nanofab. It's been overshadowed by NINT, but you still hear about the Nanofab in conjunction with nano research at the U of A (and will probably continue to until they get their facilities fully up and running)
They've also started demolishing V-Wing and Physics, and Physics will be moving to BRAND NEW FACILITIES... in 2010. They've "temporarily" (the old Temp Labs building lasted for over 15 years) moved into the old Civil Electrical Building. There was a story in the Folio detailing most of the moves.
As one of the other comments in this thread says, Rontgen (too lazy for the Oomlops) probably didn't die as a result of his research on X-rays, but Marie Curie (who co-discovered radiation with Henri Becquerel) most certainly did. According to the wiki she died of aplastic anemia which was probably caused by the massive doses of radiation she received as a result of carrying vials of radioactive substances around with her.
I agree. It's good for a quick lookup or as a starting point (especially into a subject with which you have little/no familiarity) or even some mental loitering, but sure as heck shouldn't be the determining factor of a thesis (unless it's some kind of sociology thesis on Wikipedia itself)
Slashdot Mirror
Hate to burst your narrative, but Jordan doesn't have any significant oil reserves (and is a net oil importer):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Jordan#Energy
Depending on how high the speculators drive up the price of oil, the oil shales may or may not become worthwhile to exploit (which will require billions of dollars of additional investment, and probably a decade or two).
The (extended) interview with the Jordanian UN Ambassador, Prince Zeid Ra'ad was also quite good (and hilarious):
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-march-1-2011/exclusive---zeid-ra-ad-extended-interview-pt--1
Or if you're Canadian, like me:
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/exclusive-interviews/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart---prince-zeid-raad-extended-interview/#clip426425
Abdullah was supposed to show up again to promote his book, but given the situation in the Middle East, he sent the Ambassador instead. Interestingly enough, he's a Pretender to the Throne of Iraq--if they ever brought back the monarchy, I think they could do quite a bit worse than him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Zeid_bin_Ra'ad
Let me preface what I'm about to say by saying that from everything I've read and seen, and with the comparative openness of Jordan and Jordanian society, I think King Abdullah (and King Hussein before him) is a good man and leader, and in no way compares to some of the people that follow. I think many foreign dignitaries come off quite well on the Daily Show and the Colbert Report (like Pakistani ex-president Pervez Musharraf, and former Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak)--it's their opportunity to present themselves to a good portion of the American public (and given the international distribution, probably a not-insignificant amount of viewers throughout the western world). I have a feeling that were Asma (Emma) and/or Bashar al-Assad ever to go on, they'd probably be similarly charming and well-spoken. During World War II, Joseph Stalin cultivated the image of Uncle Joe in Allied countries.
All that said, Jordan hasn't launched invasions of its neighbours, there don't seem to be mass-graves or concentration camps in Jordan, there haven't been brutal and bloody crackdowns (as in Libya or Syria), and Jordan is open enough to the rest of the world that we'd probably be able to tell.
And its inertia is like capacitance?
You learn something new every day! LED as (probably not great, but acceptable) light sensor. Heck, looks like there's even a Wikipedia page on it.
Sucks that a lot of the lower-wavelength (blues, greens, whites) have such a high forward voltage, and really low reverse voltage tolerance.
Maybe use one of these to charge up the internal A/D and sample briefly?
Just like rootbeer, they're so bubbly, and cloying, and... Happy. And the worst part is that if you drink enough of it, you actually start to *like* it. Paraphrased from Quark and Garak
For that price, you're looking at quite used (and possibly of questionable calibration / shape--or from someone offering a family / friends discount). But if you're a hobbyist, you could always build your own using a computer, a microcontroller with an A/D and a serial / USB interface, and a graphics package. I believe you may also be able to find some USB-based ones that are basically what I described previously in the back of Circuit Cellar or some such.
He admitted to using hard drugs when he was younger, and realized how stupid and dead-ended that was, didn't he? He wasn't running for president at the time, but I found his honesty refreshing.
\Too bad I'm Canadian...
Probably apocryphal, but fitting nonetheless...
When Michael Faraday was asked about the usefulness of his newly-invented dynamo [the first electric generator, and the invention which paved the way for electricity] by then British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, he supposedly replied, "Of what use is a new born babe?"
