Reminds me of a little SF short story I read... Tom Godwin (of "The Cold Equations") wrote one called "No Species Alone"...
[warning - SPOILER]
Basically, snake-like reptilian aliens have conquered hundreds of civilizations, and then land on earth. Giant snake-alien finds man, takes control of man's mind. Tries to get man to kill self, but cat and kittens show up. Primal snake-cat emnity (theme of story) makes snake lose focus, and snake can't get into cats' minds. Cats and man kill snake.
I'll have to give that a try later... never could get the hang of the default UI myself.
However, I do have a question... according to a co-worker, Gimp can't create images, it only manipulates them with advanced tools. He says that basic tools (paintbrush, line, circle, etc) don't exist. I find this hard to believe; Paintshop (of which I've been using version 5 for years) has these basic tools and is fairly intuitive now.
In other words, can it serve as a basic "paint" tool in addition to photographic manipulation? That's what 99% of my use is, anyways.
What really sucked is that they used to require everyone to take Scheme (godawful useless language for most of the engineers). Then, the semester after I took the Scheme class (got put in the "advanced" section somehow... didn't really belong there since it was over my head and I'm an aero engineer, but was worth it anyways), they start up their new "Computing for Engineers" course (using Matlab). And now all of my professors assume we know matlab very well because that course is offered... but we never took it!
It is good that they're branching out with the program though. They went from the standard "_everyone_ must take Scheme!" to having:
Intro CS, for CS and (I assume) CompE, EE, and the like CoE (the Matlab course) for other engineering majors CS 1315, an intro course for the liberal-arts majors which uses Java, Python, and others, and does stuff like image manipulation, sound generation, etc.
Also, they have the "threaded" CS now, and a new program called "Computational Media." From what I understand from my friends in the program, it combines CS with visual/arts stuff and the literature/culture group, and is intended for those who want to focus on, say, video-game development, graphical media, animation, and the like. They also have a good relationship with Cartoon Network, which sits just north of campus on 10th street.
Actually, they would have been standard (albeit low-yield) nuclear weapons. For example, the American Nike-Hercules SAM (and other Nike-based missiles) used the W-31 warhead--a conventional
Neutron bombs have a very low yield (less physical destruction) but are designed to pump out a crapload of neutrons at detonation to incapacitate or kill personnel through radiation. This radiation is fairly short-lived, and the resulting effect is that territory hit with a neutron bomb will leave most of the physical infrastructure still standing, but any occupying forces should be dead or dying when the invader's tanks come rolling in--and there is (comparatively) little radiation left to harm them. Little fallout too, since the bomb is airburst, and the small explosive effect means less debris is sucked up and irradiated or combined with heavy metal particulate residue--which is basically what fallout is.
The laser-based systems currently deployed on aircraft don't destroy the missiles--the laser is used to "dazzle," blind, or otherwise confuse the seeker and thereby cause the missile to miss.
(funny related quote from (IIRC) the Falcon 4 manual: "If missiles actually hit all the time, they'd be called 'hittiles'" )
So if I'm on the list, and can figure a way to get in... I'm essentially in a win-win situation... I either win and get money, or I screw around and lose, but don't suffer the consequences? Damn, I have to get in on that! Can someone sign me up for this list?
BTW "lose" has one o, not two. "Loose" is the opposite of "tight." (sorry, it just bugs me)
The station isn't quite in a polar orbit (which is generally 90 degree inclination, plus or minus a few). ISS orbit is 51.6 degrees.
I wouldn't call the orbit "quite low," either; 180nm (330-something km) is decently high. You still get atmospheric drag effects, but they aren't on the order of those that spy satellites sometimes deal with (those have been known to come down quite low for a couple orbits to get better imagery).
I also did a little experiment in Orbiter; "jumping" away from the station, directly towards earth, at 2m/s changes the apogee and perigee of the orbit by maybe a kilometer each. You can't deorbit yourself by jumping, at least around earth.
What part of "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" do you not understand? As for the rest of that... you're sounding like the guy in high school who ranted on about the "New World Order" and how Bush Sr. and Clinton were in league with the aliens to subjugate the human race.
