|
The Fermi Paradox won't go away. It's one of our most compelling thought experiments, and generations of scientists keep wrestling with it. We could offer to blow it up - that might make it more interesting
|
|
|
|
|
An interesting article. But one thing perplexes them:
Quote: What would drive a species to expand continuously? Population growth? Energy needs? Scientific curiosity? Dominion over others? How about seeking opportunity elsewhere, often by escaping oppressive government? That's what did it for North America.
|
|
|
|
|
The cost in resources to start a colony in America was low enough that a private (i.e. non-government) company could attempt it.
If humans were to try interstellar colonization, we would need at least two jumps - to colonise the Solar System (e.g. terraforming Mars) and then a much harder task - crossing interstellar space.
Terraforming Mars would be difficult enough even with the resources of Earth no more than a few months away. An interstellar colony would be entirely on its own, and would require an orders of magnitude larger investment in both time and resources. I don't see any non-government organization building such a colony ship.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
|
|
|
|
|
Computers occupy entire rooms, so I don't see a private company ever building one. Only a government, and even then maybe only during wartime, could possibly assemble the resources required to build them.
|
|
|
|
|
Absent startling (and easily implemented) breakthroughs in Relativity, I doubt either of us will live long enough to see the beginnings of interstellar colonization. I even doubt that we will live long enough to see the beginnings of interplanetary colonization.
The recourses required to build computers are trivial compared to those required to even reach the Moon. Babbage almost succeeded in the 19th century, after all.
Make no mistake - I would love to see my predictions proved wrong, but I believe that our technology is several generations too young for success.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
|
|
|
|
|
I agree that it's a long way off, and even then it was over 100 years from Cabot to Jamestown.
|
|
|
|
|
Tell that to SpaceX. The parallels are there - governments paid for the exploration of the western hemisphere and they're largely paying for our initial forays into space. The second wave of people will be those who are trying to get out from under what they consider oppression.
|
|
|
|
|
And I believe that our current technology isn't up to it. There is a huge difference between building a satellite network and building a self-sustaining colony. Remember that the first Europeans in America could at least breathe the air, drink the water, and plant crops.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
|
|
|
|
|
They still wouldn't visit. Stellar explosions are best viewed from a safe distance.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
|
|
|
|
|
The headline sounds like they have actually talked to the aliens, when it simply might be just the vastness of space and the physics of moving fast enough to make visiting another star a feasible. Remember Voyager is 22 light HOURS from Earth and it's been traveling how long?
Galileo already proved the Earth ISN'T the center of the universe so why do these people think that we are so important that any other intelligent life MUST want to come visit us?
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated.
|
|
|
|
|
One of the early episodes of ST: The Next Generation explicitly stated this - humanity simply isn't interesting until we can get to the stars on our own.
|
|
|
|
|
Maybe they should start with the question, why don't we visit other stars?
|
|
|
|
|
Because we can't even supply school lunches to poor children?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customers are trusting Microsoft’s modern alternative to an ancient relic Because you can't have video meetings in Outlook?
Either that, or it's counting people searching in Teams to find that message that was "right here yesterday!"
|
|
|
|
|
Wow, that's like a survey showing broccoli is more popular than brussels sprouts.
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated.
|
|
|
|
|
you sir are being polite.
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
|
|
|
|
|
Quote: The Microsoft chief noted the number of users who were using “four or more” features within Teams had increased over 20% year on year.
1) The application launch Icon.
2) Reading messages sent by other people.
3) Sending messages to other people.
4) The application close icon.
...and for the big brains...
5) The minimize icon.
6) The maximize icon.
7) The restore down icon.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
|
|
|
|
|
And yet from the post below: Disconnectivity among teams despite the rise of communication tools
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft Teams BLOWS. Elephanting blows.
What retarded organization could come up with teams boggles my mind. Now bear with me for a bit. I support products that have been around for longer than most of Microsoft management, those bastards called product managers and the developers. Communication with past customers is priceless.
Why the elephant would you silo it in some backend server and delete it from my local client?
I swear there is a special place in hell for people who made these decisions. It's called support.
Update: if I was using any other chat client, I could log my messages to a local file.... Seriously, is there anyone in IT at the corporate level with a clue? Anyone?
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, yes, I know all about data retention policies, etc. I forget the case, but many years ago two companies got into it, and the discovery process went on and on, revealing things that had no bearing on the legal argument.
So, then the lawyers got involved with IT, and now we have this cesspool.
Same thing applies to email as well. BUT, techie types being mostly intelligent, simply started downloading the mail they wanted to save to a local container file. In one fell swoop, we still save the email, but we reduce our productivity.
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
|
|
|
|
|
charlieg wrote: Same thing applies to email as well. BUT, techie types being mostly intelligent, simply started downloading the mail they wanted to save to a local container file. In one fell swoop, we still save the email, but we reduce our productivity.
Same thing happened at my old job. Between people exporting their PSTs to thunderbird, people using acrobat to dump them to PDFs, people saving off messages as individual files, people copy/pasting to Word or OneNote, and people just burning their PSTs to DVDs and stashing them just in case; I suspect that at least in the short term they've probably made discovery more expensive not less. Longer term, well I'd say turnover would solve the issue but they've been in bunkermode for about a decade and have hired very few new people.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
|
|
|
|
|
And another thing - don't repost spam that won't let you reply to them.
This article is beneath CP. At least throw in some sarcasm or something.
The article is garbage.
Charlie Gilley
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
Has never been more appropriate.
|
|
|
|
|
Despite the wealth of communication tools, there is still a fundamental disconnect between teams that is ultimately jeopardizing their productivity and causing workplace failures. "What we've got here is failure to communicate"
May be related to the next item I'm about to post
|
|
|
|