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By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#168396
Every year google does an april fools joke...this year it was this below is the application for the position on mars


For thousands of years,
the human race has spread out across the Earth, scaling mountains and plying the oceans, planting crops and building highways, raising skyscrapers and atmospheric CO2 levels, and observing, with tremendous and unflagging enthusiasm, the Biblical injunction to be fruitful and multiply across our world's every last nook, cranny and subdivision.
An invitation.
Earth has issues, and it's time humanity got started on a Plan B. So, starting in 2014, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars.
The question is, do you want to join us?

Ever yearned to journey to the stars? You can learn how to become a Virgle Pioneer, test your Pioneering potential, or join the Mission Control community that will help develop the 100 Year Plan we've outlined here.


Got what it takes to join a startup civilization?

This 15-question multiple choice quiz will help determine your potential suitability as a Virgle Pioneer. Finish the test, then click "Submit." Good luck!

1. I would characterize my overall level of physical fitness as:
Great. I'm totally buff.
Good. I can do the stationary bike roughly as long as it take to watch a Talk Radio rerun on my gym's cable system.
Okay. I could probably do a few crunches if you really insisted.
Poor. The mere sight of a treadmill gives me chest pains and a weird tingling feeling in my extremities.

2. I am a world-class expert in
physics
medicine and first aid
engineering
Guitar Hero II

3. I ________ algae (as food).
like
dislike
utterly loathe
would be willing, if absolutely necessary, to endure

4. I ________ 1/3rd gravity (as the inverse-square electro-magnetic force binding me to the surface of my planet).
like
dislike
utterly loathe
would be willing, if absolutely necessary, to endure

5. If I had to wait up to 40 minutes for a response to email, I would
Die.
Rejoice.
Choose my words more carefully.
What's email?

6. If I was unexpectedly confronted with the emergence of a bewilderingly alien and frighteningly advanced Martian life form which appeared bent on killing me if I failed to quickly and effectively communicate my peaceful intentions and potential value to its civilization, I would
Die
Whip out my handy universal transcorder and start schmoozing my jerk off.
Well, given that there's no such thing as a transcorder that works for a Martian language that we haven't even heard yet, I guess I'd just do my best to seem non-threatening while communicating my peaceful intentions with subtly universal hand gestures.
Run straight toward the Martian while screaming wildly and brandishing whatever weapon happens to be handy.

7. I consider creature comforts like designer clothing and satellite TV with DVR service:
Utterly essential.
Utterly pointless.
Utterly essential if I'm going to spend the rest of my life stuck here on Earth anyway, but utterly pointless if (hint, hint) you all decide to send me on the Adventure of Many Lifetimes™.
Does the satellite service include Showtime, because I am soooo into Weeds.

8. The concept of a large group of equal individuals all working hard every day toward the collective good of our shared community sounds to me like
A utopian ideal.
A Communist plot.
A dreary stage that Virgle Pioneers will all have to endure while building a civilization robust enough to sustain a blessed return to mankind's usual selfish, materialistic, backbiting ways.

9. A multi-stage heavy lift rocket built using established solid and liquid propellant technology with solid boosters doubled for increased payload capability could start a burn for insertion into a lunar trajectory and then back toward Earth for final insertion into a modified Hohmann Transfer Orbit, increasing its final Earth-to-Mars transfer velocity through a periapsis delta-v burn performed at the closest lunar and subsequent Earth approach, with the additional delta v gained on account of the potential energy from the mass of expended propellant,
Actually, I would think fairly quickly and easily
Only with significant time and fuel expenditure
My SAT tutor said to always guess C if you aren't sure
goo goo ga ga hee hee ha ha

10. If I were to find myself a passenger on a cramped three-month journey from Earth to Mars with nothing to do with my free time except play a thousand consecutive games of backgammon with a fellow crew member whom I didn't particularly like to begin with, I would probably:
Kick some serious backgammon butt, yo.
Be sure to lose enough games to ensure that my fellow player doesn't build up unsustainable levels of frustration and go postal.
Go postal.

