Noone thought it was possible to travel around the earth. Science proved them wrong. Noone thought it was possible to visit the moon. Science proved them wrong. Noone thought it was possible to harness the power of lightning. Science proved them wrong.
The point is that in all these cases, someone refused to accept that something couldn't be done, or didn't know that it couldn't be done. Great things come when someone just decides to do something without regard for the possibility/impossibility of it. Linux would not be around if Linus had any idea what he was getting into. So we should be open minded about this.
There have been posts about the impossibility of creating more energy from a reaction than is put into it. Generally I believe this is true. But he may have found some ways around traditional limitations. What needs to be done is a complete audit of every particle and stray energy beam and everything else current technology can detect. Stop outside forces from interfearing as much as possible, and keep track of those that can't be stopped. Then start it up. After the test run, do another audit. I suspect that excess energy can be accounted for through things like neutrinos streaming through the room and affecting the process, and the overall matter count will probably be slightly lower. Basically, though it will appear that more energy was released than was invested, that was not really the case.
Beside launching rockets and killing people, what kind of end-user application would benefit from "hard real-time" support in the linux kernel?
Air Traffic control would be one. A delay of even a second or two in updating the information would be bad. Coordinating large scale movements of people, in any sort of organization, could be useful. Whether it is infantry in the field or search parties trying to find a lost hiker, real time computing can be beneficial.
Top of my list would be Tish Williams, who just did her last column for Upside today, and will be going to thestreet.com. She takes various tech business related events and delivers a commentary on it in a nonconventional way. Humour is a big thing, and if you are ever the subject of one of her pieces prepare to be insulted, even if she is being supportive. Shes awesome. And she cares about her readers, at least the hardcore ones. We are often mentioned in her articles, she will sometimes write about things we bring up. And every friday she answered readers letters, whether they be love letters, propositions for a four way, or serious discussion of her articles. And they are real letters, I've had one of mine replied to. there is a linked discussion board as well, where we discuss things from communism to Tish's latest pic. Tish herself often posts in it. There is even at least two fan sites, the main one at here I don't know where the other is off the top of my head. I think a journalist who can inspire such loyalty and devotion, and return it to her fans definitely deserves consideration.
Other possibilities: Linus Torvalds(obvious) Jon Katz(For finally writing a reasonably concise article) Natalie Portman and those who make grits(For keeping the idiots from trying to post half baked ideas about the topic, and ensuring said idiots get moderated down)
The point about the fuse was not to protect against a direct lighting strike, but to the current coming through the cable used to connect to the antenna. Building it to survive a direct lightning strike would be possible but quite difficult. You'd have to encase the thing in thick(like 2 feet) rubber or plastic, or maybe stone, have metal shielding over the rubber that is grounded. OF course everything that is potentially vulnerable to a static discharge must be grounded. Thats just common electical safety. Another good idea is to set up a lightning rod that rises well above the antenna, this should prevent or at least seriously diminish the chance of lightning damage. As for a lightning strike frying a computer, computers are surprisingly strong about that. A buddy of mine had a lightning bolt hit his phone line, the charge carried in through the line to his modem. The computer itself survived unscathed. The modem, while it never worked in that computer again, worked fine in others except for volume control. A fuse in the cable attaching to the antenna and good grounding should save it as long as it doesn't take a direct hit. Add a lightning rod and I'd certify it to last through So. Connecticut storm season.
This is inane. Patenting name your price shopping? That covers alot. Auctions are one thing. Going to a store, saying "I need thing x, I only have 10 bucks, do you have a thing x for 10 dollars? " Haggling for prices could come under this definition as well. How stupid can a patent get? This is even worse than the amazon one click shopping patent. At least that had some design that went into it and their technique of implementing it could be patented. But patenting a business model?
Maybe I should go and apply for a patent for this great idea: Big store, shelves organized into various sections for different types of merchandise, similar items would be close together, then there would be multiple booths where total cost is calculated, and payment and change made. These booths would empty out an exit that conveniently leads to a parking lot.
I doubt that I am the only one who didn't get the `impaladin' in-joke, and why it is appropriate as the new name for GNU/linux. Anyone in-the-know care to enlighten?
