2 for 2 !! NASA Successfully Lands Second Rover on Mars
NASA Successfully Lands Second Rover on Mars; Scientists 'Blown Away' by Pictures of Red Planet http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040125_447.html Opportunity images from the NASA site. It is running slooow. I am sure they are getting hammered. There are some interesting pictures from the panoramic camera. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity.html ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Sparrow
Doug Pensinger wrote: Julia wrote: She also has never been pregnant. There's something that a character in that book does while pregnant, and in a book discussion I participated in sometime before I got pregnant, someone who *had* borne a child or two pointed out that that rang false, and I remember sometime during my first pregnancy thinking about it and yeah, *I* might have done it while not pregnant, but sure as heck not *during* a pregnancy. (Now I've forgotten what it was, I just remember the reactions. I do that sometimes -- forget what the detail *was*, but remember the reaction.) Like leading a charge against the predatory species chanting we are many, they are few? I think that was it. It's been awhile since I last read it, and a lot has happened since. The only other thing I can think of is when, after one of the party Sandoz was particularly fond of, she put his hand to her belly to feel the child kicking . That's not at all out of line. It's really fun to see the reaction in people's faces when they feel a baby kick like that. :) Have you read the sequal? Yes, and it's been awhile for *that* as well, but I recommend it *highly*. (I also recommend that if you get the opportunity, meet the author. I've said that about a number of authors, though, haven't I?) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Toddler Television
At 12:05 PM 1/25/04, Gary Nunn wrote: Just some Sunday morning thoughts as I sit here and watch the snow storm develop that is about to dump 7 inches of snow on us as well as a coating of ice on top of that. Where are you? . . . and I hope you are not planning to send it this way . . . PS - It is a good thing I actually read over these mails before I send them. I just noticed that I accidentally pasted a term concerning organ size enhancement (not the actual term!) into the subject line. Just before I wrote this, I was adding to my Mailwasher filters and still had that one very descriptive term in the Windows clipboard. How embarrassing that could have been ! You obviously haven't paid much attention to some of the past messages posted to this list . . . -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Brin-L archives searchable - a real life example.
This is an absolutely perfect example of why you should be careful and thoughtful about what you post to any archived mailing list. We have discussed the consequences of having the Brin-L archive (or any archived mailing list) searchable in the past, but let me share with you a real life situation where the contents of one of my posts was cut and interpreted by someone on the internet that I don't know. During a test of Google and other search engines, I used my email address as a search term. I ran across a handful of hits from the mccmedia/Brin-L archives, but I also ran across a comment on someone's blog about a post of mine that they found in a search. Apparently, someone wanted to register a domain name that my humble little company had already registered. He mentioned on his blog that someone had already registered it. One of his blog readers looked it up in WHOIS, found my name and email address and did a web search on them. They ran across one of my Brin-L postings about the question of turning Auschwitz into a museum or memorial. They quoted my posting, name, email address and hometown in this persons blog, and now it is out there for anyone to find anytime. Fortunately, my copied post was not entirely out of context, but this person, not having read the entire thread, made some assumptions and comments. This could have very easily been copied and commented on completely out of the intended context. Check out the blog here: http://amish.blogmosis.com/archives/015617.html No harm done this time, but I believe that this is an excellent example of what we have discussed in the past about potential employers doing a search and finding posts or information about you online that may be taken out of context. Additionally, this is a very good example of why registering a domain name and using a proxy company to insure privacy is the way of the future. An example: http://tinyurl.com/2ncwj As some of my domains become active, we have them listed like this for security and privacy. (If anyone is interested in this, don't use this company, email me offlist and I'll point you to much better pricing) Gary ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Toddler Television
Where are you? . . . and I hope you are not planning to send it this way . . . Delaware Ohio, about 15 minutes north of Columbus. So far, we have no snow, but the radar looks nasty. You obviously haven't paid much attention to some of the past messages posted to this list . . . -- Ronn! :) Do you mean my posts specifically or just in general ? I have made a concentrated effort to NOT post when I am tired or angry. I tend to embarrass myself. :-0 Gary ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Uplift philosophy and demography
