Let's see what we are working with: (1) 90% mortality rate, (2) No known vaccine, (3) Spreads by bodily fluids, (4) Area with poor hygiene, (5) All experts recommend letting the virus "burn itself out."
Objectively, is there really anything to do other than to strictly and conservatively quarantine every country (and sub-quarantine cities as necessary) with a positive case?
We should not even be sending in aid workers, who could potentially be exposed. Medicine and water can be airdropped.
That's the short term solution. In the long term, you need to educate the population, improve hygiene and infrastructure, and figure out where the infection is coming from. In general, the African governments have not really been interested in doing any of the above.
The thing is, those "really cool murals" aren't as cool when you find one on your house one morning. Or on your fence that you just had painted. The day that you are having a big party at your house for your staid work colleagues, including your boss.
Actually, I do think it's a bad thing. You might know the old saying "applied research brings improvements, but basic research brings revolutions".
I've never heard that saying. Google doesn't seem to be able to find it either.
My pet example of this is lasers. The theoretic foundation for lasers was done somewhere around 1920. Long, long before materials were ready for it. Only in the 1960s the first lasers came into existence, huge, expensive pieces of technology that relied on very expensive crystals to work. Only in the 1980s we started to be able to build cheaper lasers, and it took another ten years before they became mainstream in our consumer electronics.
Your example is fantastic, however, because it clearly highlights the OP's point. It took 40 years to engineer the laser after it was theoretically conceptualized. It then took another 40 years to reduce it to a commonplace piece of technology. That's two scientific lifetimes.
My view is that most early discoveries (1800-1900's) were more a result of the development of the scientific method, which allowed a clear methodology to test hypotheses. Later discoveries (1950's) have tracked with technology development, like electricity, vacuum tubes, nuclear physics capabilities, lasers and computers.
We've currently reached a point now where technological development has stagnated relative to the rapid rates previously. Scientists are effectively using the same equipment they had 10-20 years ago, it's smaller, bit faster, but not much better. Additionally, most new physical theories require more than three or four dimensions, which is outside most scientists intuitive range.
If you want to get back to the rapid discovery rates that we have previously enjoyed, we're going to need to develop some groundbreaking technology, be it unlimited energy, computers that are actually more intelligent than us (not just faster), or some sort of evolution of the human brain to open up a new level of human scientific comprehension. And even with all that, people are still going to have to teach themselves an increasing amount of scientific history to catch up to the present, before they can contribute to new developments.
We have another group at a little less than half that are so worn out with work, the 3 kids society said they should have, the junk they spend their money on, etc.. etc.. that they don't have the time to pay attention.
Oh, we pay attention. But there is no one to vote for who will fix the problem since all of the parties collude to keep themselves in power.
What do you expect us to do? What are you doing other than complaining on/.?
Are all the childless people really making more of a difference? I didn't know that clubbing, going to the movies, and trying to get laid really was that effective at motivating political reform!
This. NASA is not a political body and should not act like one.
You're joking right?
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a government organization that has to appeal to the president and Congress every year for funding and scope. Their employees are considered federal employees on the GS (general schedule) pay scale. NASA has both "national" and "administration" in the title. It doesn't get any more political than that.
Infrared essentially blocks out normal vision. While this may be useful as wearable computing, it wouldn't be useful if you had to poke around in your eye every time you needed to switch back to normal vision.
You are missing the point. (And must not need bifocals!)
It would be useful if I could put one IR-capable contact lens in one eye, while having a regular lens in the other eye. This would be fantastic for driving at night, or hunting those pesky pack rats that live in my backyard.
Many people who need bifocals use a different lens in each eye for distance and reading. Some also get laser-corrected to this state. Most peoples' brains are able to successfully merge the different images, but some are not. (So it is better to try it with contacts before lasik!!!)
As someone who has lived in California for a very long time (probably longer than those seismologists have been alive) and has been through many quakes, my experience tells me that they are indeed mistaken. A 5.1 quake like that is a good thing, because it's small enough that is doesn't cause much damage, but powerful enough that tectonic pressures are released. We might get a few, weaker aftershocks but there is no way that this is leading to a bigger quake.
Look up "geologic timescale" and compare those times that to the lifespan of anyone that you know.
Then think about if human recollection is useful in any way for anticipating earthquakes.
> Jokes aside, I never understood why people live in KNOWN dangerous places.