I don't get impaladin, however paladin is the name for a character class in AD&D. They are holy warriors who constantly fight for whats right and good. If they fall off the path they lose everything that makes them special. Kind of like GNU/Linux, a fight for whats right and good in the software world, and those who fall off the path(IE make a proprietary version of the linux kernel or GNU untilites without completely rewriting the code will be sued and lose what they gain from GNU. Also, they do all this not for money(they aren't allowed to keep more money than they need) but because they truly believe in the ideals, like OSS programmers who mainly believe in the software not the money. Though I'd view the whole movement as chaotic or neutral good rather than lawful good as paladins must be. I could be completely wrong on the intent, and I have no clue what the prefix 'im' means, but the AD&D paladin class may well be the inspiration, and thats what I took it as.
Go with mil-spec gear if possible. If you can't afford it or really want to do it yourself, heres some ideas.
Get a sealed plastic case. Computer intended or not. If it isn't specifically for computers get it bigger than you need, and rig some shock absorbing pieces in. An idea I've seen is some military field computers have pieces of rubber in the 8 corners.
Cut holes that are just barely big enough to let necesary(and only necasary) cables through. Seal them up with that clearish rubbery stuff(can't remember what its called). Electrical tape might work, but I wouldn't rely on it.
Lightning is a big potential problem. Unless you have a lightning rod with a superconucting cable, lightning will kill your computer. Make sure the antenna has a ground attached, preferably above the cable connect, using the lowest resistance cable you can afford. This may cause the lightning to travel down that rather than into your computer. Still, find out the maximum jolt your computer can take, and get a fuse that blows out somewhere between 80% and 90% of that. You will still lose connectivity, but rather than having to replace the whole computer you will just have to replace the fuse.
Everyone thinks cooling would be difficult. Not really. You may want to look into a water based cooling system. They can keep your CPU extremely cold. Condensation can be a problem though, be careful about that. And don't screw up putting it together. The result of a mistake setting up a computers water cooler is obvious. Another option is setting up a big fan and ducting air in through plastic or rubber tubes, or even PVC pipes. HAve a top one that blows cool air in and a fan in the bottom that sucks hot air out. Through ducting you can keep the case cooled and airtight/watertight. The hard drive could be a problem. Bad things can happen at low temperatures trying to get a motor running. Primarily, get the drive with the greatest temperature tolerance you can afford. And among your options there, get the one with the best g-force tolerance you can find. No matter what this thing will be taking some shocks especially in a storm. Turning off all powersave options, or at least the ones that relate to the hard drive, may help keep the hard drive from getting too cold.
All in all an ambitious project... but certainly feasible.
Whats so bad about communism? So a few people have perverteda noble concept of human cooperation into a means of extending dictatorial control, but at its heart communism is simply a system of people all doing their part to make society good. In fact, go back a while, and the governments and economies of pretty much everywhere would be considered communist by modern standards. Go deep into africa or some parts of Asia and meet the native tribes. There whole system is essentially socialist. They live in harmony with the land unlike the democratic/capitalist systems so popular today.
This is an interesting advance. But interspecies isn't really too strange. Many species are only differentiated by minor factors. THe one problem with this could be in bringing back extinct species, at least those that died off naturally. Generally, before humans got too advanced, a species would only die off when the natural balance got out of whack. Introducing a species that died off like that could cause unpredictable results, unless it is kept captive. And who really knows how to properly secure a wooly mammoth?
Mandate wearing it? If the government wanted to track us they easily have the technology to do so already. Granted, implementing it and requiring us to carry along the tracking devices would incite a full scale rebellion of the people and wide scale mutiny among the armed forces, but wearable computers are not going to herald in a new era of monitoring. Any potential they have for that is already out there. This is nothing more than a PC that takes up less space.
Its good that Linux is moving into new markets. Embracing Linux for wearable computers will allow makers of them to create powerful systems for far less money than, say, a Windows system. Licensing fees are irrelevant in Linux, and the hardware needed to get equivalent performance is much less. With Linux at the center of these devices, perhaps wearable computers will soon be in the price range of normal people? Military applications of a reliable, wearable computer are unreal. Camping uses are amazing too... Add a GPS system and a cell phone, and if you get lost in the woods, a quick email or IM to the local authorities, and your exact location gets through easily. It could work as a smart beacon too, not simply transmitting a signal but information about the situation as well. TO explain the full potential though would take forever. This is a great thing.