UPLIFT PHILOSOPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY Uplift Philosophy, Ethics, and Scarcity Uplift is the most important activity in Main Sequence Galactic Civilization. Among the Oxygen Breathing Order Uplift is regulated by the Galactic Uplift Institute and Tradition. Tradition further dictates that the interests of a race being uplifted be represented by its Uplift Consort, what Terragens often call the Uplift Godparent. The Traditions of Uplift are rich, complex, and sensitive to cases and context. Nevertheless, there are some universals. Most important, the process of Uplift must be fair, compassionate, and never contrary to the long-term interests of the client race. Also, the any race should have high levels of potential, minimizing the amount of genetic engineering necessary to produce viable Galactic citizens. In addition, Tradition dictates that extra care must be taken when a client race has problematic talents. Psychic and probability manipulating abilities are particularly notorious for complicating uplift projects. Patrons are encouraged to uplift clients with the intention of fitting them into political-economic niches. Some goals, however, are disallowed by Tradition. Uplift projects cannot produce a race prone to wide-spread suffering. Chronic, widespread physical pain is completely disallowed, and psychological suffering is worse. Also, the project should not result in an overspecialized race. A race is automatically regarded as overspecialized if it amounts to an intelligent biological tool. (This does not mean it is _per se_ illegal to produce intelligent biological tools, but a tool-making project requires a special, difficult to obtain license approved by both the Galactic Foresight Organization and the GUI.) Finally, any Uplift project cannot produce a race with a slave mentality or that is exclusively fit for a servile role. In positive terms, the end product of an uplift project should be intelligent enough to read and participate fully as a Galactic citizen. It should be rational. It should be reasonably independent, and should not require continual management by another race. (It is permissible for two or more races to be symbiotic. In this case all parties to the symbiosis should have roughly equal amount of power. Also, it is desirable that all parties be uplifted within the same project.) Above all, any uplifted race should be responsible. It should be able to understand and conform to Galactic Tradition, at least in theory. Furthermore, any Galactic Citizen should have some abilities. A race need not have all the Traditionally desirable abilities, nor need it regularly exercise all the abilities that it theoretically possesses. One ability that a mature race must have is the ability to control its own population. Several abilities are highly desirable. Among these highly desirable abilities are the ability to engage in intellectual or scholarly discourse, the ability to successfully engage in commerce, the ability of a race to hold its own in warfare, the ability to interact with other races and engage in diplomacy, the ability to pilot starships, and an aspiration to uplift clients. These abilities are so critical that the lack of any one is regarded by many as a serious embarrassment to the patron responsible for the lack and a lesser embarrassment to any associated uplift consorts. Failure to abide by the standards and Traditions of Uplift can result in charges of Uplift Malfeasance. Consequences for convicted patrons or complicit consorts can be severe. Stability and the Number of Races The replacement rate for O-2 races is about 1.1 client race per Galactic Citizen. The average life expectancy for a Galactic Citizen from the time of its Stage-1 Uplift Ceremony until it Passes On is 1*10^6 hab-years. At any given time there are about 200_000 O-2 races in various stages of development and about 550*10^12 O-2 individuals in the Galaxies. The number of races and individuals in O-2 Civilization increases over time. The rate of increase, however, is very slow. Even over an O-2 races lifespan, the increase in the number of Galactic Citizen Races will be imperceptible. It is widely believed that there is a chronic shortage of quality ur-populations. This shortage is entirely a result of Tradition, Bureaucracy, and economics. First, what constitutes an adequate level of potential is somewhat arbitrary. The Traditional minimum threshold for potential is high enough that new candidate ur-populations are fairly rare. Also, the tradition that there must be a one-to-one connection between an ur-population and its form as an uplifted Galactic Citizen Race. Logically, one ur-population could be used as the source of several uplift projects, but doing so is an unconscionable violation of Tradition. The Tradition excluding ur-populations living on fallow planets from uplift candidacy also
Re: Uplift Timeline
Trent Shipley wrote: Before do a write-up I needed some dates, so I re-collated the timeline. Let me know what you think. I have just returned from a week-long vacation trip, and I have 2028 e-mails to read O:-) But I promise I will take a look at the data asap. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Soro Religion
Trent Shipley wrote: Are Soro Obeyors? What about Gubru? I think Soro and Gubru are *not* fanaticals, meaning that they don't belong to any of the religious-like alliances Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Toddler Television