On that note, an oldie but goodie from the rec.humor.funnies archive "Programming Languages Are Like Women"
\Disclaimer: Not mine, and not necessarily opinions of poster
Beastly? (Sorry, I couldn't resist)
Actually, logic, analog, and memory are all CMOS (or CMOS-ish in the case of Flash) and can all be made on the same silicon production lines. Ditto for certain sensors (cameras, basic sensors like temperature and pressure). Sure, once you get up to silicon MEMS devices, like accelerometers or gyroscopes, it becomes trickier and possibly more expensive, but there really is no fundamental incompatibility. TI and Analog Devices have been able to incorporate MEMS with CMOS bits quite successfully in their respective MEMS devices (though they are the only two to do so commercially, to my knowledge).
Various companies have tried to integrate all these functions together in System-on-Chip or basic cell-phone on chip ICs, but the real killer has been cost and yield (related to the large areas required to implement, and implement adequately, all these functions). The best examples of these SOCs (albeit in a cut-down form) are the everything-but-sink microcontrollers put out by the likes of ATMEL and Microchip.
"The odds are stacked against us! We have no hope and our best option is to surrender immediately!"
-(Paraphrased) Jack, DS9 Statistical Improbabilities
Man, this post has been up how long without a reference to Johnny Mnemonic? (the short story by William Gibson and then film starring Keanu Reeves).
Well, I for one welcome our new data trafficking, USB-port toting overlords!
Like the old engineering motto goes:
...Especially if it costs that much less.
"Good enough is the enemy of perfect."
Yes, JWST will give the chance to do different things than Hubble, but it will also give us the ability to look behind the veil and stare back to when the universe was only a billion or so years old. They've termed it the "First Light Telescope" since they believe that it'll be able to see light from the point when (if the theories are correct) the universe cooled sufficiently to become opaque to light. Not to flame, but I think that certainly qualifies as better understanding our universe. If nothing, maybe we could bronze an old white dwarf and mount pictures from the JWST next to it :-)
I was quite the fervent supporter of the Hubble up until I attended a talk by Dr. Philip Stahl, from the Marshall Space Center, and optics technical lead on the new James Webb Space Telescope.
Yes, the JWST is an infrared telescope. But, as another post further down alludes to incorrectly (for which they were smacked down and corrected by someone else) the James Webb is able to see further back into the history of the universe than we have ever been able to observe. What started out as visible light all those billions of years ago (and billions of light years away) becomes red-shifted into the infrared as the universe expands and, in a nearly literal fashion, stretches out that incoming light.
So while the Hubble has been responsible for a lot of great science, and truly breath-taking images, we have the potential to do so much more and better understand our universe with the JWST. We haven't maxed out the potential of the Hubble (probably never would), and I would love to keep it, but if there's only enough to deploy the JWST (and it's already been pushed back by several years), or keep on servicing the Hubble, my vote would be in favour of the JWST.
Damn you morning coffee!
...but for a second there, I saw the headline and thought it was this O'Reilly!
Bible College meets Virtual University
Now will you mod me Funny, Insightful, Redundant, or Flamebait?
Genetic analysis of native americans has quite diminished the likelihood of this position. Especially when compared to another putative Lost Tribe of Isreal, the Lemba.
As the article says, this has led to at least one exocommunication of a geneticist who was (at the time) a member of the Church of LDS.
Wasn't this the plot of a sci-fi novel? (You can read the first book, in its entirety, free courtesy of the Baen free library)
Instead of the torrent for the whole episode, you can access the segment (and I believe all of 'The Word' segments that've aired) here
The segment is also directly linked here
I'd say they hyped the existence of the Nanofab pretty extensively, and even if you're an undergrad in Engineering or a few of the Sciences (Physics comes to mind) you've probably heard of the existence of the Nanofab. It's been overshadowed by NINT, but you still hear about the Nanofab in conjunction with nano research at the U of A (and will probably continue to until they get their facilities fully up and running)
They've also started demolishing V-Wing and Physics, and Physics will be moving to BRAND NEW FACILITIES... in 2010. They've "temporarily" (the old Temp Labs building lasted for over 15 years) moved into the old Civil Electrical Building. There was a story in the Folio detailing most of the moves.
As one of the other comments in this thread says, Rontgen (too lazy for the Oomlops) probably didn't die as a result of his research on X-rays, but Marie Curie (who co-discovered radiation with Henri Becquerel) most certainly did. According to the wiki she died of aplastic anemia which was probably caused by the massive doses of radiation she received as a result of carrying vials of radioactive substances around with her.
Where are mod points when I need some?
I agree. It's good for a quick lookup or as a starting point (especially into a subject with which you have little/no familiarity) or even some mental loitering, but sure as heck shouldn't be the determining factor of a thesis (unless it's some kind of sociology thesis on Wikipedia itself)