Comments

Hmm, seems as if NASA is just investigating at this stage. They probably investigate a lot of stuff at any one time. I think that it could be a reasonable program, given the problems to be solved for a manned mission. As for the baloon concept, it may have already been proven to be a non starter. The rarefied atmosphere would seem awfully hostile to a 'lighter than air' approach. When I see NASA stories, I can't help but contrast them to the LHC stories. I have no beef with the LHC program -- quite the opposite. However, if it had been under NASA with the same results, there would have been cries for public beheadings by now.

It would appear that the 'misdiagnosis' was caused by not having any method of communication until recent technology advances. Not a case of doctors missing anything. It's a sad story, and maybe there are quite a few others in the same condition. Maybe now these people can be helped. This is a cause for celebration, not blame.

So, a competing scientest disagrees -- so what. The acacdemic community is filled with disputes, although most of them are confined to to letters and articles in some obscure journal ("Professor Xnthi's point 1.i.2 is completely contraindicated by earlier research" ) Maybe IBM is right and the complaints are sour grapes, or maybe they're just making statements that are technically accurate, but imply much more -- I don't know. Let's see if they respond. In any case, I don't blame PS in this case, they're simply reporting claims by a relatively reputable organization. BTW, most of the commentors could use a bit of spelling review.

Good, they've had their troubles. I've been amazed at the lack of media coverage on this -- in the US and Europe. If this was a NASA project, seven kinds of hell would have been dropped on them by now.

I think that the download system goes awry in a few ways 1. Channel flipping -- I (and others) often flip between shows on occasion. In my case, this is especially true for football ( not all of which is available on free local channels). Can't imagine how you'd replace that with downloads. 2. Checking for new shows. I read the tv skeds, but there are often cases where I see the plugs for a new show and give it a chance. 3. Checking for shows in general. Hulu doesn't actually have that large of a selection, but it takes me a long time to search through it. Maybe Apple will do a better job. 4. Bandwidth. Right now cable /satellite send an amazing amount of data out in a fairly efficient manner. Downloading will likely increase the required bandwidth significantly. 5. Equipment. Now I will need a computer more or less dedicated to downloads. I will also need something to connect it to various TVs -- unless I choose to watch it on my computer. Of course, I could always watch it on my 4 inch smartphone ( whoopee) 6. Industry. This won't fly unless the entertainment industry does a major shift to support it. I doubt that they will. I think that this will always be a niche market. Yes, it can be fun, and there will be those who've cut the cable. But there are those who don't have TVs -- or even radios.