Stargate SG-1 had a race called the Tollans with a very interesting concept on government.
There was no such thing as a "closed hearing". All council sessions were recorded in their entirety and available to all of the public instantly. In fact, &;ltspoilers> when it did inevitably happen (as they were conspiring with the Goa'uld</spoilers>, it was viewed as an aberration. A horrible crime that could never happen, like the Vice President walking up to the President and shooting him in the head. It was possible, sure, but it was unfathomable.
I really think that we need to, at citizens, leverage technology and demand the same compliance from our government - even if it's only starting with the local one. Bandwidth and servers are cheap, and most city halls have microphones and video equipment installed anyway. It would only be a matter of taking these already existing data streams, making them available to the public live, and then properly archiving them in such a way that they cannot be deleted easily (perhaps under the purview of a different department, maybe one run by a group of citizens or a nonprofit that has absolutely 0 incentive to tinker with data).
Agreed. Devices don't emit pilot killing rays or anything like that, and loads of people almost certainly do not turn off their phone. I can practically guarantee that there is at least one "I'm above the rules" executive eating a Power Bar and keeping his Blackberry in his pocket until he can whip it back out again and answer all of the e-mails he's surely missed.
Then again, this would require the FAA, the airlines, and/or the government listening to scientific data and common sense. The fact that the TSA exists is a testament to the fact that they actually care very little about a scientific approach.
It's a bit difficult to find the information on how many flights there are in the US per year, but this article states that in 2004 there were 6,830,000 airplane flights in the US. I'm going to use an even smaller number - 5,000,000 - as a baseline.
In 7 years - 35,000,000 flights - we have had something go wrong due to said devices 75 times, or around 0.000214% of the time. Is it really worth inconveniencing everyone when the number is that remote?
And on top of that, when you're signed in they have that whole useful "never see links from this site again". If you type in $BAND $SONG lyrics, you're bound to get sites that use shitty flash apps, annoying ads, etc. They are erased from my personal search results, and now I only see relevant ones.
That would never work. After all, people never regularly cross the border into Pennsylvania or Delaware to buy fireworks or fill their trunk with tax-free cigarettes. Nope, never happens.
What happened to "paying one's debt to society"? You served time for jail, your slate should be clean. Instead, we're creating a permanent underclass of ex-cons who either keep hopping back into the system or are readily exploited.
One of my favorite books to this day is Gemini Game, which is all about virtual reality games and a minor criminal conspiracy. It's set in a dystopian sort of future where nothing is really pointed out as bad but a smart kid will realize the implications (such as police being able to open any door by putting their badge against the lock).
Yeah, they're doing that over at CERN anyway. You haven't lived until you've shaken hands with your nega-universe self and then awkwardly made out with each other. His goatee was kinda itchy though.
Moreover, a lot of the time you can't sue them on your own. If a company or service is big enough, a judge will say you don't have the "standing" to sue, which is a pile of horseshit.
Yeah, if psychic powers were real you'd think that they wouldn't be slinging tarot cards in their little one room shop under the adult video store.
As bad as those people are, a huge majority of psychics pray on the grieving. I hate cocksuckers like John Edwards and whatever the name of the fat one with the bad haircut and mustache is. Honestly, every time I see a psychic hawking their "services" I want to punch them in the face and ask them why they didn't see it coming.
First, if people ever give you shit about being a bass player, show them Victor Wooten. Too many bass players just jam on one string, move down a note, and repeat. There's a lot of potential with the instrument.
Secondly, the idea isn't to block out the music you're playing - it's to block out the volume. The standard solution I've heard of is to have noise-cancelling headsets with everyone's instrument piped into them but at a much lower volume. The point is volume reduction.
I see very, very few musicians that actually give a shit about their hearing, sadly.
Japan has had this for years (as they have with QR codes, which we're just getting around to now). Phones have an IR port - you just touch the ports to one another and it exchanges contact information.
I swear, the fastest way to become rich in America with cell phones is to go look at what Japan is doing today and shamelessly copy it as fast as possible.
Also of note on things we can't quite do yet: paying for train/bus fare and using it like an RFID credit card.
Going all the way back to high school music class, but doesn't sheet music have these notations that tell you how loud or soft you should play something? Isn't this basically related to volume? I'd say that's kinda important, too...
Slashdot Mirror
Stargate SG-1 had a race called the Tollans with a very interesting concept on government.
There was no such thing as a "closed hearing". All council sessions were recorded in their entirety and available to all of the public instantly. In fact, &;ltspoilers> when it did inevitably happen (as they were conspiring with the Goa'uld</spoilers>, it was viewed as an aberration. A horrible crime that could never happen, like the Vice President walking up to the President and shooting him in the head. It was possible, sure, but it was unfathomable.
I really think that we need to, at citizens, leverage technology and demand the same compliance from our government - even if it's only starting with the local one. Bandwidth and servers are cheap, and most city halls have microphones and video equipment installed anyway. It would only be a matter of taking these already existing data streams, making them available to the public live, and then properly archiving them in such a way that they cannot be deleted easily (perhaps under the purview of a different department, maybe one run by a group of citizens or a nonprofit that has absolutely 0 incentive to tinker with data).
