Small correction: Edmund Stone's work described in this article is not the discovery of aspirin (acetylsalycilic acid), but salycilic acid. Salycilic acid has about the same therapeutic effects as aspirin, but is much harder on the stomach. Aspirin was first synthesized by Bayer chemists in the late 1800s.
One of the big problems with fluorescent lights is that they produce a lot more radio frequency interference (RFI) than incandescents. While they are more efficient energy-wise, the RFI issue is a show-stopper for anyone sensitive to such things (radio amateurs and other odd folk).
Has any progress been made in reducing fluorescent light RFI -- or is even feasable/possible?
What, exactly, is the "old tech" referred to in the summary? The word "old" doesn't even occur in the article! All the techniques mentioned in the article require very modern and sophisticated technology for implementation.
Fact is, there will probably never be a foolproof "bad material" detector, since there are simply too many substances that can be combined to form something dangerous. A better approach would probably be to have a "whitelist" of permissible substances whose identity could be verified. Even this would be very difficult to do reliably (there are lots of ways to "disguise" a material as something else once you know the identification technique being used; it becomes harder if you use multiple detection schemes, but then of course the cost increases as well).
Re:yep, great benchmarks, but lacking in features.
on
MacBook Pro Benchmarks
·
· Score: 1
>>oh well the point is that vital features were "removed" from the macbook, and >>they added in a DRM'ed chipset.
>There's no proof Apple's using any of the DRM, so your point is moot.
This is hilarious. They added the chipset so it wouldn't be used? Wow, that's creative.
I suspect that an increase in patents on game software features might promote innovation in games, since it might be harder to just spit out yet another first-person shooter without getting sued.
On the other hand, unlike many Western countries *cough cough* that send the secret police to "visit" people who wish to express an unpopular opinion,...
Er, examples?
I'm not calling BS, but it would be nice to know if you've got examples of "many" Western countries sending "secret police" to "visit" those who only "wish" to express unpopular opinions.
Yes, Bud CAN Trace Beer Purchases to Individuals
on
BudNet Tracks Your Suds
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Read. The. Article.
Bud is using Information Resources, Inc., which compiles register scan info. This includes those little barcoded keychain dongles that let you get special discounts -- you know, the ones you filled out a form with your personal information to get?
So, no, Bud can't trace EVERY beer purchase to the individual. And they most likely don't really care which particular individuals buy stuff, they're looking at demographic trends. But data on retail sales to individuals, and personal information abou those individuals IS in the system. That's how they get some of their demographics.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.
A material can emit light at various wavelengths, and at wavelengths quite different than that which it reflects, which is what you most commonly see in the visible range. It's quite possible for something to reflect blue light and emit light at wavelengths longer than the visible range.
That's because American soaps are aspirational, while English ones are cautionary. Dallas: you, too, can be a millionaire with hot chicks if you work hard. East Enders: if you don't work hard, you'll end up as one of these drunk, ugly, poor peasants.
Australian soaps sit in the middle: the people are poor but beuatiful. Not sure what the message is, but it sure looks nice...
THAT is a stunningly insightful observation about all three cultures...
I think you've just supported my point...Bionicle is a spoon-fed world, whereas with traditional Lego, it would be up to the child to use his or her imagination to come up with a world of their own.
Do you have kids?:^) It may start out spoon-fed, but creativity will not be denied. Give a child something that can be taken apart, and it will be. Give a child something that can be re-assembled in more than one way, and it will be.
The "Bionicle" story line is simply a context within which a child can create their own stories. If a child refuses to use the freedom a building toy inherently gives him/her, I don't think you can blame the toy.
Sorry, can't agree. The Bionicle line has got to be one of the most insidiously successful toy lines I've ever seen.
And the marketing has been brilliant. My son is on the Lego mailing list, and every couple of months or so he gets a slick Bionicle comic book for free -- which pumps him for the next generation of Bionicle heroes and villains, which come along every 6 months or so.
And I hate to admit it, because it's costing me a significant amount of cash, but the world they've created is pretty cool. I thought the "Mask of Light" DVD was pretty well done.
You know, this is a really neat example of the kind of thing folks who develop new products should look for -- useful precedents and knowledge from a seemingly tangential field.
Of course, the item about slot machine fraud shows that -- no matter how stringent your precautions are -- if the stakes are high enough, people will try to defraud your system. Some will succeed.
The important thing to keep in mind is that this is just as true for our current voting technologies as it will be for electronic voting.
Slashdot Mirror
Small correction: Edmund Stone's work described in this article is not the discovery of aspirin (acetylsalycilic acid), but salycilic acid. Salycilic acid has about the same therapeutic effects as aspirin, but is much harder on the stomach. Aspirin was first synthesized by Bayer chemists in the late 1800s.
One of the big problems with fluorescent lights is that they produce a lot more radio frequency interference (RFI) than incandescents. While they are more efficient energy-wise, the RFI issue is a show-stopper for anyone sensitive to such things (radio amateurs and other odd folk).
Has any progress been made in reducing fluorescent light RFI -- or is even feasable/possible?