I don't quite see what the 14th amendment has to do with this; it just reaffirms Article VI in stating that state law may not contradict Federal or constitutional law.
It's just like the "format wars" in general aviation:
High wing vs. low wing Trigear vs. taildragger Production vs. homebuilt Pattern entries (45 vs. overhead vs. extended downwind vs....) Towered vs. non-towered fields
It is called the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. It has several Ammendments, most of them (14 onward) are crap."
Have you read those "ammendments" (Amendment XIV and onward) that you consider "crap"? Granted, I do consider a couple to be worthless, but most are still quite important.
This is what some of those "crap" amendments do. These are ones that affect individuals on a more personal level. I've left out the ones dealing with presidential succession and the like.
Amendment XIV Section 1: Establishes equal legal protection for all citizens. Added as a measure to grant citizenship to former slaves and the like, but still important for its other implications. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Amendment XV: Voting cannot be denied on the basis of race.
Amendment XVI: Allows federal gov't to collect income taxes (this is one I consider total crap. The ratification is considered by some to have been questionable).
And Kim Stanley Robinson used (and I'm making a dramatic simplification) a sunshade/mirror in orbit in his Red/Green/Blue Mars books... first, to warm Mars up, and then to cool Venus down. Damned internet generation, indeed.
And just where will this "national public transportation system" run? Even the most basic one would basically have to parallel the interstates, in order to get even semi-reasonable access. The cost to develop such a system and build it would be enormous, and it would take forever just to get it built. It's hard and expensive enough just to put a system like that around _one_ city, let alone the entire country.
To put this in perspective... it took five years and almost $1.3 billion to build a new 9,000ft runway in Atlanta. That's not even two miles. Let's say our new rail project costs 10% of that, per 9,000ft (reasonable I think, considering the costs to grade new thoroughfares, new technologies, set up plants to make the rail or whatnot). That's still $76 million per mile. To do, say, Atlanta to Savannah will be $19 billion (250 miles). To duplicate the interstates, $3.5 trillion. Not exactly easy money to come by.
How else are all those local governments in Bumf*ck, Middle of Nowhere going to get any income? They need their speeding ticket fines to stay afloat.
To ramble off-topic a bit, and to echo another slashdot reader, we should move to a system where any income from traffic citations is counterbalanced by a reduction in income from other sources. This removes all of the aspect of financial gain from tickets, and they could concentrate on actual safety instead. This would also eliminate those pesky speed traps where the limit changes four times in a mile and a half, or for one little section over a bridge... etc.
While Boeing's X-32 was indeed an ugly airplane, it wasn't beaten due to aesthetics. Rather, Lockheed's design, while maybe more complex with its lift-fan concept, demonstrated better STOVL potential with better thrust and less hot-gas-ingestion, and the X-35 didn't require parts of the airframe to be removed to cut down weight when doing VTOL testing. The use of the lift fan meant greater growth potential, both for VTOL and for other areas (many sources have mentioned using the fan shaft to drive a generator for some kind of directed-energy weapon or EW suite). Boeing relied purely on thrust from the engine core, and therefore had less margin for growth.
Also, Lockheed's aircraft was closer to the production configuration, compared to Boeing making a fairly large redesign with theirs by moving to a tailed planform, and there may have been some skepticism with Boeing's super-short intake about hiding the engine face from radar.
Look, I understand that's what the wing does. My point is that such a design is neither stealthy nor quiet (in sonic boom terms), both of which are characteristics desireable by the military (it kinda helps if they can't see or hear you). You can also achieve good subsonic and supersonic performance with a traditional sweep wing (like F-14, B-1, etc). And there's no need to deliver bombs subsonically; in many cases it would be desireable to do so at high speeds so that the bombs will travel further (effectively giving them standoff range). Basically, this is like one of those Popular Mechanics articles... looks cool, sounds cool, but what's actually developed will be a lot different. I'd be willing to bet the resulting aircraft looks more like this (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ai rcraft/b-3_gallery.htm) than anything else, because range and reaction time will be the driving specs, as opposed to loiter (we already have aircraft that can do that).
