This anecdotal story is certainly No Place For Disgrace.

True, and it will be super interesting if he pursues it. Coming from a game of complete information to one of incomplete, we'll see how he handles the variance aspect of poker that's not really there in chess.

Aviation and Energy should have tons of theoretical synergy. After all, whether it's aircraft engines generating thrust or power turbines generating electricity, the same technology is used. In fact, Aviation's tech slowly migrates down to Energy, albeit at a slower pace than you'd think.

That's the Undertaker's Music!!!!

Yes - drinking on a flight to Vegas, then landing and continuing to drink, has led to some of the most black-out drunk periods of my life. Now I have a technical explanation for why!

And we're gonna make the Klingons pay for it.

Back in 2002 maybe, IBM had a java tank competition using nothing but bots: http://www.ibm.com/developerwo...

...actually recapture lost Gas Turbine work. So running through a steam turbine is actually very, very good for the overall efficiency of the cycle.

It can be both. It's called Schroedinger's Hawking.

Entertainment and recreation.

George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire is fantastic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_ice_and_fire

You may be familiar with the first novel A Game of Thrones, made into an HBO mini-series.

Where I come from, the difference between the 80%-ers and the 100%-ers is like comparing amateurs to professionals.

I know you feel our chances are dim, but don't you hope for more from us as a species than to be forever relegated to this planet? Is that all we were ever meant to be? Earth-bound? At some point we need to take that next step away from here and it will never make "sense" to do so in the short term. I just think the payoffs would be huge, the knowledge gained worth it, and the species as a whole would be motivated to do more than what we're mired in now.

It is the insatiable thirst of the human ego. It's why reality TV has taken off. Everybody wants to be noticed for some reason. Everyone at one time or another thinks that what they've just thought or done is either funny enough or important enough for people to know about immediately. It's generally not the case, but now there's nothing to stop you from announcing it globally. "Look at me!"

The dedicated device vs. multi-function device is a scale determined by the end user's convenience level. From your description, you're willing to sacrifice convenience (i.e. carrying only 1 device) for efficiency. There are a lot of folks who weigh the convenience side more heavily. I always thought that's how the .mp3 player market emerged because of the convenience of carrying around your entire music collection on one device. The sacrifice to audio quality was deemed less important.