What, exactly, is the "old tech" referred to in the summary? The word "old" doesn't even occur in the article! All the techniques mentioned in the article require very modern and sophisticated technology for implementation.
Fact is, there will probably never be a foolproof "bad material" detector, since there are simply too many substances that can be combined to form something dangerous. A better approach would probably be to have a "whitelist" of permissible substances whose identity could be verified. Even this would be very difficult to do reliably (there are lots of ways to "disguise" a material as something else once you know the identification technique being used; it becomes harder if you use multiple detection schemes, but then of course the cost increases as well).
>>oh well the point is that vital features were "removed" from the macbook, and
>>they added in a DRM'ed chipset.
>There's no proof Apple's using any of the DRM, so your point is moot.
This is hilarious. They added the chipset so it wouldn't be used? Wow, that's creative.
He can't be all that smart if he pays $4 for a cup of coffee...
Makes you wonder if this could ever have been pulled off if BPL was already widely implemented...
Disclaimer: Software patents are bad and stupid.
However...
I suspect that an increase in patents on game software features might promote innovation in games, since it might be harder to just spit out yet another first-person shooter without getting sued.
You forgot another one:
Smart non-Americans have a tendency to speak for the opinions of the rest of the world as if there wasn't a mind-numbing diversity of it.
Smart Americans generally don't give a crap about the opinions of the rest of the world.
So Veizer and Shaviv in GSA Today wasn't peer-reviewed?
On the other hand, unlike many Western countries *cough cough* that send the secret police to "visit" people who wish to express an unpopular opinion,...
Er, examples?
I'm not calling BS, but it would be nice to know if you've got examples of "many" Western countries sending "secret police" to "visit" those who only "wish" to express unpopular opinions.
Oh, yeah?
One word:
Spector
Thanks for the tip! Turns out I had two old Java versions to uninstall.
Okay, I'm a doofus.
To fix this vulnerability, you have to go to
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp
and download the J2SE 5.0 JRE, right?
(Yeah, yeah, I know, and then install it.)
This would effectively kill most printed journals (except for those heavily subsidized by advertising, which is a very small number).
Now, whether or not this is a good thing is another debate entirely.
How do they expect evolution to produce a better human species?
I'm sorry, I must have missed evolution's spectacular successes in this endeavor over the last few millenia under the current conditions...
It's humor. Laugh. It's funny.
Read about Godwin's Law.
Read. The. Article.
Bud is using Information Resources, Inc., which compiles register scan info. This includes those little barcoded keychain dongles that let you get special discounts -- you know, the ones you filled out a form with your personal information to get?
So, no, Bud can't trace EVERY beer purchase to the individual. And they most likely don't really care which particular individuals buy stuff, they're looking at demographic trends. But data on retail sales to individuals, and personal information abou those individuals IS in the system. That's how they get some of their demographics.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.
A material can emit light at various wavelengths, and at wavelengths quite different than that which it reflects, which is what you most commonly see in the visible range. It's quite possible for something to reflect blue light and emit light at wavelengths longer than the visible range.
Don't get Bionicle?
Don't sweat it. Just means you're old.
That's because American soaps are aspirational, while English ones are cautionary. Dallas: you, too, can be a millionaire with hot chicks if you work hard. East Enders: if you don't work hard, you'll end up as one of these drunk, ugly, poor peasants.
Australian soaps sit in the middle: the people are poor but beuatiful. Not sure what the message is, but it sure looks nice...
THAT is a stunningly insightful observation about all three cultures...
I think you've just supported my point...Bionicle is a spoon-fed world, whereas with traditional Lego, it would be up to the child to use his or her imagination to come up with a world of their own.
:^) It may start out spoon-fed, but creativity will not be denied. Give a child something that can be taken apart, and it will be. Give a child something that can be re-assembled in more than one way, and it will be.
Do you have kids?
The "Bionicle" story line is simply a context within which a child can create their own stories. If a child refuses to use the freedom a building toy inherently gives him/her, I don't think you can blame the toy.
Sorry, can't agree. The Bionicle line has got to be one of the most insidiously successful toy lines I've ever seen.
And the marketing has been brilliant. My son is on the Lego mailing list, and every couple of months or so he gets a slick Bionicle comic book for free -- which pumps him for the next generation of Bionicle heroes and villains, which come along every 6 months or so.
And I hate to admit it, because it's costing me a significant amount of cash, but the world they've created is pretty cool. I thought the "Mask of Light" DVD was pretty well done.
This story implies that, until this happened, you could still buy Win98.
Is this really true? If not, what does "retire" really mean?
You know, this is a really neat example of the kind of thing folks who develop new products should look for -- useful precedents and knowledge from a seemingly tangential field.
Of course, the item about slot machine fraud shows that -- no matter how stringent your precautions are -- if the stakes are high enough, people will try to defraud your system. Some will succeed.
The important thing to keep in mind is that this is just as true for our current voting technologies as it will be for electronic voting.
"Corporate America" is every bit as honest as the rest of America. And the rest of the world, for that matter.
Think about it.