I wonder if you found it and removed it what the repercussions would be.
That depends what you did with it after removing it - for example you could install it in your next-door neighbour's car, or strap it to a raccoon living in a nearby forest.
If I shoot someone, is it a crime? Well, it depends on a lot of factors, some obvious: was the gun legally purchased; did I have the right to carry it; was I in fear of my life? But even those answers aren't complete. Suppose I had no fear of my life (for the purposes of this conversation, assume that's a requirement for self-defense in my state.) You would say that my shooting was unlawful. But, new twist, he was hiding behind a target in a target range. Wait, additional twist, I knew he was there. Oh, yet another twist, it was part of a magic act and he knew I was going to shoot at him, but there was an equipment failure that made it unsafe.
I'm not one to worry about shiny panels, glowing lights, etc. that are just going to sit unseen under a desktop. So long as it provides adequate cooling and airflow, and it's reasonably quiet, I'm in.
I won't argue the fact that law and legal process have become perverted, however I still like the idea that if I am in a court of law facing some kind of serious accusation, there are certain norms and procedures. For example, the prosecution is not allowed to make up completely fictitious shit just for fun, and present it to the jury in an attempt to sway their opinion. A random twitterer however, is able to make up random shit about me, and post doctored photoshops, and parrot third-hand accusations.
I'm not sure I am comfortable with the idea that the jury who is deciding my fate are all sitting there logged onto reddit reading who knows what about me while the case is still underway.
While a newspaper may contain some high-level information about the case (and that's assuming you don't live in a jurisdiction with publication bans - in which case the newspapers will have nothing at all), having a web-enabled device allows you to look up background information, similar cases and their outcomes, the recently-created facebook group named "fry that bastard", and literally dozens of other ways to colour your perception of the facts being presented in the courtroom.
OP doesn't say whether they need constant internet access even while mobile, or if they have the option of releasing a tethered repeater balloon which soars to a height of 10km whenever they've stopped - even a remote place.
because no thief's going to let you live after you've seen his face
What a crock of shit.
Most petty thieves are exactly that - petty. They are looking for something portable and lucrative they can quickly flip in order to get cash for whatever habit they may be supporting. If confronted they may put on a brief show of bravado if that looks like a more promising way out of the situation, but as soon as running the fuck away starts looking like the best option that's exactly what they'll do.
Even among more hardened pros if a situation looks like it's getting complicated and the consequence/reward ratio isn't looking so great anymore, they use their legs long before they'll actually use a lethal weapon.
A tiny, tiny subset of thieves are actually willing to casually contemplate homicide as a solution to whatever predicament they might find themselves in.
Baltimore Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said it would be up to the state's attorney's office to determine whether he will be charged in the incident.
I just realized this is a recent news article, not something dredged up from months ago.
Commodore 64, if you are really the John Pontolillo mentioned in this article I seriously think you want to shut the fuck up immediately and stop posting to this thread. If just one of the couple million Slashdot readers decides to mention this thread to the DA, he/she can easily check your posting IP, match it to your home or school address, and use what you write to prove intent.
"when you're likely to act in your own self interest rather than the greater social good." with "Like when I find someone in my garage, trying to steal my car, and I slice them with my samurai sword"
I just assumed you were attempting to provide an example.
If you are in fact the dude in that Baltimore Sun article as you seem to be implying, then it looks like you didn't go to the garage with the intent of killing somebody over a "year's worth of earnings", but that you went to investigate and were then surprised and suddenly found yourself in a life-threatening situation... or if not, then it's a damned good thing you managed to convince a judge/jury that's how things unfolded otherwise you'd be in prison right now.
How exactly do you see vigilante justice as an example of self-interest vs. greater social good? By placing yourself in immediate physical peril by confronting said criminal, I'd say you're doing the opposite of protecting yourself from harm.
It's not that hard to imagine. Surely there is some part of you - some element(s) of your behaviour - that are driven by profit rather than regard for your fellow humans. It doesn't have to be big, consequential stuff; just think about those times when you're likely to act in your own self interest rather than the greater social good.
Now, imagine that those motivations make up 90% of your consciousness rather than the (hopefully smaller) percentage they currently do. It's an exercise in relativism, in thinking in degrees rather than absolutes.
Now spend some time exploring hypothetical situations and imagining how you would react. There's no need to change the basic elements of your personality, just tweak the motivational balance. Are you there? Can you imagine it?
Finally the medical community is backing my position on showers... and I know it's just a matter of time before some new study proves I'm right about the Doritos and climbing the basement stairs.
What if you have a disability that prevents you from working, and you live on a fixed disability allowance, and after paying rent, food, and buying a bus pass you have exactly $7.15 left over at the end of every week?
If Apple were to apply for certification, they would need to make a lot of changes, such as...wait for it...eliminating the ability to run 3rd party code.
Need to lock your iPhone so that it runs a proprietary medical application and can only run that one single proprietary medical application?... There's an app for that.
Seems like a bit of a half-measure to just prevent socially awkward people and other "deviants" from working with children or the elderly. Shouldn't all the nonconformists just be summarily executed?
Just to be safe, it's probably best to limit this story to just a single tag. Under no circumstances should anybody tag this story with multiple categories such as "patenttroll" and "getfucked" at the same time.
Slashdot Mirror
I wonder if you found it and removed it what the repercussions would be.
That depends what you did with it after removing it - for example you could install it in your next-door neighbour's car, or strap it to a raccoon living in a nearby forest.
