Viewing profile — abefortas

I don't know if Despommier suggests this, but mightn't his idea make more sense if the towers were used for growing things like mushrooms?

I agree he's full of shit, but to be fair, that was one of Pinker's relatively few factual examples. I think it was good form on Gladwell's part to address only facts and not Pinke…

I feel bad when I get downvoted because I respect the opinions of other people on HN and they tend to use their downvotes pretty responsibly. I don't think upvotes are quite as mea…

I suppose you're right. I shouldn't have said "anyone." But I don't think there's any example of a good monarchy.

I doubt there's an example of a monarchy anyone would seriously want to move to, but Medieval Iceland was a fine example of a funstioning anarchy: for longer than the United States…

But Milton, you forgot Milton. I'm reading Paradise Lost. Maybe it is one of those things you're supposed to read, but it's genuinely really good. Like, "to be weak is miserable do…

In my case it means the latter.

I don't understand. Have you actually read it? Where does he say anything about sticking it to the man, touching and feeling, or being special? I assume you think progress is good …

I think his message was mostly about how he is more free to use his time as he chooses, which seems like a noble goal to me, although I have my doubts about how well "dropping out"…

Wouldn't it make more sense to downvote either to eliminate spam/noise or to signal disagreement? I'm all for stoning spammers, but I think it's more constructive to write a respon…

The teams thing might be an interesting idea. But doesn't "structure with incentives, accountability, clear lines of authority, and very tangible goals" pretty much describe a typi…

I agree. I get rid of that stuff, but only to conserve screen real estate.

You're right. That's what I meant by evolutionary suicide, and my argument (well, it's not really mine) relies on all six assumptions, more or less. Although: Colonizing space and …

It's a good example if it's right.

I would have responded earlier if I had noticed this. You're right that it's not quite a necessity. It's concievable that population growth could continue, albeit at a very slow ra…

If it was per capita it would also be total.

Fine, but obviously the population is going to stop growing.

Some people are against having a growing economy. Obviously the economy cannot grow indefinitely.

It's not a perfect comparison, but it's very true that civil rights protesters were lucky not to face some of the "less lethal" weapons available now.

Why do you think the "worst eventualities" are so catastrophic, if not because of such planning?

Either birds are dinosaurs, or they aren't. My brother says there ain't no two ways about it-- as you say, they are dinosaurs the same way I'm a primate. Obviously they aren't Comp…

But "lemur" is rather more specific than "dinosaur." Dinosaur is just a broad category defined by scientists. If they want "Dinosaur" to include modern animals, that's up to them. …

This is interesting, and would be epsecially so if he could actually get to a making a dinosaur stage. Larsson says chickens are direct descendents of dinosaurs. He is a paleontolo…