Hate to sound pompous, but I do know what I'm talking about on this matter; I'm an aerospace engineer currently working on supercruising and variable geometry aircraft.
I somewhat agree with you on the idea of not having a military stronger than it needs to be. However, the idea that a military force can be made stronger "when we need it to" is a little... off, I guess. It takes a couple years to train highly skill-intensive positions like combat pilots, ship captains, etc. And items like aircraft have a much longer lead time to produce than aircraft did even during the Korean War. Any conflict we would enter in which we would need this massive increase in military forces would probably be over soon after it started, since modern warfare runs so much more quickly than previous ones. Fast aircraft and missiles mean a war can be started and ended within hours, and leave one side decidedly defeated. By the time we hit a conflict where we might need to strengthen our military, the war might very well be over, and many American cities and such would be smoldering ruins.
As far as the aircraft mentioned in TFA, such an aircraft looks highly improbable. Future USAF bomber studies are likely to revolve around either a shorter-range "theater" bomber (see FB-22) or a very long-range unmanned supercruise aircraft, which most likely would look nothing like the aircraft shown. I'd expect it to take advantage of more "traditional" (ie F-22 and F-35 style) stealth features, and make use of sonic boom reduction technologies like those under development by various business jet manufacturers. An oblique wing would not really be optimal for either.
Ok, to clarify... she isn't cleaning it for me; I'm saying it's an excuse for me to NOT clean it, and just leave it as my natural inclinations dictate. And it's a good response to "oh your place is a mess every time I come visit you!"
I personally don't care if (clean) dishes and pans are sitting on the counter to dry, or that I never put all my clothes away since I travel at least every other weekend and move (to another apartment) every 3-4 months. Or that random papers accumulate on just about every horizontal surface. I don't care that my laundry is a pile spilling out of the closet instead of spilling out of a hamper. I don't wash my towels every other day; I just use them till they start to smell. This bothers her for some reason (yet she's guilty of doing the exact same stuff, plus having a cat that throws litter everywhere). But that's different, apparently.
I'm ashamed that my school is developing this... but I'm also wondering, does it work by looking around, finding a camera, and beaming a light into it? Sorta like the laser-based DIRCM being developed for aircraft?
Yeah, I didn't quite think that one through... I was just trying to think of an easy-to-create universal format that wouldn't require a special/proprietary converter. And my objection to the player was that I would probably never use an mp3 player function.
My take on this: Phone Phone book/contact list/whatever you call it (place to store numbers) Speed dial Alarm Calendar/memo list Calculator applet Basic text messaging Good battery life Screen on outside to display time/caller ID Flip phone (don't like bricks)
Nice-to-have options: Free/cheap data cable/software Headset jack Customizable buttons Ability to upload.wav ringtones via said cable (or just put Ramblin Wreck on there)
I don't need: Games Camera MP3 AIM Voice memos Internet browsing Special provider content app No good default ringer (please, just have a standard phone ring!)
It would be useful for the times when one of my friends gets a call from a number, but doesn't recognize it, and asks me if it's anyone I know. I might have them in my phonebook...
Slashdot Mirror
Reminds me of a little SF short story I read... Tom Godwin (of "The Cold Equations") wrote one called "No Species Alone"...
[warning - SPOILER]
Basically, snake-like reptilian aliens have conquered hundreds of civilizations, and then land on earth. Giant snake-alien finds man, takes control of man's mind. Tries to get man to kill self, but cat and kittens show up. Primal snake-cat emnity (theme of story) makes snake lose focus, and snake can't get into cats' minds. Cats and man kill snake.
I'll have to give that a try later... never could get the hang of the default UI myself.
However, I do have a question... according to a co-worker, Gimp can't create images, it only manipulates them with advanced tools. He says that basic tools (paintbrush, line, circle, etc) don't exist. I find this hard to believe; Paintshop (of which I've been using version 5 for years) has these basic tools and is fairly intuitive now.
