What do arachnophobic Aussies do? As an arachnophobic American, I'm quite grateful that our largest spiders (where I live, in the semi-frozen north) don't get much larger than a 5-6cm leg span and aren't very poisonous. Even so, I'd blast the little monsters with a pellet gun if my wife (and landlord) didn't object to pocked walls.
Heh, Dr. De Garis is a funny guy. He was an associate professor teaching AI when I was at university. He's very smart, but perhaps a bit too enthusiastic about creating robotic intelligences. One of the other AI professors once commented, "I want to do simple things with my computers, like teach them to play chess. Hugo wants to take over the world." 8^)
"Better to walk the path for a life time then to spend a lifetime looking for the path. Even when wrong at least you went somewhere. Where is the path you ask? Ask someone walking it." - Me.
...I'm sorry that you get the brunt of this, but I just <rant>CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! DON'T ATTRIBUTE YOUR OWN QUOTES! JUST SAY SOMETHING AND LET SOMEONE ELSE QUOTE YOU!</rant>
Gimme a break. In English (which we appear to be speaking here) the term "American" is commonly (and almost exclusively) used to refer to citizens of the United States.
In other languages and other cultures, different terms are used and are appropriate in those contexts.
From Wikipedia:
Several English alternatives for "American" have been used or suggested over time... Nevertheless, with the exception of "United States" or "U.S. citizen", no alternative to "American" is common.
Also:
The fact that the citizens of the United States call themselves "Americans" causes discomfort for many Latin Americans, who see it as an appropriation of the collective identity of all peoples and countries of the Western Hemisphere. This usage of the term has, however, historical roots.
Please note I'm not trying to be an arrogant bastard here. I'm just saying that - language being what it is - in English, "German" means someone from Deutchland, "Japanese" means someone from Nippon and "American" means someone from the USA . It's not disrespectful, it's just the way things worked out.
Actually, that may not be a bad idea for an ad campaign.
Mac: I'm a Mac
PC: And I'm a PC
Crowd of people: And we're Linux.
Mac: Whoa, there are a ton of you guys.
Linux1: Yeah, we're all individuals.
PC: Doesn't that confuse people?
Linux1: Not really. We make it easy to make your computer do exactly what you need. Take my buddy Ubuntu here.
Ubuntu: Hi! [Big grin, Shakes hands enthusiastically with Mac & PC]
Linux1: He's really friendly and helps people get things done.
Linux1: Or take Red Hat here.
Red Hat: How are you? [Dressed in business wear, looks like a well-heeled C*O]
Linux1: He's a pretty important guy. He keeps over X million critical business servers running every day.
Mac: [Whistles]
PC: [No longer wearing his jacket] Well, I come in Home and [turns away, puts jacket back on, and turns to face Linux1 again] Business versions!
[Mac and Linux1 exchange embarrassed glances]
Mac: Uh, yeah. Hey that's great buddy!
[Fade to white screen with block text: Linux. Power for the People.]
Yeah yeah yeah, because creating a computer system that automatically generates game play rules is "easy". I know! Lets get rid of computers and go back to abacuses because computers made accounting too "easy" and now our economy is in the crapper.
This system (like all computer-based systems) is simply a tool. No, it can't be truly creative. So what? Maybe I've got a great idea for a game, but I'm terrible at balancing the difficulty level. This tool (or one like it) could help me balance my game and increase it's playability.
This tool doesn't mean the end of creativity, it means that a previously arduous task can now be partially automated. Speaking as a technologist - that's a good thing.
I always wondered why they didn't just throw out diagnoses until they notice there's only five minutes left in the episode and then go with the first thing that comes to mind.
I was originally going to post some smart remark about there being easier ways to achieve a weapon with 100% lethality, but then I realized that there's an interesting puzzle there. How do you actually achieve 100% lethality with anything? There are survivors of every disaster, weapon, or other killing event (purposeful or not) in history. People have survived being shot in the head, suffocated, infected with terrible diseases, etc... Evolution has made it remarkably difficult to achieve an actual 100% kill ratio.
You don't need a virus for this. Old musketshot used to do that too. The bullet would enter and instead of fragmenting (which modern bullets do because it kills faster by puncturing more organs and thus releasing more blood) they would flatten into a spinning disk upon entry. This disk would then have the same effect on your organs as a spinning fork in spaghetti. This tightly wound bundle of your vital organs would be torn and shredded but there was (relatively) little bleeding. Instead you'd linger a few days in agony, while your body slowly failed around you.
*sigh* Bull. I was home-schooled. There were (and still are) plenty of opportunities for social interaction outside of school. I played AYSO soccer and little-league baseball, was involved in local theater, knew all the kids in my neighborhood and in general got on just fine. That's not even considering the multitude of *other* home-schooled kids I met and interacted with through events organized by home-school organizations. Today, I am a well-adjusted, gregarious adult who also got through school a couple of years early because I didn't have to wait for the rest of my peers in a state-sponsored classroom.
