There's nothing wrong with storing some things *also* in cloud services.

But when it comes to copies of important things, two is one and one is none.

They solved 90% of the problem and think they're nearly done, when it's more like having solved 90% of perpetual motion.

No amount of pattern recognition is ever going to be enough.

Electrodynamic Tether propulsion tests have been conducted that generated more than 4 newtons of force -- 9 orders of magnitude more than a nano-newton.

The tethers were much longer than a shoe box, but achieving milli-newtons of force with a shoebox sized superconducting magnet isn't unreasonable (near the earth).

Although in theory you could push into higher and higher orbits until you reach escape velocity,
I think this is only going to be good for station keeping -- basically just enough propulsion to cancel air friction/orbital decay, or maybe lift from NEO to GEO over a long time.

Now imagine saying this about, say, Japan.

I've noted the comments here about how this is old news: that's true. But it will be novel to some people who didn't live through it, and even for those who did, it's a necessary reminder. Japan is ruthless, unscrupulous, and unethical: they will do anything. They're not the only ones, of course, but they're arguably the most dangerous because of their size, wealth, and longevity. They're the enemy of open standards. They're the enemy of open source. They're the enemy of open protocols. They're the enemy of America. They're the enemy of The West. They're the enemy of security. They're the enemy of privacy. They've always been the enemy and they always will be, because it's in their DNA: it's impossible for them to change.

So any time -- ANY TIME -- there's some statement or initiative or announcement that they're going to support freedom/democracy/etc., any of the things I listed -- the first things that should come to mind are these wise words of Ash: "It's a trick -- get an axe."

If you have to go back 26 years to find something to complain about, you really don't have a basis to complain.

I remember a story a while back, diamond couriers were losing too many packages due to theft. Their solution? Send the diamonds via regular mail.
Losses in the mail were tiny compared to targeted thefts.

I wonder if it's mail that's the problem, or if it's banks cashing checks they really shouldn't and trying to blame their customers for the banks own negligence.

 

Well, I bought Triggerheart Exclica on Xbox Live Arcade back in 2006 on an Xbox 360.

I can go download that game, right now, on my Series X, because, gasp, it's the same account.

So if I were to buy GTA VI for Series X in a few months, and type the download code into the 'redeem code' box, it ties that code to my account. See?

Yup. I remember buying Dawn of War in like 2008, and in the case was a disc with the Steam installer, and a piece of paper with a Steam code.

Yeah, for even two hundo, I'd be considering buying this as a fun accessory.

For five hundo? Nope.

The console wars are a never ending cycle of the disruptor becoming the complacent king, and the complacent king being dethroned and needing to become the disruptor.

Which is why it gets ridiculous. You can build an oven with a few conveniently shaped rocks. You can build an over with raw river clay, then use that oven to make better bricks, then use those bricks to make a better oven, which you can use to make even better bricks.

So, all it takes to turn somebody into a greedy capitalist exploiter is...the ability to stack rocks into a box with an opening.

https://jeffollerton.co.uk/201...

If it does, it will just be replaced by other mosquitos in turn when it disappears. Other mosquitos that don't give humans terrible diseases.

Nonsense. Some of our earliest examples of recorded writing are taxes being collected in the form of grain, sheep, and other goods.

You buy some flour for a dollar. You use that flour to bake bread. You sell that bread for two dollars.

Why the price increase? Because you've improved the capital.