My guess would be that the modular structure also makes this very cradle-to-cradle friendly, allowing for easy dissasembly and reclaim of the component parts.

Maybe a shorter lifespan isn't all that bad if all the components can be resused.

Solar cells have reached 40% effectiveness, which is far more than any conventional energy source. The tech has come leaps and bounds from what you refer to. Nuclear isn't the answer either as peak uranium is about as close away as peak oil. The fact is, free photos rain down with a total solar energy hitting Earth at around 10^17 Watts, and that is just on the earths surface. Tapping into just a portion of that is worth it. Extra planetary collectors would fetch nearly double of their earth bound brethren. Solar makes to much since to ignore. In other videos, he talks about the cost, and it was about as costly as a second of equivalently maintained asphalt, and that doesn't even factor in the energy they provide as an offset.

The ball has to start rolling. As others pointed out, replacing all sidewalks with something like this would be a great start. Smart sidewalks have whole other neat set of applications! Hey Mr. Smart phone, why don't you sync up with the side walk and point me in the direction of that bar I am going to...I shall follow the sidewalk arrows until I arrive!

If you are talking about technological costs, the always goes down fast with time. Problem is there are about 20 different sets of competing technologies that are still viaing for dominance. We are only about 10 years away from paper printing, high yield cells. With a modular system like the one proposed, outdated units could be phased out for newer ones very easily. In the end, it takes a doer to get this done, it is easy to be a naysayer and poke holes in the boat. I mean, the internet, surely that would never work. Hurdles can usually be overcome, doing nothing can't be.

It's definitely an admirable effort. I agree however, there are probably logistical concerns that haven't been completely worked out yet. I also think he may have oversold the energy capture possibilities (what if I'm, say, parked in my photovoltaic driveway?).

Still, there is potential. Maybe it makes more sense to roll this out as a sidewalk material to start? You'd avoid many of the major concerns you all have pointed out (no semis, for instance), but you'd still get many advantages, like modular signing, material substitution, and energy collection.

Wtf, those are LEGOs. It's all modular parts and paint! How is this even possible?

Was it built like the cube in the movie "Cube," with no master plan, just a bunch of modular outsourcing?

If so...nice!

The management of 3D was monumentally incompetent. They had very few goals, and what goals they had were moving targets. "When it's done" and "Best game EVAR!" when combined are unachievable. Feature creep destroyed this game. George Breaussard would start the game, then some other BETTER game would come out that made what they were working on look behind the times and they'd have to start all over. If they didn't start over, then whatever they released would have been savaged in the press because it had been in development so long, but looked worse or was less interactive than stuff already in the marketplace.

Half Life 2 put a stake in the heart of DNF. The Source engine was capable of moving stuff around, gravity tricks, gravity gun, Portals, and all the stuff DNF bragged it was going to be able to do. And it game out YEARS ago. And it looked fantastic. And it was modular. And Valve kept making it better. 3DRealms had no chance. Crysis was just icing on the cake.

Breaussard and Miller had a tiger by the tail with thier claims and brags about how DNF was going to be so great. With such unfocused goals and impossible standards they could never have lived up to them.

yup. one of the first things i was going to sift here was a clip of the XM8.
not long after it was officially canceled.

great rifle. incredibly modular.

heh. just did a search to see if anyone else wound up sifting a clip of it, and guess whose comments i find...

Cool. Iqaluit is a nice place to visit. I lived there for a coupla years, wouldn't repeat, but a nice place to visit.

I actually graduated from the high school on the hill (not the white one, but a similar blue and white one above it).

Unfortunately that igloo church burnt down a year or 2 ago.

I think every Canadian should visit Nunavut at least once.

I often say that Canadians perceive Nunavut the way Americans perceive Canada.

In reply to this comment by calvados:
I know it some. I know some people who used to live in Iqaluit, too -- they were there for five years recently. I used my Aeroplan points to visit them there -- saw the big white modular school and the igloo church and so on.


