Re: Hey, can we can this?
Joe Hale wrote: Why can't you just kick Jeroen out of the group? For one, because we are tolerant. If we'd kick people of for disagreeing or for being pigheaded there wouldn't be that many people around to discuss with anymore. And I wouldn't wanne mis some of the more colorfull figures on the list who had heated debates in the past without showing a sign of insight or a clue as to the other side of the argument. :o) Sonja ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: This Message Is For Male Brinellers Only
At 19:18 06-10-2002 -0400, Jim Sharkey wrote: Guys, if our female significant others find out about this, we are in dp trouble... Sometimes I wonder about you, Jeroen. Your wife is the only SO on here that I know of, so aren't you the only one who get screwed by this? ;) Not really -- unless the CNN website can only be accessed by Brinellers. :-) Jeroen One World, With Liberty And Internet Access For All van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hey, can we can this?
At 20:39 06-10-2002 -0400, Jon Gabriel wrote: But I do believe my conversation with Jeroen is indicative of a larger problem that I think should be addressed. We've had many people here, About three or four, IIRC. Hardly many. myself included, who have complained that when Jeroen argues a point he does not accept standard definitions of terms or substantiation from a widely accepted authority when they disagree with his position. This effectively makes having reasonable conversations with him impossible, since he refuses to accept he's wrong. As I have pointed out before in this discussion, I am not saying the most common interpretation of the word anti-Semite is *wrong*, I am arguing that it is not the *only* valid interpretation -- something you seem to refuse to accept. I think this discussion could be much more fruitful if others would be willing to accept that their definition of a word is not necessarily the only valid one. I'd be happy to can the discussion, except that if I walk away from this conversation, *I'll* be accused by him of not answering his questions. That is an easy problem to solve. Answer the questions. I have tried to answer questions to the best of my ability, so it seems only reasonable you do the same. Jeroen Have them on my desk by 8 AM tomorrow van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Hey, can we can this?
At 20:58 06-10-2002 -0400, Joe Hale wrote: Why can't you just kick Jeroen out of the group? Because that is not the way we handle differences here. If we start removing people because they hold a minority viewpoint, sooner or later we are going to run out of members. GRIN Jeroen Here to stay van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cars, air
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The greatest value in zero emission vehicles is in centralizing harmful emissions. Moving the exhaust source from the tailpipe to the smokestack gives the ability to control and position emissions so they don't impact urban airsheds in the same way. Although they may not limit total emissions, planners now have the abilty to apply more efficient pollution controls and distribute it over a larger area. While this may not affect global warming, it may make Houston smell better. :) The largest problem in any of these initiatives still is the storage. In order to store a certain amount of energy you need a battery. Batteries are neither cheap nor clean. They rely on heavy metals and acids. And countrary to popular believe recycling of batteries isn't simple. The limited lifecycle of rechargeble batteries is also a big problem, since recycling of those is very difficult due to the nature of the materials they are made from. Wind has been far less subsidized than nuclear and has been growing at a phenominal rate over the past 10 or so years. Worldwide wind energy output doubling every 3 years or something like that. While i don't buy into many conspiracy theories of oil companies suppressing innovation in transportation or power generation, I do believe they purvey the image that it is inefficient, experimental and only of interest to engineering students and tree-huggers. However, for oil companies and politicians, everything is PR, right? :) Renewable energy is getting bigger. Denmark is currently the leader in Europe as to the percentage of it's energy gained from especially large off-shore and also on land wind-mill installations. The Netherlands is starting to catch up. What started as a small initiative is getting bigger, less subsidezed and more commonplace by the day. Sonja ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
cookies
I don't get it. Why do they use these horrendous amounts of cookies in websites. It sure as hel is not for my convenience anyway. I just logged on to my internet based mail and had to aknowledge over 80 !! cookies to get in and even more to get out. Now that netscape is in the hands of AOL it is becoming more and more annoying. And no, I won't let them park those darn things on this puter automatically. I wanne know what they dump here. Unfortunatly I couldn't get into the mailserver with Opera, probably because they know I can dump the cookies after a session with Opera. Some of the cookies are going to expire somewhere in 1970 !? Huh? Sonja I hate cookies.. unless they are covered in chocolate that is. ;o) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: American Dreams
One person's dream can be another person's nightmare. ;o) Sonja GCV: Just couldn't resist that one. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cookies
From: Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten [EMAIL PROTECTED] I don't get it. Why do they use these horrendous amounts of cookies in websites. It sure as hel is not for my convenience anyway. I just logged on to my internet based mail and had to aknowledge over 80 !! cookies to get in and even more to get out. Now that netscape is in the hands of AOL it is becoming more and more annoying. And no, I won't let them park those darn things on this puter automatically. I wanne know what they dump here. Unfortunatly I couldn't get into the mailserver with Opera, probably because they know I can dump the cookies after a session with Opera. Some of the cookies are going to expire somewhere in 1970 !? Huh? Sonja I hate cookies.. unless they are covered in chocolate that is. ;o) Proxomitron can make all cookies session only. Try cookie pal: www.kburra.com You can change your user agent so that it days your browser / OS is different than it actually is. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The T-word . . .
