I'm a long-time Microslave. Whenever I install a distro of BSD or *NIX I quickly encounter problems I never see with Win2k and any solutions are apparently above my patience... so back to Win2k I go. I had hopes Ubuntu would finally give me what I and my wife need to make Linux a new home, but it hasn't happened yet and that's just damn sad.
It'll be for more than weather monitoring. With a station on the moon you can use HAARP technology, spy cameras, test new manufacturing processes, research probable mining locations, test habitations, refueling depots, 'defensive' installations, and on and on and on. Despite being very expensive, with all of that such a station would be highly profitable.
In China where the population is so great it threatens to flip Asia over, dumping it's contents into the Pacific, a rumor (based on solid evidence or not) can get a person killed. Now, barring that assumption, there's also the assumption that rumors make it difficult to keep things in an orderly state and with so many people, as we've seen, if an orderly state isn't kept people riot and eventually kill each other.. which does tend to bolster the previous assumption. On an individual level where stupid emotions are one's personal emperor this amounts to outright oppression... on the other hand, on the macrocosmic scale this is an effort to keep the stupid monkeys from screwing everyone else over.
Granted the powerful will use this to shield themselves from harassment and having to own-up for wrongdoings, but it will also shield many others from having to own-up for things they haven't done. One would hope...
Radio stations have been using car wax to fix their CDs since the late 80s. It works for DVDs just the same. However, since a skipped bit of software data is a lot less forgiving than a skipped bit of analog sound, a data CD may not fair so well with any of these solutions.
For five years I ran several tower units. If it weren't for the ability to upgrade and replace separate parts they would have been far too expensive for me. Now that I've switched to laptops I'm seeing the same problem. If I have to replace these things I'll have a financial wall to climb over that I'd rather not have to climb. It sure would be nice to be able to easily replace the components in these things. It would certainly be cheaper... and it would be very nice to have a modular laptop case that accepts many different brands of parts: motherboards, CPUs, memory, etc.
I've run Microsoft OSes from DOS 3x up to Win2k and the one thing I've gotten used to is screwing everything up and having to reload the system from scratch. It's just something I have to do. I can load in Win2k and several CDs full of crap in about 4 hours --that includes setting up Apache/PHP/MySQL, setting up my start menu folders, and thinking vaguely about getting a shower after I'm done. But this happens about once every two months and not because someone from outside comprimised my system, but because I flipped the wrong switch.
Why all this trouble? Because I can't stand not having 24/7 administrative access. I have to be able to jigger with things I shouldn't be jiggering with and I have to have that 'in control' feeling. Security isn't the issue --but it might be... you see, through all that trouble I've had to learn to be more careful. You don't get that when you can stumble all over the place and have the system lock you out of anything that'll get you and it into trouble. But you've gotta have some serious patience to pull that off, so it's not for most people. The last thing the average user wants is to take the resposibility for dropping an OS and losing a day or more of someone else's work. For some reason I can pull that off, but I imagine that those of the non-insane world would rather avoid the trouble.
The original movie wasn't unique for the time, but was still an excellent creation with a finite storyline. Creating a sequel to Dark Crystal is like creating a sequel to Highlander and Never Ending Story. The only points for doing so are: "Hey, I've got this cool (crappy) script and the connections to make it happen!", and "Hey, let's make some more money off this thing!" It won't have the same spirit which only comes from something that's new. This sequel won't have the spark of beginner's luck to it that made the first one so special. Leave it be, remaster the original, repackage it with two or more DVDs full of extra material, and I'll be more than happy to line your pockets --but please keep the innovative new (crappy half-baked) script in the dust bin where it belongs.
Okay, lemmie get this straight. This stuff stays there all the time, is activated by UV --blacklights, possibly, which are common in nightclubs/discotheques, and is highly oxidizing. So, are we also to assume there won't be any trouble with... oh say, lawsuits when people accidently back into a wall or pass out on the floor only to find they're clothes have been bleached? How about hair?
That doesn't rule out the 1% of very good fingerprint forgeries and copies which any competent spy would make use of, and that's the primary reason to use these cards. There are better ways to foil a spy is what I'm saying. Try a retina scan. It's a lot harder to copy one. Or a brain scan; that is, using an MRI scan of a person's brain structure. Try copying that. And then all three of these methods could be doubled-up by also scanning to see if whatever is being used as the object for scanning is actually alive (severed hand for fingerprints, plucked eyeball, severed head... if it works in a movie, there's a chance it'll work for real)....uh... did I mention I watch too much sci-fi? Blow me.