In other words, can it serve as a basic "paint" tool in addition to photographic manipulation? That's what 99% of my use is, anyways.
FY06 NASA budget: $16.5 billion
US population: ~ 300 million
Total cost, per person: ~ $54.84
About 25-30% of the population is too young to pay taxes - that leaves around $71 per taxpayer.
To put this in perspective (albeit with 2004 numbers):
NASA budget allocation: $15.5 billion
Department of Education: $53.1 billion (29.4b for primary/secondary, 15b for higher ed., 1b for vocational)
Housing and Urban Development: $31.3 billion
IRS (tax collectors): $10.4 billion
Foreign aid: $17.1 billion
Department of Agriculture: $19.5 billion
And an interesting pictorial representation:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/9410862/
What really sucked is that they used to require everyone to take Scheme (godawful useless language for most of the engineers). Then, the semester after I took the Scheme class (got put in the "advanced" section somehow... didn't really belong there since it was over my head and I'm an aero engineer, but was worth it anyways), they start up their new "Computing for Engineers" course (using Matlab). And now all of my professors assume we know matlab very well because that course is offered... but we never took it!
It is good that they're branching out with the program though. They went from the standard "_everyone_ must take Scheme!" to having:
Intro CS, for CS and (I assume) CompE, EE, and the like
CoE (the Matlab course) for other engineering majors
CS 1315, an intro course for the liberal-arts majors which uses Java, Python, and others, and does stuff like image manipulation, sound generation, etc.
Also, they have the "threaded" CS now, and a new program called "Computational Media." From what I understand from my friends in the program, it combines CS with visual/arts stuff and the literature/culture group, and is intended for those who want to focus on, say, video-game development, graphical media, animation, and the like. They also have a good relationship with Cartoon Network, which sits just north of campus on 10th street.
Actually, they would have been standard (albeit low-yield) nuclear weapons. For example, the American Nike-Hercules SAM (and other Nike-based missiles) used the W-31 warhead--a conventional
Neutron bombs have a very low yield (less physical destruction) but are designed to pump out a crapload of neutrons at detonation to incapacitate or kill personnel through radiation. This radiation is fairly short-lived, and the resulting effect is that territory hit with a neutron bomb will leave most of the physical infrastructure still standing, but any occupying forces should be dead or dying when the invader's tanks come rolling in--and there is (comparatively) little radiation left to harm them. Little fallout too, since the bomb is airburst, and the small explosive effect means less debris is sucked up and irradiated or combined with heavy metal particulate residue--which is basically what fallout is.
The laser-based systems currently deployed on aircraft don't destroy the missiles--the laser is used to "dazzle," blind, or otherwise confuse the seeker and thereby cause the missile to miss.
(funny related quote from (IIRC) the Falcon 4 manual: "If missiles actually hit all the time, they'd be called 'hittiles'" )
So if I'm on the list, and can figure a way to get in... I'm essentially in a win-win situation... I either win and get money, or I screw around and lose, but don't suffer the consequences? Damn, I have to get in on that! Can someone sign me up for this list?
BTW "lose" has one o, not two. "Loose" is the opposite of "tight." (sorry, it just bugs me)
The station isn't quite in a polar orbit (which is generally 90 degree inclination, plus or minus a few). ISS orbit is 51.6 degrees.
I wouldn't call the orbit "quite low," either; 180nm (330-something km) is decently high. You still get atmospheric drag effects, but they aren't on the order of those that spy satellites sometimes deal with (those have been known to come down quite low for a couple orbits to get better imagery).
I also did a little experiment in Orbiter; "jumping" away from the station, directly towards earth, at 2m/s changes the apogee and perigee of the orbit by maybe a kilometer each. You can't deorbit yourself by jumping, at least around earth.
What part of "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" do you not understand? As for the rest of that... you're sounding like the guy in high school who ranted on about the "New World Order" and how Bush Sr. and Clinton were in league with the aliens to subjugate the human race.
"The power to forego all local laws, the power to extradite the citizens of a state or even locallity to the federal union."