Search engines have serious problems. One is that boolean strings and other forms of highly specific searching never seem to work. I search for anything, and I get maybe 20 out of 3000000 sites that have what I want. And many of these sites are on the fifth or sixth page. What needs to happen is search engines coming up with a better way of ranking sites. Its really annoying when the 100% relevant site has nothing remotely related to your search, and the 25% site is exactly what you are looking for. Search engines also have to do more to prevent spamming them. Content based searching rather than keyword should be implemented, it can help, but keyword searching, if improved, is still good when searching for specific information. Search engines could focus on specific areas, like a SlashSearch.com would be a tech search engine. The search everything engines could add a new option for their advanced mode searching for category. Database driven sites should use meta tags describing the content type. While no solution can be perfect in a rapidly changing environment like the Web, these ideas can be implemented and would help.
There is a difference between reproduction and creating life. In reproduction, we do not create anything. We merely provide a chance for sperm and eggs to join and carry on the normal course of events. These scientists are proposing taking a vat of chemicals, mixing it up, and out pops living organisms. Thats simplifying the process of course, but thats essentially what they are proposing to do. Taking raw, unliving chemicals, and making life. Is there anyone, other than our creator, who has that right? Thats the question. Life, as the most central thing in our existence, cannot be treated as a toy. We need as much debate and polling as humanly possible before this proceeds.
Are we meant to create life? I don't think so. That was a rather small slice of religious groups. What about the Covenant of the Goddess? The President and Quorom of Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Maybe a random sampling of independent denominations? Polls over the next year in every country on earth where people can say if they want this or not. The ability to create life is an awesome power. Perhaps too powerful. We not only risk a potential Gattaca, or Frankenstein like rebellion, or a Nazi "Master Race", but upsetting the natural balance moreso than we already have.
What a moron. He was the one who was gambling. He asked for the credit, it was extended. If he realizes it is a bad thing for credit card companies to extend credit for gambling, he shouldn't sue them. He was the one that made the choice to use his credit cards. He could start a movement to stop credit card companies from allowing gambling establishments to accept their cards, or get his congressman to introduce a bill to ban teh practice. But suing the credit card companies is simply avoiding his own responsibility in this. He was wrong, not the credit people.
This technology has great potential, but serious risks. First, watch Gattaca. That covers genetics based discrimination well. Also look at what happens when too many animals of any species are in too little space- starcation, sickness, and especially in humans, extreme violence. When the average person can live to be 100, is virtually immune to all known diseases, and is more resistant to injury than todays typical human, what will keep our population in check? I hate to say it but if this gets misused, even with good intentions, we will in time fall to fighting amongst ourselves for what little food and resources are left. And I'm not christian, but I have read Revelations, isn't it possible that the number '666' can be inserted into the genetic code? Petty dictators like Saddam Hussein will certainly love the military implications. Soldiers who don't fear chemical weapons, heal faster, suffer less from injury, can carry more, faster, and farther, fire weapons more steadily, respond to orders perfectly... Imagine the Trade Federations Droid army, but with real human ingenuity thrown in. Not good.
Oh yes, all good systems guys keep password files and other work system information on their home computers. No systems guy would leave vital access information to the corporate network on just the work computeres, he needs it at home.
The history file can be cleared, and I think it can be turned off, I'm not sure if it can be or how to do it. Just clear history when you close yourbrowser, I know for sure IE4 for windows lets you, I think it will even do that automatically if you want.
Good point. However, you could also look at the physical side of the net as a forest. In a forest, the trees need water to survive. If there is a drought or climate change, they suffer. If there is a power outage, computers suffer. In a forest, natural disasters can destroy trees. On the net, computers get knocked over, coffee spilled on them(acid rain), and other little disasters that spell doom for a particular computer tree. Sometimes computers get old and die. So do trees. Sometimes computers become unstable and act strangely and dangerously. Like rabid raccoons. Sometimes computers start getting filled up so much their performance suffers and possibly causes a total crash. In forests, animal populations get overcrowded which is quite bad as animals cannot get a share of food. The population will then start dying off. I could go on, but you probably get the point. The net, as in hardware, would require a massive R&D and procurement budget to make it self reproducing and growing, but as a stable environment it can host a new entity known as the Web which could easily be given those capabilities withing the limits of the net hardware environment.
I was thinking of the 19 click story too when I read that. There are a few possibilities. One is that one of the two stories is just wrong, due to inaccurate measurements or faulty analysis. The two studies may have had a slightly different focus, thus both are correct from the point of view of the study. Such one study going for the average of all sites, with another going for commercial sites. This study could also mean 4 clicks from one website to a random page on another site, whereas 19 was the distance between two single pages. Or the web has just gotten that much closer. I do agree though that 4 clicks is a bit low between any website. Not with the huge number of crappy and often abandoned personal sites out there. Between all major sites, maybe. but all sites period?
