"...ability to drive safely..." being the key phrase here. Maybe some people can talk on a cell and drive without a problem, but there are far, far too many people who can't.
Driving should be considered a privilege, and I think penalties should be tougher for gross negligence. I don't think it's going too far for a person's license to be suspended if they injure someone while reading/texting/doing make up/calling someone because they've clearly demonstrated they are not, in fact, capable of driving safely.
Very true. It's unfortunate this guy had to spend 15 years learning that smart != intelligent. His wisdom score is definitely low.
There are three basic components of intelligence:
1. IQ - Or more aptly, learning capacity, which is what most people think of when they think of intelligence (like our dear professor) but is really just a measure of how much information the brains can process and retain.
2. Common sense - ie. street smarts, which is the ability to perceive and react (and survive) in response to things in day to day life.
3. Wisdom - The ability and capacity for the brain to process complex abstract thoughts.
Everyone has some blend of these three things, but for most people, one of these aspects is sacrificed for the other two. In any case, it's an unfair assessment of a person's intelligence to only go by one of these three aspects. Everyone knows an 'absent minded professor' and everyone knows a 'modern-day sage', but i doubt any of us would consider either stupid though they each lack the talent of the other.
...under what circumstances would it be possible to get my laptop run over by a truck as part of a normal day?
Construction. I used to work for a roofing company and the owner bought one of those tablet laptops to use when he went to do estimates and to keep his notes for big projects. He bought the thing new, but after a few months the cd drive wouldn't close, it was missing keys and both the case were scratched to hell. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if it'd gotten run over one day, or dropped off the side of a building. A toughbook would have been a much better choice. I agree it doesn't make sense to get one unless you're really clumsy or need to bring your laptop into hazardous conditions, but there's definitely a need. I bet that plumber would have loved to get his hands on one too.
Don't forget books. Writers have been doing this well before video games or movies. History has provided a rich source of narrative in general, video games are just the newest medium. I'm sure when virtual reality develops into something mainstream, we'll be able to fight alongside a realistic Ulysses S. Grant just as readily as fighting a space alien super Hitler. And then someone will write a story asking if its okay for virtual reality simulations to take such liberties. Can we get some real news please?
It does in the sense that it's an officially recognized union between two people, and thereby subject to laws pertaining to such couples. The real problem is people confuse marriage in a legal sense with marriage in a religious sense, but the two are, in fact, separate. When it comes right down to it, there is no legal reason why a gay couple shouldn't have the right to get married. None. All objections have so far been based on a so called "moral right", i.e. God hates the gays, therefore letting them get married would be an affront to God.
Personally, I wouldn't presume to know God's intentions. Maybe He hates them, maybe not, but regardless, He makes it clear that it's His place to pass judgment, not ours. (And before I get haters about that, the "morals" at issue here are based on Christian values, and I'm pretty sure that when Jesus died for our sins, he died for ALL of them, not just a few. And that's assuming homosexuality is indeed a sin, because there are sects of the Christian faith that don't believe it is. And like I said, I don't know. I don't presume such things.)
However, I do know there is supposed to be a separation of church and state in the US, which everyone here seems to forget about whenever it's convenient. Justice is blind; we shouldn't be creating laws based solely on religious principals (especially ones that aren't even agreed upon within the religious community).
Let's say no, just for the fact that maintenance would be a nightmare. It's hard enough to find a reputable car mechanic, how are we supposed to find one with a competent nuclear tech? I've been to places that only pretended to replace parts, flushed coolant and replaced it with the wrong type, broke things in the process of fixing something else and then tried to charge me for it... guh. No thanks.
I'd say a special alert badge is the least of this lady's worries. From the article:
Because the latest model can last longer than its predecessors, possibly for years, it can potentially be used for the long-term support of patients with irreversible heart failure.
While exciting to see experimental technology in use, it strikes me as potentially dangerous to apply continuous pressure to a system designed for pulsing pressure. How do the valves in the veins handle the strain, particularly in the legs? I assume the muscle contractions that aide the flow of blood back up the legs still occur? How much pressure can the veins handle before they burst? And what about wounds? How much more blood loss can be expected if a major or even minor artery is severed? And what about high-intensity situations that require increased blood flow? Adrenaline? Endorphins? Can she turn a dial if she needs a boost or does she just collapse if this continuous pressure system can't provide nutrients/chemicals fast enough?
