There was an article a few months back about how every time a new technology comes out, people cry, "Oh noes! This will surely ruin our civilization due to [insert one or more of the following: Information overload; lack of memory retention; decreased social and family values; increased violence; etc.]. This has been going on since the written word in Greece, when Socrates said that writing everything down would stop people from trying to remember things and therefore be the end of civilization. We can all see how badly that turned out.
According to a recent documentary I watched (I wish I could remember the name now), Coca-Cola is almost always bottled locally or near-locally, because it's much cheaper to transport the concentrated syrup and add the water later than to have a larger plant add the water then transport nationally.
In Reno, a lot of people use swamp coolers or evaporators in place of AC, especially when the houses were built before central AC was standard. It costs a lot less to install than an entire central AC system, but still runs in to a significant problem: freezing tempuratures during the winter time. I've known quite a few acquantainces who forgot to drain their systems in time for first frost, and end up ruining their entire system due to freezing temperatures. Will this device run into similar problems, or is it more contained and less susceptible to outside temperatures?
Carbon is another rare exception (well, specifically diamonds). I can't remember where I read it, but there were some theories that there have to be diamond "oceans" on Saturn to create certain fields or something.
Actually, as a resident of Reno (it's not as bad as it sounds.. really) I can definitively say that there is more geothermal energy over a wider area here than in Yellowstone. My understanding is that Yellowstone has a very strong, but very locialized pocket of usable energy, whereas the entire greater Carson-Reno area is tappable for energy. There have been quite a few apartment complexes and neighborhood groups who have pitched together to fund geothermal wells in this area, and effectively end up paying about 15k as a one-time cost to eliminate an electric bill for life (well, the life of the well, anyway). Best part is, because more energy is generated than can reasonably be used by 15-20 houses, the rest gets sold back to the electric company, and NV Energy takes care of maintenance on the well in exchange.
The difference between science and belief is that science observes phenomena and comes up with the most logical conclusion for why it happens. Belief answers why a pheonmena happens and rejects observations that contradict that answer.
I find this similar to the idea that farmers cannot grow food for their own consumption (or use as feed) because it would discourage them from buying the product on the open market and therefore would be bad for the economy as a whole. If American's really started driving cars that got twice as much gas milage, the U.S. consumption of gasoline would drop in half. Given that the U.S. produces approximately 7 million barrels of oil each day, that would be a major hit to a high-profit business.
Even though this probably won't have the intended effect in the long run, it probably will do quite a bit to narrow down the use of prepaid cell phones for nefarious purposes. As it stands with gun laws, I'm certainly not willing to go into a sporting good store, buy a gun, and hand it over to someone I don't know, even if there is a boat-load of cash being offered. The same will probably happen with cell phones, if the punishment for handing out or carrying an unlicensed cell phone is strict enough. It's not worth it for most decent citizens to get caught up in the mess. This doesn't stop fake IDs, of course, but it would be pretty easy to compare a would-be cell-phone purchaser's ID to their address via DMV database or something similar, which would mean the fake ID would have to immitate a real person, including their address. If a notice was then sent to that person's house (Attention Mr./Ms. So-and-so, We have just recorded a new pre-paid cell phone to your name and address. If you believe this to be in error, please contact such-and-such security department...) and further cut down on abuse. Overall, this policy will probably be more effective than people imagine if it's implemented well (which it probably won't be).
The idea that free speech results from anonymous speech is fallacious. Of course you can say whatever you want, as long as you are willing to deal with the reprocussions of saying the wrong thing towards the wrong group. That's freedom, right?
China has been trying to censor the internet for years to dissuade it's population from rebelling. I recall an earlier post today that basically indicates that the more the government tries to oppress freedom of speech, the more clever those with drive will become to avoid such measures. I feel somewhat sorry for Thailand citizens, who will end up paying for an ultimately futile goal.
Slashdot Mirror
There was an article a few months back about how every time a new technology comes out, people cry, "Oh noes! This will surely ruin our civilization due to [insert one or more of the following: Information overload; lack of memory retention; decreased social and family values; increased violence; etc.]. This has been going on since the written word in Greece, when Socrates said that writing everything down would stop people from trying to remember things and therefore be the end of civilization. We can all see how badly that turned out.
The real problem will come when the automatic advertisements start selecting the GP for targetted gun adds.