The leader of the group was actually Robert Catesby who was a Jesuit
So wait, Jews did 11/5? 4chan was a bit off on the date but I'm sure they'll be ecstatic nonetheless.
Agreed. Devices don't emit pilot killing rays or anything like that, and loads of people almost certainly do not turn off their phone. I can practically guarantee that there is at least one "I'm above the rules" executive eating a Power Bar and keeping his Blackberry in his pocket until he can whip it back out again and answer all of the e-mails he's surely missed.
Then again, this would require the FAA, the airlines, and/or the government listening to scientific data and common sense. The fact that the TSA exists is a testament to the fact that they actually care very little about a scientific approach.
The US government declaring corruption illegal would be like the mafia threatening anyone doing a contract killing with getting whacked.
It's a bit difficult to find the information on how many flights there are in the US per year, but this article states that in 2004 there were 6,830,000 airplane flights in the US. I'm going to use an even smaller number - 5,000,000 - as a baseline.
In 7 years - 35,000,000 flights - we have had something go wrong due to said devices 75 times, or around 0.000214% of the time. Is it really worth inconveniencing everyone when the number is that remote?
India's government is just as corrupt as most other governments in the world. They just don't give as much of a shit about hiding it.
And on top of that, when you're signed in they have that whole useful "never see links from this site again". If you type in $BAND $SONG lyrics, you're bound to get sites that use shitty flash apps, annoying ads, etc. They are erased from my personal search results, and now I only see relevant ones.
That would never work. After all, people never regularly cross the border into Pennsylvania or Delaware to buy fireworks or fill their trunk with tax-free cigarettes. Nope, never happens.
In those cases, maybe the hiring IT manager should say "Anyone competent enough to make it to an interview with you should also be speaking with me."
Then why do morons insist on using lame terms like "Post-PC quarter" and market them to folks as futuristic computer replacements.
Because they are trying to sell tablets.
This is a load of bullshit.
What happened to "paying one's debt to society"? You served time for jail, your slate should be clean. Instead, we're creating a permanent underclass of ex-cons who either keep hopping back into the system or are readily exploited.
An attention whore who gets said attention by exposing the flat-out evil things all of our governments do on a near-daily basis.
At least he does something for society compared to any of those reality show retards.
One of my favorite books to this day is Gemini Game, which is all about virtual reality games and a minor criminal conspiracy. It's set in a dystopian sort of future where nothing is really pointed out as bad but a smart kid will realize the implications (such as police being able to open any door by putting their badge against the lock).
Yeah, curing Type 2 Diabetes pretty much amounts to "stop eating all those cheeseburgers". If only every serious disease were this easy to cure.
Should have patented it yourself first. You'd be a rich man.
The system's fucked, but if it's not going to change anytime soon there's no reason not to profit from it.
If life had scoreboards, the only places I'd be near the top are weight, height, and cynicism.
"Meddling with the very fabric of reality"?
Gimme a break. *eye-roll*
Yeah, they're doing that over at CERN anyway. You haven't lived until you've shaken hands with your nega-universe self and then awkwardly made out with each other. His goatee was kinda itchy though.
The more they nickel and dime us, the more people will be driven to much more convenient methods of distribution - i.e. piracy.
I am finding less and less companies that I am willing to give my money.
Moreover, a lot of the time you can't sue them on your own. If a company or service is big enough, a judge will say you don't have the "standing" to sue, which is a pile of horseshit.
Yeah, if psychic powers were real you'd think that they wouldn't be slinging tarot cards in their little one room shop under the adult video store.
As bad as those people are, a huge majority of psychics pray on the grieving. I hate cocksuckers like John Edwards and whatever the name of the fat one with the bad haircut and mustache is. Honestly, every time I see a psychic hawking their "services" I want to punch them in the face and ask them why they didn't see it coming.
Non-locality of Mind
Ah, is that the meaning of the phrase "He's not quite all 'there'" -points to head with a twirly finger- ?
First, if people ever give you shit about being a bass player, show them Victor Wooten. Too many bass players just jam on one string, move down a note, and repeat. There's a lot of potential with the instrument.
Secondly, the idea isn't to block out the music you're playing - it's to block out the volume. The standard solution I've heard of is to have noise-cancelling headsets with everyone's instrument piped into them but at a much lower volume. The point is volume reduction.
I see very, very few musicians that actually give a shit about their hearing, sadly.
Japan has had this for years (as they have with QR codes, which we're just getting around to now). Phones have an IR port - you just touch the ports to one another and it exchanges contact information.
I swear, the fastest way to become rich in America with cell phones is to go look at what Japan is doing today and shamelessly copy it as fast as possible.
Also of note on things we can't quite do yet: paying for train/bus fare and using it like an RFID credit card.
They had better be careful. Things could get a bit hairy.
Going all the way back to high school music class, but doesn't sheet music have these notations that tell you how loud or soft you should play something? Isn't this basically related to volume? I'd say that's kinda important, too...