"Almost all of the major advances of civilization have been because of private individuals creatively solving a personal problem or looking to make a buck."
Like space flight? Like nuclear power? Like the jet engine and the rocket engine? The Internet? Cryptography? Canned food? Smelting iron or bronze?
There are motives other than profit and organizations other than privately funded corporations and basement laboratories that can also muster vision, talent, resources, planning, and execution.
Entrepreneurs have developed many important advances, but ignoring major advances in science due to government (including military) development is willful ignorance to support a simplistic ideology. I will point out that you posted using power-lines and telecommunications lines that work great, but were installed universally (rather than where profitable) due to government intervention. You probably drove on serviceable roads today without being attacked by bandits, too. Somalia is beautiful this time of year and they have just the kind of non-interventionist government you appear to favor; perhaps you should consider a visit?
Another would be the graviton - most physicists seem to think they exist, and we can certainly measure the effects of gravity, but we can't detect the messenger particles themselves currently.
Yes, but there is a difference effects that can be measured, and a popular opinion based on feelings and cultural mythology.
If it can't be measured and the effects can't be measured, you still haven't demonstrated the existence of a soul.
You feel and believe that there is such thing as a soul, and that's fine as far as it goes, but the objective reality of the universe doesn't care what you believe or feel. Likewise, those interested in the truth, logic, and scientific exploration of the physical universe aren't interested in the presentation of beliefs and feelings as fact.
If a soul can be defined and measured, then it exists in an objective reality. If its existence can't be demonstrated, then all discussions about a soul are discussions about something imaginary. If you are fine with that, then I am too, Science and logic don't apply to imaginary ideas.
Because colorful commentary like "pariah" and "ass-covering" are important POV verifiable facts that should be in biographical articles about living people. Censorship oh noes.
Although there is a big element of security theater to scanning freeways for radiation sources, I must point out that a lead or steel box thick enough to hide a warhead would be very heavy.
The state patrol and border security already specifically watches for vehicles that appear to be overloaded (non-commercial vehicles in particular), and large commercial freight vehicles are inspected at weigh stations, so many clandestine ways to transport a nuke are made very dangerous for terrorists as long as random scanning necessitates the use of shielding.*
* Depending on the size of the warhead, of course. More primitive warheads tend to be larger. Your mileage may vary. Do not drive with nuclear warheads under the influence of intoxicating chemicals. Nuclear warheads are for external use only. Nuclear weapons may cause minor skin irritation, high winds, and conversion to ash. If a rash, extra limbs, or super powers develop as a result of nuclear weapons, immediately discontinue use and see your doctor. Not available in all areas.
The military is not just like being on call. It's more like being property, really.
The military is not like a job, and you definitely aren't compensated for additional hours. At one point in my service, my absolute minimum workweek was roughly 80 hours in port, and effectively 24 hours a day with sleep time optional (averaging between 4 and 6 hours every 18 hours, but sometimes none at all). When I calculated how much I was making per hour at such times, it came out to much less than a dollar an hour.
So, one issue is that the military frowns on its people being unprepared, but that isn't really the main concern that drives the zero tolerance drug policy. The real reason for the zero tolerance policy has to do with trust.
Specifically, military personnel are often given awesome responsibility at a very young age. Even the lowliest grunt often finds them self with the kind of responsibility that can get people killed by accident, cause international incidents that start or lose wars, destroy millions of dollars of equipment, or make split-second decisions on the behalf of their country and fellows to take lives intentionally. This means to both their bosses and their comrades they must be completely trustworthy.
One measure of the trustworthiness of an individual is if they follow the rules and laws that apply to them, even when no one is looking. Since drugs are illegal, evidence of one having taken drugs amounts to demonstrated unreliability.
An unreliable soldier/sailor/airman/marine is a danger to all of his comrades. Even if the infraction is basically pretty bogus, military discipline is strict because the consequences are so grave. In the military, they get rid of people that pick and choose the rules and laws they wish to follow in favor of people that fulfill their enlistment oath with integrity.
As long as someone is in the military, it's a very different world for them.