The internet does not reproduce on its own to my knowledge. It is self modifying to an extent, but I am not aware of any sites that take in anything and then spawn off entirely new websites without human intervention, so it is not technically alive. However, such functionality could easily be introduced. But what purpose would it have?
This sounds good, if Rational is given Microsofts "freedom to innovate". With it being developed by another company, perhaps it will become more universal. Perhaps even ported. I wonder also, does microsoft have an ulterior motive? I don't believe that they always have an ulterior motive(beyond standard business) but something like this, only a couple of months after they were declared a monopoly, with the possibility of a breakup looming, maybe they want to try to see, on a small scale, how it might affect them in the short term. Lastly, the article wasn't terribly informative. What are the terms of the deal? I don't care about amounts of money, but amount of microsoft/rational cooperation, and whether and how the deal could be reversed, those are all important details for judging this event.
Is B&N using amazons method to institute 1-click shopping, or are they using an in house method with a user interface that works similarly to acheive the same end result? If its the latter, and amazon wins, Apple should file a lawsuit against Microsoft. IBM should file a lawsuit against Compaq. Intel should file a lawsuit against AMD(among others). Whoever has the rights to UNIX has alot of people to sue. Unless B&N is actually using the same code, aquired directly rather than coincidentally coming up with the same obvious solution to the same problem, there is absolutely no case.
Any good reporter knows that there are many ways to view something. When reporting on issues regarding open-source software and many other technical issues, Slashdot is an excellent place to do some quick and thorough research on what people are doing with it and how they feel. The alternative would be extensive research through surveys and polls... looking through Slashdot comments is much faster and probably more accurate. Plus, Slasdots gathering of techinical articles from around the world is a great source of background material on the issues in question as well. Any journalist covering OSS should definitely have Slashdot on their bookmarks list, and others who cover the tech world in general should as well.
Slashdot Mirror
I am some what skeptical but consider:
Noone thought it was possible to travel around the earth. Science proved them wrong.
Noone thought it was possible to visit the moon. Science proved them wrong.
Noone thought it was possible to harness the power of lightning. Science proved them wrong.
The point is that in all these cases, someone refused to accept that something couldn't be done, or didn't know that it couldn't be done. Great things come when someone just decides to do something without regard for the possibility/impossibility of it. Linux would not be around if Linus had any idea what he was getting into. So we should be open minded about this.
There have been posts about the impossibility of creating more energy from a reaction than is put into it. Generally I believe this is true. But he may have found some ways around traditional limitations. What needs to be done is a complete audit of every particle and stray energy beam and everything else current technology can detect. Stop outside forces from interfearing as much as possible, and keep track of those that can't be stopped. Then start it up. After the test run, do another audit. I suspect that excess energy can be accounted for through things like neutrinos streaming through the room and affecting the process, and the overall matter count will probably be slightly lower. Basically, though it will appear that more energy was released than was invested, that was not really the case.
Beside launching rockets and killing people, what kind of end-user application would benefit from "hard real-time" support in the linux kernel?
Air Traffic control would be one. A delay of even a second or two in updating the information would be bad. Coordinating large scale movements of people, in any sort of organization, could be useful. Whether it is infantry in the field or search parties trying to find a lost hiker, real time computing can be beneficial.
Top of my list would be Tish Williams, who just did her last column for Upside today, and will be going to thestreet.com. She takes various tech business related events and delivers a commentary on it in a nonconventional way. Humour is a big thing, and if you are ever the subject of one of her pieces prepare to be insulted, even if she is being supportive. Shes awesome. And she cares about her readers, at least the hardcore ones. We are often mentioned in her articles, she will sometimes write about things we bring up. And every friday she answered readers letters, whether they be love letters, propositions for a four way, or serious discussion of her articles. And they are real letters, I've had one of mine replied to. there is a linked discussion board as well, where we discuss things from communism to Tish's latest pic. Tish herself often posts in it. There is even at least two fan sites, the main one at here I don't know where the other is off the top of my head. I think a journalist who can inspire such loyalty and devotion, and return it to her fans definitely deserves consideration.