I am sick of hearing this same old argument trotted out time and again about the "weird" home-schoolers. Because, of course, there are no socially maladjusted kids in the public school system.
Sorry, Charlie - this is just a strawman argument and like all the rest it's just not true.
It wouldn't be very smart to rob someone right outside your own house.
You're right, that wouldn't be very smart. Giving you a *different* address and then having 5 of my buddies help me jump you when you show up might be, though.
I used to live in Idaho, literally up the street from a potato processing plant. After I found out what kind of potatoes Pringles were made from, it took me three years to be willing to eat them again.:)
*sigh* Yes, because only Americans misspell words. Although, we usually only misspell the big ones. You lot can't seem to spell simple ones like "color" or "jail" right.;)
Why make GameStop pay royalties on their used sale? Just like you, they've paid cash to own a copy of the game and just like you, they're reselling it. They don't pay a "royalty" (look that word up, BTW, it doesn't mean what you think.) on new games, either. They buy new games from the publisher and then resell them with a markup to turn a profit.
They do the same thing with used games. The only difference is that they're able to enjoy a higher profit because they are able to purchase a used game from an individual for much less than what they pay the publisher for a new copy.
I'm glad you remember the olden days of gaming fondly, but seriously, Sturgeon's law was just as applicable to games back then as it is now. 90% of them are crap.
I love old games and have owned and played damn near every major console from the Atari 2600 to now - trust me, while there are plenty of old gems, there was far more dross. It's just that the dross isn't as memorable since you likely didn't spend nearly as much time on it. 8^)
That'll kill the mold, sure, but why not use an ozone generator instead? It'll suffocate the mold without having to wet (or even scrub!) the electronics. Just put all the affected electronics in a semi-airtight box (a small room works too - just takes longer and is harder to ventilate afterwards) and pump in ozone. Leave it for a few hours (I'd recommend at least 8) and then vent the ozone. Any mold spores will be killed. It may not be a bad idea to do this to the affected rooms in the basement as well - just be careful to ventilate them well before going back in!
Actually, that's already been possible for computers to do for awhile. Many AI programs have already been trained to extract information from context in stories and be able to answer just the sort of questions you're asking.
Slashdot Mirror
What do arachnophobic Aussies do? As an arachnophobic American, I'm quite grateful that our largest spiders (where I live, in the semi-frozen north) don't get much larger than a 5-6cm leg span and aren't very poisonous. Even so, I'd blast the little monsters with a pellet gun if my wife (and landlord) didn't object to pocked walls.
Heh, Dr. De Garis is a funny guy. He was an associate professor teaching AI when I was at university. He's very smart, but perhaps a bit too enthusiastic about creating robotic intelligences. One of the other AI professors once commented, "I want to do simple things with my computers, like teach them to play chess. Hugo wants to take over the world." 8^)
Crashing a wedding party is a breach of manners and good taste, but it's typically not a crime.
Um... Yes it is. It's called Trespassing. Whether or not the impugned party feels the need to call the police, you've still committed a crime.
"Better to walk the path for a life time then to spend a lifetime looking for the path. Even when wrong at least you went somewhere. Where is the path you ask? Ask someone walking it." - Me.
...I'm sorry that you get the brunt of this, but I just <rant>CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! DON'T ATTRIBUTE YOUR OWN QUOTES! JUST SAY SOMETHING AND LET SOMEONE ELSE QUOTE YOU!</rant>
In other languages and other cultures, different terms are used and are appropriate in those contexts.
From Wikipedia:
Several English alternatives for "American" have been used or suggested over time ... Nevertheless, with the exception of "United States" or "U.S. citizen", no alternative to "American" is common.
Also:
The fact that the citizens of the United States call themselves "Americans" causes discomfort for many Latin Americans, who see it as an appropriation of the collective identity of all peoples and countries of the Western Hemisphere. This usage of the term has, however, historical roots.
Please note I'm not trying to be an arrogant bastard here. I'm just saying that - language being what it is - in English, "German" means someone from Deutchland, "Japanese" means someone from Nippon and "American" means someone from the USA . It's not disrespectful, it's just the way things worked out.
Actually, that may not be a bad idea for an ad campaign.
Mac: I'm a Mac
PC: And I'm a PC
Crowd of people: And we're Linux.
Mac: Whoa, there are a ton of you guys.
Linux1: Yeah, we're all individuals.
PC: Doesn't that confuse people?
Linux1: Not really. We make it easy to make your computer do exactly what you need. Take my buddy Ubuntu here.
Ubuntu: Hi! [Big grin, Shakes hands enthusiastically with Mac & PC]
Linux1: He's really friendly and helps people get things done.
Linux1: Or take Red Hat here.
Red Hat: How are you? [Dressed in business wear, looks like a well-heeled C*O]
Linux1: He's a pretty important guy. He keeps over X million critical business servers running every day.
Mac: [Whistles]
PC: [No longer wearing his jacket] Well, I come in Home and [turns away, puts jacket back on, and turns to face Linux1 again] Business versions!