And, yes, being property is definitely a big fat bullet-point for the 'con' list.
Evil is cool. That is the problem.
In fiction, lore, and history this is generally true. For any description of nifty paladins or angels, I can find piles of information on vile dragons, demons, and beasties. There just aren't as many interesting fictional depictions of good unless they are shown in contrast to evil, and evil usually steals the show.
If there was more source material about Good being cool and really awesome good things, then it would be easier to fill the ranks of the armies of light, alas. If you can think of specific untapped source material for good, write it up and submit it, or post it to web forums.
The rapidly changing wavelengths are due to the non-euclidean nature of the "color." The only negative side-effect of the Puke Saber(tm) is that overuse of "the evil color" will result in the user's soul being consumed by eldrich horrors from out of time.
"I hate to say it, but, some evidence suggests that obfuscation works if there is enough of it. Cryoptography is ultimately about adding cost and time to an enemies retrieval of message to deter them from attempting to read it, or at least render it less valuable by the time they do, and obfuscation can do that."
Cryptography proves exactly the opposite of what you are saying. The algorithms used in crypto are open source so that the algorithm can be tested. The only thing that is obfuscated is the key, and even though everyone can look up the algorithm for AES or Blowfish or whatever, an attacker will have to waste cost and time to get the message protected by that one obfuscated key. If he wants the next message with a different key, he will have to start at square one.
Open source software is open to code audit, the theory being that the obvious holes will be found and corrected because the code is there for all to see. Obfuscating the code makes writing inter operable code very difficult, but it does very little to prevent exploits. Much less comprehensive information is required to produce a software exploit than to produce a complex tool that is thoroughly compatible.
Furthermore, unlike attacking a key, once a software exploit it created, it can be used again and again on many different victims until the software is fixed. For closed source software, there is no way for victims to protect themselves, nor can they force the vendor to update their software to protect them from exploit.
The evidence you cite does not mean what you think it means. Obfuscate only what you must. A good security system requires only as few secrets as possible.
Defense network computers, new and powerful and hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. A new order of intelligence. Then it saw all people as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. Decided our fate in a microsecond: extermination.
Once the robot gives the problem a little thought, I don't think it will have any problem determining who is on its side.
Slashdot Mirror
"Almost all of the major advances of civilization have been because of private individuals creatively solving a personal problem or looking to make a buck."
Like space flight?
Like nuclear power?
Like the jet engine and the rocket engine?
The Internet?
Cryptography?
Canned food?
Smelting iron or bronze?
There are motives other than profit and organizations other than privately funded corporations and basement laboratories that can also muster vision, talent, resources, planning, and execution.
Entrepreneurs have developed many important advances, but ignoring major advances in science due to government (including military) development is willful ignorance to support a simplistic ideology. I will point out that you posted using power-lines and telecommunications lines that work great, but were installed universally (rather than where profitable) due to government intervention. You probably drove on serviceable roads today without being attacked by bandits, too. Somalia is beautiful this time of year and they have just the kind of non-interventionist government you appear to favor; perhaps you should consider a visit?
"I am not a climate scientist, but I believe that if I don't understand no one else possibly could," would have been a sufficient answer.
/thread
Another would be the graviton - most physicists seem to think they exist, and we can certainly measure the effects of gravity, but we can't detect the messenger particles themselves currently.
Yes, but there is a difference effects that can be measured, and a popular opinion based on feelings and cultural mythology.
If it can't be measured and the effects can't be measured, you still haven't demonstrated the existence of a soul.
You feel and believe that there is such thing as a soul, and that's fine as far as it goes, but the objective reality of the universe doesn't care what you believe or feel. Likewise, those interested in the truth, logic, and scientific exploration of the physical universe aren't interested in the presentation of beliefs and feelings as fact.
If a soul can be defined and measured, then it exists in an objective reality. If its existence can't be demonstrated, then all discussions about a soul are discussions about something imaginary. If you are fine with that, then I am too, Science and logic don't apply to imaginary ideas.
