tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post7578246016058330098..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Alternative? Not Really.Gus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-71731485568367513272011-06-13T20:43:15.013-06:002011-06-13T20:43:15.013-06:00Mike: "I admit I had hoped that nuclear and/o...Mike: "I admit I had hoped that nuclear and/or geothermal could supplant the heavy-carbon options, but it looks like that's just not in the cards at this point, and it's a shame that it's not."<br /><br />Why is that a shame? Contra 'viro propaganda, carbon is a harmless gas.Inspectorhttp://newclarion.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-50683316304295350732011-06-13T13:51:32.765-06:002011-06-13T13:51:32.765-06:00That's an interesting point you raise, ADM. Th...That's an interesting point you raise, ADM. Thanks for pointing out those further discussions.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-13436390899606826872011-06-13T13:06:22.710-06:002011-06-13T13:06:22.710-06:00Mike: "I admit I had hoped that nuclear and/...Mike: "I admit I had hoped that nuclear and/or geothermal could supplant the heavy-carbon options, but it looks like that's just not in the cards at this point, and it's a shame that it's not."<br /><br />You'd want to look at Nocera's assumptions. Does he assume the same old designs currently used or more advanced designs already capable of production, or various types of fast breeder reactors that use a lot more than 0.7% of the fuel? There are articles along the same line at BraveNewClimate <a href="http://bravenewclimate.com/2010/10/25/2060-nuclear-scenarios-p4/" rel="nofollow">well</a> <a href="http://bravenewclimate.com/2009/10/11/tcase3/" rel="nofollow">worth</a> <a href="http://bravenewclimate.com/2010/04/01/nuclear-century-cbg/" rel="nofollow">checking</a> <a href="http://bravenewclimate.com/2010/09/29/2060-nuclear-scenarios-p2/" rel="nofollow">out</a>. (I searched for Nocera's study on the site but found nothin, which is curious because I was confident I'd read discussion of that study there.)A different Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-89127431805538671962011-06-13T11:38:52.017-06:002011-06-13T11:38:52.017-06:00The frequency of disdain for intellectual property...The frequency of disdain for intellectual property rights within the OSS community,which you allude to, is probably the thing I dislike most about it.<br /><br />That said, you point about the Android ecosystem being fertile for innovation is pretty much the take-home of the ESR article, and free of the "cluebat" rhetoric I thought it could do without.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-22463152615637489492011-06-13T11:28:30.948-06:002011-06-13T11:28:30.948-06:00While tech companies are focused on delivering the...While tech companies are focused on delivering the next great device, software, or feature, Apple's sole focus is on the end-user outcome. That is, the device and OS are just vessels that do whatever they have to do to enable users to easily consume media, share photos, keep up with email and web, etc, by a carefully tailored vector. The device becomes a subsidiary consideration.<br /><br />My guess is that the general anarchy of open-source Android will give rise to huge numbers of great features, and then Apple will let the market pareto-sort, revealing which features mean the most to the user experience, and then will do the best job of executing those features in the iOSX ecosystem. <br /><br />It's true that Apple sues over anything and everything, but generally other companies can proceed without fear as long as their product is on the "idea" side of the idea-expression divide (the fundamental principle of intellectual property law). <br /><br />The reason so many companies lose lawsuits to Apple (or settle) is that they aren't just borrowing an Apple idea, but are copying Apple's carefully developed expression of that idea (the total implementation of it). The open-source community likes to crow about "Let's all work together," but when it's genuine infringement and clearly coattailing, Apple (or any other IP developer) has every right to sue to defend the value of their work and product. It's a shame many in the open-source community don't like to recognize that.<br /><br />Also, fantastic article link to the Straight Dope energy rundown. I admit I had hoped that nuclear and/or geothermal could supplant the heavy-carbon options, but it looks like that's just not in the cards at this point, and it's a shame that it's not.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10125745545009130612noreply@blogger.com