>> Second, you worked in the chemical industry for over 10 years. I'm sure
>> you're familiar with the names 3M, Dupont and BASF, just to name those.
>> Don't think for a second that these companies don't have large R&D depts
>> that work round the clock trying to come up with newer compounds
>
> I was under the impression that 3M's main business is *manufacturing*
> plastics, not designing new ones. (Actually, I was under the impression
> that 3M manufactures finished products that have plastic _in_ them, but
> I guess they probably sell raw plastic to other people...)
>
>> Have you noticed how nowadays most eye glasses are made of plastic?
>> Clear plastics with higher IOR (sorry for getting slightly on-topic for
>> P.O-T) than glass were unheard of 30 years ago. The progresses made in
>> the domain of contact lenses is even more impressive than that of
>> conventional glass lenses.
>
> Really? I thought *all* transparent materials have an IOR different than
> air. As in, it's impossible to *avoid* this (e.g., if you wanted to make
> a kind of "invisible glass", you can't do it.)
>

Where did air come from.  I mentioned GLASS?

>> The "technical" garment industry has also greatly benefited from these
>> new polymers. You're a skier, so you've most certainly seen the
>> 74732327523 tags that are sewn or attached on a new ski jacket or
>> gloves, touting the amazing breathability, yet still impermeable,
>> feather light, yet warm as a mammoth pelt, machine washable, yet won't
>> fade properties these clothes now offer.
>
> I thought that all of those claims were radically exaggerated marketing,
> and that these materials are basically identical to what we had 40 years
> ago.

Then you thought wrong.  Even if the marketing does tend to overstate 
their capabilities a bit.

-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
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/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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> On 1-5-2014 22:38, Doctor John wrote:

>> YABAMBA
>
> not sure what that acronym means but if it means something like GIYF or
> 'why don't you just think before you post' or 'have you heard of the
> concept of newspapers and magazines', I agree.
>

Look earlier in the thread.  It means 
Yet-Another-Bogus-Assumption-Made-By-Andy.



-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
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/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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On Fri, 02 May 2014 16:31:42 +0200, andrel wrote:

> On 2-5-2014 15:49, Doctor John wrote:
>> On 02/05/2014 11:53, andrel wrote:
>>>> YABAMBA
>>>
>>> not sure what that acronym means but if it means something like GIYF
>>> or 'why don't you just think before you post' or 'have you heard of
>>> the concept of newspapers and magazines', I agree.
>>
>> Yet Another Bogus Assumption Made By Andy
>>
>>
> yep, that sort of covers it.
> 
> I fear that this could become an often used acronym in this group.

I don't know that I fear that, myself.  I can see its utility in 
discussion - a time saving device. ;)

Jim



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 05:30:12 -0500, Tim Cook wrote:

> On 2014-04-24 14:32, Francois Labreque wrote:
>> Andy has also assured me that iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and the various
>> android-based thingamajigs weren't tablets at all, because tablets were
>> 2 inch thick laptops that weigh 20lbs and on which you write with a
>> Palm-Pilot stylus.
> 
> Hear, hear!  Well, augmenting the specifications a little, but I concur
> that these newfangled touch-only widgets aren't REAL tablets...my
> current dream machine is the Fujitsu Stylistic Q584.  2560x1600 screen,
> 10.1"x7.12"x0.39" with proper Wacom pen input, weighs 1.4 lbs.

But surely that's impossible.  Or hideously expensive.  Quite possibly 
both at the same time. ;)

> ...oh, and it has loads of other bells and whistles, if you're into
> those things.  But dat display...over four times the resolution of my
> Fujitsu Lifebook (which, at six years old, is rather closer to your
> referred attributes, ahem), in a smaller area.  And it's less than a
> thousand dollars!
> 
> Mind, the Q584's specs are rather unusual and extravagant; most
> pen-input tablets are still poking around the 1280x800 neighbourhood.

In all seriousness, that sounds like a pretty nice piece of kit.

> Also, re. OP:  It's the future.  I was promised flying cars!  But I
> don't see any.  Why?  WHY?

Have you seen how people drive? Do you REALLY want that in 3D? ;)

Jim



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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> Given that a 3D prototype will be made of a totally different material
> with totally different properties, I'm not sure how having a prototype
> lets you check this.

As I said, the materials used for 3D prototypes are designed to mimic 
real plastics. The properties are very similar (especially for stiffness).

>> FWIW I've *never* seen tooling get
>> made exactly right first time, there is *always* something that needs to
>> be fixed or changed
>
> Really? I find that quite surprising. (Then again, I don't work in this
> industry.) I had assumed that by now, making something trivial like a
> cube-shaped box would be easy.

Surprisingly something simple like a cube shaped box is problematic for 
a variety of reasons. The sides are large, flat and almost perpendicular 
to base (or at least you want them to be). This makes it much more 
likely the part gets stuck in the tool, parts stuck in tools = $$$. 
Plastic shrinks as it cools, large flat surfaces = twisted and warped 
parts. Usually you would put supporting ribs on the inside, but in a box 
I guess you want to actually use the space inside for storing things, so 
you are a bit limited what you can do.