11. If I were to find myself a passenger on a long-haul, multi-generational voyage to a distant solar system, and deteriorating on-ship ecological conditions, steadily weakening community stability and ever-rising number of missing backgammon pieces led some colonists to revolt against the ship's government, I would
Join the bloodthirsty populist revolution without thinking twice
Instinctively defend the reigning neo-fascist military regime
Hide in the infirmary until things blow over
Find a working Holistic Artificial Language interface and beg the on-board computers to take over the ship, and by extension the entirety of extra-solar-system humanity. For our own good, of course.

12. "If I am accepted as a Virgle Pioneer, I will enthusiastically embrace my solemn responsibility to produce as many offspring as I can in order to help develop our fledgling Martian civilization." This statement, in my case, is
True. Hell , yeah, it's true. Could we have some, like, Virgle Pioneer keggers in advance just to sort, you know, um, break the ice?
Um, definitely false -- and you'll be hearing from my attorney for insinuating otherwise.
Could I maybe see a few head shots of my fellow Pioneers before answering this question?

13. When I gaze up at a gleaming starscape late on a clear autumn night, I experience
A sense of wonder at the miraculous bounty of God's infinite universe.
A head rush.

14. I feel ________ the unknown
considerable trepidation toward
soul-crushing boredom when forced to confront
utter awe at the very idea of
a calm determination to vanquish

15. The next step in the application process is to submit a 30-second video explaining why you want to live on Mars. Click the Submit button below to receive your test results and continue on your glorious journey

Congratulations -- you are ideally suited to be a Virgle Pioneer; so ideally so, in fact, that one wonders why you aren't already living on a remote South Pacific island, serving as a biosphere test subject, washing dishes at a North Pole research station during the depths of winter or writing a highly intelligent, articulate political blog. At any rate, we want you for one of our upcoming Virgle launches. You'll love it -- the pay is great, the view from the spaceport should be spectacular, and we're told that algae and spirulina actually start to taste good after the hundredth consecutive day. Anyway, if you want to give Virgle a try, you can submit your video here.
Well, you're distressingly normal and could conceivably adjust to life as a deep space pioneer, though we recommend instead that you leave the Mars missions to the serious whack jobs who scored over 130 and instead finish year 3 of law school, tuck your toddler into bed, design Web 2.0 applications, run for Congress or do whatever other normal, healthy, middle-of-the-road thing you're currently doing with your normal, healthy, middle-of-the-road life. If you're determined to give Virgle a try, though, you can submit your video here.
Okay, let's just get this over with quickly, like ripping off a medical adhesive: you did not do well on this test. You are not, by all available evidence, well suited to be a Virgle Pioneer, or any sort space explorer, really, or for that matter, any profession which requires leaving behind your creature comforts, your nice warm bed, your lovely wardrobe, your gourmet meals, your high-end home theater, your friends and family -- oh man, what have we gotten ourselves into here? We're kind of freaking out ourselves, actually. Help! We changed our minds! We don't want to go! [Clicks heels.] There's no place like home! There's no place like home! There's no place like -- [ Long silence. ] Hello. Still there? We're sorry about that unpleasantness with our previous reviewer. We can assure you, you tested just fine and would make a fine Pioneer; all you have to do is submit your video here.
Submit your YouTube video

and become a Virgle pioneer
©2008 Google - Home - M
By ALUmnus
Registration Days Posts
#168410
Someone let us know if you read that.
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#168415
you shouldnt read it anyways...its from the company that tries to save polar bears
User avatar
By JDUB
Registration Days Posts
#168418
i started reading, then it turned to scanning, then i got to the list and just scrolled through.
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#168420
late nights are great for finding the odd news...here ya go


Google now offers "street view"

http://www.dailytech.com/Google+Street+ ... e11243.htm
Google Street View can sometimes pick up on some less than savory moments.

Image

Google Street View is a nifty little tool that can be used with the Google Maps program. I'm sure that many of you have Googled your home or some of your hangouts to see if you could find your car or simply just "cruise" through town at street level.

I personally used the feature to zoom in on my house at street level to see my car parked in my driveway as the Google Street View vehicle whizzed by unannounced.

On other occasions, I've seen people post their Street View finds online. Just last month, I ran across an accident in Phoenix, Arizona caught by a Street View vehicle. The vehicle captures a Range Rover upside down after it crashed into an Audi Q7. Panning around the scene, you can see bystanders looking on in amazement.