Other possibilities: Linus Torvalds(obvious)
Jon Katz(For finally writing a reasonably concise article)
Natalie Portman and those who make grits(For keeping the idiots from trying to post half baked ideas about the topic, and ensuring said idiots get moderated down)
The point about the fuse was not to protect against a direct lighting strike, but to the current coming through the cable used to connect to the antenna. Building it to survive a direct lightning strike would be possible but quite difficult. You'd have to encase the thing in thick(like 2 feet) rubber or plastic, or maybe stone, have metal shielding over the rubber that is grounded. OF course everything that is potentially vulnerable to a static discharge must be grounded. Thats just common electical safety. Another good idea is to set up a lightning rod that rises well above the antenna, this should prevent or at least seriously diminish the chance of lightning damage. As for a lightning strike frying a computer, computers are surprisingly strong about that. A buddy of mine had a lightning bolt hit his phone line, the charge carried in through the line to his modem. The computer itself survived unscathed. The modem, while it never worked in that computer again, worked fine in others except for volume control. A fuse in the cable attaching to the antenna and good grounding should save it as long as it doesn't take a direct hit. Add a lightning rod and I'd certify it to last through So. Connecticut storm season.
This is inane. Patenting name your price shopping? That covers alot. Auctions are one thing. Going to a store, saying "I need thing x, I only have 10 bucks, do you have a thing x for 10 dollars? " Haggling for prices could come under this definition as well. How stupid can a patent get? This is even worse than the amazon one click shopping patent. At least that had some design that went into it and their technique of implementing it could be patented. But patenting a business model?
Maybe I should go and apply for a patent for this great idea: Big store, shelves organized into various sections for different types of merchandise, similar items would be close together, then there would be multiple booths where total cost is calculated, and payment and change made. These booths would empty out an exit that conveniently leads to a parking lot.
If name your price can be patented, so can that.
I doubt that I am the only one who didn't get the `impaladin' in-joke, and why it is appropriate as the new name for GNU/linux. Anyone in-the-know care to enlighten?
I don't get impaladin, however paladin is the name for a character class in AD&D. They are holy warriors who constantly fight for whats right and good. If they fall off the path they lose everything that makes them special. Kind of like GNU/Linux, a fight for whats right and good in the software world, and those who fall off the path(IE make a proprietary version of the linux kernel or GNU untilites without completely rewriting the code will be sued and lose what they gain from GNU. Also, they do all this not for money(they aren't allowed to keep more money than they need) but because they truly believe in the ideals, like OSS programmers who mainly believe in the software not the money. Though I'd view the whole movement as chaotic or neutral good rather than lawful good as paladins must be. I could be completely wrong on the intent, and I have no clue what the prefix 'im' means, but the AD&D paladin class may well be the inspiration, and thats what I took it as.
Go with mil-spec gear if possible. If you can't afford it or really want to do it yourself, heres some ideas.
Get a sealed plastic case. Computer intended or not. If it isn't specifically for computers get it bigger than you need, and rig some shock absorbing pieces in. An idea I've seen is some military field computers have pieces of rubber in the 8 corners.
Cut holes that are just barely big enough to let necesary(and only necasary) cables through. Seal them up with that clearish rubbery stuff(can't remember what its called). Electrical tape might work, but I wouldn't rely on it.
Lightning is a big potential problem. Unless you have a lightning rod with a superconucting cable, lightning will kill your computer. Make sure the antenna has a ground attached, preferably above the cable connect, using the lowest resistance cable you can afford. This may cause the lightning to travel down that rather than into your computer. Still, find out the maximum jolt your computer can take, and get a fuse that blows out somewhere between 80% and 90% of that. You will still lose connectivity, but rather than having to replace the whole computer you will just have to replace the fuse.
Everyone thinks cooling would be difficult. Not really. You may want to look into a water based cooling system. They can keep your CPU extremely cold. Condensation can be a problem though, be careful about that. And don't screw up putting it together. The result of a mistake setting up a computers water cooler is obvious. Another option is setting up a big fan and ducting air in through plastic or rubber tubes, or even PVC pipes. HAve a top one that blows cool air in and a fan in the bottom that sucks hot air out. Through ducting you can keep the case cooled and airtight/watertight. The hard drive could be a problem. Bad things can happen at low temperatures trying to get a motor running. Primarily, get the drive with the greatest temperature tolerance you can afford. And among your options there, get the one with the best g-force tolerance you can find. No matter what this thing will be taking some shocks especially in a storm. Turning off all powersave options, or at least the ones that relate to the hard drive, may help keep the hard drive from getting too cold.
