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Comments · 10

  1. Could work, certainly has been predicted before... by riffer · · Score: 1 · on Illumio to Launch Social Network Advice Software
    Sounds sort of like the process described in Kevin O'Donnell Jr.'s novel "Ora:Cle". Written twenty years ago, yet features a global internet as a prominent part of the storyline. Here's a review.

    I think this sort of idea has been around a long time in one form or another. Theodore Sturgeon was fond of writing about gestalt humanity ("The Cosmic Rape" aka "To Marry Medusa", "More Than Human", various other short stories). In his books the mechanism for gestalt was generally psychic or otherwise ethereal. But the drive is the same-- The ability for an individual tap into the knowledge of a larger group, quickly and easily.

    As for tainting of the knowledge, that's also been around a long time. Go to any library and you'll find the bookshelves lined with highly slanted material on any topic you choose. Even dictionaries and encyclopedias are not immune to such. My favorite dictionary was an old 1950's edition that gave the following definition for the word space: "Man will never venture into space". Kinda wish I'd held onto that book for amusement value...

  2. Re:Stop the Presses by AndroidCat · · Score: 1 · on Ancient Flaws May Leave Mac OS X Vulnerable

    Yeah, I hate when that happens.

  3. Roy Batty by cocoamix · · Score: 1 · on Scientists Produce Fearless Mice

    In the sequel novel to "DO Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" it was explained that the original Roy Batty on whom the replicant was based had a genetic mutation that prevented him from experiencing fear, thus making him an excellent soldier and assassin. Even though it was a pretty lousy book, I doubt I'm the only /.er that's read it.

  4. search engine by Uukrul · · Score: 1 · on Looking for Answers in the Age of Search

    I think that something like ORA:CLE solution it's a good one, better than a search engine. And Google Answers it's a good approximation.

  5. Asteroids and Neutrons by fm6 · · Score: 1 · on Sea Life Wiped Out by Neutron Star Collision?
    Blowing up an asteroid with an a-bomb may make sense in Hollywood, but doesn't work in real life. The B612 Foundation has a more practical solution -- but not sexy enough to attract funding.

    Greg Egan has a simple solution to the neutron bombardment problem -- convert everybody into software. I think he underestimates the technical issues...

  6. Footfall by Hexact · · Score: 1 · on Nuclear Rockets Moving Along
    Larry Niven and specially Jerry Pournelle will be happy to see that.

    Here's a design of the spacecraft based on their Footfall novel

    I always thought Pournelle to be a bit loony to push for such a technology. I guess I was wrong.

    Clem.

  7. An Entertaining Read on Fads (SF) by Mikkeles · · Score: 1 · on Socionomics: the Science of History and Social Prediction
    is Connie Willis' book Bellwether.

    Reviews are here and here, e.g.

    And here is a google search on here and the book.

  8. Bloody-Mindedness by handy_vandal · · Score: 3, Interesting · on Turing Test 2: A Sense of Humor

    "... extremely annoyed AI Researchers ..."

    Perhaps "extremely annoyed" is what distinguishes human intelligence from machine intelligence?

    In John Brunner's non-novel Stand on Zanzibar, cranky sociologist Chad Mulligan declares that supercomputer Shalmaneser is now intelligent because Shalmaneser has displayed the quality of "bloody-mindedness". Not the same as "annoyance", of course, but in the same emotional realm ....

  9. Re:I wonder how much of this is quality . . . by DuckDuckBOOM! · · Score: 1 · on Critics Pan Nemesis
    ...and then I ask them "Have you read Asimov, Heinlein, Bear, Benford, Brin, Adams, Niven, Pournelle?". . .Sad. So much more out there.
    How true. It's a shame that Hollywood can't seem to find a way to bring SF classics to the screen that preserve the spirit and sense of wonder of the originals. Or even the freakin' plot for that matter.
    (Yeah, I know, it has happened. . .sort of. But for every arguable success, there are dozens they just plain screw up. . .and a couple that go light-years beyond horrendous.)

    As a de gustibus reference point, my concept of print-to-big-screen SF nirvana: Niven & Pournelle's Footfall; screenplay by J. Michael Strazynski; directed by James Cameron; cast TBD. (I keep picturing John Goodman as Harry Reddington, but. . .nah.) 'Twould probably be the first half-billion-$ movie but that's OK, I'd see it five times to compensate. :)

  10. ORA:CLE by Pseudonymus+Bosch · · Score: 2 · on Empire of Dreams and Miracles

    "Twenty-two buttons" reminds me of 1983's ORA:CLE. Everybody stays at home because there are aliens (pterodactyl-like, "dacs") around that hunt humans for sport. Besides the Earth is covered with trees to fight CO2. There are mass-transmisors in every home but for wares and non-living things only.
    The main role is an expert in Chinese history who earns a living doing teleconsulting. There is a worldwide net with micropayments. There are very often tele-elections and referendums on lots of issues.