At 12:46 PM 1/25/04, Gary Nunn wrote: Do you mean my posts specifically or just in general ? I have made a concentrated effort to NOT post when I am tired or angry. I tend to embarrass myself. :-0 I mean there have been no dearth of posts concerning embarrassing topics such as the one in the subject line you referred to, so what's one more? -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Attn Brin: Hoon Genius
Davd [where has the _i_ gone?] Brin wrote: Alas, Life with 3 small kids (age 6,9,11) -- plus many speeches and deadlines -- has left me with less time for writing and a need to focus. This is frustrating. I have seven lifespans worth of ideas and the last year has been a complete loss, fixtionwise... except for THE LIFE EATERS. serious Don't forget to write everything you ever think, and let your kids know where you are storing this information. Tolkien left enough material for his son Christopher to publish 14 books, plus a series of dictionaries of his invented languages, and even a complete The-Hobbit-like children's story. Maybe there will be David Brin new material by 2104 :-) /serious Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Toddler Television
I mean there have been no dearth of posts concerning embarrassing topics such as the one in the subject line you referred to, so what's one more? -- Ronn! :) [Hanging my head in embarrassment] Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to be so sensitive about that and take it so personally :-) Gary The snow storm has started - so far one inch on the ground. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Attn Brin: Hoon Genius
--- Alberto, You paint a frightening picture. Heinlein's heirs are republishing his first (and awful!) novel this year. Some artists burn their manuscripts! ;-) davd (it was a mistake, now locked in stone!) Monteiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Davd [where has the _i_ gone?] Brin wrote: Alas, Life with 3 small kids (age 6,9,11) -- plus many speeches and deadlines -- has left me with less time for writing and a need to focus. This is frustrating. I have seven lifespans worth of ideas and the last year has been a complete loss, fixtionwise... except for THE LIFE EATERS. serious Don't forget to write everything you ever think, and let your kids know where you are storing this information. Tolkien left enough material for his son Christopher to publish 14 books, plus a series of dictionaries of his invented languages, and even a complete The-Hobbit-like children's story. Maybe there will be David Brin new material by 2104 :-) /serious Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l = . . * Please note. My email address of many years is changing FROM [EMAIL PROTECTED] TO [EMAIL PROTECTED] ... (Or else use [EMAIL PROTECTED]) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Energy Independence
Trent Shipley wrote: and spend a *LOT* of money researching conservation and alternative energy sources--especially substitutes for petroleum. Didn't work here in Brazil. We started replacing oil for alcohol. At one moment, 80% of the cars were alcohol-propelled. AFAIK, the last time an alcohol car was build was 8 years ago. Back to oil Maru Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Uplift Timeline (was Tg Territories)
Trent Shipley wrote: 620 MYA: The ecologically insensitive Lions dominate the Galaxies. Ash spreads through 30% of Galaxy One and 20% of Galaxy Two. Complex sea life on Earth. I think I remember the Cambrian Explosion being closer to 560 MYA, but it's been a while since I read about it. 12 MYA: The last recorded wolfling race, the Paranaj, is discovered. Within 1000 years it is extinct. Duplicate entry. See 52 KYA. 52 KYA: The last recorded wolfling race, the Paranaj, is discovered. Within a thousand years, it is extinct. __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Science Fiction-themed online store . http://www.sloan3d.com/store Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Martian Emotion (was Easterbrook on Bush's NASA plan)
Reggie Bautista wrote: The Martian Way? Never heard of it. Any idea if it's available in any of the copious numbers of Asimov anthologies out there? According to the Internet SF Database site: http://isfdb.tamu.edu/cgi-bin/pw.cgi?6e2806 It's been published in these books/magazines: 1. Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1952, H. L. Gold, 1952, $0.35 2. The Martian Way and Other Stories, Isaac Asimov, 1955, Doubleday, hc 3. Worlds to Come, Damon Knight, 1967, Harper Row, LCC# AC 67-10130, $4.95, hc 4. The Best of Isaac Asimov, Isaac Asimov, 1973, Sidgwick Jackson, hc 5. Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume 2B, Ben Bova, 1973, Doubleday, hc 6. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 2B, Ben Bova, 1974, Avon Books, 0-380-00054-7, pb 7. Prisoners of the Stars, Isaac Asimov, 1979, Doubleday, hc 8. The Great SF Stories 14 (1952), Isaac Asimov, 1985 9. The Asimov Chronicles: Fifty Years of Isaac Asimov, Isaac Asimov+Martin H. Greenberg, 1989, Dark Harvest, 0-913165-44-1, $21.95 The copy I own is in the mid 80s Asimov collection _Robot Dreams_. __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Science Fiction-themed online store . http://www.sloan3d.com/store Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
LOTR: The Return Of The King wins Golden Globe
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=storyu=/ap/20040126/ap_on_en_mo/golden_globes_list_6 For: Picture, Drama Best Director, Drama Original Score, Howard Shore Original Song, Into The West, Howard Shore, Fran Walsh, Annie Lennox xponent On To The Academy Awards Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
