Sure, it's damn inefficient right now. But we have an almost unlimited (in terms of longetivity, not necessarily amperage) supply of rays from the sun. Right now, it's the only source of energy that comes from outside the planet. Everything else causes problems somewhere else in the world. Either directly, like from pollution, or indirectly, as in damming a river causing weird results downriver. We're now finding that windfarms have a similar effect on birds' migratory patterns, seed migration, similar things that rely on the wind that have happened for thousands of years.
I think tidal energy has some potential for greatness, but not necessarily the way it's being used now, as it has similar effects on the environments where it's being used now. Fish, underseas plant life, etc. are affected. (There's also the dangerous potential (very hypothetical at this point, I realize) for someone to develop some kind of tidal energy harness system that's so efficient (think 90-100% efficient) begins to affect a>the moon's orbit, b>the earth's orbit. That's a lot of energy.) But If we could figure out a way to harness the gravity without messing with the water that's moving around, there could be potential there for another energy source outside the planet.
/end completely uninformed rant about the future of energy.
OK, so the paper slip the voter gets is perforated. The top portion is proof of having voted. The bottom portion is proof that the vote was recorded properly. The voter/assistant tears the ticket at the perforation, and drops the "Correct vote" stub in the box. The voter keeps the other one as a receipt/proof of having voted.
Am I missing something obvious why this wouldn't solve that problem?
I've found that I tend to remember events and funny anecdotal experiences from restaurants and road trips if I do write them down. Not that being able to read what I've written years later doesn't help, but it sort of goes back to the high school premise of "if you take notes in class, you won't need them to study from later".
Just the act of writing it down and reliving it that way sort of burns it into memory.
That's not to say a 1-atom-thick anything will cut, but just because it's thin and flimsy doesn't meant it's harmless. I do think you're on to something with the difference between thin and sharp...
Keep in mind that Kopp is married to the chief recruiter for the Edison Schools. A strange meeting of the minds, that one. My wife went through TFA in rural Mississippi, and I followed for many meetings, retreats, seminars, etc, and there was no lack of Edison Schools presence from TFA alumni actively recruiting current TFA members for when their 2 year commitment was up. Very strange experience, that one.
I checked out thepoint after seeing another poster's link. That seems to be more getting people to act on things (planting trees, stop smoking, boycott things...) than looking for mass purchases. It's in the same ballpark, but I got the impression that it's more individually motivated. With eswarm, I believe the group approaches Apple, state farm, etc, with the request for a bulk buy.
I'd say most people download (illegally) because it's just easier. It's easier to find content via TPB than it is going to retail store xyz and finding a movie that's 2 years old. It's easier to get it in a format that works (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). It's easier to deal with the files once you have them. (DRM, etc)
It's easier to get for free from torrenttracker123 than it is to pay for it from netflix, amazon, or wherever.
It's too bad for the **AA, too. If they had been even a little forward thinking to realize that people would use this big new technology to get content. If the **AA had thrown half as much energy and money at the problem of coming up with a decent distribution network/model that works via the internet, they could have beaten the pirates in a big way early on. As it is, they've allowed the pirates to come up with an easier way for people to get their content. I think they kind of missed the bus. They're struggling, but if they want to put an end to piracy in a big way, then they're going to need to come up with a distribution method that makes it easier for joe content user to get to and use. I truly believe that if it's easier, then enough people will pay for it to make it worth the content creator's investment.
Even closer in spirit, I think, would be www.eswarm.com. I've met one of the founders, and they've been in development for a long time, it seems. From what I understand, the whole point of e-swarming is to post something you'd like a discount on (like these cheap laptops, or even regular consumer items--blenders, ipods, car insurance, etc--and see if you can find the requisite number of people to affect a bulk buy discount.
When I first met the guy, and heard his idea, I thought it a brilliant use of the internet, and I'm surprised it hasn't caught on before.
We get these at work. actually, i'm not sure that they're from toll free numbers, come to think about it.
Does anyone have any idea how to make them go away? To date I've just been pressing "1" or whatever the appropriate button is to speak to someone, as if I'm interested in their insurance. Then, once I've been put into the queue, I just put the call speakerphone, and go about my business. When the operator picks up, i make sure to type extra loudly, or ruffle papers, so it's obvious to them that someone's on the line. They eventually hang up. I figure it's gotta cost them something to have someone on their end waiting for the mark to buy. If they don't make a sale, then they've lost something.