TFA is woefully lacking in description of how this thing really works, but the quoted line implies some major kinks still need to be worked out if the life of the product is in the "possibly for years". Anyone know more about this?
You'd think they'd make an exception. Hard to consider a game about killing nazis an endorsement for the 3rd reich.
Also, if it's a matter of a few textures, couldn't they have just released a patch?
Not sure if you've noticed, but spelling has changed and people can still read Shakespeare. It's the nature of language to evolve as the culture evolves. If you applied Shakespeare to the current English standard there are all kinds of spelling and grammatical errors. If you heard someone talking on the street in a Shakespearian-era dialect today you'd think he's either a) rehearsing a play or b) crazy.
Affixing spelling is nonsense, as it would mean also affixing the way people speak. Don't forget that letters are merely symbols that represent a phonetic sound. Yes, a standard must be maintained so there isn't a dictionary for every accent and dialect, but it must still change with the people because invariably the way people speak changes over time.
If you really want a language set in stone, try Latin. Otherwise get used to the idea that a part of appreciating classic literature is learning the nuances of the language at the time the piece was written.
Considering Japan is constitutionally barred from maintaining an army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_9_of_the_Japanese_Constitution), what would they need military exoskeletons for? They do have the Japanese Defense Force (JDF), but it's officially an extension of the police, and is limited to that capacity. I doubt it'd be worth the cost to them, unless some JDF upper brass really liked Patlabor.
I think you haven't taken into account the human brain's capacity for analyzing objects. There's something about being present that changes everything in the way we perceive things. It's that same difference as seeing a picture of a place and really being there. Maybe we lack the technology or it's simply something to do with the human condition, but we humans never really understand what's out there unless we actually go to see for ourselves. I've no doubt we could send any number of probes to Mars and not get an nth of the information as one actual crew going out there to do research.
Um, cows are not kept in cages. They spend the majority of their time roaming pastures and feed lots, and commonly run the risks of breaking a leg in prairie dog holes, getting stuck in a fence (barbed and/or electric), attacked by coyotes/wolves/bears depending on location and time of year, and numerous other hazards. Not to mention biological functions like child birth where pain serves to limit the amount of strain the body puts on itself.
Pain is a part of basic survival, even if your life destiny is to be slaughtered for food and various by-products. It's necessary feedback to tell you 'hey, you're about to fuck your shit up, stop that'. As I see it, taking away a vital part of survival is far worse than any methods currently used to slaughter cattle.
I do think a relatively pain-free life and a quick death is the least we can do for animals intended for slaughter, but this is absurd. Without something to tell them they're being wounded, they won't even make it to the cutting table. Are you telling me it's less cruel to let an animal blunder into accident after accident just because they can't feel it?
Look, we all know there's only one way to be sure. We need a pair of volunteers willing to make the first space baby. Preferably voyeurists so we can watch... for science.
I agree it's a great concept, if it's drm-free. But what are the chances of that really happening?
The fact of it is companies want money for every instance of their product, despite the venue it's being delivered through. Who's to stop someone from buying drm-free content, then turning around and giving it away and making their profit through ad revenue?
So we're already back to drm, even though time and again it's shown to be a really shitty method in practice. If they can come up with a way to protect their income stream without making me sacrifice my rights, I'm all for it, but I really don't see that happening here.
In the future, this will be the poster child for business schools for how not to make a business plan.
"Let's take a site synonymous with software piracy, alienate all the current users by making it legal, then try to sell it to all the other people who still think of it as the 'bad bad illegal download site'."
Maybe someone should inform them there are already legitimate markets for what they're trying to do: Netflix and Steam anyone?
And don't forget the "It'll never happen to me" mentality that most people have.
If a company really wants to ruin its reputation, it'll get caught stealing from customers. Much more of a direct impact and much more identifiable by everyone, even those not directly affected, because - let's face it - who hasn't been ripped off at one point or another?
Slashdot Mirror
"...ability to drive safely..." being the key phrase here. Maybe some people can talk on a cell and drive without a problem, but there are far, far too many people who can't.
