Re:Genetic engineering, the media, and 42.
on
Spidergoats
·
· Score: 2
The "playing God" aspect of genetic engineering is not what bothers me about it. It's the playing with fire part that has me concerned (and the subsequent scorched fingers). Experimenting with the basic building blocks of life is a rather serious business, and while the companies behind this are taking precautions, they are still motivated by profit. How many companies have you seen rush a product to market, only to find unforseen problems once it is too late to do anything about it? There's no way to tell if contact with this goat-produced silk might cause some rare form of cancer five or ten years down the line, or cause every baby born in America to look, sound, and act like Steve Ballmer - imagine the horror!
I am not entirely against genetic engineering. It just seems to me to be a field with really, really high stakes. While I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, the approach taken by these companies seems cavalier at best, considering the risk. New solutions often create new problems, and I feel that we should concentrate on existing remedies before we open up what could very well be a Pandora's Box of creepy mutations and whatnot.
That being said, a third arm and another head would really help with my game of Brockian Ultra Cricket. Hmmm...
You can get the same effect with a B&W QuickCam by removing the infrared filter. Just hook it up to a laptop with an HMD and you're good to go. Instructions for modifying the QuickCam are here:
It really depends on what provider you use. I know that one of them - Tracfone is completely anonymous. You don't have to give a name or any other form of ID when you sign up, and as long as you pay for your cards with cash, they are almost completely untraceable. You can even change your number every month or so if you like.
I've got some friends that work for them, and they're guessing that something like half the clientele is using it for purely criminal purposes.
In that case, wouldn't their actions on it's behalf make said entity real? Just because you refuse to believe in the existence of a large truck bearing down on you at a high rate of speed doesn't mean that it won't smash you to bits.
I'm not trying to be flamebait or anything, but our world is based on the notion of consensual reality. This means that we all agree to abide by certain notions, regardless of how we feel about them. I may not like the notion of government (or organized religion for that matter) either, but I recognize that they exist, and do have some effect on my life. A refusal to participate in consensual reality marks one as either irresponsible or insane, depending on the degree of disbelief.
Not believing in something that has a direct and major effect on your life does not mean that it doesn't exist. It does, however, seem to me, at least, to be a rather foolhardy and irresponsible approach, especially when it comes to making decisions that can change the very nature of our society (just imagine what three arch-conservative, luddistic Supreme Court Justices could to do the balance of power with respects to the Internet, and IP law as it stands). Voting is pretty much the only way we have to make our voices heard. One vote may not make that much of a difference, but neither would one voice among 265 millon others. However, if a substantial number of those voices were saying the same thing, it would be a lot easier to discern from the general cacophony. One vote may not make a substantial difference, but it sure as hell helps.
From the way I understand it, the entire front section of the mouse will be the button. When using it, you'll rest the heel of your hand on the back (it's bigger than a regular mouse), and use your fingers to press on the front section to click. Kind of like the way we use keyboards - by resting our hand on the desk, and just using our fingers to press the keys. I've also heard rumors that a user will be able to squeeze the mouse to grab and drag objects. While I haven't used one or anything, they look really comfortable. Of course, this is coming from someone who loves the hockey puck mouse, but still...
Umm... what about the PM 9500MP or the Umax s900 (or all those Daystar machines)? They ship with two 604e processors, and from my experiences with my s900, are really great machines. In fact, my s900 has a 603e and a 604e running together without any problems at whatsoever.
Speaking as someone who lives in Denton, Texas, and as someone who knows most of the authorities in this story, I find this particularly chilling. I went to school with Darlene Whitten's son, Matt, and have met Bruce Isaacks on many occasions. This isn't the first time that an incident such as this has happened in Denton County.
Earlier this year, an friend of mine was arrested, and forced to spend the remainder of the school year in AEP (one step up from juvenile) for having a list of people that he didn't like on a school computer.
Also, two days ago, one my ex-roomates was arrested and spent the night in jail because he is a goth and didn't sign in at the main office at the High School his sister is attending while bringing her a note during lunch. He is being charged with evading arrest, public disturbance, and various other baseless charges. All of this is because the school administration is afraid of anything different, and would rather deal with the symptoms (disaffected and alienated students) than with the disease (intolerance and cruelty in out schools).
I urge all of you to write or call the Districe Attorney's office and the Juvenile courts. Please keep it nice, as these people truly do not understand the nature of their actions. Contact information is as follows:
Don't get me wrong here, I love everybody's favorite free OS as much as the next Slashdotter, but would Linux really be the best solution for a wearable? It seems to me that BeOS would be a much better OS for a wearable system.
Granted, you have to use a board with an Intel chipset, and the hardware support is rather limited (but much better with 4.5). It seems to me though, that the speed, stability, and ease of use of Be make it a much better choice for a wearable system, especially from an end user's standpoint. Of course, all every end user seems to want is their Windows, and their solitare, but hey, they should least have another option for an OS, and Linux seems to scare them beyond belief. Hell, sometimes Linux scares me beyond belief.
