I Finland everyone has a national identification number. Censuses haven't been done in my lifetime, no need. A drivers license, passport, social security card or ID card identifies the citizens with this number. I'm not sure if there's a law that says you have to posess one of the above, it's just something everyone has anyway.
Still there haven't been any major issues. Is this because the Finnish government is simply less corrupt that many others? I don't have a problem with having a number assigned to me. In fact that number ensures I can use all the services my taxes pay for, like working health care.
So am I living in some socialist police state, or is it just a matter of what kind of government implements this kind of a scheme?
I'm not sure an app is superior to a printed magazine as a user interface, but it does have one immense advantage: Distribution.
No matter where I am: on the bus, at the cottage or on the wrong side of the globe an electronic distribution system can deliver the content as soon as it is available if I have a connection. Granted there are other limits too, but this is the main advantage as I see it. This is a general observation, and has nothing to do with the iPad btw...;)
Won't someone with more free time than I have code an HTML-5 -based association-node-map-thingy that you can interactively browse and edit in wiki-style?
It would be nice to see how different things relate to each other and how. I'd love to browse around the history of gaming, with games linking each other based on whatever criteria makes sense. HTML-5 would make this doable without flash.:)
There's some DB project working on this kind of associative mapping too, but the name escapes me.
I decided long ago to self-censor myself to the degree I'm comfortable with other people finding out. That being said, I'm pretty open about stuff. An employer who dismisses me based on online tracks probably isn't what I'm looking for anyway.
It's pretty pointless for me to try to hide stuff whenever I post with my real name. It's unique in the world as far as I know, and Googling (just checked) turns up about 6K results at the moment. I guess I've just decided to live with limited privacy. What I want truly private I just keep off the net.:)
While it's sad that this great part of Internet history is fading into obsolescence, I'm more worried that the proper care is made to archive the data for future generations. As long as we can still access the text of the discussions I think it's an acceptable and inevitable side effect of progress...
While quite elegant, this solution requires power input... So not so great on a bicycle...
And as far as cars go, you have to spin a shaft in order to achieve neutral. Which means that you still need a clutch or something for a car to be safe. (If the engine's running and the electric motor spinning the shaft fails the car will go forward... Not nice.)
(Am I the only one who thought that the TFA's statement that understanding these mechanics is dumbing it down? I think it's simple, honestly. I'm not claiming I would have invented it, but I do understand the principle...)
"Apple is currently getting a pretty penny for through the app store could be implemented as quite simple flash apps, free for all to use."
And Apple gets such a big cut from all those free apps that would be made into free flash apps. (Large_Number)*.3*0 is a big number right?
Um, whoever said that only free apps in the app store could be implemented in Flash? Your argument is silly.
Either you didn't actually read my comment, or then you're just trying to troll me because I'm making you feel insecure about your Apple-branded world view?
...what's stopping Apple from implementing their own secure Flash runtime?
I believe the real reason for Flash missing on the iPhone and Ipad is the simple fact that a lot of apps that Apple is currently getting a pretty penny for through the app store could be implemented as quite simple flash apps, free for all to use. It's a business decision, plain and simple.
The real question is, will coming generations embrace technology with limits like these, or will people eventually realize the value of true openness? Given that people in general seem content with the limits on things like DVDs and Blu-Rays I'm leaning towards the likely outcome being a less free computing environment for the masses, as much as I hate to say it.
I don't mind paying for games. I mind paying for crappy games.
I might pirate a game to try it for five minutes out of curiosity. (Assuming there's no demo.) But I'll gladly pay for games that are high quality and original.
That being said, I buy only 3-5 games a year. But I'd rather see the industry doing fewer games and putting more effort into them. One great option is downloadable games in episodic format. The recent Tales of Monkey Island for the Wii are a good example. Lessens the risk both for the game developer and myself as a consumer.
We've been playing the Tales of Monkey Island episodic games on the Wii with a couple of friends lately. It's usually 3-4 hours to beat an episode, and at 10 Euros that's dirt cheap compared to a movie for the four of us. Win-win:)
Losing sight has always been my greatest fear. I understand a lot of blind people can live perfectly fine lives, but I can't think of many worse futures.