But... fingerprints can be stolen. How does storing someone's fingerprint on these cards make them better than any other form of ID? If the image of your fingerprints is on the card, then anyone who has stolen your card can make fake fingerprints... and likely a fake card with thier photo on it and with your fingerprint data. I mean, if they stored your retina patterns and maybe even a snapshot of your brain structure, then I could believe these cards are worth the trouble, but something tells me these new cards are nothing more than a way for whomever is making them to get some government cash by way of a false sense of security. What a joke.
Exactly what can be expected in regard to online use just after the Superbowl? Will there be more or fewer people online during that time?
I expect there'll be more. People will want to celebrate and complain about whomever won or lost. If we were under a cyberattack, then certainly that would be the best time to do these tests.
In the US the police vehicles are often equipped with cameras and on one occasion several years ago (when I had been naughty) I notice the officer was recording our conversation via a belt-mounted transiever of some sort. It was probably just his CB, but when I didn't lie to him like he wanted me to he turned it off. Police helicopters in the US definitely have cameras. With these devices there's normally plenty of evidence in favor of the officer and if the officer needs backup he can easily get it.
On the psychological aspect, one officer is less threatening to a suspect than two or more. That can easily calm a suspect down, giving that person a sense of control. When things are threatening to the suspect, the suspect is more likely to do something drastic. A police officer can be much more effient this way, often relieving an otherwise tense situation. This is especially helpful in resolving domestic disputes.
The article doesn't say anything about that. However, I would advise against having a partner in the vehicle. You see, the reason the police in the US stopped using partners like that is because having two people in a hightened state (the adrenalin rush) causes them to experience a sort of tunnel vision. They become less inclined to keep sharp on the situation and instead fall prey to group hysteria. The obvious solution was to keep other officers out of a squad car so that officer can concetrate and keep things 'icy'. If you've ever watch the television show 'COPS', notice how the officers are reacting after a big chase. They're hyper and need time to calm down. Imagine how much more difficult it would be in a patrol car when two people are like that. Driving the vehicle as safely as possible under those circumstances would be greatly reduced.
That's not saying police officers aren't trained to handle that kind of excitement. They certainly are, but removing an extra source of distraction keeps officers in a vehicle from losing control over themselves and ultimately the situation.
That's not a bad idea at all. A hand-held launcher has one huge flaw: while you are chasing a suspect's car you are also likely speeding through the streets with the other vehicle, attempting to avoid obstacles and pedestrians, talking to other officers, trying to keep up with where you are so you know what to tell the other officers, and bouncing around inside your car. Now try tagging someone with one of these trackers at the same time. Not only would you be unlikely to make the shot, but you'll also be putting your life and quite possibly other people's lives in further danger.
With this device another officer at dispatch could remotely aim and fire the vehicle-mounted device. However, using pre-installed GPS devices are far less costly to the police force and probably a bit more reliable, but this tracking ball is a great back-up in case someone didn't comply and someone else stole that particular vehicle.
Then again... there are such things as helicopters.;)
This reminds me of a page I started at Ward's Wiki:
Computer ProgrammingLanguages are only a subset of the different languages found on Earth. All languages from the most simplistic odors and back-archings to the most complicated multi-lingual pattern labyrinths are used to convey information and direct the actions of others. In order to be effective at communicating and directing actions in a complex world, many different languages must be employed. As soon as one's baby brain realizes how to use sounds and body language to get someone to do something, one becomes a programmer. While a child is a considerable novice to programming, an effective politician or entertainer is a master programmer. It's as simple as getting food and as complex as controlling the populations of several countries.
Rogue planets. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a solar primary to form a smaller body. And there are such things as 'supernovas', which produce shockwaves that would alter the courses of any nearby bodies.
Another possibility is there really is such a thing as a gravitational wave. I suppose a strong enough wave could cause bodies located in the oort cloud to fall inward. Or perhaps a primary's gravity can fluctuate causing the same effect.
Really, hinging the entire Nemesis hypothesis on an unproven dwarf companion is silly. It's great for ratings, but it's also bad science.
Slashdot Mirror
Finally, someone who doesn't like realtors as much as I do! And those damn car salesmen... oh, they make me so mad!
