It would be a nasty trick for an alien civilization to give us the most destructive weapon possible without giving us accompaning social skill's as well.
Don't worry, humanity absolutely does not need any help from alien civilizations for this scenario. "Inventing and using destructive devices (aka weapons)" is something humans are amazingly good at.
An old alien civilization out there could just be very good at constructing ideologies.
See above. If humanity was any better at constructing destructive ideologies, it would have bombed itself into extinction by now. I am fairly sure we could easily compete with about any alien civilization. On the other hand, maybe we aren't and all this crap is really the aliens' fault ! Let's go kill them all !
we can't conceive of the technology that could be used to "infect" our computers.
And that's the flaw in your B2-Bomber-argument. The aliens would be stuck with using our (extremely primitive) technology. We know pretty well how our computers work, and can figure out most ways to break/hack/crack them ourselves in a short timespan.
It's a bit like using the tools and technologies the Romans had at that time and trying build that B2 bomber.
Just block every port that could possibly be suspected to be used to transfer p0rn, i.e. 0-65535. You know, just like with terrorists ? Just being a suspect is proof enough.
Then your computer and kids will be safe from p0rn from the Internet
if the tank style heater only has to maintain 120 degree water and you simply use more of it then do so.
That's a sure-fire way to breed Legionella in your water heater. If you do turn down the temperature, you need to turn it back up once in a while to kill the buggers.
You can't heat water up quickly enough with conventional resistance-based electric elements, as it would require huge amount of electricity.
NEWS FLASH: Heating water requires huge amounts of _power_ (since it has the highest specific heat of any liquid), regardless of the method used to do the actual heating.
Even if you use microwaves, you'll still need at least 4.19 J/(kg * K).
What about the anything-into-oil technologies (Thermal Conversion)
The question is: Where do you get the (huge) amounts of energy from that you need to run these processes on an industrial scale ? The only real answer is nuclear power. No way you're going to produce that much power any other way (well, maybe by burning fossil fuels, but that'd be kinda pointless, right ? ).
This technology is essentially hydrocarbon recycling.
Marketingspeak. Recycling usually implies more than one cycle, which isn't the case here. Once your produced hydrocarbons end up as motor vehicle fuel, they'll become CO2 + H20 in short order, which stops the "cycle". Of course, you can then go on and make hydrocarbons out of CO2 and H2O, but that requires event more massive amounts of energy and/or space.
It would also present a parallel avenue of development for existing oil companies, creating incentive for them to actually support an environmentally friendly technology rather than to thwart it.
No way they are going to develop anything other than oil as long as there's still huge profits to be this way. You can be sure they have at least a dozen of plans in drawers somewhere, safely awaiting the time when oil isn't profitable anymore.
That's the wrong question. The right question is: What type of devices in house actually run on AC (or don't care) ? And the answer is: Anything that requires _lots_ of power (and/or has a simple motor in it). Hot pot, hairdryer, iron, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, lamps, vacuum cleaner, etc.
and changed the stazi thing from "its could be" to "it could also evolve into".
No no no, something like that definitely will not evolve. It is intelligently and maliciously designed to eventually support and promote STASI-like activities.
He doesn't stand a chance at independent thought so he will never question it; and anyone who does question it is a heathen commie democrat -- quick, pray for their souls.
"Pray for their souls" ? I always thought the appropriate response included torches and pitchforks... ?
Seriously though, I'm a smoker and I absolutely love smoking. I can spend 10 minutes doing abosolutely nothing but enjoying a cigarette. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.
Hate to break this to you, but those are the words one would expect from an addict. Now, if anyone ever asks you why you love smoking, you can finally tell them "... because I'm a nicotine addict". Which is the truth.
The problem is: The vegetation on this planet has problems to keep up with the sheer amount of CO2 released by humanity. Of course, deforestation doesn't help at all, but even without it, the plants couldn't extract all of the additional CO2 from the atmosphere.
1. Encrypt hard drive. 2. Store keyfile in a safe place. 3. Get a defective USB stick. Label "HD KEYFILE" in big red letters. Keep it on the computer desk at all times. 4. Get a 3.5" Floppy. Preferably from pre-1990. Wipe with magnet a couple of times. Label "HD KEYFILE BACKUP" in big red letters. Put on shelf next to computer. 5. Get a blank CD-R. Fill with PR0N. Label "PR0N + HD KEYFILE BACKUP". Mistreat CD-R a little (preferably adding some scratches on the inside. Leave in CD-Rom drive.
In case of arrest: 1. "Um... you want my password ? If you really want to see my PR0n collection... it's on the USB stick." 2. "What ?! It doesn't work ? Good thing I have a backup. It's on the floppy disk." 3. "What now ?! It's broken ? Good thing I have another backup of it on the CD with my PR0N colelction... try that." 4. "The CD doesn't work ? OH NO, ALL MY PR0N is GONE ! AAAAARGH !"
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Don't worry, humanity absolutely does not need any help from alien civilizations for this scenario. "Inventing and using destructive devices (aka weapons)" is something humans are amazingly good at.