From: Ronn Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] Am I back on-line? Better yet, am I back to stay this time, or will my machine crash again in a day or two like it did the last time? Buy Windows NT 4.0. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Article on Transparency/Brin
I got this from the NY Times this morning. It mentions David Brin, about 2/3 of the way down. ---David Hobby -- Demanding Roof and Seasons. : ) -- Protesting the Big Brother Lens, Little Brother Turns an Eye Blind October 7, 2002 By JOHN MARKOFF SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 6 - Confronted with the unblinking eyes of surveillance cameras, Michael Naimark believes he can hide in plain sight with the aid of a $1 laser pointer. Mr. Naimark, a Silicon Valley artist and technologist, decided to try turning the tables on what he saw as the potential for Big Brother surveillance after the Sept. 11 attacks. His is a Little Brother response: using inexpensive laser pointers to temporarily blind those omnipresent electronic eyes. He plans to post his 13-page, single-spaced treatise on the subject this week on his Web site, www.naimark.net. The question `if a camera's aimed at me can I not be in the image?' became a haunting obsession, he said. The answer is yes. But in these security-conscious times, one person's civil liberties can be another's shortsighted anarchy. It's possible that Harry Potter's invisibility cloak may not be viewed as a good thing for the community, said Kevin Kelly, an editor at Wired magazine. We have laws prohibiting jamming police radar. It will be interesting to see if camera-jamming becomes illegal. Nonetheless, Mr. Naimark's obsession is emblematic of a national debate that is growing as video cameras proliferate - a proliferation that results both from falling monitoring costs, made possible by the Internet, and increasing safety concerns in the face of crime and terrorism. In his research, Mr. Naimark discovered that there was already military literature widely available about using lasers to blind sensors, and that it was relatively simple to become invisible in front the cameras that now watch over many public spaces in this country. I began by aiming an inexpensive laser pointer directly into the lens of a video camera, he writes. The results were striking. The tiny beam neutralized regions of the camera sensor far larger than the actual size of the beam. Properly aimed, it could block a far-away camera from seeing anything inside of a large window. While Mr. Naimark acknowledged that he had some ethical discomfort about his project because his information could be useful to terrorists, he decided to go ahead. My interest and motivation is to provide the creative community with some stimulating and provoking stuff, he writes. These are stimulating and provoking times. In recent weeks there have been a growing number of incidents involving video-surveillance cameras, ranging from the mother who recently surrendered after she was recorded hitting her 4-year-old daughter in an Indiana parking lot to a man who filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the Marriott hotel chain last month after discovering a video camera hidden in a bathroom light fixture. The growing reliance on surveillance is giving some of the pioneers of the video camera industry second thoughts. I have lots of worries about how this technology is being used, said John Graham, who is the founder of BroadWare Technologies, a Cupertino, Calif., maker of software for video-camera networks, and who was one of the first researchers to send audio and video over the Internet. I've become Big Brother, but I didn't mean to be, Mr. Graham said. It's just that there's no money in education or scientific collaboration. The rush to surveillance in the wake of Sept. 11 is revitalizing a growing group of civil liberties activists who, like Mr. Naimark, are determined to limit the spread of networks of inexpensive video cameras that are appearing in virtually all public spaces. In New York City, the Surveillance Camera Players, a guerrilla theatre troupe, is placing hand-drawn maps of video camera locations on the Internet and staging brief politically inspired performances in front of the cameras. The group was co-founded by Bill Brown, an American literature scholar, who said the troupe was sympathetic to Mr. Naimark's opposition to the ubiquitous video eyes but took a different tack, highlighting the emerging surveillance world through a series of street parodies. His methods are quite different from ours, Mr. Brown said. We're philosophical anarchists. We never engage in illegal activity, but we believe the greatest weakness of those who operate the surveillance systems is that they require secrecy. One person who said he occasionally sees Mr. Brown's group perform is Brian Curry, the chief executive and founder of EarthCam, based in New York City, which makes surveillance camera systems and operates a network of seven cameras aimed at
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Erik Reuter wrote: So is your point that we shouldn't spend resources on Iraq; rather we should attack Saudi Arabia? Yes - instead of dropping threatening leaflets that will make iraqis laugh, you should be dropping porn leaflets over Saudi Arabia. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Dan Minette wrote: The reason I'm not sure is that the first time I read his name I knew that he is of an Indian descent. Well, that just shows how much more astute you are than I am. I guessed he was Irish. :-) I thought that Mukunda was african. And that Ritu was polinesian :-) Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Surnames [was: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack]
Ritu Ko wrote: Nope. But I am not really that astute. Most Indians can take a look at that name and tell you about the caste of Gautam's father [and hence, Gautam's]. There are studies here in Brazil showing some correlation between surnames and skin colour. For example, surnames that derive from Christian themes were originally assigned to blacks that got freedom. Surnames that derive from professions derive from Jews that were forced into Christianity. Surnames that derive from Nature themes derive from native-brazilians. Alberto Vieira Ferreira Monteiro [:-)] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Surnames [was: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack]
Alberto Monteiro wrote: Nope. But I am not really that astute. Most Indians can take a look at that name and tell you about the caste of Gautam's father [and hence, Gautam's]. There are studies here in Brazil showing some correlation between surnames and skin colour. For example, surnames that derive from Christian themes were originally assigned to blacks that got freedom. Surnames that derive from professions derive from Jews that were forced into Christianity. Surnames that derive from Nature themes derive from native-brazilians. Alberto Vieira Ferreira Monteiro [:-)] And what is that supposed to tell me about you? :) Ritu GCU Ignorant ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Brin accused of being from another planet!?
Excerpt from article: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/07/technology/07ZZAP.html?todaysheadlines Protesting the Big Brother Lens, Little Brother Turns an Eye Blind By JOHN MARKOFF snip That is not the view of a group of privacy advocates in Washington, who are suing the Metropolitan Police Department under the Freedom of Information Act to force disclosure of technical information about a network of video cameras that has been established in the city. The value of video cameras to improve safety and detect terrorists has been greatly overrated, according to Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington. Like the Surveillance Camera Players, Mr. Rotenberg said he worries that while Internet-viewable cameras might offer entertainment, there are other networks of private and law enforcement cameras that collect information secretly on behalf of the government. There has been a reduction in privacy and there has been an expansion in government secrecy, he said. We give up our privacy, but we don't gain openness in exchange. That view contrasts sharply with that of David Brin, a physicist and author who has argued that universally accessible cameras will increase transparency in modern society without encroaching on traditional civil liberties. My metaphor is that databases are expansions of human memory and the cameras are the extension of human vision, he said, adding that the challenge is to make certain that new laws have provisions for watching the watchers. Such a viewpoint upsets other civil libertarians, who see the growing encroachment of video cameras as simply deepening the power of law enforcement and society's elites. I sometimes wonder if I'm living on the same planet as David Brin, said Philip E. Agre, an associate professor of information studies at the University of California at Los Angeles. Everyone can watch the common people, but that has nothing to do with the political question of who can watch the powerful. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Surnames
Ritu Ko wrote: Alberto Vieira Ferreira Monteiro [:-)] And what is that supposed to tell me about you? :) That I should be jew - all of these surnames come from professions. But there is a lot of mixing in Brazil. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin accused of being from another planet!?
