The Gundam series are wonderful! While you can only find Fan subtitled copies right now, I really reccomend Z Gundam. Nice, angsty war story, and the Good Guys pay a really high price for victory. Rurouni Kenshin, Vampire Hunter D, and Galaxy Express 999 are also excellent choices.
What's with the "dubious" and "Not sure if Carmack should do this" crap in the article?? If the situations were reversed, and a corporation had ripped off some poor coder's GPL, you'd be howling for blood. Actually, it looks like most of the reader comments are howling for blood, but, still! Carmack seems to be doing the right thing here, and that's not the impression you might get from reading just the blurb.
Ok, this is neat, but...
on
Quake Wedding
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· Score: 1
Why do we have an article about this and nothing about the NEAR Rendevouz? Sorry to be whining.
While I won't waste bandwith agreeing about Russia, I do take issue with some of your other comments:
The benefits of the space station are minimal compared to the cost to build it.
No offense, Joseph, but this is the same arguement that's been raised since Apollo 11 got home. The basic fact is that we don't have the slightest inkling what could come out of the ISS, especially with the interest in using it as a R&D platform. If the earth-bound Apollo program gave us microcircuitry, tennis shoes, and several insights in both astronomy and medicine, such as reliable CAT scans and better treatments for stroke victims, what might a space-based program develop that we never expected? With the increased freedom of 0g, and the large amount of postulated technology that needs only the correct research environment, especially with building materiels and pharmecuticals, the ISS could bring home a hell of a lot more bacon than a few shots of the martian plateaus.
Now, I am not knocking the Mars programs, and dearly wish to see a man walk upon Mars in my lifetime, but realistically, we need stepping stones, and the ISS is one big step. On the issue of the Mars or other intersystem probes, wouldn't it be nice to have a place to launch them from that didn't involve extrememly tempramental rockets? (If memory serves, 5 payloads were lost last year when Titan III boosters exploded? And I think 2 of those were commercial?)
Could NASA put another man on the Moon?
Probably. But if we want regular missions and expansion, once again the ISS or something similar would be a good waystation/resupply point. Especially with the growth of several movements who want to see a permanent presence on the moon in the next 15-20 years. (That's something that seems to wax and wane every few years, hopefully it will stay high this time.)
Finally, yes, NASA has been harping about Martian life, but the fact that they've been getting more interest from the public lately, even with their screw-ups, is a good thing. When was the last time you saw Newsweek do a NASA cover piece before their spread on the Mars Lander the week we lost contact? Personally, aside from a MIR issue, I can't remember one since Challenger. The fact is, NASA needs more public support if it's going to have a prayer of getting more funding, and if mentioning the possibilty of 100,000,000 year old fungi on Mars and Pyramids at Cydonia Planitia is what gets them that funding, then that's what they have to do to accomplish all these wonderful dreams we have for them.
Mrs. Bradley was not only one of the most compelling scifi/fantasy authors in recent years, she was also an inspiration and guide to young authors throughout the world through her dedication to publishing those who were willing to send her their work. I did have 2 works published in her magazine, and was given advice from her in a letter advising me on how to improve my writing. She is a blessed spirit, and wherever she is now, they better treat the lady right. I'd ask anyone who was influenced by her in any way to please send condolences to her family. The world has lost a good person, and her absence will be noted.
Oh, I don't know. With the continued proliferation, and perhaps more support from artists, we might be able to drive the record companies out of the issue entirely. After all, what stops the star from incorporating him or herself, and using that corporation to distribute his or her music online? Plus, I think many artists are becoming more infatuated with the idea of distributing their music on-line, even if its only a teaser or two from the album, just for the higher exposure. Give it some time...change is coming.
Actually, the Moon and Mars could be substantial sources of income for the companies that have the vision to take action. We already know that the moon has large amounts of minerals in the lunar regolith that could be processed into various usable forms, also, there is of course the possibiltiy of potable water to be exploited. (I reccomend Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" or Allen Steele's "Orbital Decay" and "Lunar Descent" as examples of state or corporate exploitation of the Lunar resources. As to the issue of Mars, we once again have the water issue. (If you don't think water will be important in the coming century, look at how much sh*t we're dumping into the oceans, lakes, and streams daily. Then think about how long it will take before even industrial filter systems begin to fail.) We also have the fact that both the Moon and Mars could serve as excellent "jump-off" points for further in-system exploration, asteroid mining, or even space construction. Plus, we have the potential of opening Lunar, Martian, or L5 habitats, for long or short term habitation. (Short Term=hotel style. And if you don't think people will pay...) Plus, there have been several theories on the production of better and cheaper Pharmaceuticals, Electronic Components, and even steel in Low to Null gravity. There's money to be made for those who wish to take the risk.