Today, however, when visiting my favorite place for car-related topics, The Car Lounge, I came across a rather interesting Google Street View find. The Google Street View vehicle appears to capture a drug deal going down in one of Chicago's rather seedy neighborhoods.

The apparent "deal" doesn't appear to faze any of the bystanders in the scene as they are going about their business.

But it just goes to show that Google's reach is extending into just about every facet of American life... even if it's not in a way that the company would prefer.

For the rest of you out there, post your interesting Street View finds from around the U.S. Don't be shy, I'm sure that the DailyTech readership can find some interesting scenes of your own.
By thepostman
#168421
that map looks like the central east coast of florida....
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#182496
I just bought the (Samsung Instinct and LOVE it) but it no longer will sync with my Microsoft Outlook. Here is when Google Calendar comes into play. Not only is it available on the internet but also on my phone Via Text messages or www.google.com/calendar


You can send a text to "GVENT (48368)." saying "Lunch next Wednesday at 12:00pm" or "Meeting on 12/10/2008 @ 12:00pm" and it will automatically add it to your calendar, it also will send you an Email with your daily agenda or Text message 30 minutes before your event...


I actually like it more than Outlook...just thought I'd share for those who dont know about it yet!
User avatar
By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#182499
I dabbled with Google Calendar awhile back and Mrs. Sly uses it now. But Outlook is my Blackberry's friend.
User avatar
By PAmedic
Registration Days Posts
#182582
I still don't understand any of this.

not that it matters- I don't get the internet on my cell phone. Nor do I have texting.

ITS A PHONE YOU FRIGGIN' MAROONS
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#193543
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHvk ... QD92U8DI80


Google takes aim at Microsoft with new Web browser

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE – 2 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google Inc. is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine.

The Mountain View-based company took the unusual step of announcing its latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a comic book drawn up to herald the new browser's arrival.

The free browser, called "Chrome," is supposed to be available for downloading Tuesday in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google said it's still working on versions compatible with Apple Inc.'s Mac computer and the Linux operating system.

Google's browser is expected to hit the market a week after Microsoft's unveiling of a test version of its latest browser update, Internet Explorer 8. The tweaks include more tools for Web surfers to cloak their online preferences, creating a shield that could make it more difficult for Google and other marketing networks to figure out which ads are most likely to appeal to which individuals.

Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.

Google's lead in the lucrative Internet search market is nearly as commanding, with its engine processing nearly two-thirds of the Web's queries.

For the past few years, Google has been trying to take advantage of its search engine's popularity to loosen Microsoft's grip on how most people interact with personal computers.

The assault so far has been focused on a bundle of computer programs, including word processing and spreadsheet applications, that Google offers as an alternative to one of Microsoft's biggest money makers, its Office suite of products.

Google has tried to make its alternatives more appealing and accessible by hosting them for free over Internet connections instead of requiring users to pay a licensing fee to install them on individual computers, as Microsoft typically does.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has tried to thwart Google by investing billions in the development of its own search engine and making an unsuccessful attempt to buy Yahoo Inc. for $47.5 billion.

The tensions between Microsoft and Google now seem likely to escalate with Google's foray into Web browsing.

Until now, Google had been trying to undermine Internet Explorer by supporting Firefox, a Web browser developed by the open-source Mozilla Foundation. Bolstered by an advertising partnership with Google's search engine, Firefox ranks as the second most popular browser, with a market share of more than 10 percent. Google recently extended its advertising alliance with Firefox through 2011.

Bearing the stamp of Google's renowned brand, Chrome could be an even more formidable rival to Explorer.

Still, Google's name is no guarantee of success. For instance, Google's instant messaging service hasn't made come close to catching up to the market-leading products made by Yahoo, Microsoft and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL.

In a blog post Monday, Google touted Chrome as a more sophisticated Web browser better suited for displaying the dynamic and interactive content blossoming on the Web as people migrate from television, radio and newspapers.

"The Web gets better with more options and innovation," Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management, and Linus Upson, Google's engineering director, wrote in the posting. "Google Chrome is another option, and we hope it contributes to making the Web even better."

Microsoft brushed aside the threat in a statement Monday from Dean Hachamovitch, Internet Explorer's general manager.