In a message dated 10/7/2002 6:38:08 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I sometimes wonder if I'm living on the same planet as David Brin, said Philip E. Agre, an associate professor of information studies at the University of California at Los Angeles. Everyone can watch the common people, but that has nothing to do with the political question of who can watch the powerful. I'm living on the same planet as David Brin. Good T-shirt slogan to wear as you walk through Times Square. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Erik Reuter wrote: On Sun, Oct 06, 2002 at 08:55:30PM -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Actually, if you're a woman, there are *much* suckier rulers to live under. (Or die under.) Saudi Arabia, for a biggie. Iraqi women enjoy greater freedoms than women in almost all other Mideast countries. So is your point that we shouldn't spend resources on Iraq; rather we should attack Saudi Arabia? No, that suckiness is all relative, depending on who you are. If suckiness of life is the criteria by which we pick countries to attack, then Iraq maybe shouldn't be at the top of the list, but that's *not* the criteria by which we pick countries to attack. The article I was remembering, and that David found and posted, said it a lot better. This paragraph in particular: Still, we shouldn't demonize all of Iraq - just its demon of a ruler - and it's worth pondering this contrast between an enemy that empowers women and allies that repress them. This gap should shame us as well as these allies, reminding us to use our political capital to nudge Arab countries to respect the human rights not just of Kurds or Shiites, but also of women. I don't know how far we'll get with using political capital to help the women of Saudi Arabia, but anything we *can* do in that regard that might improve their lives would be helpful. We won't have to worry about *that* aspect of society-building afterwards if we invade Iraq. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cookies
Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten wrote: Sonja I hate cookies.. unless they are covered in chocolate that is. ;o) So, you don't like the lemon-frosted kind? M, lemon-frosted cookies. drool Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Ritu Ko wrote: Dan M. wrote: Well, that just shows how much more astute you are than I am. I guessed he was Irish. :-) chuckle With a name like Gautam Mukunda? Nope. But I am not really that astute. Most Indians can take a look at that name and tell you about the caste of Gautam's father [and hence, Gautam's]. That is one art I have never really picked up - no interest, y'see. :) Actually, I think it would be the caste of Gautam's *grandfather*. :) The way it was explained to me how surnames go in India (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) is that your surname is your father's given name. In the US, your surname is your father's surname. So, if Gautam's father came to the US from India, his surname would be his father's name. Since Gautam was born in the US, his surname would be his father's surname, or his grandfather's name. Julia Diversity In Naming Conventions Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Whoops, in my reply, I'd snipped a bunch of stuff that Erik had said, and to be fair, I think I ought to respond to all that he said in his post. Here it is: Erik Reuter wrote: That does not seem a good plan. For one thing, the grounds for attacking SA are less. They haven't violated a treaty is a biggie; they haven't invaded another country is another. Actually, a good strategy to start some change in SA is probably to help build Iraq into a democracy with a thriving economy. Iraq has a lot of oil that isn't being efficiently used. If it were, it would take away a lot of market power and money from Saudi Arabia. As Deborah pointed out some time ago, changes in Iraq could destabilize countries like Saudi Arabia. I agree with you on the treaty/invasion part. IF we can build Iraq into a democracy, it'll do a lot of good for a lot of people in that part of the world in the long run. I'm just not entirely sure of Bush-43's ability to get a democracy built. I'm hoping he'll pleasantly surprise me on this one. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Surnames [was: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack]
Julia Thompson wrote: The way it was explained to me how surnames go in India (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) is that your surname is your father's given name. This is the way arabs names are formed. If I were arab, my name would be ... Alberto Carlos Alberto el-Rio de Janeiro ... something like first name father's 1st name grandfather's 1st name el-city where I was born In the US, your surname is your father's surname. Yes, in English speaking countries you don't inherit any surname from the mother side. In Spanish or Portuguese speaking contries, you get both the father family name and the mother family name [or even a composed family name]. But Spanish names place the father's surname first. The only illogical part of this name system is that the mother's surname comes from the mother's father, instead of the mt-DNA's mother's mother. If I were the Evil Overlord of the world, I would force everybody to change the surnames to a logical system: ... given name(s) mt-DNA surname(s) [honorific surname] chromosome Y's surname(s) Where given name(s) are the first name, optionally followed by father's and grandfather's name; and the optional honorific surname would point that this name has been used instead of the Y-surname for some time [example: if there was adoption] Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The T-word . . .
