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We did have the Wapping Dispute in 1986, where displaced print workers went on strike to protest about the replacement of their jobs with new technology and with no retraining. The problem was there wasn't anywhere for them to be retrained - they couldn't do journalism, or do print delivery. All the metalwork, typesetting and stripping was replaced by a document system, LAN and some industrial laser printers. They proposed that they would do the transcription of journalist shorthand into the computer, but the journalists were already being trained to do the keyboarding.

Back in the 1980's, we knew the coming microprocessor revolution was coming. There were books like "The Coming of the Chip" by Anthony Hyman and "The Computer Revolution". The BBC also had a debate called "When the Chips are Down". The focus of all these publications were about how so many manual labour jobs were going to be replaced by automation. The obvious jobs were car manufacturing, component assembly lines where repetitive tasks would be replaced by robots. Other prohecies were that secretaries would no longer be needed as we wouldn't need typewriters. In part, that was true, but they took on other duties, and became admins or executaries instead. Later documentaries covered how places like Singapore were using AI to remain competitive in the shipping industry by placing crates in the most suitable location in the hold of a cargo container ship. Universities started using AI to draw up the department and faculty lecture timetables. Other predictions were the "paperless office", where there would be no need for printed documents as everything would be sent by E-mail. Yet, at the same time, laser printers and WYSIWYG printing became standard.

Now even code generation is being done automatically using Python/Perl scripts - things like GLEW and Qt's Designer. In the end, the only real two jobs left are the API R&D and the application developer who binds the API calls to the application user-interface.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8127804.stm 2009 BBC link The input filter cut our the url and tthe html in the parent, sorry about that

>Internet is the last thing on the average Libyan's mind right now.

Haven't you been watching the news? Libyans in the east were described by journalists as overjoyed to meet them and finally be able to tell their story to the outside world. Ben Wederman of CNN said people were throwing candy and juice into his car in Benghazi.

BBC's John Simpson reports rebels shot down an airplane, then brought pieces of it to show him and his film crew plus took a video on their phones.

Why would they do that? They want to get their side of the story out.

Not everybody's going to be on the Internet, but not everybody needs to be. Some are on the front. Some have rifles, others man the anti-aircraft guns. Some are on the cleanup committee. And some will be on the media and Internet committee.

It would be better it it didn't mimic ALL the decisions made by a human driver or else the computer, when faced with some cyclists in the lane, could decide to do something like this:

Brazil driver mows down cyclists in Porto Alegre (BBC News)

I think we can do better.

No, because the alternative was to attempt to maintain the status quo, and Mubarak had to go eventually, even if it was by dying in office years from now. It was going to happen. The longer the issue was put off the more frustrated people would get and the more violent the change would become from the start because people would see no alternative. People have been saying for a long time that the autocratic regimes in the Middle East were not sustainable. Choosing to step aside and allowing change to unfold -- for good or for ill -- was the best choice possible in Tunisia and Egypt. Crucially, the military was professional enough that they were not willing to start shooting their own people in an attempt to maintain the situation.

And that fundamentally is the problem in Libya: that Ghaddafi is too stupid, too self-interested, and too uncaring about his own people to go, and he's managed to bribe enough people, including ones brought in from other countries for $1000/day, to shoot his own people on his behalf. Compared to Ghaddafi, Mubarak was a patriot that actually cared about his people, and Mubarak was pretty darn cruel.

I don't think mice are smart enough for that sort of business. Rats, on the other hand, been trained to sniff out land mines, and even TB.

bbc story
mines

They already have drones so I'm going to guess "not long".

Here's the original non-lame paper
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v2/n3/full/ncomms1211.html

and a bbc article for good measure:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12612209

There's (a bit) more information on the technique here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12612209

Coming soon to a camera near you.

FWIW, there's an exhibition in Mayfair, London at the moment of manga-like photography/art. It runs until the 5th March, so you'd need to be quick to see it... (website).