Driving should be considered a privilege, and I think penalties should be tougher for gross negligence. I don't think it's going too far for a person's license to be suspended if they injure someone while reading/texting/doing make up/calling someone because they've clearly demonstrated they are not, in fact, capable of driving safely.
Very true. It's unfortunate this guy had to spend 15 years learning that smart != intelligent. His wisdom score is definitely low.
There are three basic components of intelligence:
1. IQ - Or more aptly, learning capacity, which is what most people think of when they think of intelligence (like our dear professor) but is really just a measure of how much information the brains can process and retain.
2. Common sense - ie. street smarts, which is the ability to perceive and react (and survive) in response to things in day to day life.
3. Wisdom - The ability and capacity for the brain to process complex abstract thoughts.
Everyone has some blend of these three things, but for most people, one of these aspects is sacrificed for the other two. In any case, it's an unfair assessment of a person's intelligence to only go by one of these three aspects. Everyone knows an 'absent minded professor' and everyone knows a 'modern-day sage', but i doubt any of us would consider either stupid though they each lack the talent of the other.
I mean to say, "...both the case and screen were scratched to hell."
...under what circumstances would it be possible to get my laptop run over by a truck as part of a normal day?
Construction. I used to work for a roofing company and the owner bought one of those tablet laptops to use when he went to do estimates and to keep his notes for big projects. He bought the thing new, but after a few months the cd drive wouldn't close, it was missing keys and both the case were scratched to hell. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if it'd gotten run over one day, or dropped off the side of a building. A toughbook would have been a much better choice. I agree it doesn't make sense to get one unless you're really clumsy or need to bring your laptop into hazardous conditions, but there's definitely a need. I bet that plumber would have loved to get his hands on one too.
Some politicians are idiots.
Some?
What if they were Buddhist and believed in reincarnation?
"Status: Possibly a cat"
Please tell me you're joking...
Don't forget books. Writers have been doing this well before video games or movies. History has provided a rich source of narrative in general, video games are just the newest medium. I'm sure when virtual reality develops into something mainstream, we'll be able to fight alongside a realistic Ulysses S. Grant just as readily as fighting a space alien super Hitler. And then someone will write a story asking if its okay for virtual reality simulations to take such liberties. Can we get some real news please?
It does in the sense that it's an officially recognized union between two people, and thereby subject to laws pertaining to such couples. The real problem is people confuse marriage in a legal sense with marriage in a religious sense, but the two are, in fact, separate. When it comes right down to it, there is no legal reason why a gay couple shouldn't have the right to get married. None. All objections have so far been based on a so called "moral right", i.e. God hates the gays, therefore letting them get married would be an affront to God.
Personally, I wouldn't presume to know God's intentions. Maybe He hates them, maybe not, but regardless, He makes it clear that it's His place to pass judgment, not ours. (And before I get haters about that, the "morals" at issue here are based on Christian values, and I'm pretty sure that when Jesus died for our sins, he died for ALL of them, not just a few. And that's assuming homosexuality is indeed a sin, because there are sects of the Christian faith that don't believe it is. And like I said, I don't know. I don't presume such things.)
However, I do know there is supposed to be a separation of church and state in the US, which everyone here seems to forget about whenever it's convenient. Justice is blind; we shouldn't be creating laws based solely on religious principals (especially ones that aren't even agreed upon within the religious community).
If the tests never made it to orbit, how did they know it was the firing and not the landing that destroyed the cargo?
Let's say no, just for the fact that maintenance would be a nightmare. It's hard enough to find a reputable car mechanic, how are we supposed to find one with a competent nuclear tech? I've been to places that only pretended to replace parts, flushed coolant and replaced it with the wrong type, broke things in the process of fixing something else and then tried to charge me for it... guh. No thanks.
Maybe they're reserving the term "warp drive" for that.
I'd say a special alert badge is the least of this lady's worries. From the article:
While exciting to see experimental technology in use, it strikes me as potentially dangerous to apply continuous pressure to a system designed for pulsing pressure. How do the valves in the veins handle the strain, particularly in the legs? I assume the muscle contractions that aide the flow of blood back up the legs still occur? How much pressure can the veins handle before they burst? And what about wounds? How much more blood loss can be expected if a major or even minor artery is severed? And what about high-intensity situations that require increased blood flow? Adrenaline? Endorphins? Can she turn a dial if she needs a boost or does she just collapse if this continuous pressure system can't provide nutrients/chemicals fast enough?
