In no particular order:
Tie Fighter: seriously helped to improve my hand-eye coordination.
Star Control II: showed me that video games could have plots as rich and as deep as a (good) novel.
Mysteries of the Sith: I know that a lot of people didn't care for this "expansion" too much, but I thought it showed how an FPS could emphasize more intellectual aspects. I took a shameful amount of time on the last battle before I realized what I had to do.
Curse of Monkey Island: taught me that life is not like a video game after I tried shoving that huge block of tufo down my pants.
Over 99.9% of the motors or generators that are in use today are at least 100 years old. There have been changes in the materials and methodology, but dc, induction and synchronous machines haven't changed much.
2001-03-17 13:25:42
"...and he was able to announce triumphantly that the Earth was created on Sunday 21st of October, 4004 B.C., at exactly 9:00 a.m., because God liked to get work done while he was feeling fresh." - Good Omens
Whew. Well, thank God that the FBI has a new screening test to tell us that nerds, geeks and goths are outcasts from mainstream society. Now we can accurately identify these dangerous individuals before they get a change to upset the balance of power in the schools. We can't have our jocks and preps feel uncomfortable while harrassing those who are different from them. I shudder to think of a world where nerds walk the halls in safety without being beaten or mocked. Why on Earth would some students feel the need to lash out? Why can't they just sit there and take the constant harrassment like everyone else? Oh, this world would just be so much easier if everyone who was different would just stop being individuals and conform.
I meet about 75% of that little test and am personally disgusted that we're spending so much time treating the symptoms of a larger problem. But, I'm not one of the "in" crowd, so I guess my objections are just unintelligent ramblings coming from someone who is unhappy with the status quo. I'm not saying that those kids aren't responsible for their action in any way, but we also need to realize that something pushed them to that point. It's just that no one want to look at the deeper causes because those deeper causes are sometimes the victims, and America's big bleeding heart prevents the media from even suggesting that those poor jocks could have something to do with it.
One that I haven't heard yet was the inflatable tanks thet the Allies used to fool Hitler on D-Day.
The Germans had a LOT of respect/fear for General Patton. They were certain that if there was going to be an invasion of Europe, it would be old Blood 'n Guts who would be leading the charge. So what happened was the contacted Hollywood and had their wonderfully adept set crews make a large number of inflatable and wooden tanks. They set all of these psuedo-tanks up at the point in England that was closest to France, which would be the most likely staging ground. The German air reconnaissance, especially with the foggy weather, revealed columns upon columns of tanks in this fake launch point. Hitler decided that any such force, especially one lead by Patton, would have to be the main invasion force.
Even when we were shipping tens of thousands of troops in through Normandy, Hitler still clung to his belief that the real invasion was coming from Patton, and that this "invasion" was just a diversion. Patton wasn't too happy about being left out of D-Day, but you really can't argue with the results...
I'm not going to bother parroting everyone else, about how playing games can help you unwind after a long day's work. I'd just like to ask where Pike gets the audacity to tell me that I'm spending my free time incorrectly. I'm just coming off of three weeks of mid-terms, and wouldn't mind sitting down and playing a few games on my computer. Yes, I read for enjoyment (which doesn't help the GNP anymore than playing video games) but I also can sit down and enjoy a bit of senseless buffoonery every now and then. I'd like to know how Pike optimizes his/her time to be at peak efficiency. And guess what, if I want to selfishly indulge myself and do something that I think is fun, that's MY choice. I have no problem with Pike having an opinion about video games. Heck, I agree that I you could be doing better things than playing them. In fact, I will defend Pike's First Ammendment right to voice that opinion. The line is drawn, however, at the point where you try to force your opinion on others. And you can contend that there's no real force in saying that we're using our time inefficiently, but Pike has no prerogative to tell me that my playing video games is wrong. Pike, unless you have a signed note from God saying that your OPINION is Canaan, don't assume that it should be applied to others. Anyone out there agree with me? Or even better, anyone out there disagree?
I'm kind of surprised that they left out the whole reason for producing LIGO. Its primary purpose is not to prove that gravitational waves exist. We're pretty darn sure of that already. The stated goal of LIGO is to devise a way to make a gravitational wave "telescope". The idea is that you can cross index electromagnetic phemonema with gravitational waves and build up a database of types of celestial events, eventually to the point where you can tell what was happening on the other side of the galaxy without searching for electromagnetic signs. Because gravitational waves can pass through objects relatively uneffected, they have the potential to make observations of phenomena that are farther than our telescopes can reach or that are interfered with by other events. Check out www.ligo.caltech.edu/ to get it straight from the horse's mouth.