The BBC have some pictures, so do Wired.

I went last week. It wasn't really worth it -- the best pictures were the ones on various news sites, and I didn't feel I gained anything by seeing them in a gallery. I enjoyed wandering round Mayfair looking at the pretty buildings more. After 10 minutes I went and found a museum -- there are lots of good free (and pay-for) museums and galleries within walking distance.

Also, although I am not sure they like to go aboard ships, I have seen muskrats crossing a 1 mile wide river. I wonder what distance brown rats and muskrats can swim for before drowning.

Brown rat swimming record ?:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4356980.stm

Muskrats aren't really rats although:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat

Yet TFA can be not only seen as more about what is a sort of a "girl club"... also, sex segregation can actually be a workable approach, in some areas...
(just one quick search on one news source)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4016961.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4019597.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4081197.stm
(while not going too far, of course)

Yet TFA can be not only seen as more about what is a sort of a "girl club"... also, sex segregation can actually be a workable approach, in some areas...
(just one quick search on one news source)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4016961.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4019597.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4081197.stm
(while not going too far, of course)

Yet TFA can be not only seen as more about what is a sort of a "girl club"... also, sex segregation can actually be a workable approach, in some areas...
(just one quick search on one news source)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4016961.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4019597.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4081197.stm
(while not going too far, of course)

Yet TFA can be not only seen as more about what is a sort of a "girl club"... also, sex segregation can actually be a workable approach, in some areas...
(just one quick search on one news source)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4016961.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4019597.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4081197.stm
(while not going too far, of course)

According to the BBC version of the story: "There are handwritten notes by Turing on them and one of them has the signature of his mother on it." which I think offer them some uniqueness. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12575029

As others have said, you're doing fine and your attitude is quite healthy. I would suggest that you spend your money on good quality food instead of ramen. But technology? Pfeh.

I have never been able to acclimatise myself to spending money on computer hardware. I know how obsolescent it is. I think of current computers as things that employers pay for.

We have five computers for four people. The toddler has an ancient Mac G4 with Cinema Display that is her television - it's a depreciated-to-zero ex-publishing machine we got for free. Girlfriend and teenager have Dell Mini 10 they bought new. I have a Dell Mini 9 I got off eBay 'cos I really wanted the slightly smaller machine (£100 and £30 for 2GB RAM). The teenager also has a gaming rig her mother built which was about £600 total for parts and OS, which is not bad for a gaming rig.

My phone is a £10 dumbphone that does voice and texts. The teenager's is similar. The girlfriend's is a Blackberry Curve 'cos she got a better deal on it than her previous contract, and it's quite smart enough thanks.

Just Enough Technology. Computers are dross.

I think the industries need a wake-up call, to some extent. I find it remarkable how they expect people to keep buying and buying.

Many tech items are actually quite cheap for what you get. And in some ways they have been getting cheaper over the years, unlike other things (food, drinks, fuel).

For example: a 2TB hard drive. You're getting a fairly high tech item ("cutting edge" even) with fast moving parts and fancy stuff like super strong magnets. Comes with a 3 year warranty. And it stores 2 terabytes! Think about it - less than 10 years ago HDDs of the same price stored only 40GB. All for USD88 ( some burgers even cost more than that ;) ).

In contrast it's hard to get a decent comfortable chair for a reasonable price and people have been building chairs for thousands of years. Amazingly most even get the correct seating posture wrong: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6187080.stm

Heck, even getting a nonugly pair of jeans for a nonstupid price was difficult. I saw some cheap ones on sale but they were presmudged with grease... Yep, brand new jeans with grease intentionally smeared on them as part of their design! Go figure why they were going cheap... I guess someone in marketing miscalculated the value of greasy jeans.

You do stupid stuff like that in the tech industry you get closed down pretty fast. So I think most nontech industries have it easier. Unlike the DRAM or other tech industries you don't have everyone _required_ to invest billions in jeans/furniture factories just to play "chicken" with everyone else.

