The sea is called "dead" because its high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms, such as fish and aquatic plants, from living in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.
In times of flood, the salt content of the Dead Sea can drop from its usual 35% salinity to 30% or lower. The Dead Sea temporarily comes to life in the wake of rainy winters. In 1980, after one such rainy winter, the normally dark blue Dead Sea turned red. Researchers from Hebrew University found the Dead Sea to be teeming with a type of algae called Dunaliella. The Dunaliella in turn nourished carotenoid-containing (red-pigmented) halobacteria whose presence is responsible for the color change. Since 1980, the Dead Sea basin has been dry and the algae and the bacteria have not returned in measurable numbers. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea
Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers". Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers? Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
Mrs. Big Nose: [trying to hear Jesus' sermon on the mount] Oh, it's blessed are the MEEK! Oh, I'm glad they're getting something, they have a hell of a time.
We are getting there. There are several companies that are currently making a large profit on Solar Cells. The basic science has all been performed. We know what material systems work the best (Silicon, CIGS, CdTe). There have been several improvements on production method of the last several years, as well. I personally believe ribbon silicon has the greatest promise. However, if researches can get solution deposited, nano-particle devices up to decent efficiencies, they could rule the market.
The business market is starting to catch on, as well. First Solar stock tripled in price in six months last year. Honestly, raw material is our biggest limit. As these PV manufacturers ramp up production, Silicon, Indium, Tellurium, and perhaps even Cadmium prices are going to rise. However, with proper recycling, solar cells can easily fill the impending energy deficit.
These cells will not be manufactured. This is just basic science research. GaAs high concentration, high efficiency cells are already on the market, but are rarely used due to a correspondingly high cost.
I believe the goal of this research was to beat the theoretical limit that is often quoted. The limit can be beaten, because it makes certain simplifying assumptions, but I don't think this particular cell succeeded.
I would look up the supporting papers, but I'm feeling lazy at the moment.
The only reason we don't have carbon nanotube cables is because, other than a space elevator, no application requires that kind of tensile strength.
If we do the research and development, we will get the result. Nanotubes are only expensive right now because there is no economy of scale. All they take to produce is carbon and heat. It's a pretty simple formula.
Now if you did a little background checking you'd find out he was a paranoid conspiracy theorist who explicitly promised to violate the Constitution his first day of office, but that's the sort of background checking that people didn't want to do.
Violate the constitution... You mean like how Bush's cabinet violated the constitution when they secretly tapped US citizen's phones? Or like how Theodore Roosevelt violated the constitution when he secretly goaded Panama into revolution against Columbia, so that the US could build the Panama Canal.
The fact is that every president has violated the Constitution. However, people choose to ignore it when it agrees with their views. In other words, for most people, the ends justifies the means.
No matter how "life" is defined, at some point the definition requires a level of complexity that cannot form spontaneously. Even the most basic lifeform isn't just molecular soup, but has self-assembling structures at many orders of scale that are mutually functionally dependant.
I think life is well defined as beginning with bacteria, but not including viruses. However, it is well known that viruses evolve in much the same way that bacteria, reptiles and mammals evolve. That is, natural selection favors certain outcomes.
If viruses evolve, and that evolution is controlled by natural selection, perhaps other - possibly even simpler systems are controlled by natural selection. That is the assertion I was attempting to put forth.
Evolution, as described by Darwin, pertains only to living creatures. However, there is a form of natural selection at all levels of existence. Entropy requires this to be true. Even at the level of a single atom, certain orbital states of the electron are favored over others. THAT is the universality of natural selection, and THAT is why complexity forms out of simplicity.
It's not a simple concept, and that is why many people find it difficult to understand. I'm grateful to those who withdraw peacefully.
On a side note, in order to prove Christianity is true, you would first need to expound upon what you define Christianity as. If your definition is simply that there are actions that are moral, and there are actions that are immoral, then I would agree with you. However, if your definition results in a claim that there are enigmas that can never be understood by humans, I would disagree with you.