Interestingly, my biggest worry if I lost sight would be to figure out how to successfully use my synthesizers. I've made music for fun since my teens, and if I had to choose I'd probably rather be blind than deaf. Not that either option is in any way desirable, but still...
There are trade-offs; colleges don't want to pay for more faculty / facilities than they believe they'll have the enrollment to support (and therefore justify), but when there's huge demand, they'll try to adapt to it.
Like anything else in which there's even a partial free market:) Milk, yoga lessons, vacations to Brazil...
Makes sense... Here the great thing is free university level education, but the drawback is that the admittance is quite limited. I tried to major in cognitive science in a past life, but never passed the bar. Ironically the tests mostly tested rote learning.
Many students will just sign up and get into the school as "undeclared" which means they haven't chosen their major yet. As the year goes on, they may declare a major as they see fit. It's probably possible to go about two or three years without ever declaring a major (but that's usually not the best for actually getting a degree unless you really have your shit together). As time goes on, a student may change degrees several times. So long as they don't change colleges which would change the base course they need to take, it's usually not an issue. I suspect what has happened is that the school let some many new students in, but then when they declared their major (which can happen at any time) they had five times as many students write down video game developer as expected.
Interesting. Here you can change majors too, but as far as I know you always have a major when enrolling.
Of course the downside is that some people may study for years for a major they aren't that interested in, eventually changing majors or dropping out.
I don't know how it works in the US, as we have free education here in Finland. But the downside is that any given program has a certain number of people admitted per year, so enrollment is based on test results.
Are there no limits in the US? I mean, if they have 500% of the people they thought they would that's gonna be a bit of a pickle?
I could go on and on on why geeks should read that book. Or I can just tell people to do so, and if they decide to heed my advice they will likely not regret it.
Feel free to let me know if I was wrong once you read the book.;)
Yes, and you're the kind of individual we need running for office.
I considered a politics career in my youth. While I'm good at rhetorics I am also convinced I would be miserable as a politician. Even if I were good at it I suspect I'd still be miserable. Just dealing with corporate politics at work has been more than enough for me...
So I decided to follow my creative urge, and decided to become a coder instead. Creating stuff makes me happy.:)
(And if I were to win the lottery I'd probably turn to making music full time. But at least I can still do it in my spare time, so no worries.:)
Wrong right. You confuse copyright — the exclusive right of publishers to copy a work (which is never physically enforcable) — with the author’s right — the right of a creator of a work, to get something in return for it.
It's the same thing. There is no author's right without copyright. Only through control of the publishing chain will the concept of an author's right make any sense.
If there is no copyright then the only way to keep someone from publishing your works is to not publish them yourself.
Copyright was originally intended to give an economic incentive to the creation of cultural works. By granting the author (or the party the author has transferred the copyright of the work to) a temporary monopoly on copying said work.
I'm for copyrights, but I feel 20 years would be an appropriate duration. The concept of getting paid perpetually for something you created makes no sense.
...not as extreme promoters of the abolition of copyright, but the catalyst that led the eventual restoration of copyright as a tool to promote cultural innovation, instead of hampering it.
Here's the approach I will likely take once my kids are old enough to use the net:
- Negotiate proper rules with them. - Have something log what sites they go to, when etc. - Let them know about the logging, and make it clear that you will review the logs if there is a need to do so. - Also, I don't believe that someone who is 12 needs unsupervised net access. Have a machine in the family room and let them browse when you're around.
Ultimately, the only common denominator for success is parenting.
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I Finland everyone has a national identification number. Censuses haven't been done in my lifetime, no need. A drivers license, passport, social security card or ID card identifies the citizens with this number. I'm not sure if there's a law that says you have to posess one of the above, it's just something everyone has anyway.
Still there haven't been any major issues. Is this because the Finnish government is simply less corrupt that many others? I don't have a problem with having a number assigned to me. In fact that number ensures I can use all the services my taxes pay for, like working health care.