23 dollars per 1000 is 2.3%. That is roughly half of 5%, and an amount I would call "anywhere near."
According to a recent documentary I watched (I wish I could remember the name now), Coca-Cola is almost always bottled locally or near-locally, because it's much cheaper to transport the concentrated syrup and add the water later than to have a larger plant add the water then transport nationally.
I was saying "Boo-urns."
Play with a competitive enough group, and you can charge real money for monopoly money, too.
Funny you should mention the carbon nano-tube article, since I just burned all 5 mod points there =P
In Reno, a lot of people use swamp coolers or evaporators in place of AC, especially when the houses were built before central AC was standard. It costs a lot less to install than an entire central AC system, but still runs in to a significant problem: freezing tempuratures during the winter time. I've known quite a few acquantainces who forgot to drain their systems in time for first frost, and end up ruining their entire system due to freezing temperatures. Will this device run into similar problems, or is it more contained and less susceptible to outside temperatures?
You could have at least checked the "Post anonymously" box first.
Carbon is another rare exception (well, specifically diamonds). I can't remember where I read it, but there were some theories that there have to be diamond "oceans" on Saturn to create certain fields or something.
Actually, as a resident of Reno (it's not as bad as it sounds.. really) I can definitively say that there is more geothermal energy over a wider area here than in Yellowstone. My understanding is that Yellowstone has a very strong, but very locialized pocket of usable energy, whereas the entire greater Carson-Reno area is tappable for energy. There have been quite a few apartment complexes and neighborhood groups who have pitched together to fund geothermal wells in this area, and effectively end up paying about 15k as a one-time cost to eliminate an electric bill for life (well, the life of the well, anyway). Best part is, because more energy is generated than can reasonably be used by 15-20 houses, the rest gets sold back to the electric company, and NV Energy takes care of maintenance on the well in exchange.
Is telling us that whales don't have feet REALLY informative? Come on, mods!
It's nice to see telecos reaping what they sowed, but in the end, consumers pay for everything. At some level, this will mostly harm end users.
The difference between science and belief is that science observes phenomena and comes up with the most logical conclusion for why it happens. Belief answers why a pheonmena happens and rejects observations that contradict that answer.
I find this similar to the idea that farmers cannot grow food for their own consumption (or use as feed) because it would discourage them from buying the product on the open market and therefore would be bad for the economy as a whole. If American's really started driving cars that got twice as much gas milage, the U.S. consumption of gasoline would drop in half. Given that the U.S. produces approximately 7 million barrels of oil each day, that would be a major hit to a high-profit business.
Well, I didn't see a sign in the store telling me it was illegal to steal stuff...
Even though this probably won't have the intended effect in the long run, it probably will do quite a bit to narrow down the use of prepaid cell phones for nefarious purposes. As it stands with gun laws, I'm certainly not willing to go into a sporting good store, buy a gun, and hand it over to someone I don't know, even if there is a boat-load of cash being offered. The same will probably happen with cell phones, if the punishment for handing out or carrying an unlicensed cell phone is strict enough. It's not worth it for most decent citizens to get caught up in the mess. This doesn't stop fake IDs, of course, but it would be pretty easy to compare a would-be cell-phone purchaser's ID to their address via DMV database or something similar, which would mean the fake ID would have to immitate a real person, including their address. If a notice was then sent to that person's house (Attention Mr./Ms. So-and-so, We have just recorded a new pre-paid cell phone to your name and address. If you believe this to be in error, please contact such-and-such security department...) and further cut down on abuse. Overall, this policy will probably be more effective than people imagine if it's implemented well (which it probably won't be).
The idea that free speech results from anonymous speech is fallacious. Of course you can say whatever you want, as long as you are willing to deal with the reprocussions of saying the wrong thing towards the wrong group. That's freedom, right?
I really expected your sig line to translate into something funny / interest / amusing. All I got was E_á"Ê)Ä“?+y*. I don't get it.
China has been trying to censor the internet for years to dissuade it's population from rebelling. I recall an earlier post today that basically indicates that the more the government tries to oppress freedom of speech, the more clever those with drive will become to avoid such measures. I feel somewhat sorry for Thailand citizens, who will end up paying for an ultimately futile goal.
Just like using an antivirus program promotes making viruses.