The adult human brain is more than capable of adapting to new peripherals. The idea that children are better at learning than adults is no longer supported by science. Children just happen to be bombarded by new ideas at all times.
I think the idea of this peripheral is that the subject would have a few commands that he would learn how to actively control. The number would grow over time - with practice. These commands could then be sent without any verbal cues, allowing for completely covert operation.
In the end, I fail to see how this is all that useful. We already have hidden cameras for intelligence gathering. For actual covert operations, hand signals seem to work pretty well.
Evolution is not put forth as an explanation for the origins of matter or life. It is put forth as an explanation for how life, once begun, spread, adapted, and led to more complex organisms.
I hear people make this argument all the time, but it never comes from a biologist. Do you know why? Because biologists realize that "life" is hard to define.
In reality, there was no paramount "moment of conception". Life evolved out of simple molecules, just as animals evolved out of simple organisms. The method of selection was different, in that there were not yet 'genes' per say, but there was still selection. When one grouping of molecules failed to produce a self-replicating grouping, it would eventually be broken into quasi random parts. Those parts would then have another chance to form a self-replicating grouping.
Eventually, a grouping came about (most likely RNA) that could replicate and store information. This grouping may have been formed inside of a 'bubble' of polymer that protected the grouping from the outside world - and the first 'virus' was born.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Natural selection can be seen all around you - not just with 'genes'. Every system has states that are favorable for the continuation of said system.
I would have to agree that sound is a problem. I don't do developing to any large extent (scripting and small gui stuff), but audio on linux is lacking. Just the fact that I can't run Guild Wars through wine and play music through rythmbox at the same time irritates me. Having to do all sorts of weird stuff to get sound working in flash was very irritating as well.
I have no idea what the solution is, but the it is clear to me that audio in linux is lacking.
I dont see what your complaining about. I never could figure out linux until I used a Gnome based distro (Ubuntu). Theres something about all the applications starting with k that threw me off.
Maybe it's just an Ubuntu thing and not Gnome specifically (mandrake was the last distro i tried), but in ubuntu the apps are named what the are. Calculator is called Calculator. Music player is called Rythmbox Music Player. Movie Player is called Movie Player.
KDE just had all sorts of crap all over the place. I'm sure its great if you know what your doing, but I had been using windows for so long that it was intimidating.
What about the people still paying a mortgage for land under water? Will their insurance pay for them to abandon that land and move elsewhere? Doubtful.
If you are looking for a reason why people keep coming back, you don't have to look far. It's the oldest motive known to man - economics.
Well, I wasn't alive in 1965, but I fail to see how that has any bearing on which party is more racist NOW.
I can speak from experience about which party is the 'racist' party NOW - in 2008. I know several racist people, and they are all huge GOP supporters. In fact, I don't know any people that I would qualify as racist that support the democratic party.
Pure Tokamak fusion will most likely never reach commercial viability because the necessary control infrastructure is just so damn expensive.
It is possible that an alternative form of pure fusion will eventually become viable, but we need to focus more on the near term. A full blown hybrid fusion infrastructure could become a reality in as little as 20 years if it became a priority.
In reality, no fusion reactor is self sustaining - except for possibly stars.
However, there is a way to keep the reaction going on long enough to get more usable energy out than you put in. A commercial reactor would have shots of a few minutes.
Stray neutrons are an engineering curiosity. They are not the real problem with fusion as a power source.
In fact, they are probably the greatest part of fusion as a power source because they allow us to build fusion hybrid reactors. Such a reactor would allow us to safely breed thorium into uranium for use in well researched fission reactors - thereby extending the usability of fission as a primary energy source for nearly 100,000 years into the future.
Yes, but currently professors salaries are supplemented by book licensing.
The only way a large number of professors would be interested in writing Open Textbooks would be if they could obtain the supplemental income another way. Perhaps the Universities could increase tuition by, say $50 a semester (for the appropriate majors), and then pay supplements to the Professors who contribute.