So am I living in some socialist police state, or is it just a matter of what kind of government implements this kind of a scheme?
Most people are actually willing to pay for quality!
I'm not sure an app is superior to a printed magazine as a user interface, but it does have one immense advantage: Distribution.
No matter where I am: on the bus, at the cottage or on the wrong side of the globe an electronic distribution system can deliver the content as soon as it is available if I have a connection. Granted there are other limits too, but this is the main advantage as I see it. This is a general observation, and has nothing to do with the iPad btw... ;)
Won't someone with more free time than I have code an HTML-5 -based association-node-map-thingy that you can interactively browse and edit in wiki-style?
It would be nice to see how different things relate to each other and how. I'd love to browse around the history of gaming, with games linking each other based on whatever criteria makes sense. HTML-5 would make this doable without flash. :)
There's some DB project working on this kind of associative mapping too, but the name escapes me.
I decided long ago to self-censor myself to the degree I'm comfortable with other people finding out. That being said, I'm pretty open about stuff. An employer who dismisses me based on online tracks probably isn't what I'm looking for anyway.
It's pretty pointless for me to try to hide stuff whenever I post with my real name. It's unique in the world as far as I know, and Googling (just checked) turns up about 6K results at the moment. I guess I've just decided to live with limited privacy. What I want truly private I just keep off the net. :)
While it's sad that this great part of Internet history is fading into obsolescence, I'm more worried that the proper care is made to archive the data for future generations. As long as we can still access the text of the discussions I think it's an acceptable and inevitable side effect of progress...
I'm familiar with the NuVinci. If I remember correctly it was somewhat limited, but I'd have to check my numbers...
(So far the best competition to the traditional dérailleur I've seen is Rohloff's 14 speed hub.)
While quite elegant, this solution requires power input... So not so great on a bicycle...
And as far as cars go, you have to spin a shaft in order to achieve neutral. Which means that you still need a clutch or something for a car to be safe. (If the engine's running and the electric motor spinning the shaft fails the car will go forward... Not nice.)
(Am I the only one who thought that the TFA's statement that understanding these mechanics is dumbing it down? I think it's simple, honestly. I'm not claiming I would have invented it, but I do understand the principle...)
...when can I fit this on my bicycle?
(I'm serious. Proceeding to read TFA...)
OK, I'll bite...
"Apple is currently getting a pretty penny for through the app store could be implemented as quite simple flash apps, free for all to use."
And Apple gets such a big cut from all those free apps that would be made into free flash apps. (Large_Number)*.3*0 is a big number right?
Um, whoever said that only free apps in the app store could be implemented in Flash? Your argument is silly.
Either you didn't actually read my comment, or then you're just trying to troll me because I'm making you feel insecure about your Apple-branded world view?
...what's stopping Apple from implementing their own secure Flash runtime?
I believe the real reason for Flash missing on the iPhone and Ipad is the simple fact that a lot of apps that Apple is currently getting a pretty penny for through the app store could be implemented as quite simple flash apps, free for all to use. It's a business decision, plain and simple.
The real question is, will coming generations embrace technology with limits like these, or will people eventually realize the value of true openness? Given that people in general seem content with the limits on things like DVDs and Blu-Rays I'm leaning towards the likely outcome being a less free computing environment for the masses, as much as I hate to say it.
I don't mind paying for games. I mind paying for crappy games.
I might pirate a game to try it for five minutes out of curiosity. (Assuming there's no demo.) But I'll gladly pay for games that are high quality and original.
That being said, I buy only 3-5 games a year. But I'd rather see the industry doing fewer games and putting more effort into them. One great option is downloadable games in episodic format. The recent Tales of Monkey Island for the Wii are a good example. Lessens the risk both for the game developer and myself as a consumer.
We've been playing the Tales of Monkey Island episodic games on the Wii with a couple of friends lately. It's usually 3-4 hours to beat an episode, and at 10 Euros that's dirt cheap compared to a movie for the four of us. Win-win :)
Losing sight has always been my greatest fear. I understand a lot of blind people can live perfectly fine lives, but I can't think of many worse futures.