What else is effective? I'm happy to do a little playful mischief if it costs them money, rather than go through the hassle of going through their do not call department, since the calls continue even after requesting to be taken off.
- A propane bottle does not loose capacity, batteries does. I dont want to replace my first batteries with a pair of old batteries that are going to die soon.
This could be accounted for in the trade in/out process. When i've seen this idea posited elsewhere, people seem to think that the idea of swapping out batteries is suggested as a free trade. One where I show up with a car full of dead batteries and i swap them for full batteries for no charge. this wear and tear and battery life is part of that cost. perhaps a tiered system, where newer batteries--those with longer life/range--cost more, and the older/shorter range ones are cheaper.
- Storage and Transport: Whats the volume equivalent in batteries of a full tank of Gasoline (eg: a 300 miles range)? Whats the weight equivalent ?
This I have no idea about.
- Installation/Fill-up: How easy is it going to be to replace the batteries in your car? Are you going to do it yourself ? Are you going to need somebody help ? Will you be able to "pay at the pump" with your credit card ?
We/most people pump their own gas. I'm guessing--i'm too young to remember this--that there was a time when drivers didn't pump their own gas. I am old enough to remember when you had a choice of full or self serve. I even knew one girl in college who had never pumped her own, and this was in the late 90's.
Could there not be a similar self/full serve option for switching out the battery? It would require a redesigned battery, sure, but that seems minor compared to the infrastructure needed to implement something like this. What if changing the battery were as simple as filling the tank? the leads for the batter could be located on the bottom of the battery, and the pocket where the (standardized) battery lives in your car has positive plugs for the battery to fit down over. About as complicated as changing the toner in a printer.
I once was going over a potential lease to see what I would be signing up for, and in the part where it talks about what the landlord is not responsible for (telephone bills, cable, garbage pickup, etc) there was a sentence on its own. "Tenant is solely responsible for any and all pizza delivery charges." I like to think about the misunderstanding that must have occurred to get that phrase into subsequent versions of that landlord's lease.
Instead of replacing the pumps at the fueling stations with electric outlets, why not replace them with a store of charged batteries? It would take some standardization on the part of automakers (and we all know how keen they are with that...), so that it's easy enough for mom and pop stores to stock batteries that get used and don't just sit around. When you pull into the station, you switch out your old dead battery for a new one. Similar to how propane tank usage works. I can get a "refill" at the grocery store, even though the grocery store has no way to fill up propane bottles. That way, one could still buy a new battery, or get credit/a deposit back on their old/dead one in trade.
The Direct Marketing Association is huge. They struggle with the reputation of junk mail, and they have seminars/workshops on how to handle this reputation. I work for a company that has several decent sized direct mail companies, and my boss went to their trade show. The keynote speech was about changing the public perception from that of junk mail to something less bad than junk mail. When my boss got back from the trade show, the first thing he said was "ok, we can't call it junk mail anymore."
Valid points all, but my main point was that I was able to unload older books that I never would have been able to sell as used to other students, since they came from other schools in another state country.
It's my understanding that a lot of schools will contract out the buyback program at their school, and there's companies that travel around and buy the old books, presumably to sell at other smaller schools, online, etc.
Once I figured this out, I brought a bunch of my used, older textbooks back to my current school at the beginning of one semester to return. some of these being from another school in another country. since the buyback company's software had the isbn/book in its system, they gave me credit for the book. I came back the next day with a bunch of my wife's old textbooks, and some more of mine, and after one or two books came up not in their system, a supervisor came over and informed me that I couldn't just unload my old books onto them, despite their computer having accepted them, and despite the posters everywhere talking about "unload your old books...this week only..."
Slashdot Mirror
Good points all... I did qualify my rant at the end there...
That's one of the things I was talking about, but I'm pretty sure we're going to start to see more and more of the same.
Ok, so print them out on a high quality printer, and then shoot them with a film camera.
