tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post1270066492620277917..comments2024-03-29T00:39:31.629-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Cool Science Reminders We're Living in The Great RenaissanceDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-68755658925480210692011-03-18T04:33:31.480-07:002011-03-18T04:33:31.480-07:00whose Closing of the American Mind is a critique o...whose Closing of the American Mind is a critique of the contemporary society akin to Spengler's Decline of the Westbuy misoprostolhttp://www.genericmisoprostol.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-30452671854321929722011-02-18T05:27:10.973-08:002011-02-18T05:27:10.973-08:00Google is probably making us smarter in the sense ...Google is probably making us smarter in the sense that it is giving us greater access to knowledge (I often quip of memory as being 'the inner google') and thereby allowing our smarts greater play.cheap electronicshttp://www.agoodic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-8864680773965890832010-09-06T03:36:17.195-07:002010-09-06T03:36:17.195-07:00I like the information about Google Sidewiki.Sidew...I like the information about Google Sidewiki.Sidewiki allows users to interact with a web site in ways that the site owner cannot control, which has concerned some critics of the application[unbalanced opinion], as there is no way for site owners to prevent people from commenting in a Sidewiki entry for a page.kamagrahttp://www.medexpressrx.com/kamagra.aspxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71796673839852363802009-11-16T13:02:54.249-08:002009-11-16T13:02:54.249-08:00David Brin said...
anon... while I favor net neutr...<i>David Brin said...<br />anon... while I favor net neutrality in general, I think a small charge per massive video-hog load use is appropriate. Also, Net commerce is mature and no longer a baby in its cradle. It is time to charge a national 5% sales tax on net-purchases.</i><br /><br />I'm going to disagree. #1, I think ALL sales taxes are regressive. Bill Gates probably eats less stake and wars the same number of pants as I do. His 16% effective tax rate on Dividends is also a sweet deal.<br /><br />The Internet Service Providers already bill people and you sign up for "unlimited" downloads -- some of them have caps. If they think that moving video is so onerous -- then why not have a general Cost-per-Gig? Well, one it would cost a tiny bit to track -- and the other, it wouldn't let them get their hand into what they really want to do; Prioritize traffic to add revenue.<br /><br />Lot's of people use Skype to communicate with audio and video for free. Already in Canada, some ISPs have been admitting that they've been purposely "slowing" those packets.<br /><br />It's not about Utility for the Public -- or even real costs for the ISP. The Taxpayer in the US paid $500 Billion to build the backbone of the web -- and we have yet to be paid back. ISPs provide switching and maybe a few watts of electricity -- you could build a web WITHOUT any switching in Point-to-Point and the only service you would need is the DNS (Domain Name Servers) that translate the IP #s into names like "Yahoo.com" and "Google.com."<br /><br />A University professor figured out a way to do our phone system the same way. AT&T just forces you to pay for a land-line with their DSL service because they can get away with it.<br /><br />It's all Business for profits sake -- nothing else.<br /><br />If COMCAST and their like, can get their hands on packet prioritization -- the video you buy from them will come through quickly, Skype will move like a dog with broken legs, and your FREE blog will be a lot slower than Fox News articles about fighting against Medical Socialism.<br /><br />The "excuse" is not in line with the potential Abuse. Last I'd heard -- there was about 90% "Dark Fiber" -- meaning, fiber optic backbone that was un-utilized.<br /><br />>> The "video hoggs" are using their internet service that they paid for. If the ISPs have a problem with that -- they can provide new terms of service and see if someone will pay for it. But going to Congress to get them to be able to "pick and choose" is what these changes are about.<br /><br />The most benign is that they want to provide you all your telephony and entertainment as a single source captive market -- rather than you escaping the clutches of Baby Bells who want to charge you $50 a month for a land line that cost them almost nothing -- and another $80 for a cell phone, and another $35 for internet Access. Oh, and maybe Dish Network for $50 a month.<br /><br />New technologies would mean that you can just plug in a USB device and get $30 unlimited WiMax based internet connection with Clear.com that can also function on 4G as well. I just tested this out in Georgia and I did indeed get about 6 mps down and 1mps up on the Macbook Pro. I could go a lot of places around here and Skype with anyone, and watch TV on Hulu. I don't even need a land line sucker fee for my DSL.