Ronn Blankenship wrote: Am I back on-line? Better yet, am I back to stay this time, or will my machine crash again in a day or two like it did the last time? Reinstalling Windows over and over and over is _so_ much fun, especially when you have to guess each time what is keeping it from working and what has to be changed to make it work the next time, without doing worse damage . . . At least I hope I can fix the remaining problems that are causing error messages before one of them causes more serious trouble . . . No wonder they call the little arrow on the screen a cursor . . . I'm clueless as to just what the T-word is. Maybe it'll come to me sometime in the next 3 hours, but then again, it might not. Just in case, would you like to clue me in? :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Julia Thompson wrote: Actually, I think it would be the caste of Gautam's *grandfather*. :) The way it was explained to me how surnames go in India (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) is that your surname is your father's given name. The naming convention are different in different parts of India. The convention you have described does hold true for parts of South India. But since Gautam had mentioned that his family originally came from Kashmir, I'm assuming that they follow the naming convention common in North India. Which is that your surname is your father's surname. Only Gautam can tell us for sure. :) Ritu ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Theism, atheism, and in-between
On Tue, 1 Oct 2002, Reggie Bautista wrote: One of the biggest problem I have with current organized Christianity and many of it's supporters is that they say God is omniscient, omnipotent, and just sort of generally infinite or trans-finite, and but then they start putting in limits. I say, if S/He/It is infinite in any form, then there is no possible human, finite description that can encompass all of God. In other words, you are correct in saying that projecting a limited definition would be a theistic fallacy, but I personally don't buy into those limited definitions, and neither do many others. Speaking for myself, I find it impossible to use the word God without also buying into or implying the kinds of moral, religious, and metaphysical assumptions - limited definitions - about which I want to ask questions. I know that the range of possible interpretations of the word are hugely broad, but I find that to inquire about the nature of God - as opposed to the nature of human beings and religion and of how they relate to one another and to the universe at large - is to automatically assume that talking about God is the correct approach to understanding life, the universe, and everything . . . and it's that assumption itself which I find I don't wish to take for granted. And which, IMO, erodes quickly the more one looks and similarities and differences between peoples and belief systems. YMMV, of course. There is an old Celtic belief quoted frequently in modern stories that are set in ancient Celtic times; Never mock the face by which someone finds God. It's a recognition that there are many names, many aspects, of God (or The Goddess or the gods or however you wish to refer to that which is divine), but they are all just aspects of an underlying whole. Modern ecumenicism of the type Dan describes seems to embrace this ethos to some degree. The basics of many religions are the same, they just vary in the details. The important thing is not the specific history of the religion, it's the spirituality of the individual. Well, I have no desire to mock anybody - I certainly don't think less of family and friends because of their religious beliefs - but neither am I prepared to work on the assumption that the ancient Celts had the best possible perspective on life, the universe, and everything. :-) Marvin Long Austin, Texas Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, LLP (Formerly the USA) Two bits, four bits, six bits, a peso. If you're for Zorro, stand up and say so! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Theism, atheism, and in-between
On Tue, 1 Oct 2002, Deborah Harrell wrote: I'd like to learn more about the Buddhist approach as well - anyone have books to recommend? (Someone mentioned one in an earlier post, but I don't think the author's name was given.) The best book describing Buddhist practice and goals with an absolute minimum of ritual and metaphysics that I know of is, Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. There are of course lots of books about Zen Buddhism by DT Suzuki and other authors, and boatloads of books about Tibetan Buddhism by the Dalai Lama and others. (I suspect that Tibetan Buddhism is not especially representative of Buddhism in general, though, because of its unique history and situation.) An author I've heard good things about but not read is Thich Nhat Hanh. Two good websites are: www.vipassana.com www.buddhanet.net I think it's worth noting that almost everything about Buddhism appears to be open to some degree of debate depending on what sect you're dealing with, but what I've read suggests there's a fair amount on conformity on the basics overall. Another good book is Thank you and OK! An American Zen Failure in Japan by David Chadwick. This is a memoir that gives a fun and touching account of being a Zen monk and also a lay Buddhist in Japan. It's interesting to observe how the lines of Buddhism as such and ornery Japanese-ness and ornery American-ness all get blurred. Suffering (i.e. hilarity) ensues. :-) Marvin Long Austin, Texas Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, LLP (Formerly the USA) Two bits, four bits, six bits, a peso. If you're for Zorro, stand up and say so! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cars, air
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: There will be no overnight switch to electric vehicles. This does not diminish their potential. I agree. There's so much underlying technology to change before they're widespread. William Taylor wrote: #%$@# recharge. Swap out the battery pack(s) every 50 miles light load, to every 20 miles max load. Every 20 miles?! Could you imagine stopping every 20 miles and filling up the tank with gas? Make it 300 miles between battery changes and you could have a sellable car. -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scirth vs GP Hull
Joe Hale wrote: I know this is a David Brin mailing list, but I have a question about the Known Space universe: Which is stronger, scrith or a General Products hull? Does anybody know? Any opinions? I would say a GP hull is stronger, as there is a cannonical reference in _Ringworld_ where scrith is stretched and punctured by an asteroid impact, whereas a GP hull has never demonstrated a structural integrity failure from stress. Antimatter on the other hand, has been shown to destroy a GP hull. Also, the things *inside* the hull can be flattened by forces such as strong gravity or an impact... -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
De : [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Objet : Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant) Just expect that no matter how spectacular or how close to the book the movie Startide Rising is going to be, someone you know is going to say, It was OK. What's next? The only way to avoid this would be to make a movie which has excellent an excellent scenario, fun dialogues, great acting, a hint of symbolism. If the quality of the movie depends on the effects, of course it won't take long for it to be outdated. I guess the best example of a science fiction movie that won't die is _2001 : A Space Odyssey_. It has an original storyline, good acting, a fantastic soundtrack, and a finale that makes you go What the ?!? Honestly, I don't believe that _Startide Rising_ can give birth to that kind of a movie. The story is too action driven. It could be, however, a movie on par with _Star Wars_. Basically a good action movie with believable characters. What makes the original _Star Wars_ so good and the new ones so bland isn't the special effects: it's the characters themselves. Each main character has flaws : Luke is a somewhat gullible idealist, Leia is a bit snobby and Han is arrogant. Even the droids are quirky. We love them because of that. _Star Wars_ is at its best in _The Empire Strikes Back_ when Han is about to be frozen and Leia admits to loving him: Han answers I know. Neither we or Leia would love him as much if he had answered anything else. I haven't read _Startide Rising_ in a long time, so I won't go into detail about the characters. I just think that there is a need to establish that the clients of humanity should appear to be a bit inferior to the humans, except for the truly exceptional like Credeiki and the chimp. Even they, and the humans, need their flaws so that the public can identify with them and truly feel the tragedy of losing Credeiki and the heroicness of the crew in general. Jean-Louis Couturier ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Ritu Ko wrote: I also find it amazing that 9/11 doesn't seem to have made the American strategists aware of the emotions that are aroused when one's country is attacked or threatened. :) It did, but unfortunately that only seemed to have lasted for about two weeks. Frankly I'm amazed that things have been allowed to get as bad as they have. It certainly suggests that our strategic and political leaders have a much, much different agenda than anyone I know. -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Exerpt from book on Enron demise
