I can't help but think the big difference between artificial life and our consciousness is the ability to feel.
Sure, we could give a machine the ability to be introspective and self-aware.. but maybe our consciousness is more that just that- maybe it's our ability to feel. Being able to quantize that is hard.
So do robots feel? Our we really any different? The question depends on the concept of a soul, or at least feelings to seperate us... but then, is it just more advanced than we currently understand, and is then indistinguishable from magic (i.e. the soul). Will we some day be able to create life in any form? Electronic or Biological? It's impossible to know, because we are stuck experiencing ourselves only. We will never know if it can experience what we experience.
Humans, in general, want to preserve the concept that our concious minds are special, and cannot be replicated in a robot, because that truely faces us with the idea that our being is completely mortal, and the idea of a soul is otherwise replaced with a set of chemicals and cell networks that are little more than a product of cause and effect.*
In other words- it's likely the religious types will prefer to consider a robot to never be quite human, where the scientific community will have to be overly-cautious at first.
You've got to be the only person here who read the article.. I picked up on that, and I'm flamebait for picking on people who don't like gross smells. If there was a truely harmful chemical or spore in the air, she would've been affected too. Thanks everybody. Not only didn't you RTFA, but you didn't RTFC either.
TFA that's linked on slashdot mentions her lack of smell was the reason she wasn't hospitalized. Sounds to me like it was just a gross smell- not a dangerous smell.
It's one thing if spores cause an infection- but going to the hospital cause you don't like a smell? I mean come on. Grow a pair, you know?
Bring on the comments about how so-and-so knows somebody's grandma that was so affected by smell xyz that something bad happened. Big whoop. Unless it's literally chemicals that are affecting your health, or an airborne pathogen, you don't need medical attention.
And please, just because you don't have a sense of smell, doesn't mean you're immune to pathogens.
So much wrong.. must resist reference to idle section... oops too late!
Re:DRM for DVD is bad... DRM from network is evil.
on
Why Bother With DRM?
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· Score: 1
This must be intentional. We purchased a single copy of Sins of a Solar Empire, and I believe the manual states you can install, legally, on a few computers. With no valid single player mode- it's the only way to play.
I'm more inclined to purchase more titles when the creator is honest like that. Unfortunately, sins games take for F'n EVER, and as fun as it is- we only fire up a game one in a while- when we have a solid afternoon + evening to invest.
I vote fountains, and gift shops. I just hate how disconnected from civilization I get when I'm up there. I mean, I already live in NH, I don't need to get away from civilization. I've already got that problem!
If anybody's interested, it's a bunch of photos from Franconia Notch, including (actually, featuring) the basin. Very nice area. Here's the gallery: http://www.stockphox.com/view.php?collection=6
If you guys want to download any of the high-quality photos, here's a free coupon code (will work till the end of this month): slashdot
I don't see the problem with reconstructing something that was natural, so we can tell our kids "see, kids? This is what it looked like!"
Now making new "old men" on other mountains that never featured such natural scapes- that'd be pushing it. There's nothing wrong with showing what it used to look like!
That being said, I'm not sure either way will have an effect on the tourism in NH, it seems we just can't keep the MASS-holes out, no matter what. We'll do just fine.
Thank you, Captain, you certainly live up to your name. You did miss one important nit- I really doubt most of those designs would stay up given a slight breeze. Oh, and the few that look robust have clearly illustrated that the buildings are for nothing more than looking pretty, and have very little practical use (take the disolved looking building with tons of scaffolding, but not a single room..?)
Having seen Wolverine, I can say that this is not an overstatement- Wolverine was just horrible. Didn't even remotely do justice to the Xmen franchise. I was sorely dissapointed. However, star trek, on the other hand, is worth watching at least twice.
Unless its one of those Terminator plots where the Federation is really the source of the Borg... So they had to sent the cube back knowing it would be destroyed in order for some borg piece to be around so that they are created sometimes in the future.
