Many times my crackpot friends and I will end up on 3-hour conference call marathons and start hashing out various schemes and ideas (nothing dangerous or illegal, I assure you). Oftentimes the flow of our conversation is shattered by a Google query or Wikipedia search; a quick pause to determine a specific point, settle a debate, what have you. This will almost spark further discussion (read: tangents), and the hours just start to fly by.
IMO, it would be awesome if we could simply conference in a PhoneBot. Using voice recognition, and the Internet, this sort of device could save me thousands of hours a year.
Example:
Me: but ethanol is only 5% cheaper than gasoline right now, factor in mileage of E85 and the consumer is losing money...
Crackpot friend: maybe so, but gas is only going to get more expensive. PhoneBot, tell me the futures market price on crude oil for July 2008
PhoneBot: $XX.XX per barrel
CF: see? So by the time the first stations are built, it'll be a whole new ballgame.
Me: Touche. We should start looking at prices. PhoneBot, what is the number of Local Realty Company X?
In real life, the above conversation took over 3 weeks of heated debate. Granted, this is largely because Internet search technology is still in its infancy, and so, direct answers take a bit of legwork. However, I can certainly picture a day when the scenerio I've described above is not only feasible, but a staple of American business.
I love Google Spreadsheet...except one little thing.
In Excel, I can "drag" a formula across multiple cells with my mouse. I can't seem to figure out how to do that in Google Spreadsheets. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyone know how to do it?
I didn't vote in '04, and not because I was busy with an iPod.
And no, I didn't boycott the election because Kerry and Bush were both Skull and Bones members, thus proving the Illumanti conspiracy true once and for all (although I did find it odd).
I didn't vote because I felt both men were bad for America.
This isn't Pepsi v. Coke, Microsoft v. Apple; this is the future of the free world at stake! I don't buy the "lesser of two evils" argument for one second.
Re:Some thoughts about myspace bashing on slashdot
on
The MySpace Ecosystem
·
· Score: 1
Wow, your MySpace page has almost single-handedly destroyed my every prejudice about the MySpace generation.
I can read your page
You use horn in your music (awesome)
You name songs after Bradbury novels (also awesome)
So, er, forget about this MySpace bashing... but ya know what I really hate? M$, the NSA, gay penguins...
(/. without the bitching is like MySpace without black backgrounds and pink text...)
I'd like to think I'm "too smart for ads", but in truth, I'm not.
True story: I had a psychology teacher who challenged me to compare my consumer habits to those of my siblings, even though we all live in different states these days. The results were very werid. My brother, sister and I all used the same brand of toothpaste, and preferred the same brand of soda, but were completely unique in fashion, electronics, etc, purchases. My prof.'s theory was that, as children, we all shared these basic consumer goods, and so, we all associated them with positive feelings. This intrigued me, so I checked and sure enough, both of my granparents (both sides!) enjoyed many of these same staples.
Apparently, I've been enslaved to Pepsi, Colgate and Chef-Boy-R-Dee for generations now. Ok, ok, I admit it! Take my money! Take every last cent I have if you must, but please, please can I have some new Futurama?
And suddenly, the $30 cost for a DVD set doesn't seem so expensive to me.
I have held a grudge against the Nielson ratings for quite some time. Why? Because every time I find a show I like, it gets cancelled a few weeks later. I'm not sure if I have bad taste, unique taste, or if the sample space of Nielson is composed mainly of dangerously stupid shaved apes. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I tend to assume the latter.
I think this a wonderful turn of events. If they are smart, the other networks will be paying very close attention to this. I know this sounds radical, but why not ask the people who watch your show directly? If I ran a network, I would make sure to post an episode of every "failing" show on YouTube, Google Video, et all a.s.a.p. Not only would this put me in direct contact with my audiance, it might also help boost ratings for a still unknown show.
Mac sales were up 12 percent compared with last year, during what was considered a poor quarter for the PC market. Apple said 75 percent of all Macs sold during the period used Intel's chips.
Yes, I am using my new MacTel to type this, but I fear you have taken this statistic out of context. Apple, *NIX, et all still have a LOT of catching up to do.
Place your pinky to the corner of your mouth and repeat after me: sixty billion dollars!- this is the amount of cash Ballmer is sitting on right now. The U.S. Government would be hard pressed to win a bidding war against this company.