_Pipe Dreams: Greed Ego and the Death of Enron_ by Robert Bryce will be released tomorrow. There's an excerpt at http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/business_1.html I'd recommend that anyone interested in the Enron debacle read at least this excerpt; if it's representative of practices at Enron, no *wonder* the stock price went so ridiculously high, only to bottom out when the Emperor's lack of clothes was revealed. (I don't think that particular link will be good tomorrow. If need be, I can dig up a longer-lived link then.) I'm not wanting to spend the $27.50 to get it tomorrow, but I may look for it used at Half-Price Books starting later this month. If I get to reading it in anything approximating a timely manner, I'll try to post my thoughts on it. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cars, air
In a message dated 10/7/2002 10:17:35 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: There will be no overnight switch to electric vehicles. This does not diminish their potential. I agree. There's so much underlying technology to change before they're widespread. William Taylor wrote: #%$@# recharge. Swap out the battery pack(s) every 50 miles light load, to every 20 miles max load. Every 20 miles?! Could you imagine stopping every 20 miles and filling up the tank with gas? Make it 300 miles between battery changes and you could have a sellable car. -- Matt 300 miles between pack changes would be wonderful. But that would be with one or two people. It'd probably still go down to 200 with 4 people. Now add a 1,000 lb trailer. It would probably be 100 miles. Forget the commuter. Think SCA event or SF con. That's a maximum load vehicle. Nobody sane drives a car at the max load all the time. (Except SCA and SF people.) For the above partial quote, I was thinking of the worst case scenario using today's batteries. And the full quote was to only finally even consider an electric vehicle as a SECOND car. William Taylor with an Astro van with 380k miles on its second engine. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
In a message dated 10/7/2002 10:42:29 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What makes the original _Star Wars_ so good and the new ones so bland isn't the special effects: it's the characters themselves. Translation: GL ran out of Japanese samurai movies and British WWII movies to take the plots from. ;-) Brin has said Sundiver would be a much easier movie to make. But it isn't what the public wants. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Pun Fight! (was: Re: English, was: Intellectual output from the Arab World)
Deborah Harrell wrote: Still trying off and on to access this site. And no, as you are apparently the unofficial Linkmaster, asking is quite logical. :D Dan Minette wrote: If I were the link master, then I'd name my site www.porkouttoday.com As it is, I have mutton to do with that site. :-) Matt Grimaldi wrote: Hmmph, cattle be the day! Robert Seeberger wrote: Wassamatter? Chicken? When pigs fly! I'm not the one who hasn't mustard enough courage. I've already gone out of the frying pan and into the fire. Y'all need to catsup. I dare ya! No, I triple 'dog dare ya! :-) -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hey, can we can this?
Joe Hale wrote: Why can't you just kick Jeroen out of the group? Jeroen is not the one being abusive in this round. Nobody is. Yet. However, some have gotten pretty close to the line. It would be unconscionable to kick someone off the list just because they're being stubborn and/or just because they disagree with whatever pet viewpoint you have. -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Hey, can we pun this? (humor)
In a message dated 10/7/02 11:25:14 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: just because they disagree with whatever pet viewpoint you have. The worst pet viewpoint is when you're checking the pet's sex. William Taylor -- They were thinking of doing the Hoonymooners on Jijo--but it's just not as funny when you have to choose one of three moons after Bang, zoom... ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cars, air
William Taylor wrote: (snip) I was thinking of the worst case scenario using today's batteries. And the full quote was to only finally even consider an electric vehicle as a SECOND car. That does make more sense, or to use an electric car strictly as a commuter car. That kind of performance hit when driving with a load would ruin it as a replacement car unless you were to use a rental for the long distance/heavily loaded trips. -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The T-word . . .
on 7/10/02 1:04 pm, Gary Nunn at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The Fool wrote. Buy Windows NT 4.0. or better yet, get a stable and powerful O/S and buy Windows 2000 Professional. Why would you need to buy Windows 2000 Professional as well? -- William T Goodall [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: cars, air
In a message dated 10/7/02 11:57:01 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: That does make more sense, or to use an electric car strictly as a commuter car. I also believe in ICETEA. Independently computed efficiency of tonnage on each automobile. That other drink just leads to unsafe tissue paper. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Message Is For Male Brinellers Only
At 09:49 07-10-2002 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Now, there are times when everything else is *not* being equal, and I have to unload and load the dishwasher 3 or 4 times in a row before Dan does both tasks, and then he'll either crow about it or complain when I don't notice. :) Hey, us men would appreciate some recognition for our work too, you know! :-) Jeroen And now, back to studying van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
At 09:58 07-10-2002 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: The way it was explained to me how surnames go in India (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) is that your surname is your father's given name. In the US, your surname is your father's surname. Until recently, in The Netherlands a child would always get its father's surname. Nowadays, however, parents can choose whether Junior gets the mother's or the father's surname. If the parents have no preference, Junior gets his father's surname. Jeroen Dutch Perspective van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Surnames [was: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack]
At 12:09 07-10-2002 -0300, Alberto Monteiro wrote: If I were the Evil Overlord of the world, I would force everybody to change the surnames to a logical system: ... given name(s) mt-DNA surname(s) [honorific surname] chromosome Y's surname(s) Nah. When I become Overlord of the world, I will introduce a much more efficient system. Since we are all registered as a number in various databases anyway, everyone's surname will be a number as well (but, being a Benign Overlord, I will allow you to choose a first name yourself). I intend to give everyone a number that consists of their birthday plus a counter. For example, if you were the 137th person who was born on December 7, 1988, your full name would be first name 19881207000137. Jeroen 19670323023006 __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Baby's surname Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