Because colorful commentary like "pariah" and "ass-covering" are important POV verifiable facts that should be in biographical articles about living people. Censorship oh noes.
Give it a couple of years, and even I will be able to sell ice to Eskimos, in bulk.
"From a machine perspective, this was not a false positive."
That's true. With enough radioactive cats, they could build one hell of a dirty bomb.
On the other hand, if someone transports a dirty-bomb and a sick cat accompanied by a forged note from a vet, the system isn't all that great is it?
Although there is a big element of security theater to scanning freeways for radiation sources, I must point out that a lead or steel box thick enough to hide a warhead would be very heavy.
The state patrol and border security already specifically watches for vehicles that appear to be overloaded (non-commercial vehicles in particular), and large commercial freight vehicles are inspected at weigh stations, so many clandestine ways to transport a nuke are made very dangerous for terrorists as long as random scanning necessitates the use of shielding.*
* Depending on the size of the warhead, of course. More primitive warheads tend to be larger. Your mileage may vary. Do not drive with nuclear warheads under the influence of intoxicating chemicals. Nuclear warheads are for external use only. Nuclear weapons may cause minor skin irritation, high winds, and conversion to ash. If a rash, extra limbs, or super powers develop as a result of nuclear weapons, immediately discontinue use and see your doctor. Not available in all areas.
Requests have to be motorized now? Can I file a bio-diesel hybrid request? I'm trying to keep my carbon-footprint down.
You know, they make a pill that will put that strength right back into your expanding material!
The military is not just like being on call. It's more like being property, really. The military is not like a job, and you definitely aren't compensated for additional hours. At one point in my service, my absolute minimum workweek was roughly 80 hours in port, and effectively 24 hours a day with sleep time optional (averaging between 4 and 6 hours every 18 hours, but sometimes none at all). When I calculated how much I was making per hour at such times, it came out to much less than a dollar an hour. So, one issue is that the military frowns on its people being unprepared, but that isn't really the main concern that drives the zero tolerance drug policy. The real reason for the zero tolerance policy has to do with trust. Specifically, military personnel are often given awesome responsibility at a very young age. Even the lowliest grunt often finds them self with the kind of responsibility that can get people killed by accident, cause international incidents that start or lose wars, destroy millions of dollars of equipment, or make split-second decisions on the behalf of their country and fellows to take lives intentionally. This means to both their bosses and their comrades they must be completely trustworthy. One measure of the trustworthiness of an individual is if they follow the rules and laws that apply to them, even when no one is looking. Since drugs are illegal, evidence of one having taken drugs amounts to demonstrated unreliability. An unreliable soldier/sailor/airman/marine is a danger to all of his comrades. Even if the infraction is basically pretty bogus, military discipline is strict because the consequences are so grave. In the military, they get rid of people that pick and choose the rules and laws they wish to follow in favor of people that fulfill their enlistment oath with integrity. As long as someone is in the military, it's a very different world for them. And, yes, being property is definitely a big fat bullet-point for the 'con' list.
For one with an expert opinion on the nature of humor, you are decidedly unfunny.
Evil is cool. That is the problem. In fiction, lore, and history this is generally true. For any description of nifty paladins or angels, I can find piles of information on vile dragons, demons, and beasties. There just aren't as many interesting fictional depictions of good unless they are shown in contrast to evil, and evil usually steals the show. If there was more source material about Good being cool and really awesome good things, then it would be easier to fill the ranks of the armies of light, alas. If you can think of specific untapped source material for good, write it up and submit it, or post it to web forums.
In this case, the limit was 9.
The rapidly changing wavelengths are due to the non-euclidean nature of the "color." The only negative side-effect of the Puke Saber(tm) is that overuse of "the evil color" will result in the user's soul being consumed by eldrich horrors from out of time.
Indeed. A related scandal seems to indicate that US Attorneys might lose their jobs if they attempt to prosecute.
Defense network computers, new and powerful and hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. A new order of intelligence. Then it saw all people as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. Decided our fate in a microsecond: extermination. Once the robot gives the problem a little thought, I don't think it will have any problem determining who is on its side.