<br /><br />So it's all about money -- and it could also effectively sensor "non commercial" content that might distract you.<br /><br />>> And FYI -- Apple Computers is rumored to be providing movie and TV via iTunes for a monthly subscription charge of $30.<br /><br />So the Cable, Communications and Internet Service providers are really worried about the new freedom that you could enjoy with a fast network and no restrictions. So obviously some sort of bill labelled "to protect the children" will have to pop up.Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22323720221016811682009-11-16T12:43:02.898-08:002009-11-16T12:43:02.898-08:00>> Sorry if I've mentioned this before; ...>> Sorry if I've mentioned this before; As far as scanning for Life on other planets -- I think they found already the Easiest way to narrow the search; Scan for Polarized light coming from a planet.<br /><br />In a quirk of chemistry from medium sized suns like our own Sol, many of the building blocks of life end up being left-handed molecules. And even if life is not propagated in a protein form between stars -- it's likely that conservation of energy means that MOST life will likely end up being right-handed peptides.<br /><br />Molecules in nature, are -- I suppose, randomly refracting light -- meaning, not selecting for polarity. Life on earth, reflects polarized light.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bautforum.com/life-space/87548-using-chirality-polarization-detect-life.html" rel="nofollow"> also called Chirality.</a><br /><br />Testing for the temperature gradients and the like, requires a lot more resolution.<br /><br />>> If there is advanced life out there -- and of course, we all know that there is -- they should have been aware of us for quite some time. That they might have watched, or meddled is perhaps most limited by if there is Faster Than Light travel in this Universe and if advanced races have curiosity. My best guess is that there is an intergalactic policy to not disturb the natives in an open way. Not so sure about an prohibitions on "gardening."Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24142804855525029882009-11-16T12:27:06.932-08:002009-11-16T12:27:06.932-08:00I think the Lefty Curmudgeons who infest Universit...I think the Lefty Curmudgeons who infest Universities are their own unique flora and fauna.<br /><br />There are actual Lefties, who watch CNN and debate these issues as if what is presented were real -- I think it's an affliction of most of the populace.<br /><br />The Left/Right divisions -- which are probably best described as Modernist/Romantic -- means that the Curmudgeon political correct lefties are better described as Romantics.<br /><br />I always thought that I'd one day start a "Pragmatist Party" -- but the Progressives came along and I thought "close enough." Bill Clinton once captured my imagination (while during the distraction, doing the same corporatist theft with NAFTA with his left), by suggesting that we could try a lot of educational and health systems in different areas and see which one worked the best.<br /><br />That's the only hope we have; that States solve some health care issues, and then other Governors see what works and latch onto it. Is it Berney Sander's state that is doing single payer or Howard Deans (I forget)? And it is working fabulously to reduce costs and improve care.<br /><br /> Our Federal government isn't even in the realm of Modernist/Romantic, it's more about Money/More Money from their sponsors. I recommend NASCAR style jackets so that when John McCain goes out and talks about Net Liberty -- you know who paid for it.<br /><br />>> I'm still thinking that the "Pax Americana" that Dr . Brin so believes in is more like trying to give one country credit for the industrial revolution. I'll present an alternate concept that is sure to be controversial; Pax Americana was really the effect of Television and Movies entering the world psyche. The folks in Hollywood picked up the idea of the "American Dream" and put it onto celluloid. And enough of the rest of the world looked at it and said; "That's how it should be."<br /><br />We never had an alternative -- not really, beyond Church's and state propaganda and a few smatterings of books for a way to create a new reality.<br /><br />I'd say the time of America being a role for good in the world was perhaps between Teddy Roosevelt and ended with Reagan. Not a huge span of time that we weren't outright imperialists.<br /><br />And I think it was only pragmatism that made the 20th Century imperialism come in a softer glove. The hard-handed British style costs too much. Much better to just bribe some politician in another country and give them an offer to exploit their own people for your corporation -- bananas or bauxite. If they don't play ball, you negotiate with the next guy after the small plane crash. Way, way cheaper, and everybody who sustains the system, is bought in and wealthy and wants to maintain that status quo.