All in all an ambitious project... but certainly feasible.
Whats so bad about communism? So a few people have perverteda noble concept of human cooperation into a means of extending dictatorial control, but at its heart communism is simply a system of people all doing their part to make society good. In fact, go back a while, and the governments and economies of pretty much everywhere would be considered communist by modern standards. Go deep into africa or some parts of Asia and meet the native tribes. There whole system is essentially socialist. They live in harmony with the land unlike the democratic/capitalist systems so popular today.
This is an interesting advance. But interspecies isn't really too strange. Many species are only differentiated by minor factors. THe one problem with this could be in bringing back extinct species, at least those that died off naturally. Generally, before humans got too advanced, a species would only die off when the natural balance got out of whack. Introducing a species that died off like that could cause unpredictable results, unless it is kept captive. And who really knows how to properly secure a wooly mammoth?
Mandate wearing it? If the government wanted to track us they easily have the technology to do so already. Granted, implementing it and requiring us to carry along the tracking devices would incite a full scale rebellion of the people and wide scale mutiny among the armed forces, but wearable computers are not going to herald in a new era of monitoring. Any potential they have for that is already out there. This is nothing more than a PC that takes up less space.
Its good that Linux is moving into new markets. Embracing Linux for wearable computers will allow makers of them to create powerful systems for far less money than, say, a Windows system. Licensing fees are irrelevant in Linux, and the hardware needed to get equivalent performance is much less. With Linux at the center of these devices, perhaps wearable computers will soon be in the price range of normal people? Military applications of a reliable, wearable computer are unreal. Camping uses are amazing too... Add a GPS system and a cell phone, and if you get lost in the woods, a quick email or IM to the local authorities, and your exact location gets through easily. It could work as a smart beacon too, not simply transmitting a signal but information about the situation as well. TO explain the full potential though would take forever. This is a great thing.
Search engines have serious problems. One is that boolean strings and other forms of highly specific searching never seem to work. I search for anything, and I get maybe 20 out of 3000000 sites that have what I want. And many of these sites are on the fifth or sixth page. What needs to happen is search engines coming up with a better way of ranking sites. Its really annoying when the 100% relevant site has nothing remotely related to your search, and the 25% site is exactly what you are looking for. Search engines also have to do more to prevent spamming them. Content based searching rather than keyword should be implemented, it can help, but keyword searching, if improved, is still good when searching for specific information. Search engines could focus on specific areas, like a SlashSearch.com would be a tech search engine. The search everything engines could add a new option for their advanced mode searching for category. Database driven sites should use meta tags describing the content type. While no solution can be perfect in a rapidly changing environment like the Web, these ideas can be implemented and would help.
There is a difference between reproduction and creating life. In reproduction, we do not create anything. We merely provide a chance for sperm and eggs to join and carry on the normal course of events. These scientists are proposing taking a vat of chemicals, mixing it up, and out pops living organisms. Thats simplifying the process of course, but thats essentially what they are proposing to do. Taking raw, unliving chemicals, and making life. Is there anyone, other than our creator, who has that right? Thats the question. Life, as the most central thing in our existence, cannot be treated as a toy. We need as much debate and polling as humanly possible before this proceeds.
Are we meant to create life? I don't think so. That was a rather small slice of religious groups. What about the Covenant of the Goddess? The President and Quorom of Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Maybe a random sampling of independent denominations? Polls over the next year in every country on earth where people can say if they want this or not. The ability to create life is an awesome power. Perhaps too powerful. We not only risk a potential Gattaca, or Frankenstein like rebellion, or a Nazi "Master Race", but upsetting the natural balance moreso than we already have.
What a moron. He was the one who was gambling. He asked for the credit, it was extended. If he realizes it is a bad thing for credit card companies to extend credit for gambling, he shouldn't sue them. He was the one that made the choice to use his credit cards. He could start a movement to stop credit card companies from allowing gambling establishments to accept their cards, or get his congressman to introduce a bill to ban teh practice. But suing the credit card companies is simply avoiding his own responsibility in this. He was wrong, not the credit people.