If I shoot someone, is it a crime? Well, it depends on a lot of factors, some obvious: was the gun legally purchased; did I have the right to carry it; was I in fear of my life? But even those answers aren't complete. Suppose I had no fear of my life (for the purposes of this conversation, assume that's a requirement for self-defense in my state.) You would say that my shooting was unlawful. But, new twist, he was hiding behind a target in a target range. Wait, additional twist, I knew he was there. Oh, yet another twist, it was part of a magic act and he knew I was going to shoot at him, but there was an equipment failure that made it unsafe.
I smell a Grisham novel!
Oh there are stories. Yes there are stories.
I don't see too many instances of the Sinclair ZX-81 OS around anymore, but then I will admit I haven't performed an exhaustive search.
Next up
sex toy with integrated camera that tweets when powered on.
You're not fooling us for a second - that's not coke and you're not reading slashdot.
I'm not one to worry about shiny panels, glowing lights, etc. that are just going to sit unseen under a desktop. So long as it provides adequate cooling and airflow, and it's reasonably quiet, I'm in.
I won't argue the fact that law and legal process have become perverted, however I still like the idea that if I am in a court of law facing some kind of serious accusation, there are certain norms and procedures. For example, the prosecution is not allowed to make up completely fictitious shit just for fun, and present it to the jury in an attempt to sway their opinion. A random twitterer however, is able to make up random shit about me, and post doctored photoshops, and parrot third-hand accusations.
I'm not sure I am comfortable with the idea that the jury who is deciding my fate are all sitting there logged onto reddit reading who knows what about me while the case is still underway.
Are you?
While a newspaper may contain some high-level information about the case (and that's assuming you don't live in a jurisdiction with publication bans - in which case the newspapers will have nothing at all), having a web-enabled device allows you to look up background information, similar cases and their outcomes, the recently-created facebook group named "fry that bastard", and literally dozens of other ways to colour your perception of the facts being presented in the courtroom.
classic
OP doesn't say whether they need constant internet access even while mobile, or if they have the option of releasing a tethered repeater balloon which soars to a height of 10km whenever they've stopped - even a remote place.
because no thief's going to let you live after you've seen his face
What a crock of shit.
Most petty thieves are exactly that - petty. They are looking for something portable and lucrative they can quickly flip in order to get cash for whatever habit they may be supporting. If confronted they may put on a brief show of bravado if that looks like a more promising way out of the situation, but as soon as running the fuck away starts looking like the best option that's exactly what they'll do.
Even among more hardened pros if a situation looks like it's getting complicated and the consequence/reward ratio isn't looking so great anymore, they use their legs long before they'll actually use a lethal weapon.
A tiny, tiny subset of thieves are actually willing to casually contemplate homicide as a solution to whatever predicament they might find themselves in.
Baltimore Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said it would be up to the state's attorney's office to determine whether he will be charged in the incident.
I just realized this is a recent news article, not something dredged up from months ago.
Commodore 64, if you are really the John Pontolillo mentioned in this article I seriously think you want to shut the fuck up immediately and stop posting to this thread. If just one of the couple million Slashdot readers decides to mention this thread to the DA, he/she can easily check your posting IP, match it to your home or school address, and use what you write to prove intent.
Beats me how it's an "example"
Well when you responded to:
"when you're likely to act in your own self interest rather than the greater social good." with "Like when I find someone in my garage, trying to steal my car, and I slice them with my samurai sword"
I just assumed you were attempting to provide an example.
If you are in fact the dude in that Baltimore Sun article as you seem to be implying, then it looks like you didn't go to the garage with the intent of killing somebody over a "year's worth of earnings", but that you went to investigate and were then surprised and suddenly found yourself in a life-threatening situation ... or if not, then it's a damned good thing you managed to convince a judge/jury that's how things unfolded otherwise you'd be in prison right now.
How exactly do you see vigilante justice as an example of self-interest vs. greater social good? By placing yourself in immediate physical peril by confronting said criminal, I'd say you're doing the opposite of protecting yourself from harm.
It's not that hard to imagine. Surely there is some part of you - some element(s) of your behaviour - that are driven by profit rather than regard for your fellow humans. It doesn't have to be big, consequential stuff; just think about those times when you're likely to act in your own self interest rather than the greater social good.
Now, imagine that those motivations make up 90% of your consciousness rather than the (hopefully smaller) percentage they currently do. It's an exercise in relativism, in thinking in degrees rather than absolutes.
Now spend some time exploring hypothetical situations and imagining how you would react. There's no need to change the basic elements of your personality, just tweak the motivational balance. Are you there? Can you imagine it?
Congratulations! You're a sociopath!
Finally the medical community is backing my position on showers ... and I know it's just a matter of time before some new study proves I'm right about the Doritos and climbing the basement stairs.
What if you have a disability that prevents you from working, and you live on a fixed disability allowance, and after paying rent, food, and buying a bus pass you have exactly $7.15 left over at the end of every week?
If Apple were to apply for certification, they would need to make a lot of changes, such as...wait for it...eliminating the ability to run 3rd party code.
Need to lock your iPhone so that it runs a proprietary medical application and can only run that one single proprietary medical application? ... There's an app for that.
See "Rare Earth" by authors Ward and Brownlee.
Haiku-based humor
Made me laugh several times
Hopeless nerd I am
Seems like a bit of a half-measure to just prevent socially awkward people and other "deviants" from working with children or the elderly. Shouldn't all the nonconformists just be summarily executed?
What exactly is the intended non-lethal purpose of such a thing?
I'm gonna take a totally wild guess here: to make profits for Taser Inc.?
Maloneâ(TM)s family contends a GPS system they installed in his car to monitor his driving proves he was driving 45 mph
It's airtight. When a judge sees that there is evidence from a Global Positioning System system he will be forced to dismiss the case.
Just to be safe, it's probably best to limit this story to just a single tag. Under no circumstances should anybody tag this story with multiple categories such as "patenttroll" and "getfucked" at the same time.