<br /><br />If some guy in Honduras wants to raise minimum wage for starving sweat shop workers -- your School of the Americas trained military boys "fight for freedom." Between this systemic kleptocracy and Hugo Chavez -- is there any inspired vision of the future for Latin America?<br /><br />>> And sorry to move from positive to negative -- but this system is coming to America and I don't see Obama as a leader addressing it. Other countries and industries buy up our representatives, and they find new ways to steal from us and give to them. Then hire astro turf groups and news reporters to tell us how Tariffs are bad and we've got to make income tax simpler with larger sales (consumption) taxes. The 7-9% that business pays in the tax burden is down from the 30-40% it was in the 40's.<br /><br />It's all shifting of costs and burdens. And pretty soon nobody is going to own what is in their country -- it will be some third party overseas. The Spanish-built toll roads in Texas will complement the Texas built prisons in Spain one day.Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79513448460566593842009-11-16T12:04:28.091-08:002009-11-16T12:04:28.091-08:00This is interesting,... since the update to the iP...This is interesting,... since the update to the iPhone OS 3.0, and new under the hood modifications of the device itself -- I was pretty sure the iPhone would end up becoming the first "TriCorder" -- you know, from Star Trek.<br /><br />The demoed the new improvements about a year ago at the developer's conference with a blood glucose monitor. Now, that's nothing all that new and there are lots of stand alone devices that can do this -- but the COOL thing, is that developing the application is relatively easy, and you've already got protocols for all sorts of devices (MIDI, robotic, etc.) through the iPhone's port -- it's not just for data transfer and power.<br /><br />When Steve Jobs was at NeXT, their object oriented development lead to the first steps on making HTML browsers. They also had what was called a "geek port" a port that was designed for sensing devices and real time data acquisition. I remember that you had to buy a card to do this on the Mac for having inputs -- so at the time, it was useful and new for scientists.<br /><br />Now we have some bright guy at NASA adding in a chemical nano sensor (those labs on a chip) to the geek port on an iPhone. The article says "on a cell phone" but at a guess, I'm pretty sure that the built in ease of use and the protocols for sensor data are not there. Here's the <a href="http://www.applelinks.com/index.php/more/applelinks_iphone_news_reader_monday_november_16_2001/" rel="nofollow">LINK.</a><br /><br />I expect that in less than a year, there will be an adapter for all kinds of sensing equipment that is designed for the iPhone port.<br /><br />>> What's really nice at this for our piratical lives, is that all sorts of medical equipment, doesn't need proprietary computers, platforms, diagnostics and the like. You just really need the sensing equipment, and then a developer to interpret that on the iPhone platform. There has never been a generic, portable platform to take all this gaggle of information out there and not force everyone to re-invent the wheel.<br /><br />I think there is already adapters to plug into cars for their diagnostic info (but many manufacturers encrypt this now so that they can sell this stuff for big bucks to the repair shops).<br /><br />>> I expect lots of sensory and advanced imaging acquisitions that were once the stuff of a lab or advanced KGB, will be available for hobbyists and geeks to play around with for pretty cheap -- since the sensors themselves seem available on the web for far, far less than devices that are built to use them.Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-10739654378918687152009-10-19T20:00:24.749-07:002009-10-19T20:00:24.749-07:00I think part of a paragraph got omitted here:
Cha...I think part of a paragraph got omitted here:<br /><br /><i>Champions of free will, take heart. A landmark 1980s experiment that purported to show free will doesn't exist is being challenged. In 1983, neuroscientist Benjamin Libet asked volunteers wearing scalp electrodes to flex a finger or wrist. When they did, the movements were preceded</i>… <br /><br />…'by a dip in the signals being recorded, called the "readiness potential". Libet interpreted this RP as the brain preparing for movement.'<br /><br />Digressing from quibbling, Brad Delong mentioned you in a recent lecture, praising your bit about aristocratic fantasy versus democratic science fictio :<br /><br />http://delong.typepad.com/slouching/2009/10/econ-115-lecture-notes-october-13-2009-tyrannies.html<br /><br />Only in the audio version. Start at 20:29 for the context, or 21:40 for the actual reference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36662603036037573422009-10-16T14:43:00.826-07:002009-10-16T14:43:00.826-07:00The infrastructure is happening!