I'm a long-time Microslave. Whenever I install a distro of BSD or *NIX I quickly encounter problems I never see with Win2k and any solutions are apparently above my patience... so back to Win2k I go. I had hopes Ubuntu would finally give me what I and my wife need to make Linux a new home, but it hasn't happened yet and that's just damn sad.
It'll be for more than weather monitoring. With a station on the moon you can use HAARP technology, spy cameras, test new manufacturing processes, research probable mining locations, test habitations, refueling depots, 'defensive' installations, and on and on and on. Despite being very expensive, with all of that such a station would be highly profitable.
In China where the population is so great it threatens to flip Asia over, dumping it's contents into the Pacific, a rumor (based on solid evidence or not) can get a person killed. Now, barring that assumption, there's also the assumption that rumors make it difficult to keep things in an orderly state and with so many people, as we've seen, if an orderly state isn't kept people riot and eventually kill each other.. which does tend to bolster the previous assumption. On an individual level where stupid emotions are one's personal emperor this amounts to outright oppression... on the other hand, on the macrocosmic scale this is an effort to keep the stupid monkeys from screwing everyone else over.
Granted the powerful will use this to shield themselves from harassment and having to own-up for wrongdoings, but it will also shield many others from having to own-up for things they haven't done. One would hope...
Radio stations have been using car wax to fix their CDs since the late 80s. It works for DVDs just the same. However, since a skipped bit of software data is a lot less forgiving than a skipped bit of analog sound, a data CD may not fair so well with any of these solutions.
For five years I ran several tower units. If it weren't for the ability to upgrade and replace separate parts they would have been far too expensive for me. Now that I've switched to laptops I'm seeing the same problem. If I have to replace these things I'll have a financial wall to climb over that I'd rather not have to climb. It sure would be nice to be able to easily replace the components in these things. It would certainly be cheaper... and it would be very nice to have a modular laptop case that accepts many different brands of parts: motherboards, CPUs, memory, etc.
I've run Microsoft OSes from DOS 3x up to Win2k and the one thing I've gotten used to is screwing everything up and having to reload the system from scratch. It's just something I have to do. I can load in Win2k and several CDs full of crap in about 4 hours --that includes setting up Apache/PHP/MySQL, setting up my start menu folders, and thinking vaguely about getting a shower after I'm done. But this happens about once every two months and not because someone from outside comprimised my system, but because I flipped the wrong switch. Why all this trouble? Because I can't stand not having 24/7 administrative access. I have to be able to jigger with things I shouldn't be jiggering with and I have to have that 'in control' feeling. Security isn't the issue --but it might be... you see, through all that trouble I've had to learn to be more careful. You don't get that when you can stumble all over the place and have the system lock you out of anything that'll get you and it into trouble. But you've gotta have some serious patience to pull that off, so it's not for most people. The last thing the average user wants is to take the resposibility for dropping an OS and losing a day or more of someone else's work. For some reason I can pull that off, but I imagine that those of the non-insane world would rather avoid the trouble.
The original movie wasn't unique for the time, but was still an excellent creation with a finite storyline. Creating a sequel to Dark Crystal is like creating a sequel to Highlander and Never Ending Story. The only points for doing so are: "Hey, I've got this cool (crappy) script and the connections to make it happen!", and "Hey, let's make some more money off this thing!" It won't have the same spirit which only comes from something that's new. This sequel won't have the spark of beginner's luck to it that made the first one so special. Leave it be, remaster the original, repackage it with two or more DVDs full of extra material, and I'll be more than happy to line your pockets --but please keep the innovative new (crappy half-baked) script in the dust bin where it belongs.
Okay, lemmie get this straight. This stuff stays there all the time, is activated by UV --blacklights, possibly, which are common in nightclubs/discotheques, and is highly oxidizing. So, are we also to assume there won't be any trouble with... oh say, lawsuits when people accidently back into a wall or pass out on the floor only to find they're clothes have been bleached? How about hair?
That doesn't rule out the 1% of very good fingerprint forgeries and copies which any competent spy would make use of, and that's the primary reason to use these cards. There are better ways to foil a spy is what I'm saying. Try a retina scan. It's a lot harder to copy one. Or a brain scan; that is, using an MRI scan of a person's brain structure. Try copying that. And then all three of these methods could be doubled-up by also scanning to see if whatever is being used as the object for scanning is actually alive (severed hand for fingerprints, plucked eyeball, severed head... if it works in a movie, there's a chance it'll work for real). ...uh... did I mention I watch too much sci-fi? Blow me.