Slashdot Mirror
The Gundam series are wonderful! While you can only find Fan subtitled copies right now, I really reccomend Z Gundam. Nice, angsty war story, and the Good Guys pay a really high price for victory. Rurouni Kenshin, Vampire Hunter D, and Galaxy Express 999 are also excellent choices.
23?
What's with the "dubious" and "Not sure if Carmack should do this" crap in the article?? If the situations were reversed, and a corporation had ripped off some poor coder's GPL, you'd be howling for blood. Actually, it looks like most of the reader comments are howling for blood, but, still! Carmack seems to be doing the right thing here, and that's not the impression you might get from reading just the blurb.
Why do we have an article about this and nothing about the NEAR Rendevouz? Sorry to be whining.
The benefits of the space station are minimal compared to the cost to build it.
No offense, Joseph, but this is the same arguement that's been raised since Apollo 11 got home. The basic fact is that we don't have the slightest inkling what could come out of the ISS, especially with the interest in using it as a R&D platform. If the earth-bound Apollo program gave us microcircuitry, tennis shoes, and several insights in both astronomy and medicine, such as reliable CAT scans and better treatments for stroke victims, what might a space-based program develop that we never expected? With the increased freedom of 0g, and the large amount of postulated technology that needs only the correct research environment, especially with building materiels and pharmecuticals, the ISS could bring home a hell of a lot more bacon than a few shots of the martian plateaus.
Now, I am not knocking the Mars programs, and dearly wish to see a man walk upon Mars in my lifetime, but realistically, we need stepping stones, and the ISS is one big step. On the issue of the Mars or other intersystem probes, wouldn't it be nice to have a place to launch them from that didn't involve extrememly tempramental rockets? (If memory serves, 5 payloads were lost last year when Titan III boosters exploded? And I think 2 of those were commercial?)
Could NASA put another man on the Moon?
Probably. But if we want regular missions and expansion, once again the ISS or something similar would be a good waystation/resupply point. Especially with the growth of several movements who want to see a permanent presence on the moon in the next 15-20 years. (That's something that seems to wax and wane every few years, hopefully it will stay high this time.)
Finally, yes, NASA has been harping about Martian life, but the fact that they've been getting more interest from the public lately, even with their screw-ups, is a good thing. When was the last time you saw Newsweek do a NASA cover piece before their spread on the Mars Lander the week we lost contact? Personally, aside from a MIR issue, I can't remember one since Challenger. The fact is, NASA needs more public support if it's going to have a prayer of getting more funding, and if mentioning the possibilty of 100,000,000 year old fungi on Mars and Pyramids at Cydonia Planitia is what gets them that funding, then that's what they have to do to accomplish all these wonderful dreams we have for them.
Mrs. Bradley was not only one of the most compelling scifi/fantasy authors in recent years, she was also an inspiration and guide to young authors throughout the world through her dedication to publishing those who were willing to send her their work. I did have 2 works published in her magazine, and was given advice from her in a letter advising me on how to improve my writing. She is a blessed spirit, and wherever she is now, they better treat the lady right. I'd ask anyone who was influenced by her in any way to please send condolences to her family. The world has lost a good person, and her absence will be noted.
Oh, I don't know. With the continued proliferation, and perhaps more support from artists, we might be able to drive the record companies out of the issue entirely. After all, what stops the star from incorporating him or herself, and using that corporation to distribute his or her music online? Plus, I think many artists are becoming more infatuated with the idea of distributing their music on-line, even if its only a teaser or two from the album, just for the higher exposure. Give it some time...change is coming.
Actually, the Moon and Mars could be substantial sources of income for the companies that have the vision to take action. We already know that the moon has large amounts of minerals in the lunar regolith that could be processed into various usable forms, also, there is of course the possibiltiy of potable water to be exploited. (I reccomend Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" or Allen Steele's "Orbital Decay" and "Lunar Descent" as examples of state or corporate exploitation of the Lunar resources. As to the issue of Mars, we once again have the water issue. (If you don't think water will be important in the coming century, look at how much sh*t we're dumping into the oceans, lakes, and streams daily. Then think about how long it will take before even industrial filter systems begin to fail.) We also have the fact that both the Moon and Mars could serve as excellent "jump-off" points for further in-system exploration, asteroid mining, or even space construction. Plus, we have the potential of opening Lunar, Martian, or L5 habitats, for long or short term habitation. (Short Term=hotel style. And if you don't think people will pay...) Plus, there have been several theories on the production of better and cheaper Pharmaceuticals, Electronic Components, and even steel in Low to Null gravity. There's money to be made for those who wish to take the risk.