A McDonald's...The infrastructure is happening!<br /><br />A McDonald's in Pacific Beach (San Diego) is installing electric-vehicle chargers for its customers to use while they eat.<br /><br /><br />http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2009/oct/08/plug-plump/lcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53657370287665128872009-10-16T12:38:05.465-07:002009-10-16T12:38:05.465-07:00Keep the first verse, of course, the only one folk...Keep the first verse, of course, the only one folks know. Try to keep to the TONE of righteous fury...<br /><br />...and frankly KEEP GOD IN IT!<br /><br />Take this into the next posting!! (Now available online!)David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48294277797813260352009-10-16T12:34:29.172-07:002009-10-16T12:34:29.172-07:00Hmmm... Again, I make absolutely not claims to any...Hmmm... Again, I make absolutely not claims to any skill as a lyrics writer, but I figured I'd give a new verse a shot. How does this sound?<br /><br />In the fires of revolution / was born our liberty.<br />With the blood of noble patriots / 'twas anointed valiantly.<br />Forged in war and battle / and tempered by serenity,<br /><br />Our Cause is marching on!<br /><br />The very last bit, before the 'marching on' refrain sticks a little, and could probably use some work, but I'm glad that I at least got it to fit into the rhyming pattern.Ilithi Dragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10300247936272572280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39821745333966222822009-10-16T11:08:05.720-07:002009-10-16T11:08:05.720-07:00Hmmm... I can't lay any claim to have any skil...Hmmm... I can't lay any claim to have any skill in song or lyric writing, but I do like the idea of adding more verses to the Battle Hymn of the Republic. It's always been one of my favorite songs, despite it's heavy Christian overtones (as I'm a non-religious pagan, such things are a little off-putting).Ilithi Dragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10300247936272572280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51129842385530916932009-10-16T09:40:00.034-07:002009-10-16T09:40:00.034-07:00I'm not the only one thinking these thoughts.....I'm not the only one thinking these thoughts...<br /><br /><i>American political discourse has gotten increasingly nasty over the past 10 months, with brutal rhetoric spilling from talk radio to town hall meetings to the very halls of Congress. When anti-government protesters openly carry loaded weapons at rallies and Texas Gov. Rick Perry hints at the possibility of secession, you might wonder whether the nation is actually at the brink of civil war over the unlikely issue of healthcare reform. Sadly, the commentators and politicians who exploit such threats of violence and revolution seem to have forgotten what the real Civil War was about, and what it was like. Now would be a good time to start remembering, because, as it happens, the first pitched battle of our bloodiest war began exactly 150 years ago today.</i><br /><br />http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/10/16/john_brown/index.html?source=rss&aim=/opinion/feature<br /><br />Hey... let's run an online contest for NEW LYRICS FOR THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC! Anyone care to set up a site?David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53090632716618901572009-10-16T09:38:28.887-07:002009-10-16T09:38:28.887-07:00anon... while I favor net neutrality in general, I...anon... while I favor net neutrality in general, I think a small charge per massive video-hog load use is appropriate. Also, Net commerce is mature and no longer a baby in its cradle. It is time to charge a national 5% sales tax on net-purchases.<br /><br />Michael, that is the requirement for life to exist (see SUNDIVER!) But for it to evolve INTO existence you need something like an aqueous medium in which random elements can keep churning and colliding and combining and gradually accumulating/selecting.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-49922849844266426352009-10-16T09:00:54.749-07:002009-10-16T09:00:54.749-07:00The FCC has just issued a call for public comment ...The FCC has just <a href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-2217A1.doc" rel="nofollow">issued a call for public comment</a> on a recent study that advocates forcing big internet providers to open their networks to create more competition.<br /><br />You guys know what to do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82134524864769432482009-10-16T02:11:50.048-07:002009-10-16T02:11:50.048-07:00The way to find extraterrestrial life: Find system...The way to find extraterrestrial life: Find systems in sustained thermodynamic disequilibrium.<br /><br />Any more specific than that and you risk ruling out life-not-as-we-know it.<br /><br />And anyway, it should be a simple enough thing to recognize if we see it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11507725932358099333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31605783291508185572009-10-15T20:48:04.219-07:002009-10-15T20:48:04.219-07:00Put your hands on your hearts and hold a moment of...Put your hands on your hearts and hold a moment of silence, as another dream of "green" energy passes into that long dark night.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/04/renewable_fuel_plants_stinking.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/04/renewable_fuel_plants_stinking.html</a><br /><br /><i>The dream: To turn turkey guts, bones and feathers into oil, eventually expanding and reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil by half.<br /><br />Brian Appel, owner of Renewable Environmental Solutions, last month filed for Chapter 11 in bankruptcy court in New York and laid off about 50 employees at the plant. </i>sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21300477936621366352009-10-15T17:59:42.239-07:002009-10-15T17:59:42.239-07:00The Crystal Spheres anyone?