There has to be incentive - or at the very least, not a disincentive (ie. loss of income).
There are ways to bolster Nuclear energy without enhancing proliferation. One promising solution involves a fusion hybrid breeding process.
Briefly, the idea entails the use of a tokamak fusion reactor with a thorium float wall. The thorium would be bred into uranium 235, which would be immediately mixed with uranium 238 into a noncritical mixture. The mixture could then be used to fuel several fission plants in a fission park or sent to developing countries - as long as they agree to send back the spent fuel for processing.
The advantage of this process is that unlike what happened in North Korea with Uranium 238 and Plutonium 239 being separated chemically, enriching the 235-238 mixture into weapons-grade material would be prohibitively difficult.
...if you are willing (and able) to scientifically analyze what human will (free or otherwise) really is, and what are the boundaries of its freedom. If we hadn't have quantum mechanical phenomena, there would be no room for free will whatsoever, and we'd be all living a predetermined life.
Just because quantum mechanical phenomena exist doesn't suggest there is room for free will. Quantum mechanics very accurately predicts macro-system interactions of atoms - of which humans are included.
Just because an electron doesn't have a well defined position doesn't mean we can't observe certain laws about its position. If we could build a complex enough computer, we could accurately simulate a human being's life - including every thought that ever crossed his mind as being a possible action. Then, based on the being's previous experiences, we could predict what his "free will" would decide to do.
We have free will in the same way that the planets and stars had free will before astronomers observed the laws of there motion.
Slashdot Mirror
The sea is called "dead" because its high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms, such as fish and aquatic plants, from living in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.
In times of flood, the salt content of the Dead Sea can drop from its usual 35% salinity to 30% or lower. The Dead Sea temporarily comes to life in the wake of rainy winters. In 1980, after one such rainy winter, the normally dark blue Dead Sea turned red. Researchers from Hebrew University found the Dead Sea to be teeming with a type of algae called Dunaliella. The Dunaliella in turn nourished carotenoid-containing (red-pigmented) halobacteria whose presence is responsible for the color change. Since 1980, the Dead Sea basin has been dry and the algae and the bacteria have not returned in measurable numbers.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea
Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers".
Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers?
Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
Mrs. Big Nose: [trying to hear Jesus' sermon on the mount] Oh, it's blessed are the MEEK! Oh, I'm glad they're getting something, they have a hell of a time.
We are getting there. There are several companies that are currently making a large profit on Solar Cells. The basic science has all been performed. We know what material systems work the best (Silicon, CIGS, CdTe). There have been several improvements on production method of the last several years, as well. I personally believe ribbon silicon has the greatest promise. However, if researches can get solution deposited, nano-particle devices up to decent efficiencies, they could rule the market.
The business market is starting to catch on, as well. First Solar stock tripled in price in six months last year. Honestly, raw material is our biggest limit. As these PV manufacturers ramp up production, Silicon, Indium, Tellurium, and perhaps even Cadmium prices are going to rise. However, with proper recycling, solar cells can easily fill the impending energy deficit.
I'm unaware of any solenoid valves on the Hubble Space Telescope.
These cells will not be manufactured. This is just basic science research. GaAs high concentration, high efficiency cells are already on the market, but are rarely used due to a correspondingly high cost.
I believe the goal of this research was to beat the theoretical limit that is often quoted. The limit can be beaten, because it makes certain simplifying assumptions, but I don't think this particular cell succeeded.
I would look up the supporting papers, but I'm feeling lazy at the moment.
The only reason we don't have carbon nanotube cables is because, other than a space elevator, no application requires that kind of tensile strength.
If we do the research and development, we will get the result. Nanotubes are only expensive right now because there is no economy of scale. All they take to produce is carbon and heat. It's a pretty simple formula.
