2012-01-13, 00:28 | Link #362 | |
Carpe Diem
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ||At the edge of finality.||
Age: 34
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Quote:
... And you start blowing up/mining planets into oblivion, its not going to be long until some sufficiently advanced lifeforms wrecks our shit for being careless, selfish, and thoughless.
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2012-01-13, 00:52 | Link #363 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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That is stilll about a billion planets. Plus space is vast. It would likely take a while for anyone to even notice us being thoughtless.
We have to get to that point first though. We aren't even exploiting our own solar system yet.
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2012-01-13, 02:03 | Link #364 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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Space station will fire up engines to avoid oncoming junk
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45977884...oncoming-junk/ Definately a call for particle shielding.
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2012-01-13, 03:42 | Link #365 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Quote:
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2012-01-13, 14:51 | Link #366 | |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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We have come a long ways...in some respects
Complete Civil War submarine unveiled for first time http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...3?feedType=RSS Quote:
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2012-01-13, 16:47 | Link #367 |
temporary safeguard
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Germany
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The most amazing thing about that is, that they actually got people crazy enough to board it.
And then when it sank twice on test runs, killing the whole crew every time, there were still enough of them left, that it could go on a real mission. Where it sank a third time. Who would've guessed. Darwin awards should be handed out to everyone of the mission crewmen. |
2012-01-13, 17:04 | Link #368 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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Desperate times. Desperate messures. It worked.
The David type torpedo boats worked about as good, just not as effective, since I don't recall them actually sinking anything. (But that might be more the use of spar torpedoes than any other problem)
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2012-01-13, 17:38 | Link #369 | |||
=^^=
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: 42° 10' N (Latitude) 87° 33' W (Longitude)
Age: 45
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So... how do you evaluate your net-addiction?
Quote:
From my perspective... it does feel that way. But, if I set myself up, I can go without the Internet for an extended time period. I've done it before. Quote:
And some questions: Quote:
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2012-01-16, 05:00 | Link #371 |
temporary safeguard
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Germany
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The internet is just a too important part of my daily life.
If I get out of my usual environment, like on a vacation, I have no problem to abstain from it and I don't even miss it. The same goes for times of exceptional activity, like working for my exams for example. Of course there are those moments when you think "damn Google would come in handy now" (I don't own a smartphone), but that's a practical thing. But I can't relinquish it if I'm at home. Frankly I don't see the point why I should try anyway. |
2012-01-16, 11:59 | Link #372 | |
Carpe Diem
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ||At the edge of finality.||
Age: 34
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Quote:
Who made up that list? #2, #3, #4, #7, #13 are laughable. #9 has already occurred. #9 nuclear fusion has been possible via tokamak and FI processes for a while now. It's even reached break-even points. So how is this at a prediction and not just a: "Let's look at current technology and say that in X years it will still be here!" Solar farming is also effectively a non-prediction. The only thing #9 predicts is the disappearance of wind energy... great? What about Liquid Thorium Reactors? How bout any of the other actually theoretical energy production methods? #4 would be frightening beyond imagination not to mention akin to pure magic (yes, yes sufficiently advanced tech is like magic) at this point in time because of the chaotic formulations involved in even the simplest weather patterns when looked at not only from a global scale but extra-planetary. Our weather isn't some nice random number generator that we can muck with as we please and to be able to control it would be like saying we can control the sun... because we'd effectively have to to stop its micro-effects on our weather (the slightest change induced by the sun would cause a massive butterfly effect on our "controlled weather"). Sure, we might get very good at predicting the weather but we're likely never going to gain full control over it (and why would you bother? It would be so painstakingly difficult) so long as the system is open to external influences such as but not limited to: the Coriolis Effect, Solar Winds. Solar Spots, Solar