Sure, it's damn inefficient right now. But we have an almost unlimited (in terms of longetivity, not necessarily amperage) supply of rays from the sun. Right now, it's the only source of energy that comes from outside the planet. Everything else causes problems somewhere else in the world. Either directly, like from pollution, or indirectly, as in damming a river causing weird results downriver. We're now finding that windfarms have a similar effect on birds' migratory patterns, seed migration, similar things that rely on the wind that have happened for thousands of years.
/end completely uninformed rant about the future of energy.
I think tidal energy has some potential for greatness, but not necessarily the way it's being used now, as it has similar effects on the environments where it's being used now. Fish, underseas plant life, etc. are affected. (There's also the dangerous potential (very hypothetical at this point, I realize) for someone to develop some kind of tidal energy harness system that's so efficient (think 90-100% efficient) begins to affect a>the moon's orbit, b>the earth's orbit. That's a lot of energy.) But If we could figure out a way to harness the gravity without messing with the water that's moving around, there could be potential there for another energy source outside the planet.
So, google has this for employees, and microsoft gives away wristbands?
Explains a lot.
OK, so the paper slip the voter gets is perforated. The top portion is proof of having voted. The bottom portion is proof that the vote was recorded properly. The voter/assistant tears the ticket at the perforation, and drops the "Correct vote" stub in the box. The voter keeps the other one as a receipt/proof of having voted.
Am I missing something obvious why this wouldn't solve that problem?
I've found that I tend to remember events and funny anecdotal experiences from restaurants and road trips if I do write them down. Not that being able to read what I've written years later doesn't help, but it sort of goes back to the high school premise of "if you take notes in class, you won't need them to study from later".
Just the act of writing it down and reliving it that way sort of burns it into memory.
holy crap. two worlds of mine i never in a million years imagined would come together just collided.
thanks! if only i had mod points, and you weren't an AC...
Paper is thin, flimsy, and will cut pretty bad.
That's not to say a 1-atom-thick anything will cut, but just because it's thin and flimsy doesn't meant it's harmless. I do think you're on to something with the difference between thin and sharp...
You just need some mentos and a headband, and the rest should just work out.
Sleep, what's that?
Keep in mind that Kopp is married to the chief recruiter for the Edison Schools. A strange meeting of the minds, that one. My wife went through TFA in rural Mississippi, and I followed for many meetings, retreats, seminars, etc, and there was no lack of Edison Schools presence from TFA alumni actively recruiting current TFA members for when their 2 year commitment was up. Very strange experience, that one.
I checked out thepoint after seeing another poster's link. That seems to be more getting people to act on things (planting trees, stop smoking, boycott things...) than looking for mass purchases. It's in the same ballpark, but I got the impression that it's more individually motivated. With eswarm, I believe the group approaches Apple, state farm, etc, with the request for a bulk buy.
HA. I spend more time on bikeforums than i do on slashdot. small world.
I think you're close, but off the mark.
I'd say most people download (illegally) because it's just easier. It's easier to find content via TPB than it is going to retail store xyz and finding a movie that's 2 years old. It's easier to get it in a format that works (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). It's easier to deal with the files once you have them. (DRM, etc)
It's easier to get for free from torrenttracker123 than it is to pay for it from netflix, amazon, or wherever. It's too bad for the **AA, too. If they had been even a little forward thinking to realize that people would use this big new technology to get content. If the **AA had thrown half as much energy and money at the problem of coming up with a decent distribution network/model that works via the internet, they could have beaten the pirates in a big way early on. As it is, they've allowed the pirates to come up with an easier way for people to get their content. I think they kind of missed the bus. They're struggling, but if they want to put an end to piracy in a big way, then they're going to need to come up with a distribution method that makes it easier for joe content user to get to and use. I truly believe that if it's easier, then enough people will pay for it to make it worth the content creator's investment.
Even closer in spirit, I think, would be www.eswarm.com. I've met one of the founders, and they've been in development for a long time, it seems. From what I understand, the whole point of e-swarming is to post something you'd like a discount on (like these cheap laptops, or even regular consumer items--blenders, ipods, car insurance, etc--and see if you can find the requisite number of people to affect a bulk buy discount.
When I first met the guy, and heard his idea, I thought it a brilliant use of the internet, and I'm surprised it hasn't caught on before.
Do you have a source for the reason you give for the phone companies not syncing the incoming and outgoing rings? I've always wondered about that.