Now if you did a little background checking you'd find out he was a paranoid conspiracy theorist who explicitly promised to violate the Constitution his first day of office, but that's the sort of background checking that people didn't want to do.
Violate the constitution... You mean like how Bush's cabinet violated the constitution when they secretly tapped US citizen's phones? Or like how Theodore Roosevelt violated the constitution when he secretly goaded Panama into revolution against Columbia, so that the US could build the Panama Canal.
The fact is that every president has violated the Constitution. However, people choose to ignore it when it agrees with their views. In other words, for most people, the ends justifies the means.
No matter how "life" is defined, at some point the definition requires a level of complexity that cannot form spontaneously. Even the most basic lifeform isn't just molecular soup, but has self-assembling structures at many orders of scale that are mutually functionally dependant.
I think life is well defined as beginning with bacteria, but not including viruses. However, it is well known that viruses evolve in much the same way that bacteria, reptiles and mammals evolve. That is, natural selection favors certain outcomes.
If viruses evolve, and that evolution is controlled by natural selection, perhaps other - possibly even simpler systems are controlled by natural selection. That is the assertion I was attempting to put forth.
Evolution, as described by Darwin, pertains only to living creatures. However, there is a form of natural selection at all levels of existence. Entropy requires this to be true. Even at the level of a single atom, certain orbital states of the electron are favored over others. THAT is the universality of natural selection, and THAT is why complexity forms out of simplicity.
It's not a simple concept, and that is why many people find it difficult to understand. I'm grateful to those who withdraw peacefully.
On a side note, in order to prove Christianity is true, you would first need to expound upon what you define Christianity as. If your definition is simply that there are actions that are moral, and there are actions that are immoral, then I would agree with you. However, if your definition results in a claim that there are enigmas that can never be understood by humans, I would disagree with you.
The adult human brain is more than capable of adapting to new peripherals. The idea that children are better at learning than adults is no longer supported by science. Children just happen to be bombarded by new ideas at all times.
I think the idea of this peripheral is that the subject would have a few commands that he would learn how to actively control. The number would grow over time - with practice. These commands could then be sent without any verbal cues, allowing for completely covert operation.
In the end, I fail to see how this is all that useful. We already have hidden cameras for intelligence gathering. For actual covert operations, hand signals seem to work pretty well.
Evolution is not put forth as an explanation for the origins of matter or life. It is put forth as an explanation for how life, once begun, spread, adapted, and led to more complex organisms.
I hear people make this argument all the time, but it never comes from a biologist. Do you know why? Because biologists realize that "life" is hard to define.
In reality, there was no paramount "moment of conception". Life evolved out of simple molecules, just as animals evolved out of simple organisms. The method of selection was different, in that there were not yet 'genes' per say, but there was still selection. When one grouping of molecules failed to produce a self-replicating grouping, it would eventually be broken into quasi random parts. Those parts would then have another chance to form a self-replicating grouping.
Eventually, a grouping came about (most likely RNA) that could replicate and store information. This grouping may have been formed inside of a 'bubble' of polymer that protected the grouping from the outside world - and the first 'virus' was born.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Natural selection can be seen all around you - not just with 'genes'. Every system has states that are favorable for the continuation of said system.
after finallying getting it installed, and patching it to get the sound working, it works great..
That is, until I try too many times and it crashes firefox (which happens all too often).
I would have to agree that sound is a problem. I don't do developing to any large extent (scripting and small gui stuff), but audio on linux is lacking. Just the fact that I can't run Guild Wars through wine and play music through rythmbox at the same time irritates me. Having to do all sorts of weird stuff to get sound working in flash was very irritating as well.
I have no idea what the solution is, but the it is clear to me that audio in linux is lacking.
I dont see what your complaining about. I never could figure out linux until I used a Gnome based distro (Ubuntu). Theres something about all the applications starting with k that threw me off.
Maybe it's just an Ubuntu thing and not Gnome specifically (mandrake was the last distro i tried), but in ubuntu the apps are named what the are. Calculator is called Calculator. Music player is called Rythmbox Music Player. Movie Player is called Movie Player.