But... fingerprints can be stolen. How does storing someone's fingerprint on these cards make them better than any other form of ID? If the image of your fingerprints is on the card, then anyone who has stolen your card can make fake fingerprints... and likely a fake card with thier photo on it and with your fingerprint data. I mean, if they stored your retina patterns and maybe even a snapshot of your brain structure, then I could believe these cards are worth the trouble, but something tells me these new cards are nothing more than a way for whomever is making them to get some government cash by way of a false sense of security. What a joke.
Exactly what can be expected in regard to online use just after the Superbowl? Will there be more or fewer people online during that time? I expect there'll be more. People will want to celebrate and complain about whomever won or lost. If we were under a cyberattack, then certainly that would be the best time to do these tests.
In the US the police vehicles are often equipped with cameras and on one occasion several years ago (when I had been naughty) I notice the officer was recording our conversation via a belt-mounted transiever of some sort. It was probably just his CB, but when I didn't lie to him like he wanted me to he turned it off. Police helicopters in the US definitely have cameras. With these devices there's normally plenty of evidence in favor of the officer and if the officer needs backup he can easily get it.
On the psychological aspect, one officer is less threatening to a suspect than two or more. That can easily calm a suspect down, giving that person a sense of control. When things are threatening to the suspect, the suspect is more likely to do something drastic. A police officer can be much more effient this way, often relieving an otherwise tense situation. This is especially helpful in resolving domestic disputes.
The article doesn't say anything about that. However, I would advise against having a partner in the vehicle. You see, the reason the police in the US stopped using partners like that is because having two people in a hightened state (the adrenalin rush) causes them to experience a sort of tunnel vision. They become less inclined to keep sharp on the situation and instead fall prey to group hysteria. The obvious solution was to keep other officers out of a squad car so that officer can concetrate and keep things 'icy'. If you've ever watch the television show 'COPS', notice how the officers are reacting after a big chase. They're hyper and need time to calm down. Imagine how much more difficult it would be in a patrol car when two people are like that. Driving the vehicle as safely as possible under those circumstances would be greatly reduced.
That's not saying police officers aren't trained to handle that kind of excitement. They certainly are, but removing an extra source of distraction keeps officers in a vehicle from losing control over themselves and ultimately the situation.
That's not a bad idea at all. A hand-held launcher has one huge flaw: while you are chasing a suspect's car you are also likely speeding through the streets with the other vehicle, attempting to avoid obstacles and pedestrians, talking to other officers, trying to keep up with where you are so you know what to tell the other officers, and bouncing around inside your car. Now try tagging someone with one of these trackers at the same time. Not only would you be unlikely to make the shot, but you'll also be putting your life and quite possibly other people's lives in further danger.
;)
With this device another officer at dispatch could remotely aim and fire the vehicle-mounted device. However, using pre-installed GPS devices are far less costly to the police force and probably a bit more reliable, but this tracking ball is a great back-up in case someone didn't comply and someone else stole that particular vehicle.
Then again... there are such things as helicopters.
This reminds me of a page I started at Ward's Wiki:
r amming
Computer ProgrammingLanguages are only a subset of the different languages found on Earth. All languages from the most simplistic odors and back-archings to the most complicated multi-lingual pattern labyrinths are used to convey information and direct the actions of others. In order to be effective at communicating and directing actions in a complex world, many different languages must be employed. As soon as one's baby brain realizes how to use sounds and body language to get someone to do something, one becomes a programmer. While a child is a considerable novice to programming, an effective politician or entertainer is a master programmer. It's as simple as getting food and as complex as controlling the populations of several countries.
http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki/wiki?AllLanguageIsProg
Rogue planets. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a solar primary to form a smaller body. And there are such things as 'supernovas', which produce shockwaves that would alter the courses of any nearby bodies. Another possibility is there really is such a thing as a gravitational wave. I suppose a strong enough wave could cause bodies located in the oort cloud to fall inward. Or perhaps a primary's gravity can fluctuate causing the same effect. Really, hinging the entire Nemesis hypothesis on an unproven dwarf companion is silly. It's great for ratings, but it's also bad science.