The Tech Gonzo Scrapbook

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:47:13 +1100

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:42:07 +1100

4 mins in

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:35:32 +1100

4 mins in

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Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:34:25 +1100

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(Image) - Soup von manolis

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:12:47 +1100

(Image) - Soup von manolis

"Seafaring ships of the great age of exploration were largely wooden, and — with the aid of their..."

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:20:39 +1100

“Seafaring ships of the great age of exploration were largely wooden, and — with the aid of their human crew — self-repairing; subject to the availability of raw materials, there wasn’t much aboard a 16th or 17th century sailing ship that couldn’t be made on board. Aside from carpentry, the inhabitants of even a relatively small port could make the necessities to keep a ship at sea on a voyage of years — a smithy, a pottery, a glass-blower, weavers of sailcloth and makers of hardtack. Shipbuilding was by no means easy (it was an economic activity born on the backs of the large numbers of peasant farmers and fisherfolk it took to provide the surplus to feed the workers in the shipyards) but it wasn’t anything like the Apollo project, which sucked up the labour of a third of a million skilled engineers and technicians for a decade. The word ship therefore comes freighted with connotations of autonomy and sustainability that are inappropriate to space travel as we know it today. And one of the most perfidious, misleading, damning, unconscious associations of the word “ship” is the word “destination”.”

- The myth of the starship - Charles Stross

"yes, I think human interstellar exploration (and yes, maybe even colonization) might be possible,..."

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:18:13 +1100

“yes, I think human interstellar exploration (and yes, maybe even colonization) might be possible, after a fashion. But to get there, we’re going to have to master at least two entire technological fields that don’t yet exist, even before we start trying to blast compact disc sized machines up to relativistic velocities.”

- The myth of the starship - Charles Stross

"Waypoints located on the surface of the Earth are usually defined in two dimensions (e.g., longitude..."

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:44:42 +1100

“Waypoints located on the surface of the Earth are usually defined in two dimensions (e.g., longitude and latitude); those used in the Earth’s atmosphere or in outer space are defined in at least three dimensions (four if time is one of the coordinates, as it might be for some waypoints outside the Earth).”

- Waypoint - Wikipedia

"The moratorium and dream pursuing type of freeter deliberately chooses not to join the rat race in..."

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:10:33 +1100

“The moratorium and dream pursuing type of freeter deliberately chooses not to join the rat race in the usually strict and conservative companies (see: Culture of Japan) but instead wants to take a time-out to enjoy life or have specific dreams incompatible with a standard Japanese career”

- Freeter - Wikipedia

"The sense of stasis in many Western countries is reminiscent of Japan, where talk of a lost..."

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:08:42 +1100

“The sense of stasis in many Western countries is reminiscent of Japan, where talk of a lost generation has been around since as long ago as 1995. Some 3.1 million Japanese aged 25 to 34 work as temps or contract employees—up from 2 million 10 years ago, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Many Japanese blame the young people themselves, saying they are spoiled, alienated “freeters”—a term meaning job-hopping part-timers”

- The Lost Generation - BusinessWeek

"the Pew study reveals some other interesting statistical tidbits that point to broad..."

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:08:18 +1100

“the Pew study reveals some other interesting statistical tidbits that point to broad economically-driven lifestyle shifts among Generation Y. For example, 12% of respondents have recruited a roommate to defray their housing costs. 15% of respondents under 35 report postponing marriage because of the recession and 14% put off having a baby. These findings, coupled with surging community college enrollment and the highest unemployment rate among workers aged 16- 24 in the last 60 years, point to a cohort of young Americans whose career and life trajectories are being significantly shaped by the current recession and who are either delaying or reversing traditional adult milestone activities and decisions”

- J. Maureen Henderson - Warp and Weft – Lost or Just Detoured? Coming of Age in a Recession - True/Slant

"Governments have cut interest rates, created new electronic money and allowed budget deficits to..."

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:30:34 +1100

“Governments have cut interest rates, created new electronic money and allowed budget deficits to reach record levels in an attempt to boost growth after the near-collapse of the global financial system, but Turner said the problems in Dubai were indicative of widespread malaise. “Despite having oil, it’s still the case that many of these countries had explosive credit growth. It’s very clear that in 2010, we’ve got plenty more problems in store.””

- Fears of double-dip recession grow as Dubai crashes | The Guardian

Things Last on Vimeo (via Vimeo)

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:12:54 +1100

Things Last on Vimeo (via Vimeo)

Happy Turkey Day Amerika

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:30:12 +1100

Happy Turkey Day Amerika:

Recent works ranging from Battlestar Galactica to District 9...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:37:00 +1100

Recent works ranging from Battlestar Galactica to District 9 have intelligently explored how hoary old science fiction cliches might work when approached realistically, but all have pretty much assumed it would be impossible for all parties to approach such situations in good faith. After all, even when attempting to forge a truce with the humans, the Cylons always (allegedly) have a plan.

But since I’m pretty sure we’re still supposed to be in a bold, optimistic new age, I’d like to see what happens when you take a bunch of human separatists, throw them in a rickety old spaceship, and have them try to coexist with those already living on the planet they choose to settle. I’m not saying it would end well - if history is any indication, it won’t - but it would be interesting to see, just once, humans and aliens both start out with the best of intentions. (via Where Are All The Space Pilgrims? - io9)

~2mins in

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:15:00 +1100

~2mins in

uncertaintimes: dr0fn0thing: via www.newworkmag.com

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:10:24 +1100

uncertaintimes:

dr0fn0thing:

via www.newworkmag.com

uncertaintimes: benhasten: Shooting the Underwater Burial of...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:09:37 +1100

uncertaintimes:

benhasten:

Shooting the Underwater Burial of Walt Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Photo by Peter Stackpole, Florida, February 1954

“Actors prepare to shoot a big scene involving an underwater funeral procession while a scene coordinator hovers above them. The actors had to wait four weeks to shoot the scene, because bad weather made the depths too murky.”

Via bestoflife

mrghosty: sometimes after working and staring at video displays...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:09:23 +1100

mrghosty:

sometimes after working and staring at video displays for days on end … i feel like james woods in videodrome.

Well, I’m not a commodity. You can’t just go buy me. (via...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:06:00 +1100

Well, I’m not a commodity. You can’t just go buy me. (via Interview in Coilhouse | The Grumpy Owl)