I can't figure out wether to find this amusing or scary. I see why the CIA would want something like this, and I like the fact that it is going to be completely open. Kinda seems like a smokescreen, though.
The unfortunate target of the attack in question was Dazhokhar Dudayev, a former Soviet Air Force General, and one of the leaders of the rebellion in Chechnya. Apparently, he was using his satellite phone from a clearing about 45 min from Grozny, and the Russians homed in on it. Given the nature of the conflict, and of the Chechyns, I rather doubt that he was negotiating a peace settlement (they are notorious gangsters and criminals, and are the baddest, meanest, nastiest group of backwoods hicks in the former Soviet Union). I don't know much about satellite phones, but I would be willing to bet that they are much easier to track than cell phones, due to the nature of the signal. IMHO, this is probably something that is within the grasp of even the Russian Army, a bunch of lice-ridden, unpaid preteens. Honestly, if this is what Echelon is capable of, then I'm not that scared.
Anyway, more info can be found here - be sure to check the links for "The Scoop," and "The Players."
We don't have Safeway in my area, so I'm not familiar with the card in question, but what troubles me about things like that is how quickly the average person (dare I say "end user?") embraces anything that appears to make their life a little easier, regardless of the consequences - just look at Windows. Personally, I am somewhat frightened with the speed and enthusiasm with which they give up any personal freedoms they might have. This might sound paranoid and farfetched, but I can fully imagine a future where everyone is ruled by a vicious police state, and is perfectly happy with it because they can change the background for the toolbar in their browser, and their fridge can send out food orders to a central food distribution plant for approval and delivery. Creepy.
Wow, this was posted less than 5 minutes ago, and the server appears to be down already. Behold the power of Slashdot...
I do remember reading something about like this quite a while back, though. Some guy in the UK had his fridge, front door and quite a bit of other stuff on the web. Had a barcode reader on the fridge, so he could keep a complete inventory. Kinda cool, but the privacy issues would really bug me... I don't want the world knowing how much of a slob I really am - "What, he had Jolt and Twinkies AGAIN? That's the 5th week in a row!" That sort of thing.
I recall hearing something about there being a Linux port to the Newton MP120/130. As I recall, it would boot, but that's about all. More info, anyone?
As a proud iMac owner (among many other Macintoshes), I have to snicker. What's the matter? Jealous because my computer is sexier and faster than anything you own? And that you were uncreative enough to have to recycle the ends of your sentences? Or is it because we know how combine levity with computing?
Just because you have a computer is no reason to avoid developing the social skills and sense of wonder so necessary to enjoy the world. Or would you rather sit home and pornsurf?
Do yourself some good; get out of the house every once in a while.
One thing I noticed: On the description of the Destroyer model, it calls it the "Ultimate non-working saber prop." (or something close to that) And I was looking forward to fighting the Evil Armies of Darkness...
Slashdot Mirror
The "playing God" aspect of genetic engineering is not what bothers me about it. It's the playing with fire part that has me concerned (and the subsequent scorched fingers). Experimenting with the basic building blocks of life is a rather serious business, and while the companies behind this are taking precautions, they are still motivated by profit. How many companies have you seen rush a product to market, only to find unforseen problems once it is too late to do anything about it? There's no way to tell if contact with this goat-produced silk might cause some rare form of cancer five or ten years down the line, or cause every baby born in America to look, sound, and act like Steve Ballmer - imagine the horror!
I am not entirely against genetic engineering. It just seems to me to be a field with really, really high stakes. While I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, the approach taken by these companies seems cavalier at best, considering the risk. New solutions often create new problems, and I feel that we should concentrate on existing remedies before we open up what could very well be a Pandora's Box of creepy mutations and whatnot.
That being said, a third arm and another head would really help with my game of Brockian Ultra Cricket. Hmmm...
http://wearables.blu.org/quickcamir.html
The resoltion isn't that great, but the price can't be beat.
It really depends on what provider you use. I know that one of them - Tracfone is completely anonymous. You don't have to give a name or any other form of ID when you sign up, and as long as you pay for your cards with cash, they are almost completely untraceable. You can even change your number every month or so if you like.
I've got some friends that work for them, and they're guessing that something like half the clientele is using it for purely criminal purposes.
I'm not trying to be flamebait or anything, but our world is based on the notion of consensual reality. This means that we all agree to abide by certain notions, regardless of how we feel about them. I may not like the notion of government (or organized religion for that matter) either, but I recognize that they exist, and do have some effect on my life. A refusal to participate in consensual reality marks one as either irresponsible or insane, depending on the degree of disbelief.
Not believing in something that has a direct and major effect on your life does not mean that it doesn't exist. It does, however, seem to me, at least, to be a rather foolhardy and irresponsible approach, especially when it comes to making decisions that can change the very nature of our society (just imagine what three arch-conservative, luddistic Supreme Court Justices could to do the balance of power with respects to the Internet, and IP law as it stands). Voting is pretty much the only way we have to make our voices heard. One vote may not make that much of a difference, but neither would one voice among 265 millon others. However, if a substantial number of those voices were saying the same thing, it would be a lot easier to discern from the general cacophony. One vote may not make a substantial difference, but it sure as hell helps.