Because it's only one factor. Farmers value the fertile land where floods deposit soil, and it's rarely feasible to live very far from the farm. Traders value the shipping made easier by river or ocean traffic near river heads, but those are likely flood areas. Damming and irrigation and dikes can actually _change_ the shape of the flood plain, making formerly safe areas profoundly more dangerous. Industries rely on the river water or hydro-electric power, and long commutes to work are a subtle tax on every worker's time every day.
Would you pay double the price of your current home, or apartment, to live in a safer place further from your work? Could you afford it?
I'd be more likely to afford it if the alternative was being buried alive under 40 feet of mud.
This sounds more like science fiction than anything else to me. But if it works and the technique becomes viable to handle patient with heavy injurie - and assuming the patients can be kept suspended for long periods of time without creating further damages, I wonder if the technique could be adapted for space travel. It would solve a lot of problems related to long-duration interplanetary travel.
The idea is not new. I just wonder if this could be the first step in this direction.
If you RTFA you'd know that they were only slowing down the cell's metabolic reactions by a factor of 10 or so. They aren't stopping the reactions which, under normal conditions, would result in brain damage after 5 minutes. Thus, for deep space travel (say 1 year of time), you'd need to slow the reactions down by a factor of 10^5. Thus, it is unlikely that this technology would be adaptable to meet that need.
You'd have more luck working out how to freeze the body without tissue damage from water expansion (for example, by replacing the water with a compatible chemical surrogate that did not expand when it froze). At that point, you could deep freeze the body and effectively stop most molecular transport.
No-fly lists simply shouldn't exist, regardless of whether or not they can work. The idea that you can be considered too dangerous (Without a trial!) to fly and yet not dangerous enough to arrest is absurd. As others have said, this is just used for oppression.
Don't worry!
The government is likely working to remove that pesky probable cause standard required to arrest someone.
Their operating standards will soon all be consistent!
We have the ability as a sentient race to capture and view an image 353 million miles from our friggin' planet.... and as a people, we're still fascinated with tribalism and the Kardashians.
Though we be a race capable of marvelous achievement, we have not yet come to terms with our inner retard.
The "inner retard" is a result of our educational system and societal values. We train people poorly and then create a lot of menial jobs that further blunt their scientific acumen.
Thus, most exciting space objects are sufficiently complex that most people without geophysics or fluids PhD's cannot grasp the significant of them.
Also, for most cases, a rock in space is not much more exciting than a rock on earth. Even with the present comet images massaged and stretched to their limit, we can't even see the core. Instead, we are shown two jets and told that scientists will now be able to measure the rotation axis and rate of the nucleus.
Why is this important? How will it help our understanding of anything other than this particular comet? The only short explanation given:
"This is critical information that we need to determine whether, and to what degree, dust grains in the coma of the comet will impact Mars and spacecraft in the vicinity of Mars"
is both unclear to the layman and also quite boring!
Also, at night you can go outside, look up and see lots of objects further than 353 million miles away. So it really isn't that unique a capability. (I know you left some qualifying details out of your comment, but since you are insulting the general population, I thought that I would point that out!)
The TSA is operated by some of the most incompetent people the USA has to offer. They are the problem, not the hardware or software. I fail to see why they should get a "free pass" here on account of a bad database entry. Heads should be hung over this, especially considering the justifications thrown around for the continued existence of the TSA.
Yeah, and they will spin this concept to argue that they need more money so that they can hire: 1. better quality staff, 2. more training for the staff they have, 3. advanced software, etc...
Companies only see green. They don't care about any other color, unless it equates to more green.
Rather than force the companies to hire people who they don't think are qualified, why not sponsor some minorities for 7+ years to them interested in CS and get them a good degree in CS.
Or better yet, Jesse should shut his mouth, go get a technical degree himself, and then do some real work. IMO, he talks a good game, but he doesn't back it up with his lavish lifestyle.
We are talking about four bright pixels here...
on
Waves Spotted On Titan
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Just to be clear for those who didn't read the article, this entire study is based on four brighter than expected pixels.
Four pixels in the images are brighter than one might expect from reflecting sunlight, Barnes reported at the conference. He concluded that they must represent something particularly rough on the surface — a wave or set of waves.
I see her as a mass murderer. People have died as a direct result of her bullshit. She ought to be put through the justice system in the same way that someone impersonating a doctor would be tried for a death resulting from his or her false medical advice. Except in her case, it's not just one death, it's a whole lot of deaths. Sure, it's not solely her fault, but it doesn't have to be (nor should it need to be) in our justice system.