[Mac and Linux1 exchange embarrassed glances]
Mac: Uh, yeah. Hey that's great buddy!
[Fade to white screen with block text: Linux. Power for the People.]
Yeah yeah yeah, because creating a computer system that automatically generates game play rules is "easy". I know! Lets get rid of computers and go back to abacuses because computers made accounting too "easy" and now our economy is in the crapper.
This system (like all computer-based systems) is simply a tool. No, it can't be truly creative. So what? Maybe I've got a great idea for a game, but I'm terrible at balancing the difficulty level. This tool (or one like it) could help me balance my game and increase it's playability.
This tool doesn't mean the end of creativity, it means that a previously arduous task can now be partially automated. Speaking as a technologist - that's a good thing.
I always wondered why they didn't just throw out diagnoses until they notice there's only five minutes left in the episode and then go with the first thing that comes to mind.
I was originally going to post some smart remark about there being easier ways to achieve a weapon with 100% lethality, but then I realized that there's an interesting puzzle there. How do you actually achieve 100% lethality with anything? There are survivors of every disaster, weapon, or other killing event (purposeful or not) in history. People have survived being shot in the head, suffocated, infected with terrible diseases, etc... Evolution has made it remarkably difficult to achieve an actual 100% kill ratio.
Maybe you should just be happy with five nines.
You don't need a virus for this. Old musketshot used to do that too. The bullet would enter and instead of fragmenting (which modern bullets do because it kills faster by puncturing more organs and thus releasing more blood) they would flatten into a spinning disk upon entry. This disk would then have the same effect on your organs as a spinning fork in spaghetti. This tightly wound bundle of your vital organs would be torn and shredded but there was (relatively) little bleeding. Instead you'd linger a few days in agony, while your body slowly failed around you.
Q. Why was my first girlfriend like the number i?
A. She was irrational and imaginary.
*sigh* Bull. I was home-schooled. There were (and still are) plenty of opportunities for social interaction outside of school. I played AYSO soccer and little-league baseball, was involved in local theater, knew all the kids in my neighborhood and in general got on just fine. That's not even considering the multitude of *other* home-schooled kids I met and interacted with through events organized by home-school organizations. Today, I am a well-adjusted, gregarious adult who also got through school a couple of years early because I didn't have to wait for the rest of my peers in a state-sponsored classroom.
I am sick of hearing this same old argument trotted out time and again about the "weird" home-schoolers. Because, of course, there are no socially maladjusted kids in the public school system.
Sorry, Charlie - this is just a strawman argument and like all the rest it's just not true.
It wouldn't be very smart to rob someone right outside your own house.
You're right, that wouldn't be very smart. Giving you a *different* address and then having 5 of my buddies help me jump you when you show up might be, though.
I used to live in Idaho, literally up the street from a potato processing plant. After I found out what kind of potatoes Pringles were made from, it took me three years to be willing to eat them again. :)
*sigh* Yes, because only Americans misspell words. Although, we usually only misspell the big ones. You lot can't seem to spell simple ones like "color" or "jail" right. ;)
...Stupid git
Why make GameStop pay royalties on their used sale? Just like you, they've paid cash to own a copy of the game and just like you, they're reselling it. They don't pay a "royalty" (look that word up, BTW, it doesn't mean what you think.) on new games, either. They buy new games from the publisher and then resell them with a markup to turn a profit.
They do the same thing with used games. The only difference is that they're able to enjoy a higher profit because they are able to purchase a used game from an individual for much less than what they pay the publisher for a new copy.
FIFA 2025:Drunk Edition
Actually... that sounds pretty fun.
I'm glad you remember the olden days of gaming fondly, but seriously, Sturgeon's law was just as applicable to games back then as it is now. 90% of them are crap.
I love old games and have owned and played damn near every major console from the Atari 2600 to now - trust me, while there are plenty of old gems, there was far more dross. It's just that the dross isn't as memorable since you likely didn't spend nearly as much time on it. 8^)
That'll kill the mold, sure, but why not use an ozone generator instead? It'll suffocate the mold without having to wet (or even scrub!) the electronics. Just put all the affected electronics in a semi-airtight box (a small room works too - just takes longer and is harder to ventilate afterwards) and pump in ozone. Leave it for a few hours (I'd recommend at least 8) and then vent the ozone. Any mold spores will be killed. It may not be a bad idea to do this to the affected rooms in the basement as well - just be careful to ventilate them well before going back in!
Make a giant flipbook.
If I'm gonna get my balls blown off for a word, my word is "poontang".
I don't think that word means what you think it means.
Heh, that reminds me of a joke I heard told by a geek comedian.
My first girlfriend was like the number i - irrational and imaginary.
Actually, that's already been possible for computers to do for awhile. Many AI programs have already been trained to extract information from context in stories and be able to answer just the sort of questions you're asking.
nerd porn.
You know you've been reading the internet too long when you read that and think "You misspelled pr0n."
*sigh* Time for a walkabout, methinks.