"The browser landscape is highly competitive, but people will choose Internet Explorer 8 for the way it puts the services they want right at their fingertips ... and, more than any other browsing technology, puts them in control of their personal data online," Hachamovitch said.

Even as it has backed Firefox, Google has openly fretted about the possible ramifications of Microsoft's huge lead in Web browsing.

Google is worried that Microsoft could abuse its power by manipulating Internet Explorer's default settings in a way that might diminish traffic to Google's search engine, which serves as the hub of the largest online ad network.

In 2006, Google contacted the Justice Department to raise alarms about changes to Internet Explorer that Google believed made it more difficult to install search toolbars made by Microsoft's rivals. Although regulators decided not to intervene, Microsoft subsequently modified the way Explorer handled the selection of search toolbars.
By TylerBakersGonnaBGreat
Registration Days Posts
#193607
Do you really expect anyone to read all that?
User avatar
By ToTheLeft
Registration Days Posts
#193608
Short version...
Stupid Long Article wrote:Google is trying to be the Tyler Baker of computers.
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#193632
:lol:
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#193651
Maybe Sly or someone like that can comment on this. Why does it seem Google is going after Mozilla? I understand Micro$oft is their main target but they are going to hurt Mozilla, which is a company who has the same belief system as Google and a company Google has been behind up until this point.
By Rocketfan
Registration Days Posts
#193670
Hold My Own wrote:Maybe Sly or someone like that can comment on this. Why does it seem Google is going after Mozilla? I understand Micro$oft is their main target but they are going to hurt Mozilla, which is a company who has the same belief system as Google and a company Google has been behind up until this point.
NOTE: HMO has a google obsession.....he is currently in denial but has been encouraged to seek help......
By Hold My Own
Registration Days Posts
#193675
lol...it's just a healthy obsession with a company living the American dream to the fullest and making others rich while doing it! :lol:
By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#193781
has anybody else tried the browser? I'm using it right now. It's kinda weird.
By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#193784
I was just looking through the tools and looks like they found a niche market. The pervs who want to surf porn while at work:



You've gone incognito. Pages you view in this window won't appear in your browser history or search history, and they won't leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the incognito window. Any files you download or bookmarks you create will be preserved, however.

Going incognito doesn't affect the behavior of other people, servers, or software. Be wary of:
Websites that collect or share information about you
Internet service providers or employers that track the pages you visit
Malicious software that tracks your keystrokes in exchange for free smileys
Surveillance by secret agents
People standing behind you
User avatar
By flamesbball84
Registration Days Posts
#193792
LUconn wrote:I was just looking through the tools and looks like they found a niche market. The pervs who want to surf porn while at work:



You've gone incognito. Pages you view in this window won't appear in your browser history or search history, and they won't leave other traces, like cookies, on your computer after you close the incognito window. Any files you download or bookmarks you create will be preserved, however.

Going incognito doesn't affect the behavior of other people, servers, or software. Be wary of:
Websites that collect or share information about you
Internet service providers or employers that track the pages you visit
Malicious software that tracks your keystrokes in exchange for free smileys
Surveillance by secret agents
People standing behind you
that feature is going to be in the newest internet explorer, does that mean microsoft is now pandering to the nice market of porn lovers?
User avatar
By flamesbball84
Registration Days Posts
#193795
i hate it. i cant ahve my bookmarks constantly open on the side of the window like i can in firefox and IE. instead you have to have a stupid bookmarks toolbar (which I hate and always will) open up top then click on other bookmarks to have a drop down box of your bookmarks. being able to have them open all the time saves one step. There's also very, very little customization of the thing from waht I can tell. looks more like a barebones browser than anything else to me - which is fine if you are using a computer that dates back to the early 2000s or 90's and can't handle much more than that. i am promptly uninstalling it.
By LUconn
Registration Days Posts
#193796
chill, it's a beta version.
User avatar
By Fumblerooskies
Registration Days Posts
#193797
This is one of those conversations where it would be great to have Scorcho around.
User avatar
By adam42381
Registration Days Posts
#193798
Fumblerooskies wrote:This is one of those conversations where it would be great to have Scorcho around.
I was thinking the same thing.
User avatar
By adam42381
Registration Days Posts
#193801
How long is this freaking cartoon before I get to the point I can download this thing?!

EDIT: Nevermind, just go here: http://www.google.com/chrome
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