Really?
She is a bleach blonde playboy model that only graduated high school. Other than being a recipient of botox and breast implants, she has no medical training or experience.
Why are people taking medical advice from her over their doctors?
The only way to get through to the anti-vaxxers will be to give them a choice: get the shot or be quarantined with the other anti-vaxxers in a remote region of the country with no travel allowed. Nature will take its course.
There a topic that isn't about America? Well can't have that! Spin it to be about America! Redirect all topics to be on America, particularly whining about America!
What's ironic is that the folks who tend to do this, are just as likely to sneer that Americans don't care about anything happening outside the US.
Well, Americans don't really care about anything happening outside the US, unless it affects them. Even the US government is that way... why are they not in Ukraine right now while this democratic country is under attack by "unspecified" militants? The US was happy to roll into Afghanistan (for revenge) and Iraq (for oil) at a moments notice. No problems helping dispose of their old enemy Gaddafi either. (Libya has oil, right?)
The Europeans can't complain much though as they are even softer on military intervention! They were excited about the Ukraine's merging with the EU, but all it took was a little posturing from Putin to reduce the European states to hand-wringing and empty threats. Why? Because they are whores for Russia's oil and have no backup plan in place were Gazprom to cut them off.
Finally, Asia and South America only care about their own continents. So pretty much everyone only cares about themselves.
I am surprised that no one is calling Putin's bluff however. He's refused to acknowledge that the "pro-Russian" troops are Russian. It seems like a good way to force his hand would be to start rolling heavy military equipment into the rest of the Ukraine to protect it from the "terrorists" in Crimea. Then, when Russia starts saber-rattling, NATO should start testing their ballistic missile and interceptor assets... You know, to protect the Russians from the Crimean terrorists. Bullies only respect other bullies.
Too bad they don't also have a concrete plan to match the decrease in coal-generated power with something more environmentally friendly.
From the article:
If at the same time the US accelerates expansion of renewable energy sources and transmission facilities, this could be accomplished with no interruption to electricity supplies, adding only about a penny or two to each kilowatt-hour on electricity bills.
It's be more useful to spend 50 billion developing and installing cost-effective renewable energy sources that are cheaper than coal. Then coal would go away on its own via capitalistic drivers.
What does it mean that he didn't have "a good way to backup that much data, so he never took one"?
The concepts behind backing up data have not changed. You need to manage the size of your data to redundantly fit into the storage of your system. So either pony up the cash and time to properly store your files, stop collecting TBs of crap, or stop complaining about losing it when your system crashes.
It's frustrating to see people continuously complaining about how they have too much data to back up cheaply and conveniently. It's even more frustrating to see them complaining about losing all of their data because they didn't back it up properly.
I think that the main issue is that most people do not realistically or conservatively plan their actual storage capability. For example, it seems like 90% computer users believe that having 4 TB of hard drive space means that they can safely store 4 TB of data.
After a conversation about scratch space, redundant drives, and timestamped backups, they then will grudgingly agree to allocate 25% of their available storage to RAID/Backup space, which obviously does not get the job done! Very few are willing to accept using 66% of their available hard drive space for RAID and Backups, which is really the minimum metric for any sort of storage longevity.
20 TB is an awkward amount of data for a non-corporate individual to be storing. It's more data than most people actually need for their media and it is getting into a very expensive price range to backup for basic music/movie content. (By expensive, I mean that it would be cheaper to just re-purchase the media rather than back it up.)
I can see how a constant stream of telemetry might be cost-prohibitive, but what about a squirt of data consisting of -
- Flight Number
- Lat / Long
- Airspeed
- Groundspeed
- Altitude
- Compass heeding...sent every five minutes? At least that would give a 'last known' location.
They already have something like this. It's called a transponder. But when it stops transmitting or is turned off, you are back to the current problem.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's see what we are working with:
(1) 90% mortality rate,
(2) No known vaccine,
(3) Spreads by bodily fluids,
(4) Area with poor hygiene,
(5) All experts recommend letting the virus "burn itself out."
Objectively, is there really anything to do other than to strictly and conservatively quarantine every country (and sub-quarantine cities as necessary) with a positive case?
We should not even be sending in aid workers, who could potentially be exposed. Medicine and water can be airdropped.