. pdf
Article VI already states that Federal law overrides any state law. A very lengthy discussion of this can be found at (pdf file): http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/016
I don't quite see what the 14th amendment has to do with this; it just reaffirms Article VI in stating that state law may not contradict Federal or constitutional law.
And WHAT power WOULD that BE? You NEED to BE more SPECIFIC instead OF just MAKING a BLATANT dismissal.
It's just like the "format wars" in general aviation:
High wing vs. low wing
Trigear vs. taildragger
Production vs. homebuilt
Pattern entries (45 vs. overhead vs. extended downwind vs....)
Towered vs. non-towered fields
and so on...
It is called the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. It has several Ammendments, most of them (14 onward) are crap."
Have you read those "ammendments" (Amendment XIV and onward) that you consider "crap"? Granted, I do consider a couple to be worthless, but most are still quite important.
This is what some of those "crap" amendments do. These are ones that affect individuals on a more personal level. I've left out the ones dealing with presidential succession and the like.
Amendment XIV
Section 1: Establishes equal legal protection for all citizens. Added as a measure to grant citizenship to former slaves and the like, but still important for its other implications.
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Amendment XV: Voting cannot be denied on the basis of race.
Amendment XVI: Allows federal gov't to collect income taxes (this is one I consider total crap. The ratification is considered by some to have been questionable).
Amendment XVIII: Banned alcohol (prohibition). Utter crap. Repealed by Amendment XXI.
Amendment XIX: Voting cannot be denied on the basis of sex.
Amendment XXI: Repealed Amendment XVIII. Took them long enough.
Amendment XXII: Presidential term limits (I consider this one important enough.)
Amendment XXIV: Outlaws poll taxes and the like.
Amendment XXVI: Sets voting age to 18.
and file a patent for "social connections." I will call my invention a "friend."
And Kim Stanley Robinson used (and I'm making a dramatic simplification) a sunshade/mirror in orbit in his Red/Green/Blue Mars books... first, to warm Mars up, and then to cool Venus down. Damned internet generation, indeed.
And just where will this "national public transportation system" run? Even the most basic one would basically have to parallel the interstates, in order to get even semi-reasonable access. The cost to develop such a system and build it would be enormous, and it would take forever just to get it built. It's hard and expensive enough just to put a system like that around _one_ city, let alone the entire country.
To put this in perspective... it took five years and almost $1.3 billion to build a new 9,000ft runway in Atlanta. That's not even two miles. Let's say our new rail project costs 10% of that, per 9,000ft (reasonable I think, considering the costs to grade new thoroughfares, new technologies, set up plants to make the rail or whatnot). That's still $76 million per mile. To do, say, Atlanta to Savannah will be $19 billion (250 miles). To duplicate the interstates, $3.5 trillion. Not exactly easy money to come by.
"then why is there a speed limit in the USA ?"
How else are all those local governments in Bumf*ck, Middle of Nowhere going to get any income? They need their speeding ticket fines to stay afloat.
To ramble off-topic a bit, and to echo another slashdot reader, we should move to a system where any income from traffic citations is counterbalanced by a reduction in income from other sources. This removes all of the aspect of financial gain from tickets, and they could concentrate on actual safety instead. This would also eliminate those pesky speed traps where the limit changes four times in a mile and a half, or for one little section over a bridge... etc.
While Boeing's X-32 was indeed an ugly airplane, it wasn't beaten due to aesthetics. Rather, Lockheed's design, while maybe more complex with its lift-fan concept, demonstrated better STOVL potential with better thrust and less hot-gas-ingestion, and the X-35 didn't require parts of the airframe to be removed to cut down weight when doing VTOL testing. The use of the lift fan meant greater growth potential, both for VTOL and for other areas (many sources have mentioned using the fan shaft to drive a generator for some kind of directed-energy weapon or EW suite). Boeing relied purely on thrust from the engine core, and therefore had less margin for growth.
Also, Lockheed's aircraft was closer to the production configuration, compared to Boeing making a fairly large redesign with theirs by moving to a tailed planform, and there may have been some skepticism with Boeing's super-short intake about hiding the engine face from radar.