Hey, I've got an idea! What if, instad of spending money and time cataloging students, we actually work to solve the problem of students being ostracized because they're different. It sicken me to think that we're going to solve this problem by seperating and classifying students even further. So not only are nerds "different", but they will now be "at-risk" students just because they don't want to put up with crap from the jocks and preps? I hope that someone is making an awful lot of money from this, because I shudder to think that they came up with this scheme out of the goodness of their heart...
Well, he almost had me going until he called The Simpsons an agent of Satan. Is it just me, or are video games the wrong medium to use to try to "save souls"? Personally, I play them to have fun, not to learn how to redeem myself in the Lord's eyes. I guess I just can't figure out how I'm going to learn how to morally redeem myself by blasting a bunch of demons. As much as we would all like to do that in real life, it's not a very practical lesson. If we are going to "straighten out" todays youths (since the youths and their godless constructs are always the reason for social degredation) maybe we shouldn't be promoting violence at all, even if it is "morally right" violence. I believe that there were a few crusades that sang the same tune. If you are looking to "redeem" your soul, read the Bible, help out in a soup kitchen, donate your time to helping others. Don't be "shown the light" from a video game. They're meant to be fun, and it's dangerous to try taking any message out of them.
We probably don't need another missle defense system, especially since Star Wars' funding has passed. The problem is that the enemies that we have to fear probably won't be using ICBM's. Our enemies in the 21st century are going to be: 1) Terrorists - if they got their hands on a nuclear weapon, their delivery mthod of choice would be a Wonder Bread truck, not missile. 2) Unstable nuclear powers - Either those who have built them or those who have bought nukes, these countries (india excluded) aren't going to bother with building an ICBM that can be shot down. They'll use a surplus cruise missile that can be fired from any cheap aluminum MiG or a short range balistic missile that we cannot shoot down. 3) Unstable major nuclear power - Honestly, if you get enough missiles, be they ICBM or SLBM, it won't make a lick of difference what you have to shoot them down. A victory through something like that would surely be the death of us. Honestly, it won't matter how many cool new toys we can come up with, the offense will always have the advantage of the first strike. The only real solution is to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether, something that will not happen in any of our lifetimes. I've had the benifit of growing up predominately without the threat of nuclear war, but others have lived with this hanging over their heads for their entire lives. We must remember the collapse of the USSR does not mean the collapse of all military enemies. The only viable course of action is eternal vigilance...
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In no particular order: Tie Fighter: seriously helped to improve my hand-eye coordination. Star Control II: showed me that video games could have plots as rich and as deep as a (good) novel. Mysteries of the Sith: I know that a lot of people didn't care for this "expansion" too much, but I thought it showed how an FPS could emphasize more intellectual aspects. I took a shameful amount of time on the last battle before I realized what I had to do. Curse of Monkey Island: taught me that life is not like a video game after I tried shoving that huge block of tufo down my pants.
Over 99.9% of the motors or generators that are in use today are at least 100 years old. There have been changes in the materials and methodology, but dc, induction and synchronous machines haven't changed much.
And NASA's would be more likely to get the money the want if they inflate their budgets to cover all of the unexpected costs?
2001-03-17 13:25:42 "...and he was able to announce triumphantly that the Earth was created on Sunday 21st of October, 4004 B.C., at exactly 9:00 a.m., because God liked to get work done while he was feeling fresh." - Good Omens
Whew. Well, thank God that the FBI has a new screening test to tell us that nerds, geeks and goths are outcasts from mainstream society. Now we can accurately identify these dangerous individuals before they get a change to upset the balance of power in the schools. We can't have our jocks and preps feel uncomfortable while harrassing those who are different from them. I shudder to think of a world where nerds walk the halls in safety without being beaten or mocked. Why on Earth would some students feel the need to lash out? Why can't they just sit there and take the constant harrassment like everyone else? Oh, this world would just be so much easier if everyone who was different would just stop being individuals and conform.
I meet about 75% of that little test and am personally disgusted that we're spending so much time treating the symptoms of a larger problem. But, I'm not one of the "in" crowd, so I guess my objections are just unintelligent ramblings coming from someone who is unhappy with the status quo. I'm not saying that those kids aren't responsible for their action in any way, but we also need to realize that something pushed them to that point. It's just that no one want to look at the deeper causes because those deeper causes are sometimes the victims, and America's big bleeding heart prevents the media from even suggesting that those poor jocks could have something to do with it.
One that I haven't heard yet was the inflatable tanks thet the Allies used to fool Hitler on D-Day.