Releases. Then again, reading over the paragraph again what they're talking about isn't controlling the weather but mediating it. #2 & #7 I'll believe right after Quantum Computing breaks out of its 5-10 year stupor of no progress and someone comes around to clarify two things: how does the brain actually work, why would these be good ideas? (Futurists honestly puzzle me with their fascination on merging man with machine, why not just bioengineer better people? Did mother nature's continuing work really not sit well with them, because I feel that her billions of years of experience probably trump our couple hundred.) Otherwise, the prediction is again half a non-prediction and futurist mumbo-jumbo that I'd expect from the mouth of Kurzweil. We can already send signals through wireless to machines (such as a replacement limbs) to have them function as extensions of our physical selves. Uploading of thoughts, ideas, and in general the qualia that define a person to the internet, however, are straight from Kurzweil's notes of "uploading human brains by 2050!", sure Mr. Kurzweil. While we're at it, let's also solve the No Cloning Problem. (Also, complete aside, but why would people want to augment their fleshy carbon-based brain with... anything? Your brain is already susceptible enough to damage but now your going to introduce a weakness that it didn't have previously with no real benefit that talking doesn't convey.) #3 espouses hive minds... pass. It also espouses the end of humanity because immortal super people means immortal, unchanging, super people, ripe for destruction by your ever changing, ever menacing viruses. Let's not forget super stupidity. Bioengineer people to be better, healthier, longer living, but don't make everyone immortal. That would just wreck society and people's motivation to do anything. Only a handful of mindsets would ever be able to handle immortality without falling into the pit of disinterest because of infinite time. I'm going to stop now... I'm sorry.
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2012-01-16, 14:41 | Link #373 | |
Underweight Food Hoarder
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Well, 'Last week we asked readers for their predictions of life in 100 years time. ' AKA random bullshit from who knows what group of people. --------------------- What's degrading for 'futurologists' (wait this is a profession? Is that a theorist without the intellect?) is that 'futurologists Ian Pearson (IP) and Patrick Tucker (PT)' made extremely ridiculous 'likelihood' ratings to these ideas. Such as rating nanotechnology for assisting human body functions as 7/10 and and controlling the weather as 8/10. |
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2012-01-18, 04:01 | Link #375 | |
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
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Quote:
In Germany this technique is used to lessen the impact of hail storms on agricultural installations (i.e. green houses) and sensitive agricultural products (i.e. vine). It is further used to ensure good weather conditions on certain (deemed) important public events (e.g. olympic games). Such existing technology makes some people believe we almost can control the weather, which is a result of the misconception, that these existing technologies could be scaled up to global levels without disastrous side effects. The 7/10 for nanotechnologies assisting human body functions is very optimistic, but I think can be attributed to a nanotech hype that is currently in vogue. Afaik there is little actual nanotechnology that is working inside humans as of today.
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2012-01-18, 08:57 | Link #376 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Quote:
Survey:
The "chinese experts" and any other "experts" are ignoring the root problems and attacking symptoms -- root problems that drive people to seek escapism because they're trapped in situations.
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2012-01-18, 09:05 | Link #377 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Quote:
The branding style is the same one my counsellor use to brainwash me at that time. Might as well use an E-meter since anyone who use the net and spend copious amount of time on ebaumsworld and sifting through thousands of sites for info (wikipedia is non-existent at that time) would realise that the methods are no different to what culminated in the Red Scare.
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2012-01-18, 16:05 | Link #378 |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I think it's actually pessimistic. They've got a century to accomplish a very loosely defined goal. They just have to get nanotech to help in some kind of medical treatment (any kind of medical treatment, from cancer cure to diet to erectile dysfunction) and declare victory.
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2012-01-18, 16:35 | Link #379 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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A lot can happen in a century. Especially if the pace of advancement equals that of the 19th and 20th centuries.
1801 there were no steam ship or railroads. 1901 there were no airplanes. What will there be that did exist in 2001 that will be common use by 2101 (Come to think of is, what is there that is advanced potentially common use thing that didn't exist in 2001 that exists now, since the other two examples happened early in the centuries)
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