Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Do You Have A License For Those Facts?

Posted by timothy on from the balancing-rights-and-benefits dept.

spikedvodka writes "Wired is reporting that the "Database and Collections of Information Misappropriation Act (HR3261)" is under consideration. It passed the house Judiciary Committee, and is on it's way to the Commerce Committee. This bill would allow companies to copyright databases. (Think phone-number databases) and goes directly against the idea that nobody can own a fact." (See this earlier posting.)

6 of 525 comments (clear)

  1. aPPLE FAGS!!! GO FUCK YOURSELVES!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    aPPLE mac users are GAYS!!! Yikes!!! Go fuck youself mac users!!!

    HOMOSexuals fancy apple design shit hardware. See how much I disrespect apple - I write apple without capital a.

  2. First Mod? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Wow, that was quick

  3. We don't want to pay for anything!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    We don't want to pay for anything!!!! I wonder why I can't find a job.

  4. The nature of existence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    We know, or at least we think we know, that at one point in time, the Universe was just energy and matter floating around in space. That energy and matter eventually formed the solar system and life appeared here on Earth.

    Then a special form of life appeared, in short, humans appeared. A species distinguished from all other forms of life on Earth in that it had a consciousness, an awareness of its own existence, a form of life that was driven and influenced, but not controlled solely by its instinct...

    We have large brains

    ...Let's think about that for a second. Although it took millions, if not billions of years to occur, the Universe spontaneously went from a mixture of energy and matter to the formation of a brain, becoming consciously aware of itself. I find that to be interesting, or more accurately, the Universe finds that to be interesting. In summation...

    Energy & Matter -----> (The Universe)

    Brain ----------------> (Spontaneously formed in the Universe)

    Awareness-----------> (The Universe is self aware)

    What I find interesting isn't so much that the Universe is of an intelligent design, but rather it is intelligent in nature and that that intelligence is embodied in each of our brains. Each of us represents a node, part of a collective intelligence that represents the Universe becoming aware of itself... a collective consciousness if you like. So while those who believe in some sort of deity will argue that the Universe is a creation of God... an intelligent design, there is no evidence to support nor discredit this theory and so it is simply a matter of faith. You choose to accept it or deny it or admit you don't know... but because of this discrepancy in views, we can conclude the Universe is unsure if there is a God. The Universe hasn't become aware of that fact because there is no evidence and people have differing views, or maybe this collective consciousness is God, distributed in each of us.

    Example:


    Here is piece of knowledge we have about the Universe. The speed of light is 299 792 458 m/s. Our brain is aware of this fact. Our brain, according to my reasoning above is also a part of the Universe. So I can only conclude that the Universe is self aware.

    While we may disagree on much, in all countries/cultures/religions, 2+2=4. The laws governing the Universe are the things we can agree on, the basis of our collective consciousness and the beginnings of the Universe becoming self aware.

    Here I will make the assumption, a correct one I believe, that if something does not exist it cannot have a purpose or a meaning.

    I also assume that we do exist...

    "Cogito ergo sum" (I think therefore I am). -Rene' Descartes

    ...and so this forces me to ask two different questions. What is the purpose of life and what is the meaning of life.

    The first question if easily answered. The purpose of life is to make more life, to procreate. If we cease to do this, life ceases to exist and therefore it cannot have a purpose. So if the purpose of life is to make more life, what is the meaning of life?

    This question was a little more difficult to answer. Life is just one form of existence, but one that was able to develop a self awareness. While there are many life forms known to exist, the cognitive ability of our brain suggest there is more to life than eating, shitting and mating as all life form do, that is the purpose of life. I don't think life has a meaning, it is simply a form of existance, but the meaning of existence must therefore be to learn as much as we can, to gain knowledge, to improve our brains so that the Universe can better understand itself.

    So what's to come... well if the meaning of existence, is to learn as much as we can, and the current form is what we call life, then artificial neu

  5. I can't believe it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I can't believe that they discontinued Sleepdrys! Look!

    Sleepdrys

  6. SCO by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I take it that this wouldn't affect SCO's position? Do they have any facts?

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.