The Germans had a LOT of respect/fear for General Patton. They were certain that if there was going to be an invasion of Europe, it would be old Blood 'n Guts who would be leading the charge. So what happened was the contacted Hollywood and had their wonderfully adept set crews make a large number of inflatable and wooden tanks. They set all of these psuedo-tanks up at the point in England that was closest to France, which would be the most likely staging ground. The German air reconnaissance, especially with the foggy weather, revealed columns upon columns of tanks in this fake launch point. Hitler decided that any such force, especially one lead by Patton, would have to be the main invasion force.
Even when we were shipping tens of thousands of troops in through Normandy, Hitler still clung to his belief that the real invasion was coming from Patton, and that this "invasion" was just a diversion. Patton wasn't too happy about being left out of D-Day, but you really can't argue with the results...
I'm not going to bother parroting everyone else, about how playing games can help you unwind after a long day's work. I'd just like to ask where Pike gets the audacity to tell me that I'm spending my free time incorrectly. I'm just coming off of three weeks of mid-terms, and wouldn't mind sitting down and playing a few games on my computer. Yes, I read for enjoyment (which doesn't help the GNP anymore than playing video games) but I also can sit down and enjoy a bit of senseless buffoonery every now and then. I'd like to know how Pike optimizes his/her time to be at peak efficiency. And guess what, if I want to selfishly indulge myself and do something that I think is fun, that's MY choice. I have no problem with Pike having an opinion about video games. Heck, I agree that I you could be doing better things than playing them. In fact, I will defend Pike's First Ammendment right to voice that opinion. The line is drawn, however, at the point where you try to force your opinion on others. And you can contend that there's no real force in saying that we're using our time inefficiently, but Pike has no prerogative to tell me that my playing video games is wrong. Pike, unless you have a signed note from God saying that your OPINION is Canaan, don't assume that it should be applied to others. Anyone out there agree with me? Or even better, anyone out there disagree?
I'm kind of surprised that they left out the whole reason for producing LIGO. Its primary purpose is not to prove that gravitational waves exist. We're pretty darn sure of that already. The stated goal of LIGO is to devise a way to make a gravitational wave "telescope". The idea is that you can cross index electromagnetic phemonema with gravitational waves and build up a database of types of celestial events, eventually to the point where you can tell what was happening on the other side of the galaxy without searching for electromagnetic signs. Because gravitational waves can pass through objects relatively uneffected, they have the potential to make observations of phenomena that are farther than our telescopes can reach or that are interfered with by other events. Check out www.ligo.caltech.edu/ to get it straight from the horse's mouth.
Hey, I've got an idea! What if, instad of spending money and time cataloging students, we actually work to solve the problem of students being ostracized because they're different. It sicken me to think that we're going to solve this problem by seperating and classifying students even further. So not only are nerds "different", but they will now be "at-risk" students just because they don't want to put up with crap from the jocks and preps? I hope that someone is making an awful lot of money from this, because I shudder to think that they came up with this scheme out of the goodness of their heart...
Well, he almost had me going until he called The Simpsons an agent of Satan. Is it just me, or are video games the wrong medium to use to try to "save souls"? Personally, I play them to have fun, not to learn how to redeem myself in the Lord's eyes. I guess I just can't figure out how I'm going to learn how to morally redeem myself by blasting a bunch of demons. As much as we would all like to do that in real life, it's not a very practical lesson. If we are going to "straighten out" todays youths (since the youths and their godless constructs are always the reason for social degredation) maybe we shouldn't be promoting violence at all, even if it is "morally right" violence. I believe that there were a few crusades that sang the same tune. If you are looking to "redeem" your soul, read the Bible, help out in a soup kitchen, donate your time to helping others. Don't be "shown the light" from a video game. They're meant to be fun, and it's dangerous to try taking any message out of them.
We probably don't need another missle defense system, especially since Star Wars' funding has passed. The problem is that the enemies that we have to fear probably won't be using ICBM's. Our enemies in the 21st century are going to be: 1) Terrorists - if they got their hands on a nuclear weapon, their delivery mthod of choice would be a Wonder Bread truck, not missile. 2) Unstable nuclear powers - Either those who have built them or those who have bought nukes, these countries (india excluded) aren't going to bother with building an ICBM that can be shot down. They'll use a surplus cruise missile that can be fired from any cheap aluminum MiG or a short range balistic missile that we cannot shoot down. 3) Unstable major nuclear power - Honestly, if you get enough missiles, be they ICBM or SLBM, it won't make a lick of difference what you have to shoot them down. A victory through something like that would surely be the death of us. Honestly, it won't matter how many cool new toys we can come up with, the offense will always have the advantage of the first strike. The only real solution is to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether, something that will not happen in any of our lifetimes. I've had the benifit of growing up predominately without the threat of nuclear war, but others have lived with this hanging over their heads for their entire lives. We must remember the collapse of the USSR does not mean the collapse of all military enemies. The only viable course of action is eternal vigilance...