> That's impressive, given that even "real moulded plastic" isn't strong
> enough to make a gun... They're made out of metal for a reason, after all.

Well it's clearly strong enough to fire at least a few rounds (there's a 
video on youtube I think). And if you're the sort of person who wants to 
try and get a gun through some security checkpoint then you probably 
don't mind that it won't be a long lasting reliable weapon.

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On 06/05/2014 04:46, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> >Also, re. OP:  It's the future.  I was promised flying cars!  But I
>> >don't see any.  Why?  WHY?
> Have you seen how people drive? Do you REALLY want that in 3D?;)

I certainly don't. Too many idiots on the roads if they took to the 
skies I would take to my bed. Even then you never know who might drop in 
for tea. ;-)

I have been reading a lot of ancient SF recently. The thing that almost 
everyone got wrong is mobile phones. It is jarring when the hero has to 
stop by a drug store just to phone someone.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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Le 10/05/2014 11:52, Stephen nous fit lire :
> On 06/05/2014 04:46, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> >Also, re. OP:  It's the future.  I was promised flying cars!  But I
>>> >don't see any.  Why?  WHY?
>> Have you seen how people drive? Do you REALLY want that in 3D?;)
> 
> I certainly don't. Too many idiots on the roads if they took to the
> skies I would take to my bed. Even then you never know who might drop in
> for tea. ;-)
> 
> I have been reading a lot of ancient SF recently. The thing that almost
> everyone got wrong is mobile phones. It is jarring when the hero has to
> stop by a drug store just to phone someone.
> 
Have a look at the Shadowrun RPG (as book for ambiance)... targeted
advertisement as you pass by every shop is coming to your mobile phone.
And it is going to be as hostile as it sound. Next, augmented reality to
hit your glass and audio device... still for aggressive advertisements.

Along the revision/Edition, the matrix changed a bit (connection was
more difficult in first edition, wifi is everywhere in latests).

On another hand, triple-A security blocks are emerging too. Some started
with "elderly-only" town (forbidden to less than ~60 years old alone),
but private blocks are not so far.

Arcology are not yet, unless you look at Millenium tower (tokyo,
project), or Dubai... yep, they are coming. Not sure it will not split
population too.

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On 10/05/2014 11:59, Le_Forgeron wrote:
>> >I have been reading a lot of ancient SF recently. The thing that almost
>> >everyone got wrong is mobile phones. It is jarring when the hero has to
>> >stop by a drug store just to phone someone.
>> >
> Have a look at the Shadowrun RPG (as book for ambiance)... targeted
> advertisement as you pass by every shop is coming to your mobile phone.
> And it is going to be as hostile as it sound. Next, augmented reality to
> hit your glass and audio device... still for aggressive advertisements.
>

Now that is familiar from more more modern fiction. (Currently reading 
Sinister Barrier (Sinister Barrier 1939, by Eric Frank Russell.)
I am not really into games (I'm pretty poor at playing them.) although I 
have been playing the Beta of Elite Dangerous. It is just a shoot them 
up in your flying saucer ATM. But it has encouraged be to start Pov-ing 
after about a year off.


> Along the revision/Edition, the matrix changed a bit (connection was
> more difficult in first edition, wifi is everywhere in latests).
>

"as above, so below" or art imitates life.

> On another hand, triple-A security blocks are emerging too. Some started
> with "elderly-only" town (forbidden to less than ~60 years old alone),
> but private blocks are not so far.
>

Sounds fine to me. ;-)

> Arcology are not yet, unless you look at Millenium tower (tokyo,
> project), or Dubai... yep, they are coming. Not sure it will not split population
too.

I suppose so (Make room! Make room! by Harry Harrison.)


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

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On 2014-05-10 14:51, Stephen wrote:
> I am not really into games (I'm pretty poor at playing them.) although I
> have been playing the Beta of Elite Dangerous. It is just a shoot them
> up in your flying saucer ATM.

Lucky duck.  I'm having to wait for final release.  Looking forward to 
it, though.

--
T. Cook
http://empyrean.sjcook.com

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On Sat, 10 May 2014 10:52:42 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 06/05/2014 04:46, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> >Also, re. OP:  It's the future.  I was promised flying cars!  But I
>>> >don't see any.  Why?  WHY?
>> Have you seen how people drive? Do you REALLY want that in 3D?;)
> 
> I certainly don't. Too many idiots on the roads if they took to the
> skies I would take to my bed. Even then you never know who might drop in
> for tea. ;-)

:)

> I have been reading a lot of ancient SF recently. The thing that almost
> everyone got wrong is mobile phones. It is jarring when the hero has to
> stop by a drug store just to phone someone.

Yeah, that really is something that is a sign of the times (as it were).

Jim



-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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