TFA is woefully lacking in description of how this thing really works, but the quoted line implies some major kinks still need to be worked out if the life of the product is in the "possibly for years". Anyone know more about this?
You'd think they'd make an exception. Hard to consider a game about killing nazis an endorsement for the 3rd reich. Also, if it's a matter of a few textures, couldn't they have just released a patch?
Not sure if you've noticed, but spelling has changed and people can still read Shakespeare. It's the nature of language to evolve as the culture evolves. If you applied Shakespeare to the current English standard there are all kinds of spelling and grammatical errors. If you heard someone talking on the street in a Shakespearian-era dialect today you'd think he's either a) rehearsing a play or b) crazy.
Affixing spelling is nonsense, as it would mean also affixing the way people speak. Don't forget that letters are merely symbols that represent a phonetic sound. Yes, a standard must be maintained so there isn't a dictionary for every accent and dialect, but it must still change with the people because invariably the way people speak changes over time.
If you really want a language set in stone, try Latin. Otherwise get used to the idea that a part of appreciating classic literature is learning the nuances of the language at the time the piece was written.
Don't worry, if Jupiter misses one, we've always got the moon as a back up.
Considering Japan is constitutionally barred from maintaining an army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_9_of_the_Japanese_Constitution), what would they need military exoskeletons for? They do have the Japanese Defense Force (JDF), but it's officially an extension of the police, and is limited to that capacity. I doubt it'd be worth the cost to them, unless some JDF upper brass really liked Patlabor.
I think you haven't taken into account the human brain's capacity for analyzing objects. There's something about being present that changes everything in the way we perceive things. It's that same difference as seeing a picture of a place and really being there. Maybe we lack the technology or it's simply something to do with the human condition, but we humans never really understand what's out there unless we actually go to see for ourselves. I've no doubt we could send any number of probes to Mars and not get an nth of the information as one actual crew going out there to do research.
Um, cows are not kept in cages. They spend the majority of their time roaming pastures and feed lots, and commonly run the risks of breaking a leg in prairie dog holes, getting stuck in a fence (barbed and/or electric), attacked by coyotes/wolves/bears depending on location and time of year, and numerous other hazards. Not to mention biological functions like child birth where pain serves to limit the amount of strain the body puts on itself.
Pain is a part of basic survival, even if your life destiny is to be slaughtered for food and various by-products. It's necessary feedback to tell you 'hey, you're about to fuck your shit up, stop that'. As I see it, taking away a vital part of survival is far worse than any methods currently used to slaughter cattle.
I do think a relatively pain-free life and a quick death is the least we can do for animals intended for slaughter, but this is absurd. Without something to tell them they're being wounded, they won't even make it to the cutting table. Are you telling me it's less cruel to let an animal blunder into accident after accident just because they can't feel it?
Look, we all know there's only one way to be sure. We need a pair of volunteers willing to make the first space baby. Preferably voyeurists so we can watch... for science.
I agree it's a great concept, if it's drm-free. But what are the chances of that really happening?
The fact of it is companies want money for every instance of their product, despite the venue it's being delivered through. Who's to stop someone from buying drm-free content, then turning around and giving it away and making their profit through ad revenue?
So we're already back to drm, even though time and again it's shown to be a really shitty method in practice. If they can come up with a way to protect their income stream without making me sacrifice my rights, I'm all for it, but I really don't see that happening here.
If the navigators know how far the sail be off course by, why can't they adjust where they launch the sail to account for the drift?
In the future, this will be the poster child for business schools for how not to make a business plan.
"Let's take a site synonymous with software piracy, alienate all the current users by making it legal, then try to sell it to all the other people who still think of it as the 'bad bad illegal download site'."
Maybe someone should inform them there are already legitimate markets for what they're trying to do: Netflix and Steam anyone?
What do you mean? This is the government man. NASA has always been built on "cheap".
And don't forget the "It'll never happen to me" mentality that most people have.
If a company really wants to ruin its reputation, it'll get caught stealing from customers. Much more of a direct impact and much more identifiable by everyone, even those not directly affected, because - let's face it - who hasn't been ripped off at one point or another?