From the way I understand it, the entire front section of the mouse will be the button. When using it, you'll rest the heel of your hand on the back (it's bigger than a regular mouse), and use your fingers to press on the front section to click. Kind of like the way we use keyboards - by resting our hand on the desk, and just using our fingers to press the keys. I've also heard rumors that a user will be able to squeeze the mouse to grab and drag objects. While I haven't used one or anything, they look really comfortable. Of course, this is coming from someone who loves the hockey puck mouse, but still...
Umm... what about the PM 9500MP or the Umax s900 (or all those Daystar machines)? They ship with two 604e processors, and from my experiences with my s900, are really great machines. In fact, my s900 has a 603e and a 604e running together without any problems at whatsoever.
Heh, my Lisa MB has a CPU slot. Talk about running ahead of the pack.
So if you can put a bunch of these in a rackmount with a gig or two of RAM, wouldn't it be a cheaper alternative than a Beowulf cluster?
Earlier this year, an friend of mine was arrested, and forced to spend the remainder of the school year in AEP (one step up from juvenile) for having a list of people that he didn't like on a school computer.
Also, two days ago, one my ex-roomates was arrested and spent the night in jail because he is a goth and didn't sign in at the main office at the High School his sister is attending while bringing her a note during lunch. He is being charged with evading arrest, public disturbance, and various other baseless charges. All of this is because the school administration is afraid of anything different, and would rather deal with the symptoms (disaffected and alienated students) than with the disease (intolerance and cruelty in out schools).
I urge all of you to write or call the Districe Attorney's office and the Juvenile courts. Please keep it nice, as these people truly do not understand the nature of their actions. Contact information is as follows:
The Denton County DA's Office Web Page
US Mail: Denton Criminal District Attorney
3rd Floor, Denton Courthouse
1450 E. McKinney
PO Box 2344
Denton, TX 76201
Phone Numbers:
Main: (940) 565-8556
Metro: (940) 320-4802
Fax: (940) 565-8588
email: dentonda@co.denton.tx.us
For the Juvenile Courts, the web page is here, and contact information is below:
Building: Denton Probation Building
Address: 210 S. Woodrow Lane
Denton, Texas 76205
Phone: (940) 898-5870
(Metro): (972) 434-5017
(Juvenile Clerk): (940) 898-5874
Fax (Judge): (940) 898-5878
And Darlene Whitten's email address is DWhitten@co.denton.tx.us
Remember to be courteous and to the point. The more these people can be educated, the better they will do in the future. Be cool.
Dr. Zymotic
Granted, you have to use a board with an Intel chipset, and the hardware support is rather limited (but much better with 4.5). It seems to me though, that the speed, stability, and ease of use of Be make it a much better choice for a wearable system, especially from an end user's standpoint. Of course, all every end user seems to want is their Windows, and their solitare, but hey, they should least have another option for an OS, and Linux seems to scare them beyond belief. Hell, sometimes Linux scares me beyond belief.
I can't figure out wether to find this amusing or scary. I see why the CIA would want something like this, and I like the fact that it is going to be completely open. Kinda seems like a smokescreen, though.
Anyway, more info can be found here - be sure to check the links for "The Scoop," and "The Players."
We don't have Safeway in my area, so I'm not familiar with the card in question, but what troubles me about things like that is how quickly the average person (dare I say "end user?") embraces anything that appears to make their life a little easier, regardless of the consequences - just look at Windows. Personally, I am somewhat frightened with the speed and enthusiasm with which they give up any personal freedoms they might have. This might sound paranoid and farfetched, but I can fully imagine a future where everyone is ruled by a vicious police state, and is perfectly happy with it because they can change the background for the toolbar in their browser, and their fridge can send out food orders to a central food distribution plant for approval and delivery. Creepy.
I do remember reading something about like this quite a while back, though. Some guy in the UK had his fridge, front door and quite a bit of other stuff on the web. Had a barcode reader on the fridge, so he could keep a complete inventory. Kinda cool, but the privacy issues would really bug me... I don't want the world knowing how much of a slob I really am - "What, he had Jolt and Twinkies AGAIN? That's the 5th week in a row!" That sort of thing.
Extremely cool.
I recall hearing something about there being a Linux port to the Newton MP120/130. As I recall, it would boot, but that's about all. More info, anyone?
As a proud iMac owner (among many other Macintoshes), I have to snicker. What's the matter? Jealous because my computer is sexier and faster than anything you own? And that you were uncreative enough to have to recycle the ends of your sentences? Or is it because we know how combine levity with computing?
Just because you have a computer is no reason to avoid developing the social skills and sense of wonder so necessary to enjoy the world. Or would you rather sit home and pornsurf?
Do yourself some good; get out of the house every once in a while.
One thing I noticed: On the description of the Destroyer model, it calls it the "Ultimate non-working saber prop." (or something close to that) And I was looking forward to fighting the Evil Armies of Darkness...