I have to agree that *100% CSS* layouts are still a total pain in the @$$, but I still find CSS extremely useful when partnered with tables and other forbidden staples of HTML. Although I can annoy myself endlessly by comparing a website I've done in IE6 (doesn't look right) to FF or Opera (ahhhh), I find that 99.9999% of these "errors" are very minor, and beyond the notice of most users.
...when using tables. Go all-div and it's a total mess.
CSS doesn't have problems...
on
Dvorak Rants on CSS
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
IE6 has problems. In all fairness, CSS was here first.
Corn produces about 350 gallons ethanol per acre. Sugar cane produces about 650 gallons per acre. Better still, down in Florida growers can get 2-4 seasons of sugar crane crop PER YEAR. As a result of this natural advantage, I have total faith that the state of Florida can produce 8 times as much fuel than a comparable chunk of the midwest (in terms of acres farmed).
There are two things keeping ethanol pricey: 1) ethanol is competing with other sugar products to purchase this raw crop; demand +, price +. 2) Florida lacks the ethanol manufacturing capacity required to turn this sugar cane into ethanol; the same thing happened after Katria when our refineries were taken off line and gasoline prices surged.
As I already explained, the capacity issue is due to turn around in Florida come 2008. As for the highly competitive nature of sugar cane, this is good news for farmers, but it makes ethanol nervous. This is why many great minds are currently hard at work genetically engineering crops that will produce more ethanol without competing with other crops designed for human consumption. For example: DuPont and BP are both working together on BioButanol as we speak.
Imagine a PC from 1985 being used to run a 1995 version of Photoshop. Absurd, of course. This is how we will view current American biodiesel production a decade from now: immature, but with great untapped potential.
At this point can we just admit we are all screwed?!
What a cowardly thing to say. I for one am not about to give up.
Ethanol - Not going to happen. Best case EROEI of just 34% compared to 3000% for light sweet crude???!! Ethanol is not going to happen
Wrong. In fact, I am currently trying to open a E85 station in Florida to coincide with the multiple new ethanol producers scheduled to open up shop in 2008. Yes, ethanol does not offer a cheaper price than gasoline in all areas right now, but if you live in WI or MN you could be using E85 and saving 10-25% of your car's fuel costs right now.
Florida is one of the USA's major sources of sugar cane, a crop that can produce nearly TWICE as much ethanol per acre than corn, which is currently our main source. In fact, most economists attribute the recent surge in ethanol prices to a jump in demand. Once our capacity has caught up with current demand, the price of ethanol will drop again. Mark my words: within the next 5 years American biofuels will be significantly cheaper than foreign petrol, and once this paradigm has shifted, the mass exodus to E85 is only a matter of time. Add hybrid technology to an E85 vehicle, and suddenly you can double the output of ethanol, and reduce petrol use even further.
It is not *we* who are screwed, it is *you* who is screwed. You have allowed frusteration to lapse into cynicism. The change *is* coming, believe me. These things always take longer than we would like them to, but the economic reality is obvious to all: oil's days are numbered.
I am no fan of SUV's myself, but credit where credit is due: many GM and Ford SUVs and trucks offer flex fuel (E85 compatibility). If you need a bigger vehicle, and are located near the "corn belt" I suggest you take a look.
Perhaps the whole "free" thing confused them? I like Skype as much as anybody, but *I've* never seen the source. Have you? Has anyone? (The OSX ver is a tad buggy).
It's only noon-ish, and already I've spotted quite a few lies today. One was in a blog article I just read. Another in the paper. Yet another on "Meet the Press" on the TV. All of these sources promise me credible information, yet none claim to be a "pedia".
One source makes a rumor, two sources make a theory. Fact, on the other hand, is more often than not a matter of perspective.
I forgot the most important thing: never be afraid to pick up the phone and propose a business deal. The worst thing they can do to you is say "no" and wonder out loud if you are crazy. So what?
Note: the above is doubly true when it come to asking women for dates.
Slashdot Mirror
For your consideration:
Please note: 10 years ago, *I* would have modded this suggestion "-5, What are you smoking?"
Just tried it and it worked.
Thank you kindly! That has been driving me crazy for weeks.
Some people consider WordPress "blogware" and not a CMS. To them I say: to-may-to, to-mah-to.
Considering the plethera of OS plugins available, I'd be hard pressed to think of something that *can't* be done using WordPress.
Many times my crackpot friends and I will end up on 3-hour conference call marathons and start hashing out various schemes and ideas (nothing dangerous or illegal, I assure you). Oftentimes the flow of our conversation is shattered by a Google query or Wikipedia search; a quick pause to determine a specific point, settle a debate, what have you. This will almost spark further discussion (read: tangents), and the hours just start to fly by.