Interestingly, my biggest worry if I lost sight would be to figure out how to successfully use my synthesizers. I've made music for fun since my teens, and if I had to choose I'd probably rather be blind than deaf. Not that either option is in any way desirable, but still...
There are trade-offs; colleges don't want to pay for more faculty / facilities than they believe they'll have the enrollment to support (and therefore justify), but when there's huge demand, they'll try to adapt to it.
Like anything else in which there's even a partial free market :) Milk, yoga lessons, vacations to Brazil ...
Makes sense... Here the great thing is free university level education, but the drawback is that the admittance is quite limited. I tried to major in cognitive science in a past life, but never passed the bar. Ironically the tests mostly tested rote learning.
No system is perfect, I guess.
Many students will just sign up and get into the school as "undeclared" which means they haven't chosen their major yet. As the year goes on, they may declare a major as they see fit. It's probably possible to go about two or three years without ever declaring a major (but that's usually not the best for actually getting a degree unless you really have your shit together). As time goes on, a student may change degrees several times. So long as they don't change colleges which would change the base course they need to take, it's usually not an issue. I suspect what has happened is that the school let some many new students in, but then when they declared their major (which can happen at any time) they had five times as many students write down video game developer as expected.
Interesting. Here you can change majors too, but as far as I know you always have a major when enrolling.
Of course the downside is that some people may study for years for a major they aren't that interested in, eventually changing majors or dropping out.
I don't know how it works in the US, as we have free education here in Finland. But the downside is that any given program has a certain number of people admitted per year, so enrollment is based on test results.
Are there no limits in the US? I mean, if they have 500% of the people they thought they would that's gonna be a bit of a pickle?
Just being curious here. :)
Practicing any skill requiring cognitive functions technically trains your brain.
The question is, what are the effects that people who play these kinds of games are hoping for?
I could go on and on on why geeks should read that book. Or I can just tell people to do so, and if they decide to heed my advice they will likely not regret it.
Feel free to let me know if I was wrong once you read the book. ;)
Do so.
Really, I'm not going to tell you why, just do it.
I can dream, can't I? :)
Yes, and you're the kind of individual we need running for office.
I considered a politics career in my youth. While I'm good at rhetorics I am also convinced I would be miserable as a politician. Even if I were good at it I suspect I'd still be miserable. Just dealing with corporate politics at work has been more than enough for me...
So I decided to follow my creative urge, and decided to become a coder instead. Creating stuff makes me happy. :)
(And if I were to win the lottery I'd probably turn to making music full time. But at least I can still do it in my spare time, so no worries. :)
Wrong right. You confuse copyright — the exclusive right of publishers to copy a work (which is never physically enforcable) — with the author’s right — the right of a creator of a work, to get something in return for it.
It's the same thing. There is no author's right without copyright. Only through control of the publishing chain will the concept of an author's right make any sense.
If there is no copyright then the only way to keep someone from publishing your works is to not publish them yourself.
Copyright was originally intended to give an economic incentive to the creation of cultural works. By granting the author (or the party the author has transferred the copyright of the work to) a temporary monopoly on copying said work.
I'm for copyrights, but I feel 20 years would be an appropriate duration. The concept of getting paid perpetually for something you created makes no sense.
I share your views. :)
But it's a dream until it actually becomes a reality...
...not as extreme promoters of the abolition of copyright, but the catalyst that led the eventual restoration of copyright as a tool to promote cultural innovation, instead of hampering it.
I can dream, can't I? :)
Here's the approach I will likely take once my kids are old enough to use the net:
- Negotiate proper rules with them.
- Have something log what sites they go to, when etc.
- Let them know about the logging, and make it clear that you will review the logs if there is a need to do so.
- Also, I don't believe that someone who is 12 needs unsupervised net access. Have a machine in the family room and let them browse when you're around.
Ultimately, the only common denominator for success is parenting.