Actually.. that's pretty much the only way to explain it.
This doesn't tear apart the foundations of Star Trek so much as it sweeps aside most everything built on those foundations: Honor, fear in the face of death, duty in the face of insurmountable odds, there is no such thing as a "no win" solution--those are still there. Even when beings die by the planet-load (Hopefully that's not too much of a spoiler), all is not lost and with perseverance, the good guys can still win and the universe can still be saved.
What I mean to say is that it's very professionally done- whereas EVERY other star trek movie I've seen has a cringe moment or two, where you go.. eeeek that's an awkward scene. That being said, Although it sticks to the spirit of the BEGINNING of TOS, I feel after finishing TOS and TNG (we won't count the other crap as it didn't really add anything IMO) this movie would have to agree with the entire Star Trek universe that was built, not just the foundation.
That being said, I prefer the stories and ideals presented in just the TV series' more than this movie. I'm just impressed that they made a movie that I'd actually own. (I just can't bring myself to buy the other star trek movies. I can't do it. TNG full series on the other hand.. SWEEEET).
And, yes, I shat on star wars. We've all seen 1, 2, and 3. Need I say more?
This movie was definitely the best (least cheezy) movie made from the star trek franchise. That being said, I have a few qualms:
1. The villain was lame. He was a nobody with stupid motivation. Could it happen? I suppose... but come on! Such small fish. (Forgive me, I'm just looking for a deeper plot.. not just a crappy summer action flick.
2. I prefer TNG over TOS for a few reasons: Kirk is clearly an action-based fly by the seat of his pants type guy. Makes for a great action movie like this. But please please please don't forget we're watching Star Trek for the philosophical questions that arise as well in the star trek universe. I loved Picard because he was the opposite. He drank hot tea on a regular basis. He thought about things, and thusly, I thought about things. Remember: We're not watching star wars, we're watching star trek here...
3.There was a moment when young spock had kirk by the neck. I seriously expected him to slice open kirk's head with his finger.
All in all, I loved this movie, and anxiously await the next in this version of the franchise, but please please please don't forget the parts of star treck that make it so awesome (and not star wars), and balance it well with action!
Everybody on this site needs to read that link couchslug just provided. That is some real ammo against some of the crap you hear on fox and such. Really, very enlightening. Thanks.
This is a common issue with call centers. With no record of the conversation, you really don't know if they'll do anything. They ALWAYS say that famous "wait 24-72 hours" or sometimes "10 to 15 days" to see the changes take effect. That's their way of saying, "I won't be fixing it today, and I'll be long gone when you discover it hasn't changed..."
My ISP (fairpoint) does that a lot. My credit card company does that too. I had a mistaken charge (wrong APR group) and tried to get them to fix it. She said she put a change on the account but I wouldn't see the change for 30 days. I was like, um... right.. I'll just wait to incur finance charges to see if you did something. Instead I went back to the store and just returned the item.
And this whole thing about giving foward credits instead of refunds- that's MY money, not yours. That's theft, in my opinion, not some minor civil issue. You've stolen money from me, and now you're making interest on it instead of me. That's a huge issue. If they just overbill everybody by $10 this month, pretend it was an accident, and "credit" you all next month, the amount extra they made in interest trumps any minor hassles it causes. Bastards.
So, on my home connection, connected directly to my ISP, what can I do? Call support and hope they know half as much as I already do about what they're supposed to know more than me? Honest question, tips would be appreciated...
Slashdot Mirror
I can't help but think the big difference between artificial life and our consciousness is the ability to feel.
Sure, we could give a machine the ability to be introspective and self-aware.. but maybe our consciousness is more that just that- maybe it's our ability to feel. Being able to quantize that is hard.
So do robots feel? Our we really any different? The question depends on the concept of a soul, or at least feelings to seperate us... but then, is it just more advanced than we currently understand, and is then indistinguishable from magic (i.e. the soul). Will we some day be able to create life in any form? Electronic or Biological? It's impossible to know, because we are stuck experiencing ourselves only. We will never know if it can experience what we experience.