We get these at work. actually, i'm not sure that they're from toll free numbers, come to think about it.
Does anyone have any idea how to make them go away? To date I've just been pressing "1" or whatever the appropriate button is to speak to someone, as if I'm interested in their insurance. Then, once I've been put into the queue, I just put the call speakerphone, and go about my business. When the operator picks up, i make sure to type extra loudly, or ruffle papers, so it's obvious to them that someone's on the line. They eventually hang up. I figure it's gotta cost them something to have someone on their end waiting for the mark to buy. If they don't make a sale, then they've lost something.
What else is effective? I'm happy to do a little playful mischief if it costs them money, rather than go through the hassle of going through their do not call department, since the calls continue even after requesting to be taken off.
- A propane bottle does not loose capacity, batteries does. I dont want to replace my first batteries with a pair of old batteries that are going to die soon.
This could be accounted for in the trade in/out process. When i've seen this idea posited elsewhere, people seem to think that the idea of swapping out batteries is suggested as a free trade. One where I show up with a car full of dead batteries and i swap them for full batteries for no charge. this wear and tear and battery life is part of that cost. perhaps a tiered system, where newer batteries--those with longer life/range--cost more, and the older/shorter range ones are cheaper.
- Storage and Transport: Whats the volume equivalent in batteries of a full tank of Gasoline (eg: a 300 miles range)? Whats the weight equivalent ?
This I have no idea about.
- Installation/Fill-up: How easy is it going to be to replace the batteries in your car? Are you going to do it yourself ? Are you going to need somebody help ? Will you be able to "pay at the pump" with your credit card ?
We/most people pump their own gas. I'm guessing--i'm too young to remember this--that there was a time when drivers didn't pump their own gas. I am old enough to remember when you had a choice of full or self serve. I even knew one girl in college who had never pumped her own, and this was in the late 90's.
Could there not be a similar self/full serve option for switching out the battery? It would require a redesigned battery, sure, but that seems minor compared to the infrastructure needed to implement something like this. What if changing the battery were as simple as filling the tank? the leads for the batter could be located on the bottom of the battery, and the pocket where the (standardized) battery lives in your car has positive plugs for the battery to fit down over. About as complicated as changing the toner in a printer.
Just a really weird lease.
I once was going over a potential lease to see what I would be signing up for, and in the part where it talks about what the landlord is not responsible for (telephone bills, cable, garbage pickup, etc) there was a sentence on its own. "Tenant is solely responsible for any and all pizza delivery charges." I like to think about the misunderstanding that must have occurred to get that phrase into subsequent versions of that landlord's lease.
Instead of replacing the pumps at the fueling stations with electric outlets, why not replace them with a store of charged batteries? It would take some standardization on the part of automakers (and we all know how keen they are with that...), so that it's easy enough for mom and pop stores to stock batteries that get used and don't just sit around. When you pull into the station, you switch out your old dead battery for a new one. Similar to how propane tank usage works. I can get a "refill" at the grocery store, even though the grocery store has no way to fill up propane bottles. That way, one could still buy a new battery, or get credit/a deposit back on their old/dead one in trade.
The Direct Marketing Association is huge. They struggle with the reputation of junk mail, and they have seminars/workshops on how to handle this reputation. I work for a company that has several decent sized direct mail companies, and my boss went to their trade show. The keynote speech was about changing the public perception from that of junk mail to something less bad than junk mail. When my boss got back from the trade show, the first thing he said was "ok, we can't call it junk mail anymore."
Valid points all, but my main point was that I was able to unload older books that I never would have been able to sell as used to other students, since they came from other schools in another state country.
It's my understanding that a lot of schools will contract out the buyback program at their school, and there's companies that travel around and buy the old books, presumably to sell at other smaller schools, online, etc.
Once I figured this out, I brought a bunch of my used, older textbooks back to my current school at the beginning of one semester to return. some of these being from another school in another country. since the buyback company's software had the isbn/book in its system, they gave me credit for the book. I came back the next day with a bunch of my wife's old textbooks, and some more of mine, and after one or two books came up not in their system, a supervisor came over and informed me that I couldn't just unload my old books onto them, despite their computer having accepted them, and despite the posters everywhere talking about "unload your old books...this week only..."
You know, as opposed to the other kind of manga...