So what's a few hundred USD on a new PC - it'll at least perform many times better than my old one.

It might be silly to buy a new PC, but it certainly less significant or silly than paying many thousands on a new car. And how much does your car consume in fuel and maintenance[1] compared to your tech stuff?

[1] As for the smug cyclists/bikers out there, how much does it cost when a truck or SUV hits you? ;)

Here's a good flowchart.

See that red line? There's the problem. Imagine Congress appointing a "Guardian Council" to vet the candidates for the next election..

I'm happy you cite primary sources, but it's a bit more complicated than that, since Iran's theocracy is rooted in democracy and elected institutions.
Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, is chosen by the Assembly of Experts who are voted by the people; this is analogous to how the President is indirectly elected by the Electoral College. He in turn appoints the Courts and armed forces.
Here's a good flowchart.

What makes it a bit harder for people to understand is that Iranians are electing a head of state who is also at the same time their religious leader (aka the marjiya), although many follow other Ayatollahs such as Sistani or Montazeri. Iran is not religiously homogeneous, there are about 25,000 Jews in Iran and they get guaranteed representatives in the Parliament as well as the Bahais and others.

Israel has never threatened to destroy Iran

You sure about that?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133899,00.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7440472.stm

http://peoplesworld.org/coincidence-israeli-palestinian-talks-to-open-israel-threatens-iran-attack/

And of course the US has made similar threats against Iran:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/05/hunter-giuliani-on-using-nukes-against-iran/

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/10/ftn/main2908476.shtml

But IMO, actions speak louder than words. Israel has invaded several countries within the last 50 years, when was the last time Iran invaded anyone? More than 100 years ago? With that said, I don't believe Iran should have nuclear weapons, but I believe it's hypocritical of Isreal and the US to keep a large stockpile of long range nuclear missiles while beating the war drums about how "dangerous" Iran is and that we need to invade them, and expect them to not try to defend themselves.

New York Times good enough?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/26/world/africa/26iht-iran.html

CNN International work?

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/26/ahmadinejad/

Washington Post?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702221.html

How about the BBC?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4384264.stm

Now what the fuck were you saying again?

The idea of making a concept album where the each track is related to the previous one died the when people could skip purchasing the songs they didn't like and then play them in shuffle mode so that there was no continuity.

This was on BBC news a few weeks back: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12212335

But don't tell the **AA, it probably counts as an illegal public performance.

Have you heard of this site http://www.wikileaks.ch/.

How about this story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11611319.

I'm pretty sure that the EU members would take very unkindly to a member state rolling over and ignoring EU laws because the US says so. I'm also pretty sure that the general population of those countries wouldn't take it kindly, either.

Remember Tony Blair, alternately known as "Bush's Poodle," or the "US foreign minister," as Nelson Mandela put it?

Rolling over to unpopular (or downright illegal) demands from the US government is a sure way to find yourself out of office in the next election, particularly in Europe.

Similarly, Top Gear should do an episode where they try to see how practical early-1900s cars are in today's world. Think of all the manual crank-starting, rear-only belt-braking, 1WD fun to be had at speeds of up to 30mph.

Maybe they've already done something like this and I just don't know about it.

They've already done something like this and you just don't know about it :P

They did a feature a while ago about "the first car to use 'modern' controls" involving lots of failing to brake and difficulty starting some very early cars. Clip here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/videos/index.shtml?cat=mucking_about&id=86

I've found memory techniques VERY helpful in business, and I amaze people on a day-to-day basis with my memory (which was extremely poor before I began studying the subject). Now I'm the guy who the office always goes to, when they are trying to remember how we handled a past situation, or what's the name of that customer/product/technique, or whatever.

There. Now you have no excuse for your laziness. Either learn or remain forever with your lousy memory.

He's not lost yet, he will be appealing against extradition.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12564865

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12510702

Yes, but you have to realise that the British never like to give any credit to the Dutch for anything...