Wired article descri...<a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/ibex/#Replay" rel="nofollow"> The Crystal Spheres </a> anyone?<br /><br />Wired article describes the changing understanding of the shape and makeup of the heliosphere.<br /><br />The five articles the Wired article is based upon are behind a paywall at the October 15 <i> Science </i>. Anyone with the technical knowhow and access want to report back to us?matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9754970054227548252009-10-15T01:12:21.242-07:002009-10-15T01:12:21.242-07:00David,
I am not sure if I agree about your comment...David,<br />I am not sure if I agree about your comment about the first half of the 20th Century, the last half of the 19th Century overall seems to be even worse than the excesses of Hitler and Stalin.<br /><br />I see this as a bumpy upward trend so that a monster in the 20th century would have been unexceptional in the nineteenth.<br /><br />I agree about the massive improvements in the last fifty yearsDuncan Cairncrossnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53946603230222753092009-10-14T17:37:20.460-07:002009-10-14T17:37:20.460-07:00One of my college buddies was Mr. Breathed's n...One of my college buddies was Mr. Breathed's next door neighbor. My buddy had a custom Bill the Cat drawing commemorating his high school graduation and the upcoming loss of Mr. Breathed's lawn mowing service. I was (and still am) *SO* jealous.matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87954662601240879932009-10-14T17:27:10.560-07:002009-10-14T17:27:10.560-07:00Berkely Breathed is sorely missed.Berkely Breathed is sorely missed.Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-5241834003657111712009-10-14T16:11:30.594-07:002009-10-14T16:11:30.594-07:00They need a county all their ownThey need a county all their ownRob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65348520522822991972009-10-14T15:41:57.525-07:002009-10-14T15:41:57.525-07:00ob said...
Which of those Bloom's is responsib...<b>ob said...</b><br /><i>Which of those Bloom's is responsible for the learning taxonomy?</i><br /><br /><br />Looks like that's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom%27s_Taxonomy" rel="nofollow">Benjamin Bloom</a>. Who knew there were so many influential Blooms out there?JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-42696550332718275942009-10-14T15:19:57.661-07:002009-10-14T15:19:57.661-07:00Dr. Brin, on Harold Bloom's 'trouble',...Dr. Brin, on Harold Bloom's 'trouble', are you referring to Naomi Wood's sexual harassment thing or his conservative views on higher education and philosophy? I just did a quick google of 'Harold Bloom news' and that's the two things I see coming up.<br /><br />I'll admit to not being to hip on the whole post-modernist stuff involving literature and such; I just like how what I've read of Bloom (Western Canon and his big book on Shakespeare) is actually understandable and such. I came across him at the book store, trying to learn about that whole other section of books outside of the SF/F section. 'Course, he only focuses on literature, poetry, and essays, ignoring a lot of the mathematical stuff in the Great Books but he still <a href="http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/grtbloom.html" rel="nofollow">covers a lot of them</a> and explains why they're worth reading.<br /><br />Oh yeah, truthfully, have I gone and read any of the 'great books' (we had early 80's complete EB at home with them)? Just the fun ones like the Illiad and Don Quixote.JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86974452602497394612009-10-14T14:49:38.724-07:002009-10-14T14:49:38.724-07:00Speaking of Sterling Engines and Solar production;...Speaking of Sterling Engines and Solar production; <br /><br /><a href="http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/news_releases/new-suncatcher-power-system-unveiled-at-national-solar-thermal-test-facility-july-7-2009" rel="nofollow"><b>New SunCatcher™ power system unveiled at National Solar Thermal Test Facility</b></a><br /><br /><i>Stirling Energy Systems (SES) and Tessera Solar recently unveiled four newly designed solar power collection dishes at Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). Called SunCatchers™, the new dishes have a refined design that will be used in commercial-scale deployments of the units beginning in 2010.<br /><br />“The four new dishes are the next-generation model of the original SunCatcher system. Six first-generation SunCatchers built over the past several years at the NSTTF have been producing up to 150KW [kilowatts] of grid-ready electrical power during the day,” says Chuck Andraka, the lead Sandia project engineer. “Every part of the new system has been upgraded to allow for a high rate of production and cost reduction.”</i><br /><br />My apologies if I've posted this story before. Cool stuff like this is why I love my work. I'm just a desktop support guy but if I can help keep engineers and scientists focused on their work and not worrying why their computer is blue screening, then I'm helping things get better.JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.com