I don't wonder about space exploration in general. I wonder if manned deep-space flights serve any practical purpose at this point. With current propulsion technologies, it seems they would just be suicide missions. Plus, the added cost created by the additional weight of life-support systems, food, water, etc.

However, unmanned missions to scout (and possibly mine) elements and minerals from asteroids, etc. will likely be necessary within our lifetimes given how we are just consuming resources on Earth like there's no tomorrow. Also, the benefits of research that can be performed (again, by unmanned probes) could be tremendous.

I was not aware of the 1-2 billion dollar cost of a single flight. I haven't really kept on top of it - I have just figured that NASA's projects have been dead, due to lack of funding and lack of interest in science in general here in the US. That cost, as you mention, is clearly a concern given our infrastructure is falling apart and our schools absolutely suck. As much as I'm for space exploration and the spinoff technologies, that money could probably be better invested elsewhere.

The whole thing is probably served up by ad servers. To a group of people who most likely have multiple layers of ad blocking. Know your userbase much, Dice?

We should have been at this point about 10-15 years ago, when the shuttles were already past their expected usable life, but still in service. Now, the question is, is there really any practical reason for manned deep-space flights at this point? That will be the hard sell. A way to get to the ISS without thumbing a ride will certainly be a plus!

Looking at the list of songs and artists in Exhibit A, I would say they've been punished enough.

It also explains why the recording industry is in the toilet.

The discussion turns to Kim Kardashian? On Slashdot?!

Quote of the day at the bottom of the page (at least for me):

Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will be dear to you. -- Thomas Jefferson

A few years ago, a couple of guys I work with were in serious credit trouble. I told them to each cut up a credit card. They didn't want to, so I rounded up about 4 other engineers, and we all broke out a credit card and cut them up at the same time.

Some of the gals from customer service walked by as we did it, and they started acting like we were slaughtering puppies! For weeks they said that they couldn't believe we would do that! It was pretty hilarious, yet pathetic at the same time.

There is some truth to this. I have lived essentially debt-free for 10 years now. I have a few credit cards with no balance on them, and occasionally will finance a car, which gets paid off in 50-60% of the term of the loan.

Over this time, all other things have been equal with my credit history, but each time I take out an installment loan, my FICO score goes up 20 - 30 points over 3-4 months. Once the loan is paid off, it drops down again over about a year.

I bought a new motorcycle over the winter, and financed part of it. FICO score is on the rise again! But in a year, it will be falling again, as the loan will be paid off.

Also, a few years ago, during the rash of bank bailouts, I had several credit cards cancelled for 'lack of activity'. I'm sure it was the banks trying to improve their balance sheets to make it look like they did something with the bailout money other than steal it.

Don't worry -

:-)

Women's shelters and animal shelters are where all of my charitable donations (items, money, time) go. Our motorcycle club has poker runs and such to raise money for Home of the Sparrow, a local shelter for women with children escaping (usually abusive) relationships.

Don't know if I'll be coming back after the boycott. Probably like most of us.

Apparently not much, at least not to stockholders: http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:TGT

Back the time window up to 12/13-12/17. I would wager the small dip in value was seen as an opportunity to buy, especially in the Christmas season. Also, one of the the wonders of automated trading.

The redirect can be avoided by setting a parameter via the URL: http://slashdot.org/?nobeta=1

Update your bookmark/link and you're good to go, old school!

Thanks for all of that information. In any case, it is kind of fun running 30 year old software at the start of a class to show the beginnings of the spreadsheet...

By the way, you can download a working copy of Visicalc from Dan Bricklin's website: http://www.danbricklin.com/history/vcexecutable.htm

(It is really just a curiosity at this point...)

I was thinking it was still an 8088 - too long ago to remember, too lazy to look it up! :-)