Look, I understand that's what the wing does. My point is that such a design is neither stealthy nor quiet (in sonic boom terms), both of which are characteristics desireable by the military (it kinda helps if they can't see or hear you). You can also achieve good subsonic and supersonic performance with a traditional sweep wing (like F-14, B-1, etc). And there's no need to deliver bombs subsonically; in many cases it would be desireable to do so at high speeds so that the bombs will travel further (effectively giving them standoff range). Basically, this is like one of those Popular Mechanics articles... looks cool, sounds cool, but what's actually developed will be a lot different. I'd be willing to bet the resulting aircraft looks more like this (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ai rcraft/b-3_gallery.htm) than anything else, because range and reaction time will be the driving specs, as opposed to loiter (we already have aircraft that can do that).
Hate to sound pompous, but I do know what I'm talking about on this matter; I'm an aerospace engineer currently working on supercruising and variable geometry aircraft.
I somewhat agree with you on the idea of not having a military stronger than it needs to be. However, the idea that a military force can be made stronger "when we need it to" is a little... off, I guess. It takes a couple years to train highly skill-intensive positions like combat pilots, ship captains, etc. And items like aircraft have a much longer lead time to produce than aircraft did even during the Korean War. Any conflict we would enter in which we would need this massive increase in military forces would probably be over soon after it started, since modern warfare runs so much more quickly than previous ones. Fast aircraft and missiles mean a war can be started and ended within hours, and leave one side decidedly defeated. By the time we hit a conflict where we might need to strengthen our military, the war might very well be over, and many American cities and such would be smoldering ruins.
As far as the aircraft mentioned in TFA, such an aircraft looks highly improbable. Future USAF bomber studies are likely to revolve around either a shorter-range "theater" bomber (see FB-22) or a very long-range unmanned supercruise aircraft, which most likely would look nothing like the aircraft shown. I'd expect it to take advantage of more "traditional" (ie F-22 and F-35 style) stealth features, and make use of sonic boom reduction technologies like those under development by various business jet manufacturers. An oblique wing would not really be optimal for either.
Ok, to clarify... she isn't cleaning it for me; I'm saying it's an excuse for me to NOT clean it, and just leave it as my natural inclinations dictate. And it's a good response to "oh your place is a mess every time I come visit you!"
I personally don't care if (clean) dishes and pans are sitting on the counter to dry, or that I never put all my clothes away since I travel at least every other weekend and move (to another apartment) every 3-4 months. Or that random papers accumulate on just about every horizontal surface. I don't care that my laundry is a pile spilling out of the closet instead of spilling out of a hamper. I don't wash my towels every other day; I just use them till they start to smell. This bothers her for some reason (yet she's guilty of doing the exact same stuff, plus having a cat that throws litter everywhere). But that's different, apparently.
A good reason to give my fiancee for NOT cleaning my house every weekend... I'll tell her it's good for you!
I'm ashamed that my school is developing this... but I'm also wondering, does it work by looking around, finding a camera, and beaming a light into it? Sorta like the laser-based DIRCM being developed for aircraft?
Yeah, I didn't quite think that one through... I was just trying to think of an easy-to-create universal format that wouldn't require a special/proprietary converter. And my objection to the player was that I would probably never use an mp3 player function.
My take on this:
.wav ringtones via said cable (or just put Ramblin Wreck on there)
Phone
Phone book/contact list/whatever you call it (place to store numbers)
Speed dial
Alarm
Calendar/memo list
Calculator applet
Basic text messaging
Good battery life
Screen on outside to display time/caller ID
Flip phone (don't like bricks)
Nice-to-have options:
Free/cheap data cable/software
Headset jack
Customizable buttons
Ability to upload
I don't need:
Games
Camera
MP3
AIM
Voice memos
Internet browsing
Special provider content app
No good default ringer (please, just have a standard phone ring!)
It would be useful for the times when one of my friends gets a call from a number, but doesn't recognize it, and asks me if it's anyone I know. I might have them in my phonebook...