J. van Baardwijk wrote: At 09:58 07-10-2002 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: The way it was explained to me how surnames go in India (and you can correct me if I'm wrong) is that your surname is your father's given name. In the US, your surname is your father's surname. Until recently, in The Netherlands a child would always get its father's surname. Nowadays, however, parents can choose whether Junior gets the mother's or the father's surname. If the parents have no preference, Junior gets his father's surname. That's a reasonable way of doing it. I have married friends who changed their last names. I won't use their real names, just letter variables to illustrate. :) His was M A; hers was N B; they changed their names to M A-X and N B-X, and their child is P X. We got all kinds of funny looks from the nurses when we were looking for Baby X just after she was born; they had her listed as Baby B. (I guess they were trying to match the baby with the mother's name. I know that the baby is covered under the mother's health insurance for the first 30 days after it's born, which is kind of a hassle when everyone in the family is covered under the *father's* health insurance, and they go bug the *mother* when there's a problem with the insurance, which is what happened with us after Sammy was born. They'd tell Dan they needed to talk to me, then I'd talk to them, and since it was about the insurance that Dan was in charge of handling, I'd have to refer them back to them, which was extremely annoying as I was tired and rather fried from having recently given birth) In DC, there was a law passed that if a woman was married, the baby *had* to be given the father's last name. This law was challenged recently by a married couple who wanted their baby to have the mother's last name. I can't remember where I read about it, but I thought it was rather annoying of them to be dictating that sort of thing, even if they were doing so under the best of intentions. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
I disagree. The characters in Star Wars are cardboard cutouts. The plot is pure space opera. What made Star Wars great was the special effects and the music. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 2:09 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant) In a message dated 10/7/2002 10:42:29 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What makes the original _Star Wars_ so good and the new ones so bland isn't the special effects: it's the characters themselves. Translation: GL ran out of Japanese samurai movies and British WWII movies to take the plots from. ;-) Brin has said Sundiver would be a much easier movie to make. But it isn't what the public wants. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Scirth vs GP Hull
Yes, I've come to the same conclusion. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Matt Grimaldi Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 1:25 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Scirth vs GP Hull Joe Hale wrote: I know this is a David Brin mailing list, but I have a question about the Known Space universe: Which is stronger, scrith or a General Products hull? Does anybody know? Any opinions? I would say a GP hull is stronger, as there is a cannonical reference in _Ringworld_ where scrith is stretched and punctured by an asteroid impact, whereas a GP hull has never demonstrated a structural integrity failure from stress. Antimatter on the other hand, has been shown to destroy a GP hull. Also, the things *inside* the hull can be flattened by forces such as strong gravity or an impact... -- Matt ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
--- Erik Reuter wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: Actually, if you're a woman, there are *much* suckier rulers to live under. (Or die under.) Saudi Arabia, for a biggie. Iraqi women enjoy greater freedoms than women in almost all other Mideast countries. So is your point that we shouldn't spend resources on Iraq; rather we should attack Saudi Arabia? That does not seem a good plan. For one thing, the grounds for attacking SA are less. They haven't violated a treaty is a biggie; they haven't invaded another country is another. Actually, a good strategy to start some change in SA is probably to help build Iraq into a democracy with a thriving economy. Iraq has a lot of oil that isn't being efficiently used. If it were, it would take away a lot of market power and money from Saudi Arabia. As Deborah pointed out some time ago, changes in Iraq could destabilize countries like Saudi Arabia. I wonder what will happen in the Arab world with the current experiment in Morocco? While a conservative Islamic party increased its number of seats in Parliament, more women were also elected (I don't remember if they reached the king's goal of 10%, or ~ 30) - I posted links previously. How long will it take for cousins and aunts and sisters-in-law-twice-removed to hear about this, and start to think of handling the reins themselves? Debbi 75+ posts to go... __ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos More http://faith.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
In a message dated 10/7/2002 2:38:34 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I disagree. The characters in Star Wars are cardboard cutouts. The plot is pure space opera. What made Star Wars great was the special effects and the music. I take it this is to [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What makes the original _Star Wars_ so good and the new ones so bland isn't the special effects: it's the characters themselves. Maybe we've come full circle. Bland characters in the original Star Wars were carried by the music and special effects. Now that special effects are the norm, they ain't really that special and they can't carry the bad characters. I do want to read Brin's plotline to the final chapter after GL puts his movie out. That should be very interesting William Taylor [EMAIL PROTECTED] Star Wars / Dr. Seuss crossover sex scandal: Yoda lay de Who ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Runaway universe may collapse in 10 billion years
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/02/universe925.html The recent discovery that the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate has led many astronomers to forecast a dark and lonely future for our galaxy. According to some predictions, the rapidly accelerating universe will cause all galaxies to run away from each other until they are no longer visible. In this widely accepted scenario, our own Milky Way will become an isolated island adrift in a sea of totally black space 150 billion years from now. But two new studies by Stanford University cosmologists suggest that it may be time to rethink this popular view of a runaway universe. Instead of expanding exponentially, our cosmos may be in danger of collapsing in a mere 10 to 20 billion years, according to the Stanford team. The standard vision at the moment is that the universe is speeding up, said physics Professor Andrei Linde, so we were surprised to find that a collapse could happen within such a short amount of time. Linde and his wife, Renata Kallosh -- also a professor of physics at Stanford -- have authored two companion studies that raise the possibility of a cosmic big crunch. Both papers are available on the physics research website, www.arXiv.org. We tried our best to come up with a good theory that explains the acceleration of the universe, but ours is just a model, Linde noted. It's just part of the answer. If the Linde-Kallosh model is correct, then the universe, which appears to be accelerating now, will begin to slow down and contract. The universe may be doomed to collapse and disappear, Linde said. Everything we see now, and at a much larger distance that we cannot see, will collapse into a point smaller than a proton. Locally, it will be the same as if you were inside a black hole. You will just discontinue your existence. Einstein's blunder The fate of the cosmos has been hotly debated for decades. In the early 20th century, Albert Einstein, along with most physicists, believed that the universe was static -- even though the equations he developed for his general theory of relativity in 1917 suggested that space itself was either contracting or expanding. To ensure that his new theory was consistent with nature, Einstein invented the cosmological constant: an arbitrary mathematical term he inserted into his equations to guarantee a static universe -- at least on paper. To Einstein, the cosmological constant may have represented some kind of invisible energy that exists in the vacuum of empty space -- a force strong enough to repel the gravitational force exerted by matter. Without this mysterious vacuum energy opposing gravity, the universe eventually would crash in on itself, according to general relativity theory. But observations by astronomer Edwin Hubble and others in the 1920s proved that distant galaxies are not