IMO, it would be awesome if we could simply conference in a PhoneBot. Using voice recognition, and the Internet, this sort of device could save me thousands of hours a year.
Example:
Me: but ethanol is only 5% cheaper than gasoline right now, factor in mileage of E85 and the consumer is losing money...
Crackpot friend: maybe so, but gas is only going to get more expensive. PhoneBot, tell me the futures market price on crude oil for July 2008
PhoneBot: $XX.XX per barrel
CF: see? So by the time the first stations are built, it'll be a whole new ballgame.
Me: Touche. We should start looking at prices. PhoneBot, what is the number of Local Realty Company X?
In real life, the above conversation took over 3 weeks of heated debate. Granted, this is largely because Internet search technology is still in its infancy, and so, direct answers take a bit of legwork. However, I can certainly picture a day when the scenerio I've described above is not only feasible, but a staple of American business.
I love Google Spreadsheet...except one little thing.
In Excel, I can "drag" a formula across multiple cells with my mouse. I can't seem to figure out how to do that in Google Spreadsheets. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyone know how to do it?
Sure, some like-minded neighbors might make things more "friendly", but that's not a "deal breaker" IMO.
First they came for the Linux users, but I didn't care because I didn't use Linux.
Then they came for the OSX users, but I didn't care because I didn't use OSX.
Then they came for the Windows users, but by then it was too late; they were all far too stupid to help me...
Just kidding! I'm sure the FBI will offer a fair and speedy trial. After all, it's a 6th-Amendment right guaranteed to all Americans.
Well, almost all Americans...
From Teddy Rosevelt from Ross Perot the 3rd parties have helped define America in times of great need.
Sadly, I wasn't keen on any of the 3rd parties in '04 either.
Is Thomas Jefferson available for '08? He'd get my vote.
I didn't vote in '04, and not because I was busy with an iPod.
And no, I didn't boycott the election because Kerry and Bush were both Skull and Bones members, thus proving the Illumanti conspiracy true once and for all (although I did find it odd).
I didn't vote because I felt both men were bad for America.
This isn't Pepsi v. Coke, Microsoft v. Apple; this is the future of the free world at stake! I don't buy the "lesser of two evils" argument for one second.
So, er, forget about this MySpace bashing... but ya know what I really hate? M$, the NSA, gay penguins...
(/. without the bitching is like MySpace without black backgrounds and pink text...)
Parent is correct; News Corp bought MySpace, Turner is the genius behind adult swim.
I'd like to think I'm "too smart for ads", but in truth, I'm not.
True story: I had a psychology teacher who challenged me to compare my consumer habits to those of my siblings, even though we all live in different states these days. The results were very werid. My brother, sister and I all used the same brand of toothpaste, and preferred the same brand of soda, but were completely unique in fashion, electronics, etc, purchases. My prof.'s theory was that, as children, we all shared these basic consumer goods, and so, we all associated them with positive feelings. This intrigued me, so I checked and sure enough, both of my granparents (both sides!) enjoyed many of these same staples.
Apparently, I've been enslaved to Pepsi, Colgate and Chef-Boy-R-Dee for generations now. Ok, ok, I admit it! Take my money! Take every last cent I have if you must, but please, please can I have some new Futurama?
And suddenly, the $30 cost for a DVD set doesn't seem so expensive to me.
I have held a grudge against the Nielson ratings for quite some time. Why? Because every time I find a show I like, it gets cancelled a few weeks later. I'm not sure if I have bad taste, unique taste, or if the sample space of Nielson is composed mainly of dangerously stupid shaved apes. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I tend to assume the latter.
I think this a wonderful turn of events. If they are smart, the other networks will be paying very close attention to this. I know this sounds radical, but why not ask the people who watch your show directly? If I ran a network, I would make sure to post an episode of every "failing" show on YouTube, Google Video, et all a.s.a.p. Not only would this put me in direct contact with my audiance, it might also help boost ratings for a still unknown show.
From your cited article:
Mac sales were up 12 percent compared with last year, during what was considered a poor quarter for the PC market. Apple said 75 percent of all Macs sold during the period used Intel's chips.
Yes, I am using my new MacTel to type this, but I fear you have taken this statistic out of context. Apple, *NIX, et all still have a LOT of catching up to do.