In reply to this comment by Throbbin:
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

You know your north?

In reply to this comment by calvados:
I say there's some *darkness to this vid as well considering the hard living and poverty.

Which settlement are you from, Throbbin?

I know it some. I know some people who used to live in Iqaluit, too -- they were there for five years recently. I used my Aeroplan points to visit them there -- saw the big white modular school and the igloo church and so on.


In reply to this comment by Throbbin:
Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

You know your north?

In reply to this comment by calvados:
I say there's some *darkness to this vid as well considering the hard living and poverty.

Which settlement are you from, Throbbin?

Is the oral sex head like a special attachment or what? Are they modular? Does it require special Japanese batteries? Does it fold up into the size of a matchbox and fit in my bottom drawer behind my socks? If so, will it smell like my socks? If there's a flood could it save my life? If so, do I get a discount on my insurance for having one?

Dude, that's what improv is. It's honing those jokes to fit all kinds of circumstances. It's like rap free-styling: you do it over and over so that the puns/rhymes are modular and can fit into all kinds of contexts. They are on a weekly show doing this over and over for God's sake, of course they're going to have chambered jokes. If they didn't, they'd be brain-dead.

>> ^NordlichReiter:
Ill echo it again, Non Lethal Modular Package.


Thats the first thing that popped into my mind. I mean SOMEONE has to operate the new "pain ray"s they've developed and tested. The thing was created for domestic use for gods sake and with the millions spent making it.. They just gotta have them ready ya know? I mean "just in case" right? God knows they'd never have to use it unless.... MASS CIVILIAN UNREST occurs. Wonder what they're getting ready for...

Ill echo it again, Non Lethal Modular Package.

The secretary quoted in the article says they they would help with crowd control?

Is that not law enforcement?

"They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack."

Id Highlight civil unrest but I think we can all ready. That is a violation of the act that you corrected me on.

Do you remember Katrina? Take the guns away from the little old lady in the house, get those "assault rifles" away from those guys guarding that mansion. That was black water and National Guard... now they wanna sneak in some regular soldiers.

Its fine to help with relief, but as soon as one single soldier arrests, confiscates, or any thing like that. Its time to prosecute and sentence.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/

Yes lurch I do like to spin little. But I try to keep it to a minimum.

What I do think is if we bring the brigade home.. let them go home, don't make em flop around on shore duty.

does this "the Army unit may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control" translate to disaster assistance?

Also, why is it acceptable to you that active duty are being used for domestic duty? Isn't that what the reserves are for? Isn't 1st BCT active duty? Why are all of the reserves overseas and have no equipment to respond to disasters?

You tell me if there is training with rescue vehicles and bulldozers and bridge repair, or if you training is with UAVs, urban theater, and with usage of tasers. WTF are they doing all the taser stuff for if it is to deliver supplies to disaster areas??

Let me guess, you skipped over the part about "new modular package of nonlethal capabilities" and tasers and all the fun toys that came from Iraq.

Tell me where in the chain of command "locals" fit in for active policing or assistance. You do know about National Guard and their role? How about their command structure. Tell me again how an active duty brigade isn't receiving orders under the revised Insurrection Act and how the Governor and/ot ANY LOCALS fit into this?!

You might want to read up on the Constitution about how active duty soldiers are not allow to "help out locals". There was once explicit barring of active duty soldiers running around this country with tasers. Even in a disaster. That's what the National Guard is for.

Someone like MG please tell me how you are taking orders from Mayor Bubblebutt. Tell me how you are allowed to march around downtown Detroit with tasers. To answer the question about soldiers going along willingly with this, here is your proof.

Cool! I always wonder exactly how they make this whenever I encounter marbles. Best use of marbles ever was as a kid I had a few sets of Hot Weels modular racetrack. I would make long, gently sloping courses that wrapped all the way around the living room, with ramps at the end, and launch marbles off. This amused me to no end. I wanna do it right now, but I don't know if you can even get Hot Wheels tracks anymore.