stationary but are, in fact, moving away from one another. Since the universe was expanding, Einstein no longer needed an antigravity factor in his equations, so he rejected the cosmological constant as irrelevant. First Einstein introduced the cosmological constant in his equations, then he said that this was the biggest blunder of his life, Linde observed. But I recently heard that, apparently, he still liked the idea and discussed it many years later -- and continued writing equations that included it. Dark energy Fast-forward to 1998, when two independent teams of astronomers discovered that not only is the universe expanding, it is doing so at an ever-faster pace. Their findings were based on observations of supernovae -- exploding stars that emit extraordinarily bright light. A supernova is a rare event, but new telescopes equipped with sophisticated electronic sensors allowed the research teams to track dozens of stellar explosions in the sky. What they saw astonished the world of astronomy: The supernovae, it turned out, actually were speeding up at a rate that outpaced the predicted gravitational pull of matter. What force could be strong enough to overcome gravity and cause the universe to accelerate? Perhaps Einstein was right all along -- maybe there is some kind of vacuum energy in space. Einstein called it the cosmological constant, and 80 years later, astronomers would give this invisible force a new name -- dark energy. The supernova experiments four years ago confirmed a simple picture of the universe where approximately 30 percent of it is made of matter and 70 percent is made of dark energy -- whatever it is, Linde observed. Overnight, a concept that Einstein had rejected was now considered the dominant force in the universe. The cosmological constant remains one of the biggest mysteries of modern physics, Linde pointed out. Negative energy Current predictions that dark energy will continue to overwhelm gravity and produce a runaway universe are based on the assumption that the total density of dark energy in the universe is greater than zero and will remain so
Re: Surnames
Jeroen wrote: Nah. When I become Overlord of the world, I will introduce a much more efficient system. Since we are all registered as a number in various databases anyway, everyone's surname will be a number as well (but, being a Benign Overlord, I will allow you to choose a first name yourself). I intend to give everyone a number that consists of their birthday plus a counter. For example, if you were the 137th person who was born on December 7, 1988, your full name would be first name 19881207000137. This system has a flaw: it doesn't allow people to be discriminated based upon their ancestry! Discrimination is something that an efficient Evil Overloard can't afford to ban! Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
--- Ritu Ko wrote: See, as an Indian, I do not relish living under the BJP government. However, any attempt by any other country to bring about a change in *my* country's regime [unless they have been specifically invited to do so] would evoke only one reaction, Back off! It's none of your business. I reckon I am not the only person on the planet to feel this way. :) Nope, I have no idea how you feel about living under the BJP government. _I_ live under 'Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft, LLP.' :) GSV Arrogance __ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos More http://faith.yahoo.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Message Is For Male Brinellers Only
Julia Thompson wrote: J. van Baardwijk wrote: At 09:49 07-10-2002 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Now, there are times when everything else is *not* being equal, and I have to unload and load the dishwasher 3 or 4 times in a row before Dan does both tasks, and then he'll either crow about it or complain when I don't notice. :) Hey, us men would appreciate some recognition for our work too, you know! :-) I know, it's just a bit much to ask for extra appreciation for *one* iteration when three or four of *mine* are ignored. :) What you clearly don't understand about men is that we expect a reaction about the same as we would normally reserve for a baby taking his first steps when we do housework without being asked. :) Jim Changed your e-mail? Keep your contacts! Use this free e-mail change of address service from Return Path. Register now! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Message Is For Male Brinellers Only
Jim wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: J. van Baardwijk wrote: At 09:49 07-10-2002 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Now, there are times when everything else is *not* being equal, and I have to unload and load the dishwasher 3 or 4 times in a row before Dan does both tasks, and then he'll either crow about it or complain when I don't notice. :) Hey, us men would appreciate some recognition for our work too, you know! :-) I know, it's just a bit much to ask for extra appreciation for *one* iteration when three or four of *mine* are ignored. :) What you clearly don't understand about men is that we expect a reaction about the same as we would normally reserve for a baby taking his first steps when we do housework without being asked. :) I used to, but I decided that I'd best shut my mouth and do my share. Which I do. In point of fact, I really enjoy the cooking, and cleaning up afterwards means I get to organize the kitchen *my* way. Adam C. Lipscomb Sensitive New Age Guy ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Message Is For Male Brinellers Only
Adam C. Lipscomb wrote: Jim wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: J. van Baardwijk wrote: At 09:49 07-10-2002 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Now, there are times when everything else is *not* being equal, and I have to unload and load the dishwasher 3 or 4 times in a row before Dan does both tasks, and then he'll either crow about it or complain when I don't notice. :) Hey, us men would appreciate some recognition for our work too, you know! :-) I know, it's just a bit much to ask for extra appreciation for *one* iteration when three or four of *mine* are ignored. :) What you clearly don't understand about men is that we expect a reaction about the same as we would normally reserve for a baby taking his first steps when we do housework without being asked. :) I used to, but I decided that I'd best shut my mouth and do my share. Which I do. In point of fact, I really enjoy the cooking, and cleaning up afterwards means I get to organize the kitchen *my* way. At the very least, when you cook and clean up on a regular basis, you know where things are. It's rather annoying to have someone ask for the 3rd time in 2 days where item X is (where item X is the same item in each case). :) We're past that in the settling-in, though. Julia still working out kitchen organization with Dan's help ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
Brin is going to write a plotline to Star Wars III? The same Brin who calls the movies insidious and vile? -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 6:56 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant) In a message dated 10/7/2002 2:38:34 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I disagree. The characters in Star Wars are cardboard cutouts. The plot is pure space opera. What made Star Wars great was the special effects and the music. I take it this is to [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What makes the original _Star Wars_ so good and the new ones so bland isn't the special effects: it's the characters themselves. Maybe we've come full circle. Bland characters in the original Star Wars were carried by the music and special effects. Now that special effects are the norm, they ain't really that special and they can't carry the bad characters. I do want to read Brin's plotline to the final chapter after GL puts his movie out. That should be very interesting William Taylor [EMAIL PROTECTED] Star Wars / Dr. Seuss crossover sex scandal: Yoda lay de Who ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
Joe Hale wrote: Brin is going to write a plotline to Star Wars III? The same Brin who calls the movies insidious and vile? Yes, and this plotline would make a final link between the Uplift Universe and the SW Universe. He will prove that the Jedis are, in fact, the Progenitors that returned, and Yoda is a Buyur. Of course, SW happens one or two Eras after the Wolflings rip-off Milky-Way from the other Galaxies and conquer it, subdueing the allied races and enslaving the enemies. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
