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http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/faq.html

Q. How do the chimpanzees use ASL?

A. Under double-blind conditions, we have found that the chimpanzees communicate information in American Sign Language (ASL) to human observers. They use signs to refer to natural language categories: e.g. DOG for any dog, FLOWER for any flower, SHOE for any shoe, etc. The chimpanzees acquire and spontaneously use their signs to communicate with humans and each other about the normal course of surrounding events. They have demonstrated an ability to invent new signs or combine signs to metaphorically label a novel item, for example: calling a radish CRY HURT FOOD or referring to a watermelon as a DRINK FRUIT. In a double-blind condition, the chimpanzees can comprehend and produce novel prepositional phrases, understand vocal English words, translate words into their ASL glosses and even transmit their signing skills to the next generation without human intervention. Their play behavior has demonstrated that they use the same types of imaginary play as humans. It has also been demonstrated that they carry on chimpanzee-to-chimpanzee conversation and sign to themselves when alone. Conversational research shows the chimpanzees initiate and maintain conversations in ways that are like humans. The chimpanzees can repair a conversation if there is misunderstanding. They will also sign to themselves when alone and we have even observed them to sign in their sleep.

The main problem is that demand does not change as price goes up; people are willing to pay an infinite amount in order to receive certain kinds of health care, because the only alternative is death or intolerable suffering.

Actually, the research shows that there is a demand curve for health care, although it is less elastic than other industries. You aren't either "sick" or "well", we are all "sick" in some way as that we are all aging and have potential health problems, but we all have different opportunity costs for being sick, plus we all have different needs for treatments, including time-to-treatment ("it is annoying to be sick, but I can make it for another day or two if it will save me money"), ability to handle side effects, lifestyle, life views, etc.

See

The biggest problem in medicine is not that there is a demand curve, but that typical health insurance plans eradicate the individual's view of the demand curve through subsidization. Health costs go up with unregulated subsidization. Thus we have seen the need for regulation of individual health care use (HMO's, requirements for generic use, etc.) to try to arrive back at the demand curve. Unfortunately, these regulations are typically costly and gamed by voters through public choice theory for government-provided health care.

Good info one health care demand curve elasticity can be found here. Also this Powerpoint goes into a lot of details of health economics and demand curves.

Eh, me too....I still find it amusing. In fact, I created an All your Genesis are belong to us page

but most important of all, what should the icon be?

The Happy Mac, of course.

All of the public terminals in the library at Central Washington University have Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

Central Washington's library uses Firefox excusively on all public internet terminals.

Here is the 2MB brochure

• biography
  
  
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• an ecncylopedic reference in German and English
  
  
• secondary sources, all online
  
  
• original writings (English translations) and links to criticism
  
  
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After spending far too much time at a really crappy university, where they had a nearly fraudulent (IMNSHO) attitude toward not scheduling classes necessary to complete a degree without spending more money by staying an extra year or two, I still -- surprisingly -- favor going to college rather than delving into a career. It's important to attend the best college you can find for your intended field, so shop around, and don't decide based on social issues, etc. Get value for your money. (I didn't and hate the university for it.)

I think the importance of college, assuming you get value for your money in classes for your major, is in the "mind-opening" classes that you'll end up taking, in and out of your major area. You may groan about having to take a geology class if you're a computer major, for example, but there is immense value in having a broader perspective than just the technical issues for what you hope will be your eventual career. If you only know those technical details, you bring less value to future employers who will need a well-rounded individual, not just a monkey who knows what buttons to push. (For this reason, I also favor at least a short term of military service, especially overseas. The personal growth makes you a more valuable contributor in a wider range of scenarios.)

Don't cut yourself short, either. Realize that your idea of a "great career" may change drastically in the next ten years. If you only learn what you need to perform a job, of what value are you to yourself if you decide to switch to an entirely different career?

If you can manage to work part-time (in your intended career area) while attending school, I would recommend that. But I do mean "manage" it, don't trash your grades because you enjoy work more. (Speaking from experience there!)

Attending a bad school is probably worse than attending no school, but I believe attending a valuable school is better than delving directly into the work force full-time.

IaNaL, but I don't think the 4th prevents police from employing weird technology merely to identify you if you appear in a public place. There is an implicit assumption in English common law that everybody already recognizes everybody else in a public place. Back when common law was still developing, there weren't so many people around as there are now. Entering a public place automatically forefeited your identity; with so few faces to remember, people recognized you easily. Now, we're used to being able to disappear and be no more than a nameless face in a crowd. But this is really a modern convenience, a small reward we get for having to live in a world overpopulated with so many jerks.
From a guy who is a lawyer (John C. Hall, J.D., www.cwu.edu/~millerj/academic/methods/readings/hal l1.htm) :
While granting police considerable latitude in taking warrantless action against suspected criminals when they are located in areas outside the residence, the U.S. Supreme Court has continued to afford the highest levels of fourth amendment protection to those privacy interests normally associated with one's home. Illustrative of this point is the Court's relatively recent application of a warrant requirement to police entries into private premises for the purpose of effecting arrests inside. In 1976, in Watson v. United States, the Court declined to impose a warrant requirement for felony arrests that occur in public places, holding that the validity of such arrests hinges on the existence of probable cause and not on whether the officers have an opportunity to acquire an arrest warrant.
Being "secure in your person", I think, has more to do with whether the 4th allows warrantless searches of your purse, pockets, and body cavities.

This despite the fact that many of these projects have produced astonishing results. I was especially fascinated by the work of Dr. Roger Fouts and his colleagues, who have tried to teach the American Sign Language to chimpanzees -- and succeeded. Not only did the chimps communicate with them over food and life in general, they also taught the sign language to their children. And more precise than you might imagine: Instructions like "Tickle me, then bring me one of those bananas. Oh, and I would like to watch some TV" are not at all uncommon ;-)

Find more info at their Institute, I especially recommend the book "Next to Kin". I really wish such projects could be funded through micropayments. If every Slashdot reader donated a dollar to this research, they'd be much farther than they are now.

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I'm glad to know that while there are children in the country starving and women being beaten and raped and people dying of a million diseases, someone is funding the development of a web-browser for a freaking bird.

How do you teach a dog to bark "I love you" or a horse to click his stomp his hoofs to 'count' the occurance of something? Our perception of something intelligent doesn't necessarily denote it as intelligent.

So a few bucks were spent on some parrot research? Look at the kind of money spent at this shithole.

So a few bucks were spent on some parrot research? Look at the kind of money spent at this shithole.

But we already have another intelligent species with us, it's just that most people don't care one dingo's kidney.
Not that I am some tree hugger or hippie, but if we don't give a shit when sentient and self aware creature already in existence can feel pain, why should I care if one we create is in pain or mistreated?
Tell Washoe and the chimps being used to test all sorts of diseases (that don't effect them in the same way they effect humans _anyway_) about how concerned people are over the potential that we will have computers feeling pain. I'm sure she'll just feel so sorry for them.