Humans, in general, want to preserve the concept that our concious minds are special, and cannot be replicated in a robot, because that truely faces us with the idea that our being is completely mortal, and the idea of a soul is otherwise replaced with a set of chemicals and cell networks that are little more than a product of cause and effect.*
In other words- it's likely the religious types will prefer to consider a robot to never be quite human, where the scientific community will have to be overly-cautious at first.
*Not to get into quantum uncertainty...
However, huffing them, and not smelling them, makes you immuned? I suggest you RTFA.
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1231883&cid=27941825
You've got to be the only person here who read the article.. I picked up on that, and I'm flamebait for picking on people who don't like gross smells. If there was a truely harmful chemical or spore in the air, she would've been affected too. Thanks everybody. Not only didn't you RTFA, but you didn't RTFC either.
TFA that's linked on slashdot mentions her lack of smell was the reason she wasn't hospitalized. Sounds to me like it was just a gross smell- not a dangerous smell.
Losing your sense of smell doesn't make you immuned to these chemicals. The article clearly outlines the fact that it was just a gross smell, nothing more- http://entertainment.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1231883&cid=27941825
Since you didn't read my comment, I'll direct you to this: comment.
Unless it's literally chemicals that are affecting your health, or an airborne pathogen, you don't need medical attention.
Now, from TFA:
Authorities said the worker who cleaned the fridge didn't need treatment - she can't smell because of allergies.
I don't think a lack of the sense of smell makes you immuned. They were grossed out by a harmless smell, apparently. RTFA.
It's one thing if spores cause an infection- but going to the hospital cause you don't like a smell? I mean come on. Grow a pair, you know?
Bring on the comments about how so-and-so knows somebody's grandma that was so affected by smell xyz that something bad happened. Big whoop. Unless it's literally chemicals that are affecting your health, or an airborne pathogen, you don't need medical attention.
And please, just because you don't have a sense of smell, doesn't mean you're immune to pathogens.
So much wrong.. must resist reference to idle section... oops too late!
This must be intentional. We purchased a single copy of Sins of a Solar Empire, and I believe the manual states you can install, legally, on a few computers. With no valid single player mode- it's the only way to play.
I'm more inclined to purchase more titles when the creator is honest like that. Unfortunately, sins games take for F'n EVER, and as fun as it is- we only fire up a game one in a while- when we have a solid afternoon + evening to invest.
I vote fountains, and gift shops. I just hate how disconnected from civilization I get when I'm up there. I mean, I already live in NH, I don't need to get away from civilization. I've already got that problem!
Nice photos, I've got some too on my stock photography website ( http://www.stockphox.com/ ).
If anybody's interested, it's a bunch of photos from Franconia Notch, including (actually, featuring) the basin. Very nice area. Here's the gallery:
http://www.stockphox.com/view.php?collection=6
If you guys want to download any of the high-quality photos, here's a free coupon code (will work till the end of this month): slashdot
Holy fuck, that is amazing.
I don't see the problem with reconstructing something that was natural, so we can tell our kids "see, kids? This is what it looked like!"
Now making new "old men" on other mountains that never featured such natural scapes- that'd be pushing it. There's nothing wrong with showing what it used to look like!
That being said, I'm not sure either way will have an effect on the tourism in NH, it seems we just can't keep the MASS-holes out, no matter what. We'll do just fine.
Thank you, Captain, you certainly live up to your name. You did miss one important nit- I really doubt most of those designs would stay up given a slight breeze. Oh, and the few that look robust have clearly illustrated that the buildings are for nothing more than looking pretty, and have very little practical use (take the disolved looking building with tons of scaffolding, but not a single room..?)
Geez, I've spent all this time thinking it was "Live, freeze, and die."
