gregjwild

8 ms·

31.
by gregjwild 10y ago
I cannot fathom why someone would want to recreate the flawed idea of a nation state in space. Not that this is in the slightest bit viable. But still, whatever polities exist in space, they should not be nation states.
32.
by gregjwild 10y ago
Much as I'd like to think humans-in-space in large numbers will become a reality any time soon, I don't see it happening in the kind of time frame it offsets the dangerous growth curve we're on. The cost to keep one human ali
33.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Agreed. Nothing is more financially difficult to deal with than a sudden shift in income rendering your current housing suddenly very expensive. With a reasonable price of housing, you have more capacity to save for potential disaster.
34.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Well, he's probably one of the worst in recent memory. It will be many, many years before the fallout from the Iraq invasion fades.
35.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Not the only example of this: Towards the end of the Vietnam war, the US had developed a fairly comprehensive counter-insurgency (COIN) program. By Iraq 2, they were pretty much only equipped for state on state warfare again and had to rele
36.
by gregjwild 11y ago
I don't think that's the case - the article clearly points out how enthusiastic the people involved were at first. To me it feels more focused on a lack of proper planning by Amazon for just how hard it is. Things like most of the
37.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Agreed. The problem with companies getting involved in social issues is that social issues take a degree of tact, planning and prior-research. You can't just wade in and play with peoples lives. Good on them for trying - and I hope the
38.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Anecdotally speaking, in the past month or so I've seen people ask doctor friends about their maladies, lawyers asked to look at contracts and accountants asked about mortgages - all off the clock and without pay. It's not just a
39.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Easy to say on paper, but people quite understandably have friends, family and other attachments that tie them to a place... and that's even if they can get remote work. Most people still need to be physically present. Especially down
40.
by gregjwild 11y ago
I can't help but wonder if this is a case of correlation != causation. I'm thinking particularly because the focus is on patriarchal, unequal and heavily stratified societies. That makes me wonder if it would make for a different
41.
by gregjwild 11y ago
> It has to start from the ground, with 'militant moderate Muslims' willing to show people another way; one that does not involve in slavery, beheadings, suicide bombings, and crucifixion. Problem with this is that the most pro
42.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Heh, I guess they're banking on someone having a thing for snooping on other people's porn habits than they are getting paid.
43.
by gregjwild 11y ago
A perfect storm of incompetence and ill-intentions.
44.
by gregjwild 11y ago
I think it's probably something that's hard to assess like that. I've been learning to program on-and-off for about 2 years. It's only through sheer bloody-minded persistence that it is starting to see the pieces fall in
45.
by gregjwild 11y ago
I think this statement nails it: "we are imprisoned within our own cosmos of meaning. We cannot imagine a universe without meaning. We are not talking necessarily about some grand cosmic meaning, or a divine meaning bestowed by God, or
46.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Interestingly, there is pressure on both sides there - greater automation means that new skills are needed for the few jobs left, but the fact you're talking about training a handful, rather than training at scale makes for more expens
47.
by gregjwild 11y ago
The right wing press just loves to fain Marx when it suits their own narrative. That said, I often wish the mainstream left would diversify their own font of knowledge. Especially given most don't read him.
48.
by gregjwild 11y ago
heh. And here I am feeling guilty when I will occasionally send a single follow up now and then.
49.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Those are fair comments, sure. I think the rationale is really that Haldeman was really commenting on the pace of social change, especially for service personnel, particularly those who served multiple tours. The protagonist hates the horro
50.
by gregjwild 11y ago
'“To say that The Forever War is the best science fiction war novel ever written is to damn it with faint praise.” It’s one of the best books about war, period' I'd probably raise that on Gibson. It's one of the best boo
51.
by gregjwild 11y ago
Manning Publications editor here. Truth be told, we go to early access largely because we think it helps us make sure the book is delivering the goods, collect feedback, and hopefully improve the book as a result. We try to make it very cle
52.
by gregjwild 11y ago
All the time. The days of long-form writing are definitely over, but I think noting things down will remain a constant for many years to come. For me, I find it helps me think more abstractly and plan my thoughts better, because it's j
53.
by gregjwild 11y ago
IMO, just do whatever is right for you. Nobody should be held back from pursuing academic interests. Just like nobody should be held back from learning on the job. The only thing that we should warn people away from is doing nothing . You&
54.
by gregjwild 11y ago
As a member of the publishing world, I'm naturally sad to see book stores like this go. But I also know that most of our own sales are direct or via Amazon. As a customer, while I frequent book stores regularly I almost always find mys
55.
by gregjwild 11y ago
While Kickstarter clearly need to get sharper about identifying fraudulent pitches, I think as a whole Kickstarter is a "hate the player, not the game".
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by gregjwild 11y ago
The main thing to remember with this is that even if you do end up with a % of people who do just bum around on basic, a lot more still would rather earn enough to live a more interesting life. And wages will probably go up to incentivize p
57.
by gregjwild 11y ago
> In the very beginning, it might be okay in terms of economics. However, as the years go on, more and more people will start relying on this basic income and we will have entire generations of people depending on it to live. The problem
58.
by gregjwild 11y ago
... this feels beyond absurd. Attention and focus is important. Sounds like start-up kool-aid to me.
59.
by gregjwild 12y ago
Fiction - currently waiting on Poseidon Wakes, by Alastair Reynolds. Non-fiction - Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware, by Andy Hunt