That's the short term solution. In the long term, you need to educate the population, improve hygiene and infrastructure, and figure out where the infection is coming from. In general, the African governments have not really been interested in doing any of the above.
graffiti artists are the people responsible for those really cool murals;
The thing is, those "really cool murals" aren't as cool when you find one on your house one morning. Or on your fence that you just had painted. The day that you are having a big party at your house for your staid work colleagues, including your boss.
Actually, I do think it's a bad thing. You might know the old saying "applied research brings improvements, but basic research brings revolutions".
I've never heard that saying. Google doesn't seem to be able to find it either.
My pet example of this is lasers. The theoretic foundation for lasers was done somewhere around 1920. Long, long before materials were ready for it. Only in the 1960s the first lasers came into existence, huge, expensive pieces of technology that relied on very expensive crystals to work. Only in the 1980s we started to be able to build cheaper lasers, and it took another ten years before they became mainstream in our consumer electronics.
Your example is fantastic, however, because it clearly highlights the OP's point. It took 40 years to engineer the laser after it was theoretically conceptualized. It then took another 40 years to reduce it to a commonplace piece of technology. That's two scientific lifetimes.
My view is that most early discoveries (1800-1900's) were more a result of the development of the scientific method, which allowed a clear methodology to test hypotheses. Later discoveries (1950's) have tracked with technology development, like electricity, vacuum tubes, nuclear physics capabilities, lasers and computers.
We've currently reached a point now where technological development has stagnated relative to the rapid rates previously. Scientists are effectively using the same equipment they had 10-20 years ago, it's smaller, bit faster, but not much better. Additionally, most new physical theories require more than three or four dimensions, which is outside most scientists intuitive range.
If you want to get back to the rapid discovery rates that we have previously enjoyed, we're going to need to develop some groundbreaking technology, be it unlimited energy, computers that are actually more intelligent than us (not just faster), or some sort of evolution of the human brain to open up a new level of human scientific comprehension. And even with all that, people are still going to have to teach themselves an increasing amount of scientific history to catch up to the present, before they can contribute to new developments.
So do I: Hawaii.
No, we're taking about the real one!
Just kidding... I think.
Ummmm... Bush was elected twice as well. Presumably by some of the same people who voted for Obama twice.
We have another group at a little less than half that are so worn out with work, the 3 kids society said they should have, the junk they spend their money on, etc.. etc.. that they don't have the time to pay attention.
Oh, we pay attention. But there is no one to vote for who will fix the problem since all of the parties collude to keep themselves in power.
What do you expect us to do? What are you doing other than complaining on /.?
Are all the childless people really making more of a difference? I didn't know that clubbing, going to the movies, and trying to get laid really was that effective at motivating political reform!
This. NASA is not a political body and should not act like one.
You're joking right?
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a government organization that has to appeal to the president and Congress every year for funding and scope. Their employees are considered federal employees on the GS (general schedule) pay scale. NASA has both "national" and "administration" in the title. It doesn't get any more political than that.
How are they NOT a political body?
Infrared essentially blocks out normal vision. While this may be useful as wearable computing, it wouldn't be useful if you had to poke around in your eye every time you needed to switch back to normal vision.
You are missing the point. (And must not need bifocals!)
It would be useful if I could put one IR-capable contact lens in one eye, while having a regular lens in the other eye. This would be fantastic for driving at night, or hunting those pesky pack rats that live in my backyard.
Many people who need bifocals use a different lens in each eye for distance and reading. Some also get laser-corrected to this state. Most peoples' brains are able to successfully merge the different images, but some are not. (So it is better to try it with contacts before lasik!!!)
As someone who has lived in California for a very long time (probably longer than those seismologists have been alive) and has been through many quakes, my experience tells me that they are indeed mistaken. A 5.1 quake like that is a good thing, because it's small enough that is doesn't cause much damage, but powerful enough that tectonic pressures are released. We might get a few, weaker aftershocks but there is no way that this is leading to a bigger quake.
Look up "geologic timescale" and compare those times that to the lifespan of anyone that you know.
Then think about if human recollection is useful in any way for anticipating earthquakes.
> Jokes aside, I never understood why people live in KNOWN dangerous places.