*grumble grumble*
Having seen Wolverine, I can say that this is not an overstatement- Wolverine was just horrible. Didn't even remotely do justice to the Xmen franchise. I was sorely dissapointed. However, star trek, on the other hand, is worth watching at least twice.
Unless its one of those Terminator plots where the Federation is really the source of the Borg... So they had to sent the cube back knowing it would be destroyed in order for some borg piece to be around so that they are created sometimes in the future.
Actually.. that's pretty much the only way to explain it.
This doesn't tear apart the foundations of Star Trek so much as it sweeps aside most everything built on those foundations: Honor, fear in the face of death, duty in the face of insurmountable odds, there is no such thing as a "no win" solution--those are still there. Even when beings die by the planet-load (Hopefully that's not too much of a spoiler), all is not lost and with perseverance, the good guys can still win and the universe can still be saved.
What I mean to say is that it's very professionally done- whereas EVERY other star trek movie I've seen has a cringe moment or two, where you go .. eeeek that's an awkward scene. That being said, Although it sticks to the spirit of the BEGINNING of TOS, I feel after finishing TOS and TNG (we won't count the other crap as it didn't really add anything IMO) this movie would have to agree with the entire Star Trek universe that was built, not just the foundation.
That being said, I prefer the stories and ideals presented in just the TV series' more than this movie. I'm just impressed that they made a movie that I'd actually own. (I just can't bring myself to buy the other star trek movies. I can't do it. TNG full series on the other hand.. SWEEEET).
And, yes, I shat on star wars. We've all seen 1, 2, and 3. Need I say more?
Scratch that, you're talking about taco, not me.
I'm sorry, what?
Yeah, I said it a little less harshly, but very well put.
This movie was definitely the best (least cheezy) movie made from the star trek franchise. That being said, I have a few qualms:
1. The villain was lame. He was a nobody with stupid motivation. Could it happen? I suppose... but come on! Such small fish. (Forgive me, I'm just looking for a deeper plot.. not just a crappy summer action flick.
2. I prefer TNG over TOS for a few reasons: Kirk is clearly an action-based fly by the seat of his pants type guy. Makes for a great action movie like this. But please please please don't forget we're watching Star Trek for the philosophical questions that arise as well in the star trek universe. I loved Picard because he was the opposite. He drank hot tea on a regular basis. He thought about things, and thusly, I thought about things. Remember: We're not watching star wars, we're watching star trek here...
3.There was a moment when young spock had kirk by the neck. I seriously expected him to slice open kirk's head with his finger.
All in all, I loved this movie, and anxiously await the next in this version of the franchise, but please please please don't forget the parts of star treck that make it so awesome (and not star wars), and balance it well with action!
Everybody on this site needs to read that link couchslug just provided. That is some real ammo against some of the crap you hear on fox and such. Really, very enlightening. Thanks.
This is a common issue with call centers. With no record of the conversation, you really don't know if they'll do anything. They ALWAYS say that famous "wait 24-72 hours" or sometimes "10 to 15 days" to see the changes take effect. That's their way of saying, "I won't be fixing it today, and I'll be long gone when you discover it hasn't changed..."
My ISP (fairpoint) does that a lot. My credit card company does that too. I had a mistaken charge (wrong APR group) and tried to get them to fix it. She said she put a change on the account but I wouldn't see the change for 30 days. I was like, um... right.. I'll just wait to incur finance charges to see if you did something. Instead I went back to the store and just returned the item.
And this whole thing about giving foward credits instead of refunds- that's MY money, not yours. That's theft, in my opinion, not some minor civil issue. You've stolen money from me, and now you're making interest on it instead of me. That's a huge issue. If they just overbill everybody by $10 this month, pretend it was an accident, and "credit" you all next month, the amount extra they made in interest trumps any minor hassles it causes. Bastards.
So, on my home connection, connected directly to my ISP, what can I do? Call support and hope they know half as much as I already do about what they're supposed to know more than me? Honest question, tips would be appreciated...
So, wait.. how do you eat grapefruits?