This technology has great potential, but serious risks. First, watch Gattaca. That covers genetics based discrimination well. Also look at what happens when too many animals of any species are in too little space- starcation, sickness, and especially in humans, extreme violence. When the average person can live to be 100, is virtually immune to all known diseases, and is more resistant to injury than todays typical human, what will keep our population in check? I hate to say it but if this gets misused, even with good intentions, we will in time fall to fighting amongst ourselves for what little food and resources are left. And I'm not christian, but I have read Revelations, isn't it possible that the number '666' can be inserted into the genetic code?
Petty dictators like Saddam Hussein will certainly love the military implications. Soldiers who don't fear chemical weapons, heal faster, suffer less from injury, can carry more, faster, and farther, fire weapons more steadily, respond to orders perfectly... Imagine the Trade Federations Droid army, but with real human ingenuity thrown in. Not good.
Actually, my personal theory is that Microsoft got its name because Bill wanted to feel better about his manhood.
Oh yes, all good systems guys keep password files and other work system information on their home computers. No systems guy would leave vital access information to the corporate network on just the work computeres, he needs it at home.
The history file can be cleared, and I think it can be turned off, I'm not sure if it can be or how to do it. Just clear history when you close yourbrowser, I know for sure IE4 for windows lets you, I think it will even do that automatically if you want.
Good point. However, you could also look at the physical side of the net as a forest. In a forest, the trees need water to survive. If there is a drought or climate change, they suffer. If there is a power outage, computers suffer. In a forest, natural disasters can destroy trees. On the net, computers get knocked over, coffee spilled on them(acid rain), and other little disasters that spell doom for a particular computer tree. Sometimes computers get old and die. So do trees. Sometimes computers become unstable and act strangely and dangerously. Like rabid raccoons. Sometimes computers start getting filled up so much their performance suffers and possibly causes a total crash. In forests, animal populations get overcrowded which is quite bad as animals cannot get a share of food. The population will then start dying off. I could go on, but you probably get the point. The net, as in hardware, would require a massive R&D and procurement budget to make it self reproducing and growing, but as a stable environment it can host a new entity known as the Web which could easily be given those capabilities withing the limits of the net hardware environment.
I was thinking of the 19 click story too when I read that. There are a few possibilities. One is that one of the two stories is just wrong, due to inaccurate measurements or faulty analysis. The two studies may have had a slightly different focus, thus both are correct from the point of view of the study. Such one study going for the average of all sites, with another going for commercial sites. This study could also mean 4 clicks from one website to a random page on another site, whereas 19 was the distance between two single pages. Or the web has just gotten that much closer. I do agree though that 4 clicks is a bit low between any website. Not with the huge number of crappy and often abandoned personal sites out there. Between all major sites, maybe. but all sites period?
The internet does not reproduce on its own to my knowledge. It is self modifying to an extent, but I am not aware of any sites that take in anything and then spawn off entirely new websites without human intervention, so it is not technically alive. However, such functionality could easily be introduced. But what purpose would it have?
This sounds good, if Rational is given Microsofts "freedom to innovate". With it being developed by another company, perhaps it will become more universal. Perhaps even ported. I wonder also, does microsoft have an ulterior motive? I don't believe that they always have an ulterior motive(beyond standard business) but something like this, only a couple of months after they were declared a monopoly, with the possibility of a breakup looming, maybe they want to try to see, on a small scale, how it might affect them in the short term. Lastly, the article wasn't terribly informative. What are the terms of the deal? I don't care about amounts of money, but amount of microsoft/rational cooperation, and whether and how the deal could be reversed, those are all important details for judging this event.
Is B&N using amazons method to institute 1-click shopping, or are they using an in house method with a user interface that works similarly to acheive the same end result? If its the latter, and amazon wins, Apple should file a lawsuit against Microsoft. IBM should file a lawsuit against Compaq. Intel should file a lawsuit against AMD(among others). Whoever has the rights to UNIX has alot of people to sue. Unless B&N is actually using the same code, aquired directly rather than coincidentally coming up with the same obvious solution to the same problem, there is absolutely no case.
Any good reporter knows that there are many ways to view something. When reporting on issues regarding open-source software and many other technical issues, Slashdot is an excellent place to do some quick and thorough research on what people are doing with it and how they feel. The alternative would be extensive research through surveys and polls... looking through Slashdot comments is much faster and probably more accurate. Plus, Slasdots gathering of techinical articles from around the world is a great source of background material on the issues in question as well. Any journalist covering OSS should definitely have Slashdot on their bookmarks list, and others who cover the tech world in general should as well.