Because it's only one factor. Farmers value the fertile land where floods deposit soil, and it's rarely feasible to live very far from the farm. Traders value the shipping made easier by river or ocean traffic near river heads, but those are likely flood areas. Damming and irrigation and dikes can actually _change_ the shape of the flood plain, making formerly safe areas profoundly more dangerous. Industries rely on the river water or hydro-electric power, and long commutes to work are a subtle tax on every worker's time every day.
Would you pay double the price of your current home, or apartment, to live in a safer place further from your work? Could you afford it?
I'd be more likely to afford it if the alternative was being buried alive under 40 feet of mud.
This sounds more like science fiction than anything else to me. But if it works and the technique becomes viable to handle patient with heavy injurie - and assuming the patients can be kept suspended for long periods of time without creating further damages, I wonder if the technique could be adapted for space travel. It would solve a lot of problems related to long-duration interplanetary travel.
The idea is not new. I just wonder if this could be the first step in this direction.
If you RTFA you'd know that they were only slowing down the cell's metabolic reactions by a factor of 10 or so. They aren't stopping the reactions which, under normal conditions, would result in brain damage after 5 minutes. Thus, for deep space travel (say 1 year of time), you'd need to slow the reactions down by a factor of 10^5. Thus, it is unlikely that this technology would be adaptable to meet that need.
You'd have more luck working out how to freeze the body without tissue damage from water expansion (for example, by replacing the water with a compatible chemical surrogate that did not expand when it froze). At that point, you could deep freeze the body and effectively stop most molecular transport.
No-fly lists simply shouldn't exist, regardless of whether or not they can work. The idea that you can be considered too dangerous (Without a trial!) to fly and yet not dangerous enough to arrest is absurd. As others have said, this is just used for oppression.
Don't worry!
The government is likely working to remove that pesky probable cause standard required to arrest someone.
Their operating standards will soon all be consistent!
We have the ability as a sentient race to capture and view an image 353 million miles from our friggin' planet.... and as a people, we're still fascinated with tribalism and the Kardashians.
Though we be a race capable of marvelous achievement, we have not yet come to terms with our inner retard.
The "inner retard" is a result of our educational system and societal values. We train people poorly and then create a lot of menial jobs that further blunt their scientific acumen.
Thus, most exciting space objects are sufficiently complex that most people without geophysics or fluids PhD's cannot grasp the significant of them.
Also, for most cases, a rock in space is not much more exciting than a rock on earth. Even with the present comet images massaged and stretched to their limit, we can't even see the core. Instead, we are shown two jets and told that scientists will now be able to measure the rotation axis and rate of the nucleus.
Why is this important? How will it help our understanding of anything other than this particular comet? The only short explanation given:
"This is critical information that we need to determine whether, and to what degree, dust grains in the coma of the comet will impact Mars and spacecraft in the vicinity of Mars"
is both unclear to the layman and also quite boring!
Also, at night you can go outside, look up and see lots of objects further than 353 million miles away. So it really isn't that unique a capability. (I know you left some qualifying details out of your comment, but since you are insulting the general population, I thought that I would point that out!)
The TSA is operated by some of the most incompetent people the USA has to offer. They are the problem, not the hardware or software. I fail to see why they should get a "free pass" here on account of a bad database entry. Heads should be hung over this, especially considering the justifications thrown around for the continued existence of the TSA.
Yeah, and they will spin this concept to argue that they need more money so that they can hire:
1. better quality staff,
2. more training for the staff they have,
3. advanced software,
etc...
Carter was (is) a nice guy, probably one of the nicest, that just happened to be not good at politics, economics, or rescuing hostages.
FTFY
Despite not being well respected, he was able to keep the NSA under control during his tenure!
He says while golfers may complain it's making the game easier, it's too risky to do otherwise this season.
If they are worried about "making the game easier," they should be using the old wooden drivers and steel "irons" that I learned to play with.
Companies only see green. They don't care about any other color, unless it equates to more green.
Rather than force the companies to hire people who they don't think are qualified, why not sponsor some minorities for 7+ years to them interested in CS and get them a good degree in CS.
Or better yet, Jesse should shut his mouth, go get a technical degree himself, and then do some real work. IMO, he talks a good game, but he doesn't back it up with his lavish lifestyle.
Just to be clear for those who didn't read the article, this entire study is based on four brighter than expected pixels.
Four pixels in the images are brighter than one might expect from reflecting sunlight, Barnes reported at the conference. He concluded that they must represent something particularly rough on the surface — a wave or set of waves.
