Most likely, something that has not been invented yet. And that we probably would not recognise or even understand.
A good bet would be an engineered intellegent organism. Whether mechanical or organic would probably be a moot point, since advanced forms of either would be indistiguishable from the other.
... I would guess 99% of the haters never actually used AOL.
Actually, they had good reasons. AOL wanted to be the first Google but didn't know how. They wanted to be the IBM of the internet. It was impossible to cancel your account once it was started. They just kept charging you forever. It was years before they got sued enough to finally cancel some accounts.
Plus, they made so much on Dial-Up that they refused to move to highspeed. You had to get a new account with a different ISP for faster connection. So you paid for both!!! 8-(
They straightened up later, after enough competition, but it was too late.
Ok, but how did it become fashionable to tie an onion to your belt?
It keeps insects away. And partly covers up the smell of farts.
Believe it or not, keeping insects away before repellant spray was a big thing. The alternative was something like rancid bear grease, which smelled terrible but worked.
You think AOL is old? My current email address uses "CompuServe.com"!! I got it before there was AOL and it was Dial-Up and they were the biggest company on the web.
Of course it doesn't go there any more, it was bought by a newer company.
On the other hand, if you go to "compuserve.com" you will see the website, and it is still updated. Nothing on the Internet really dies...
Now you kids get off of my lawn! 8-{
It is not. It is almost always "save a penny lose a million". The problem is that the million (or usually quite a bit more) is lost later and somebody else has to pay. This is both exceptionally bad management and exceptionally bad engineering.
I believe that the term for that is "Bureaucracy". A disease that afflicts large organizations of many types, and is often fatal eventually.
The problem is that the issues tend to pile up over time, and at some point, the only sane thing would be to throw the whole mess away and start over.
The trouble with stating over, is that there is huge amounts of knowledge that is only recorded in the old source code. When an old program is thrown away and a bright new program is created, much functionality is lost. This type of new project has about an even chance of being rejected by the users. And they go back to the old program for years afterward, traumatised too much to start again.
And yes, I make my living "raking through trash piles for diamonds" !
It can be done. And it is often faster than the alternatives. But it is not always fun.
Like writing books: "It is not fun to write, but it is fun to have written."
Plenty of carpenters pin back the shield on their skill saw.
I sure wouldn't. I'd cut off my leg.
Yes, you really do want the protections. They need a way to disable them, but don't. Unless there is really no other way.
Seriously. Two students fell off of a mountain overlook near here, this spring, and were killed because there was no guard rail at the edge. It can happen with your software, too. (And yes, some software can kill.)
Good languages have automatic safety checks, but also have a way to bypass them if really necessary.
It's not a matter of windows, it's a matter of the citizen's freedom. There are a lot of people that hate freedom (at least for others) and will try to "stamp it out" at the first chance they get. And personal automobiles are the essence of freedom.
What is really wanted, by some, is to ship the passengers in a packing crate! Yikes! 8-)
Using "good" words instead of "bad" words just causes the innocent good words to -become- bad. Look up "euphemism" !
Many modern bad words -are- the good words of a few years ago. Look up what they used before those. And consider the word "Special" as a pejorative.
On the other hand, there is no need to be rude if you can avoid it...
Where do you think the abacus was made? Its rocks in a bag for me, one per sheep, count them all out, count them all back.
As an Engineer, I can only say if it works, it works! 8-)
I have a drip coffee machine with a programmable timer. I just prepare everything and have a (couple of) perfect cup(s) in the morning for me and the missus \o/
I also have a drip coffee machine, and I like the coffee it makes. But I also have a thermos caraff, with the old style vacume bottle for insulation. Pour the remaining coffee immediatly into that and have fresh coffee anytime over the next 6 hours or so, even easier than the Kureg. But does get a bit cooler before quitting time. 8-)
Ok, so there is a 1600s era verb form of "sheer" referring to navigating a ship that was probably an incorrectly used "shear" anyway. Still not relevant to an action one can do to a sheep.
For the ship, thats a word from a different language that only sounds the same.
When you use a pair of "shears" to cut the wool from a sheep, it is refered to as "shearing the sheep". The sheep usually survive! 8-)
Just because you learned differently, does not mean that what you are accustomed to is either right or universal.
I think any PR person, CEO, and other mouthpiece who says this stuff is perfectly safe should be forced to drink it.
If you think your nice city water is any better, then you should check the latest report from your water authority.
When I lived "up north", one of the nearby towns issued a "boil order" to the citizens. There was a big news event and much screaming about "what happened?".
The head of the local water authority came on TV and said that there was no need to worry. "The levels have been just below the limits for years, so it has not changed much." "Um... What?" 8-}
It could even come from cleaning brushes properly in a sink as the grey water would tend to go into a drainage field which eventually feeds back into the well.
Known for 100 years, as a bad problem. Wells now days are much deeper and sealed from surface contamination.
However, you could have an important point. If the homeowner's well is leaking at the top, contamination could drain -down- into the well. Which is very dangerous, even without any fracking. If the company spills liquid on the ground, it could move with the water table to the leaking well, but so could anything else! Not good!
Is "well water" (drill hole into water table, pump out water) always used raw and unfiltered? Has it traditionally always been safe to drink anywhere you can sink a well, or is there some history of bad wells due to natural contamination?
Usually used raw, even now. No it has not always been safe, but much better these days.
You have hit most of the points, but there is one thing. Before WWI wells were often down to the water table, like the stone wells with the bucket and crank handle. But more recently most water wells are much deeper, usually below a layer of rock, so that they are protected from surface contamination. I think the wells around here go down 500 to 1000 feet. (?)
Mineral content tasts bad and makes build-up on things, but is not usually harmful. See "Artesian Well". Bacteria, which can be harmful, is not usual that deep. And it can be harder to remove from the water, unless you boil it. I think Reverse Osmosis is to remove minerals, not bacteria. (But maybe both?)
"Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love." -- Albert Einstein