  - The world's largest radiotelescope is based in the Netherlands.
  - The world's highest rate of cycling is in the Netherlands.
  - The Dutch crime rate is so low that they're having to import prisoners from other countries to avoid making prison officers redundant.
  - The Dutch manage to be the world's second largest agricultural exporter despite having just 0.03% of the world's land.
  - Dutch roads are the safest in the world.
  - Dutch obesity rates are amongst the world's lowest.
  - Teenage pregnancy rate is amongst the world's lowest.
  - Drug abuse rates are amongst the world's lowest...
  - Dutch children are the happiest in the world.

However, Britain prefers to defer to the US for advice on all these things...

Hitler, Himmler, and Hess: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4609892.stm I remember Jaime Sin alright, best name/job combination ever! :D

Just look at their picture. They want to use a modified first stage of Ariane 5 (not Ariane V)as their second stage.

Oops, that link doesn't work, you've got to go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/ and it cobbles the rest.

If anything, VoA has been criticized for not being American enough.

By who, aside from the US equivalents of France's Front National, or Britain's British National Party?

Just imagine if the BBC broadcasted programs in anything but English.

They do, all the time. (They did cut back recently due to budget cuts, but there's still a lot of foreign language broadcasts.)

Way back in 2000 a few people named their babies after IUMA.com. It was a PR stunt, so at least they got paid for it.

How many people today know what IUMA was? When they hear your name is Iuma, they probably think it's some fancy African or native American name your esoteric parents gave you to make them feel special. You probably can live with it pretty well.

Fast forward eleven years from now. In 2022, people probably will think Facebook is some variant of face job and that it was picked as your name by your stoned prostitute mother when visiting your crack dealer father in prison. Or something the like.

And (flamewar time) I continued to be baffled over all the flack they got over the stupid wifi thing. They came clean, admitted everything, co-operated with the investigations and people still tore them 12 new ones. Personally I think they should have been commended for admitting they made a mistake rather than going into full on cover up mode.

I won't flame, but question that you got the timeline right. As covered extensivly in European press at the time, Google only came clean after the German authorities demanded to audit the data - which they did despite Google already assuring them that no private information were being collected.

From BBC News:
"Google has been the subject of scrutiny from data protection agencies around the world, following news that software in its Street View cars collected personal information.
This was revealed following a request from the German data commissioner to audit all the data being collected by Street View cars "

That is, alas, not true. The suggestion is to move all times forward an hour, putting the UK in line with Central European Time (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer). An interesting comparison of the "new" sunrise and sunset times for peaks of summer and winter is on the BBC site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12523164

It wasn't at my school, but every school employee in the country was scared by it. Let me find the details....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11499872

My memory wasn't exactly right. She wasn't actually charged, but faced a two year internal investigation and appeals process, and the wrath of the local papers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Yet another way to waste money in the fight against terror.

This one sunk $85M on a bogus bomb detector used widely in Iraq until its export was banned-- ie demand for it was still present and they wanted to continue importing into Iraq! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8471187.stm

Airport body imagers, duct tape and plastic wrap... Is there no end?

We emigrated to the Netherlands. People are a lot more healthy here. Children walk up to me, an adult male, and engage conversation. It took a while to realise that I didn't have to worry about this as it doesn't make other people suspect your.

This is one of the many reasons why Dutch children are the happiest in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9401921.stm

might interest you around the 30 second mark they start to talk about motorola's atrix. It's an android phone which switches to linux when docked with what looks like a slim laptop.

Auroras were also spotted in Northern Ireland, which is unusual as they are not usually seen this far south of the polar regions in Europe http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12487551

To be honest, when making the first comment I only had a superficial knowledge of what McCarthysm entailed (I thought it was just mostly anti-communist propaganda, and stricter security clearances)

You possibly hit the key issue here, without realizing. People, societies, have generally quite superficial knowledge about such issues. Not to be unexpected... they just want to carry on with their lives. Don't really want to be bothered (heck, our minds are even simply unable to really track more than few dozen individuals).

breaching due process, and baseless accusations and blacklists

I'm sure that does sound similar to you, from ex-communist Hungary, right?