An old alien civilization out there could just be very good at constructing ideologies.
See above. If humanity was any better at constructing destructive ideologies, it would have bombed itself into extinction by now. I am fairly sure we could easily compete with about any alien civilization. On the other hand, maybe we aren't and all this crap is really the aliens' fault ! Let's go kill them all !
And that's the flaw in your B2-Bomber-argument. The aliens would be stuck with using our (extremely primitive) technology. We know pretty well how our computers work, and can figure out most ways to break/hack/crack them ourselves in a short timespan.
It's a bit like using the tools and technologies the Romans had at that time and trying build that B2 bomber.
Then your computer and kids will be safe from p0rn from the Internet
Yep. What they don't do, however, is magically generate any additional heating on top of the output power of the magnetron.
An electric heater heats the water adjacent to the element, to a depth that depends on the insulating qualities of water.
Yep. However, the designs for maximizing the area available for heat exchange are pretty well-known.
As a real-life example, how long does it take to boil acup of water in a kettle at 3kW?
Whoa ! 3 kW kettle ? Where can I get one ? The household models have somewhere between 1 and 2 kW, and they'll boil a cup of water in no time.
That's a sure-fire way to breed Legionella in your water heater. If you do turn down the temperature, you need to turn it back up once in a while to kill the buggers.
NEWS FLASH: Heating water requires huge amounts of _power_ (since it has the highest specific heat of any liquid), regardless of the method used to do the actual heating.
Even if you use microwaves, you'll still need at least 4.19 J/(kg * K).
Mmh. Even to the point of lawsuits, as McDonalds had to find out.
It's about 6 liters, consumed in a short time span (1-2 hours). Less if you drink demineralized water.
Yep, about 6 liters in a short amount of time should mess up your electrolyte balance enough to kill you. Less if you drink demineralized water.
[nitpick mode] Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, but not every form of ascorbic acid is vitamin C. [/nitpick mode]
Yep, some really nasty stuff, like, um, hydrogen.
The question is: Where do you get the (huge) amounts of energy from that you need to run these processes on an industrial scale ? The only real answer is nuclear power. No way you're going to produce that much power any other way (well, maybe by burning fossil fuels, but that'd be kinda pointless, right ? ).
This technology is essentially hydrocarbon recycling.
Marketingspeak. Recycling usually implies more than one cycle, which isn't the case here. Once your produced hydrocarbons end up as motor vehicle fuel, they'll become CO2 + H20 in short order, which stops the "cycle". Of course, you can then go on and make hydrocarbons out of CO2 and H2O, but that requires event more massive amounts of energy and/or space.
It would also present a parallel avenue of development for existing oil companies, creating incentive for them to actually support an environmentally friendly technology rather than to thwart it.
No way they are going to develop anything other than oil as long as there's still huge profits to be this way. You can be sure they have at least a dozen of plans in drawers somewhere, safely awaiting the time when oil isn't profitable anymore.
Uh huh. Basically any car with a modern and not oversized (think 2.0L or less) Diesel engine can.
Unfortunately, due to the US mentally still being stuck in the stone age as far as Diesel engines go, this is frequently overlooked.
That's the wrong question. The right question is: What type of devices in house actually run on AC (or don't care) ? And the answer is: Anything that requires _lots_ of power (and/or has a simple motor in it). Hot pot, hairdryer, iron, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, lamps, vacuum cleaner, etc.
Alternatively, you could just use a one-time pad. Uncrackable.
No no no, something like that definitely will not evolve. It is intelligently and maliciously designed to eventually support and promote STASI-like activities.
"Pray for their souls" ? I always thought the appropriate response included torches and pitchforks
Oh wait, it wasn't
So does nicotine.
KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE.
Hate to break this to you, but those are the words one would expect from an addict. Now, if anyone ever asks you why you love smoking, you can finally tell them "... because I'm a nicotine addict". Which is the truth.
Sort of.
The problem is: The vegetation on this planet has problems to keep up with the sheer amount of CO2 released by humanity. Of course, deforestation doesn't help at all, but even without it, the plants couldn't extract all of the additional CO2 from the atmosphere.
2. Store keyfile in a safe place.
3. Get a defective USB stick. Label "HD KEYFILE" in big red letters. Keep it on the computer desk at all times.
4. Get a 3.5" Floppy. Preferably from pre-1990. Wipe with magnet a couple of times. Label "HD KEYFILE BACKUP" in big red letters. Put on shelf next to computer.
5. Get a blank CD-R. Fill with PR0N. Label "PR0N + HD KEYFILE BACKUP". Mistreat CD-R a little (preferably adding some scratches on the inside. Leave in CD-Rom drive.
In case of arrest:
1. "Um
2. "What ?! It doesn't work ? Good thing I have a backup. It's on the floppy disk."
3. "What now ?! It's broken ? Good thing I have another backup of it on the CD with my PR0N colelction
4. "The CD doesn't work ? OH NO, ALL MY PR0N is GONE ! AAAAARGH !"
... use an OTP, of course. And will be held indefinitely since it is not possible to determine when the OTP has been cracked.