Comment It's kind of long and meandering (Score 4, Insightful) 796
But really, make sure The Bible is on the list. Actually having read it opens up a tremendous world of understanding of other art and literature, regardless of one's religion.
Google Testing Banner Ads On Select Search Results 185
cagraham writes "Google promised in 2005 to never "ever" put banner ads on their search results, but that appears to be changing. The company confirmed to SearchEngineLand that it is running a "small experiment" involving large-scale banners on searches for Southwest Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Crate&Barrel, among others. The ads are being shown in less than 5% of searches, and only in the US, for now. Interestingly enough, the Google exec who wrote the no banner ads promise was Marissa Mayer, now CEO of Yahoo."
Comment Re:In another universe (Score 2) 57
I loved that book. Also The Space Merchants, and pretty much anything of his I've encountered. One of the greats.
Building Melts Car 151
eionmac writes "A new London skyscraper dubbed the 'Walkie Talkie' has been blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a car parked on a nearby street."
This Satellite Could Be Beaming Solar Power Down From Space By 2025 245
Daniel_Stuckey writes "A NASA veteran, aerospace entrepreneur, and space-based solar power (SBSP) expert, [John] Mankins designed the world's first practical orbital solar plant. It's called the Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large PHased Array, or SPS-ALPHA for short. If all goes to plan, it could be launched as early as 2025, which is sooner than it sounds when it comes to space-based solar power timelines. Scientists have been aware of the edge the "space-down" approach holds over terrestrial panels for decades. An orbiting plant would be unaffected by weather, atmospheric filtering of light, and the sun's inconvenient habit of setting every evening. SBSP also has the potential to dramatically increase the availability of renewable energy."
"Slingatron" To Hurl Payloads Into Orbit 438
cylonlover writes "People have been shooting things into space since the 1940s, but in every case this has involved using rockets. This works, but it's incredibly expensive with the cheapest launch costs hovering around $2,000 per pound. This is in part because almost every bit of the rocket is either destroyed or rendered unusable once it has put the payload into orbit. Reusable launch vehicles like the SpaceX Grasshopper offer one way to bring costs down, but another approach is to dump the rockets altogether and hurl payloads into orbit. That's what HyperV Technologies Corp. of Chantilly, Virginia is hoping to achieve with a 'mechanical hypervelocity mass accelerator' called the slingatron."
Use Tor, Get Targeted By the NSA 451
An anonymous reader sends this news from Ars Technica:
"Using online anonymity services such as Tor or sending encrypted e-mail and instant messages are grounds for U.S.-based communications to be retained by the National Security Agency, even when they're collected inadvertently, according to a secret government document published Thursday. ...The memos outline procedures NSA analysts must follow to ensure they stay within the mandate of minimizing data collected on U.S. citizens and residents. While the documents make clear that data collection and interception must cease immediately once it's determined a target is within the U.S., they still provide analysts with a fair amount of leeway. And that leeway seems to work to the disadvantage of people who take steps to protect their Internet communications from prying eyes. For instance, a person whose physical location is unknown—which more often than not is the case when someone uses anonymity software from the Tor Project—"will not be treated as a United States person, unless such person can be positively identified as such, or the nature or circumstances of the person's communications give rise to a reasonable belief that such person is a United States person," the secret document stated.'"
Comment Re: This does not inspire confidence in me (Score 1) 326
There has already been a metaphorical sequel: Christopher Nolan's "Inception". Look at how the ending worked, and the analogy is clear.
Comment Re: Noooooooooo! (Score 1) 326
I'd like "Radio Free Albemuth" or "The Man in the High Castle" myself (although I have an affection for "Eye in the Sky", it's too dated with the anti-communism shtick and updating it could easily wreck it).
Comment Re: Does BR even rate having a sequel? Explain ple (Score 1) 326
I agree with you about Blade Runner, but PKD did write one sort-of series: Valis, The Divine Invasion, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (cf http://www.philipkdick.com/covers/valis_trilogy.jpg )
Certainly there is no need for a sequel here, and I expect that this will be terrible.
Ask Slashdot: Wiring Home Furniture? 235
b1tbkt writes "So it seems that furniture manufacturers have not yet acknowledged the realities of modern life. Kitchen tables could benefit greatly from built-in concealable receptacles. Even more obvious is the need for electrical wiring in couches and coffee tables. I realize that there are safety (fire) concerns but as it stands most families that I know already have power cords for laptops, tables and phones draped over, under and through their couches at any given point. If someone wanted to wire their furniture with AC or some type of standardized LV DC system, what are some dangers to watch for and what, if any, specialized hardware exists for the purpose?"
Comment Favorite topic? (Score 1) 181
As someone who has made major contributions to multiple areas of knowledge, which has been your favorite, and why?
PS - I thought "Disturbing the Universe" and "From Eros to Gaia" were magnificent - thank you!
Comment Re:At you desk! (Score 1) 524
I'm curious where you work...
Comment Re:Awesome (Score 1) 147
s/clip/magazine/
Precision when discussing controversial issues is a good thing. Doubly so when the controversial issue involves lethal weapons.
New Asteroid Mining Company Emerges 148
coondoggie writes "A new company intends by 2015 to send a fleet of tiny satellites to mine passing asteroids for high-value metals. Deep Space Industries Inc.'s asteroid mining proposal begins in 2015, when the company plans to send out a squadron of 55lb cubesats, called Fireflies, that will explore near-Earth space for two to six months looking for target asteroids. The company's CEO said, 'Using resources harvested in space is the only way to afford permanent space development. More than 900 new asteroids that pass near Earth are discovered every year. They can be like the Iron Range of Minnesota was for the Detroit car industry last century — a key resource located near where it was needed. In this case, metals and fuel from asteroids can expand the in-space industries of this century. That is our strategy.'"