KDE just had all sorts of crap all over the place. I'm sure its great if you know what your doing, but I had been using windows for so long that it was intimidating.
What about the people still paying a mortgage for land under water? Will their insurance pay for them to abandon that land and move elsewhere? Doubtful.
If you are looking for a reason why people keep coming back, you don't have to look far. It's the oldest motive known to man - economics.
Well, I wasn't alive in 1965, but I fail to see how that has any bearing on which party is more racist NOW.
I can speak from experience about which party is the 'racist' party NOW - in 2008. I know several racist people, and they are all huge GOP supporters. In fact, I don't know any people that I would qualify as racist that support the democratic party.
That would be a great way to frame someone, though.
Almost all of the tools and techniques that engineers have were discovered by "scientists".
Also, there are plenty of engineers working on fusion technology as we speak.
Either way your point is moot.
Exactly.
Pure Tokamak fusion will most likely never reach commercial viability because the necessary control infrastructure is just so damn expensive.
It is possible that an alternative form of pure fusion will eventually become viable, but we need to focus more on the near term. A full blown hybrid fusion infrastructure could become a reality in as little as 20 years if it became a priority.
In reality, no fusion reactor is self sustaining - except for possibly stars.
However, there is a way to keep the reaction going on long enough to get more usable energy out than you put in. A commercial reactor would have shots of a few minutes.
Stray neutrons are an engineering curiosity. They are not the real problem with fusion as a power source.
In fact, they are probably the greatest part of fusion as a power source because they allow us to build fusion hybrid reactors. Such a reactor would allow us to safely breed thorium into uranium for use in well researched fission reactors - thereby extending the usability of fission as a primary energy source for nearly 100,000 years into the future.
Yes, but currently professors salaries are supplemented by book licensing.
The only way a large number of professors would be interested in writing Open Textbooks would be if they could obtain the supplemental income another way. Perhaps the Universities could increase tuition by, say $50 a semester (for the appropriate majors), and then pay supplements to the Professors who contribute.
There has to be incentive - or at the very least, not a disincentive (ie. loss of income).
I just think the CG face is to flat. Her teeth, lips and eyelids have no volume.
For instance, her eyelids seem to be in the same plane as her eyes, which is not at all realistic.
On the other hand, her eyebrows and nose were perfect.
That kind of leads you to the following question:
Will the Turing test eventually be passed because computers get smarter, or because the more we rely on them, the dumber we get?
There are ways to bolster Nuclear energy without enhancing proliferation. One promising solution involves a fusion hybrid breeding process.
Briefly, the idea entails the use of a tokamak fusion reactor with a thorium float wall. The thorium would be bred into uranium 235, which would be immediately mixed with uranium 238 into a noncritical mixture. The mixture could then be used to fuel several fission plants in a fission park or sent to developing countries - as long as they agree to send back the spent fuel for processing.
The advantage of this process is that unlike what happened in North Korea with Uranium 238 and Plutonium 239 being separated chemically, enriching the 235-238 mixture into weapons-grade material would be prohibitively difficult.
...if you are willing (and able) to scientifically analyze what human will (free or otherwise) really is, and what are the boundaries of its freedom. If we hadn't have quantum mechanical phenomena, there would be no room for free will whatsoever, and we'd be all living a predetermined life.
Just because quantum mechanical phenomena exist doesn't suggest there is room for free will. Quantum mechanics very accurately predicts macro-system interactions of atoms - of which humans are included.
Just because an electron doesn't have a well defined position doesn't mean we can't observe certain laws about its position. If we could build a complex enough computer, we could accurately simulate a human being's life - including every thought that ever crossed his mind as being a possible action. Then, based on the being's previous experiences, we could predict what his "free will" would decide to do.
We have free will in the same way that the planets and stars had free will before astronomers observed the laws of there motion.