Place your pinky to the corner of your mouth and repeat after me: sixty billion dollars!- this is the amount of cash Ballmer is sitting on right now. The U.S. Government would be hard pressed to win a bidding war against this company.
I have to agree that *100% CSS* layouts are still a total pain in the @$$, but I still find CSS extremely useful when partnered with tables and other forbidden staples of HTML. Although I can annoy myself endlessly by comparing a website I've done in IE6 (doesn't look right) to FF or Opera (ahhhh), I find that 99.9999% of these "errors" are very minor, and beyond the notice of most users.
...when using tables. Go all-div and it's a total mess.
IE6 has problems. In all fairness, CSS was here first.
Which State? Which officials? And who will be running this State tommorrow?
Your faith in Government is incredible. I, on the other hand, avoid interaction with Uncle Sam whenever I possibly can.
Oh no, Syd Barrett died!
Speaking personally, this is why I read slashdot everday. And why I always pay careful attention to sigs.
Hey, quick joke: what's the difference between slashdot comments and your blog?
People read slashdot comments.
Thank you, thank you- I'll be here all night (like always).
Corn produces about 350 gallons ethanol per acre. Sugar cane produces about 650 gallons per acre. Better still, down in Florida growers can get 2-4 seasons of sugar crane crop PER YEAR. As a result of this natural advantage, I have total faith that the state of Florida can produce 8 times as much fuel than a comparable chunk of the midwest (in terms of acres farmed).
There are two things keeping ethanol pricey: 1) ethanol is competing with other sugar products to purchase this raw crop; demand +, price +. 2) Florida lacks the ethanol manufacturing capacity required to turn this sugar cane into ethanol; the same thing happened after Katria when our refineries were taken off line and gasoline prices surged.
As I already explained, the capacity issue is due to turn around in Florida come 2008. As for the highly competitive nature of sugar cane, this is good news for farmers, but it makes ethanol nervous. This is why many great minds are currently hard at work genetically engineering crops that will produce more ethanol without competing with other crops designed for human consumption. For example: DuPont and BP are both working together on BioButanol as we speak.
Imagine a PC from 1985 being used to run a 1995 version of Photoshop. Absurd, of course. This is how we will view current American biodiesel production a decade from now: immature, but with great untapped potential.
At this point can we just admit we are all screwed?!
What a cowardly thing to say. I for one am not about to give up.
Ethanol - Not going to happen. Best case EROEI of just 34% compared to 3000% for light sweet crude???!! Ethanol is not going to happen
Wrong. In fact, I am currently trying to open a E85 station in Florida to coincide with the multiple new ethanol producers scheduled to open up shop in 2008. Yes, ethanol does not offer a cheaper price than gasoline in all areas right now, but if you live in WI or MN you could be using E85 and saving 10-25% of your car's fuel costs right now.
Florida is one of the USA's major sources of sugar cane, a crop that can produce nearly TWICE as much ethanol per acre than corn, which is currently our main source. In fact, most economists attribute the recent surge in ethanol prices to a jump in demand. Once our capacity has caught up with current demand, the price of ethanol will drop again. Mark my words: within the next 5 years American biofuels will be significantly cheaper than foreign petrol, and once this paradigm has shifted, the mass exodus to E85 is only a matter of time. Add hybrid technology to an E85 vehicle, and suddenly you can double the output of ethanol, and reduce petrol use even further.
It is not *we* who are screwed, it is *you* who is screwed. You have allowed frusteration to lapse into cynicism. The change *is* coming, believe me. These things always take longer than we would like them to, but the economic reality is obvious to all: oil's days are numbered.
I am no fan of SUV's myself, but credit where credit is due: many GM and Ford SUVs and trucks offer flex fuel (E85 compatibility). If you need a bigger vehicle, and are located near the "corn belt" I suggest you take a look.
Perhaps the whole "free" thing confused them? I like Skype as much as anybody, but *I've* never seen the source. Have you? Has anyone? (The OSX ver is a tad buggy).
It's only noon-ish, and already I've spotted quite a few lies today. One was in a blog article I just read. Another in the paper. Yet another on "Meet the Press" on the TV. All of these sources promise me credible information, yet none claim to be a "pedia".
One source makes a rumor, two sources make a theory. Fact, on the other hand, is more often than not a matter of perspective.
I forgot the most important thing: never be afraid to pick up the phone and propose a business deal. The worst thing they can do to you is say "no" and wonder out loud if you are crazy. So what?
Note: the above is doubly true when it come to asking women for dates.