I'm not sure I would categorize the war crimes in Korea as McCarthysm.

To me it's largely symptomatic, of what society ... of what humans can easily be (and don't get me wrong, US very possibly did quite near to best achievable way... that's not much of consolation), of what is bad in us / pack animal / we depend greatly on "we're the best, others are subpar" to feel good about ourselves... also to do horrible things ... but it's also, paradoxically, about what is good (our need to believe in Just World ... unfortunately easily derailed just by self-marvel and seeing others as evil; we must get pass this, to make the world really just)

Because... it's working so-so at this point, for example (and how many people are even aware of this background for one of most just wars in recent history? If we can be upfront even with such one...). Have your pick (strangely, not a lot about Operation Condor - designed not only to get rid of left extremism, but to destroy left... check Sister Dianna Ortiz, that's 89)

McCarthy was a symptom of that, of "we can do no wrong" / "you must be commie sympathizer if you;re against" / "you're either with us or against us" (remember who said the last one?)

Yes, it's also playing Devil's advocate of course... oh well, there's enough of bad stuff on the Russians.

According to this BBC article, the anti-laser absorbs a specific frequency and turns it into heat.

I'm from the UK, but now living in Canada - so I've been brought up on the BBC News. I don't have time to watch much news, but I do get CTV here with my cable package and tend to watch it in the morning over breakfast. I have chosen to watch half an episode of Glen Beck (I got bored quarter of the way through and couldn't stomach the rest), but I do watch the Daily Show regularly.

I can say that hyperbole is an American form of reporting.

And you can keep it as far as I'm concerned!

You jest, but I really find the practice of using fingerprint and DNA evidence to prove guilt disturbing and flawed.

Lets say I were going to commit a crime.

I've seen many people who approximately match my description. It would take very little time for me to follow behind someone and nab their used drink cup and/or a few strands of their hair. After studying their routine I could schedule my crime to leave them with a very weak alibi (or none at all).

After finishing my dirty deed I could simply plant their DNA & fingerprint evidence and give an anonymous tip in order to put the detectives firmly on their trail. One thing I've learned about cops (My Aunt and Uncle are both detectives) is that once they "like" someone for a crime and have a bit of "hard" evidence, they really try to make the charge stick more so than they try to pursue other suspects (unless contradicting evidence is staring them in the face).

Found a hair? Hmm, was that a hair that fell directly from someone's body, one that was transplanted after falling from someone's body, or one grown in a lab from someone's stem-cells? Impossible to tell, really**.

My point is this: Your DNA and Fingerprints ARE ALREADY VERY PUBLIC INFORMATION (unless you wear a full body condom out of the house). Finding your DNA or fingerprints at the scene of a crime is only evidence that you may or may not exist*; DNA and fingerprints should be considered no better evidence than finding fibers of the type of clothes you wear, not as the smoking gun that today's courts treat them.

To me: The ease of access to virtually anyone's DNA and our recent technological advances have redefined "reasonable doubt" (hell, even the low tech method I described makes DNA that much less credible).

* we have engineered synthetic life forms with custom designed DNA.

** Stem cells can be made from your skin, and Stem cells can be used to produce any of your tissues.

As a matter of interest "the proof is in the pudding" is not a legitimate phrase in UK English, so I assume it must be an Americanism. We still say "the proof of the pudding is in the eating", unless we are illiterate/stupid.

Have to disagree with you there - no true scottsman fallacy not withstanding:

http://careers.guardian.co.uk/do-you-need-experience-for-first-job
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1333255.stm

I have a hole, gas comes out, but it doesn't do much to harm Earth.

Well then, I suggest you never go to Malawi where that sort of behaviour is illegal!

Here it is: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4685750.stm