I see her as a mass murderer. People have died as a direct result of her bullshit. She ought to be put through the justice system in the same way that someone impersonating a doctor would be tried for a death resulting from his or her false medical advice. Except in her case, it's not just one death, it's a whole lot of deaths. Sure, it's not solely her fault, but it doesn't have to be (nor should it need to be) in our justice system.
Really?
She is a bleach blonde playboy model that only graduated high school. Other than being a recipient of botox and breast implants, she has no medical training or experience.
Why are people taking medical advice from her over their doctors?
The only way to get through to the anti-vaxxers will be to give them a choice: get the shot or be quarantined with the other anti-vaxxers in a remote region of the country with no travel allowed. Nature will take its course.
There a topic that isn't about America? Well can't have that! Spin it to be about America! Redirect all topics to be on America, particularly whining about America!
What's ironic is that the folks who tend to do this, are just as likely to sneer that Americans don't care about anything happening outside the US.
Well, Americans don't really care about anything happening outside the US, unless it affects them. Even the US government is that way... why are they not in Ukraine right now while this democratic country is under attack by "unspecified" militants? The US was happy to roll into Afghanistan (for revenge) and Iraq (for oil) at a moments notice. No problems helping dispose of their old enemy Gaddafi either. (Libya has oil, right?)
The Europeans can't complain much though as they are even softer on military intervention! They were excited about the Ukraine's merging with the EU, but all it took was a little posturing from Putin to reduce the European states to hand-wringing and empty threats. Why? Because they are whores for Russia's oil and have no backup plan in place were Gazprom to cut them off.
Finally, Asia and South America only care about their own continents. So pretty much everyone only cares about themselves.
I am surprised that no one is calling Putin's bluff however. He's refused to acknowledge that the "pro-Russian" troops are Russian. It seems like a good way to force his hand would be to start rolling heavy military equipment into the rest of the Ukraine to protect it from the "terrorists" in Crimea. Then, when Russia starts saber-rattling, NATO should start testing their ballistic missile and interceptor assets... You know, to protect the Russians from the Crimean terrorists. Bullies only respect other bullies.
Actually, I'd like to know where you got the information on the exact equipment on board this plane?
Uh, duh!
He is obviously the one who has the plane hidden somewhere!
Too bad they don't also have a concrete plan to match the decrease in coal-generated power with something more environmentally friendly.
From the article:
If at the same time the US accelerates expansion of renewable energy sources and transmission facilities, this could be accomplished with no interruption to electricity supplies, adding only about a penny or two to each kilowatt-hour on electricity bills.
It's be more useful to spend 50 billion developing and installing cost-effective renewable energy sources that are cheaper than coal. Then coal would go away on its own via capitalistic drivers.
What does it mean that he didn't have "a good way to backup that much data, so he never took one"?
The concepts behind backing up data have not changed. You need to manage the size of your data to redundantly fit into the storage of your system. So either pony up the cash and time to properly store your files, stop collecting TBs of crap, or stop complaining about losing it when your system crashes.
It's frustrating to see people continuously complaining about how they have too much data to back up cheaply and conveniently. It's even more frustrating to see them complaining about losing all of their data because they didn't back it up properly.
I think that the main issue is that most people do not realistically or conservatively plan their actual storage capability. For example, it seems like 90% computer users believe that having 4 TB of hard drive space means that they can safely store 4 TB of data.
After a conversation about scratch space, redundant drives, and timestamped backups, they then will grudgingly agree to allocate 25% of their available storage to RAID/Backup space, which obviously does not get the job done! Very few are willing to accept using 66% of their available hard drive space for RAID and Backups, which is really the minimum metric for any sort of storage longevity.
20 TB is an awkward amount of data for a non-corporate individual to be storing. It's more data than most people actually need for their media and it is getting into a very expensive price range to backup for basic music/movie content. (By expensive, I mean that it would be cheaper to just re-purchase the media rather than back it up.)
Why, would that somehow bring them back to life?
Why do you think that they are dead?
Didn't you watch Lost?
I can see how a constant stream of telemetry might be cost-prohibitive, but what about a squirt of data consisting of -
- Flight Number
- Lat / Long
- Airspeed
- Groundspeed
- Altitude
- Compass heeding ...sent every five minutes? At least that would give a 'last known' location.
They already have something like this. It's called a transponder. But when it stops transmitting or is turned off, you are back to the current problem.