Joe Hale wrote: Brin is going to write a plotline to Star Wars III? The same Brin who calls the movies insidious and vile? Think of it as a patch to some bad software. Doesn't fix it properly, but makes it run better than before. It's quite unique and left-field, but does improve the whole I - VI connection... Cheers Russell C. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Baby's surname Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq ofcounterattack
I always thought a decent way to do it would be for woman and man to keep their same names, for male children to get the father's name and female children to get the mothers name. -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
On Mon, Oct 07, 2002 at 10:03:02AM -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: IF we can build Iraq into a democracy, it'll do a lot of good for a lot of people in that part of the world in the long run. I'm just not entirely sure of Bush-43's ability to get a democracy built. I'm hoping he'll pleasantly surprise me on this one. I'm hoping other UN countries would pleasantly surprise us on this. There are a number of countries that should be able to do a good job of it. Whether they will or not is another matter. -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Epic is now mundane. (Laid back rant)
In a message dated 10/7/2002 6:08:55 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Brin is going to write a plotline to Star Wars III? The same Brin who calls the movies insidious and vile? Read from his webpage. He says he has a way to clean up the moral mess for the last movie that will still bring its conclusion in line with IV, but that GL would never think of it. Damn his webpage takes a long time to go all the way through. William Taylor - Anything you say to a Synthian in strict confidence could go right out the Wazoon. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
On Tue, Oct 08, 2002 at 12:20:05PM +1000, Russell Chapman wrote: Erik Reuter wrote: I'm hoping other UN countries would pleasantly surprise us on this. There are a number of countries that should be able to do a good job of it. Whether they will or not is another matter. Aren't there a lot of countries there now? In Iraq? -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: U.S. drops leaflets warning Iraq of counterattack
Erik Reuter wrote: In Iraq? Ahh - too much snippage (for a change)... I thought we had been discussing Afghanistan as evidence of what the US could or couldn't achieve post-invasion. To get with the thread (instead of trailing a day or so behind it...) - I think Iraq will be different because of the potential rewards. Countries from around the globe will be falling over themselves to get involved in rehabilitating Iraq, and given that a very general assumption is that more open politics leads to a more open economy, they will be looking for alternatives to dictators (not counting purveyors of gold plated bathroom fixtures, torture implements, statue carvers and other beneficiaries of dictatorships of course). A Dutch company may just buy the place and run it as a corporation like they have a few small African nations. Cheers Russell C. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Odd planet out
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1008/p01s01-ussc.html Pluto risks being demoted in status Ever since its discovery, Pluto has never really fitted in. After the pale and glowing giant Neptune, it is little more than a cosmic dust mite, swept through the farthest reaches of the solar system on a plane wildly tilted relative to the rest of the planets. It is smaller than Neptune's largest moon, and the arc of its orbit is so oval that it occasionally crosses its massive blue neighbor's path. For years, it has been seen as our solar system's oddest planet. Monday, however, scientists released perhaps the most convincing evidence yet that Pluto, in fact, is not a planet at all. For the first time, astronomers have peered into a belt of rocks beyond Pluto - unknown until 10 years ago - and found a world that rivals Pluto in size. The scientists posit that larger rocks must be out there, perhaps even larger than Pluto, meaning Pluto is more likely the king of this distant realm of space detritus than the tiniest of the nine planets. When discovered in 1930, Pluto at that point was the only thing [that far] out there, so there was nothing else to call it but a planet, says Mike Brown, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Now it just doesn't fit. In one sense, the question of Pluto's planetary status is arcane, the province of pocket-protected scientists and sun-deprived pen pushers determined to decide some official designation for a ball of dust and ice 3 billion miles away. Yet it is also unquestionably something more. From science fair dioramas to government funding, planets hold a special place in the public imagination, and how Pluto is eventually seen - by kids and Congress alike - could shape what future generations learn about this mysterious outpost on the edge of the solar system. The debate has split the astronomical community for decades. Even before the distant band of rocks known as the Kuiper Belt was found, Pluto's unusual behavior made it suspicious. Elsewhere, the solar system fit into neat families: the rocky inner planets, the asteroid belt, the huge and gaseous outer planets. Pluto, though, was peculiar. With the discovery of the Kuiper Belt - countless bits of rock and ice left unused when the wheel of the solar system first formed - Pluto suddenly seemed to have cousins. Yet, until yesterday, it held to its planetary distinction because it was far larger than anything located there. The rub now is Quaoar (pronounced KWAH-oar), 1 billion miles beyond Pluto and roughly half as large. Named after the creation force of the tribe that originally inhabited the Los Angeles basin, Quaoar forecasts problems for the erstwhile ninth planet, says discoverer Dr. Brown: The case is going to get a lot harder to defend the day somebody finds something larger than Pluto. To some, the problem is not with Pluto, but the definition of planet. In short, there is none. To the Greeks, who coined the term, it meant wanderer, describing the way that the planets moved across the night sky differently from the stars behind them. Today, with our more nuanced understanding of the universe, the word no longer has much scientific meaning. New York's Hayden Planetarium caused a commotion two years ago by supposedly demoting Pluto, lumping it with the Kuiper Belt objects in its huge mobile of the solar system. In reality, however, the planetarium was making a much broader statement, says Neil Degrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist there. The textbooks of the future should focus more on families of like objects than planets. The discovery of Quaoar strengthens this idea: Everyone needs to rethink the structure of our solar system, he says. We've just stopped counting planets. Still, many are loath to part with the planet Pluto. They note that Pluto, in fact, is distinct from many Kuiper Belt objects. It has a thin atmosphere, for one. It reflects a great deal of light, while most Kuiper Belt objects are very dark. And unlike all but a handful of known Kuiper Belt objects, it has a moon. Maybe Pluto, then, should be representative of a new class of planets, says Mark Sykes, an astronomer at the University of Arizona in Tucson. It's the first example, and we are just beginning to find this category. xponent Planet? Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Brin webpage down
Maybe it's just AOL. But what da hell am I supposed to do now, watch the damn football game? Vilyehm Teighlore ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin webpage down
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Maybe it's just AOL. But what da hell am I supposed to do now, watch the damn football game? 1) I'm seeing it fine right now. 2) If you like Green Bay, then for pity's sake, watch the football game! Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This Message Is For Male Brinellers Only
On 10/6/02 4:01 PM, J. van Baardwijk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ATTENTION: This message is for MALE Brinellers only. All FEMALE members should close this message IMMEDIATELY!!! Guys, if our female significant others find out about this, we are in dp trouble... GRIN On one of our delft tiles it reads: Ik ben thuis de baas, wat myn vrouw zegt zat gebeuren.* Matthew if your not Dutch... Maru *(my spelling may be off, but it's not that great in English either) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
