Think about it for a moment. What are the long-term results of what we see here? Patents are supposed to foster innovation by offering protection. This innovation, in turn, is intended to support capitalism and all of the nifty inventions we see every day. What we are now seeing is that _abuses_ of the patent system are feeding off of the energy provided to capitalism in the first place! What do you think will happen? Could it reach a point that businesses will be less willing to produce products for fear of litigation (one business already has, according to the article)? If so, what is the threshold of this point, and what forces could we emphasize in opposition to it?
I don't want to see innovation stifled "in the name of IP" leaving us with a modern version of the Dark Ages. With the increasing emphasis of individual or corporate profit (Enron, WorldCom, et. al) to such levels that it tips the balance of capitalism, perhaps it is possible that the contribution of individuals and small business to the GNP could decrease significantly.
Remember what fueled the Dark Ages (AD 500 - 700) - fear of prosecution/persecution. How is that different from what we see here?
I would rather see PlayCenter adhere to the KISS principle as well.
It DOES support foreign character sets -- I've seen Chinese on it. You get one less line on the display due to the size of the kanji.
As a matter of fact, the Nomad Muvo does show up as a drive letter in Windows, and 3rd-party software exists that allows the HDD-based players to do so as well. It just isn't built-in, unfortunately.
Creative is very conservative when it comes to this sort of thing. It takes more effort than you may think to implement a decoder on a portable device. There are likely all kinds of time/space/power tradeoffs in the software. Aside from the development, there is also a LOT of QA involved. Therefore, there needs to be a compelling market reason to add Ogg support. Currently, Ogg does not have "household name" status like MP3 and WMA. Additionally, Ogg does not include DRM like WMA does, so it's addition could ruffle the RIAA's (turkey) feathers.
What happened to backing up flames and claims with real data? The author of this article would be well advised to implement his ideas using an x86 emulator and at least do some prelimiary testing. Processor-level features such as out-of-order execution and register-renaming may not be handled by an emulator, but it would be an informative investigation nonetheless.
I disagree with the chip idea. It's too obvious, and more importantly, it isn't terribly practical. Would an entity whose existence revolves around deception choose an obvious tool? I'd bet not. Instead of embedding ID chips, wouldn't it make more sense to use the IDs we already have -- retinal patterns and fingerprints? IMHO, this is what the "forehead" and the "right hand" represent. I also think that the whole "digital ID" concept is a ruse to distract everyone from the real deception -- identification by biological characteristics.
Additionally, there isn't much point anymore in chanting "the end is near". People have been saying THAT forever. Remember the Millerites in 1844? You will know the end is near when everyone (the whole world) believes we are on the cusp of a new beginning. At that point, the deception will be complete, and the end will, ironically, be at hand.
In order for the system to be fixed, there must be: 1) Motivation (e.g., financial or political) to drive the change, and 2) A feedback loop within the system to guide the change
Critical mass of the motivating factor is essential. That is, it's not a problem unless, for example, the number of people negatively affected or the amount of money involved crosses a significant threshold.
BTW, when you stated, "the system needs to be fixed" did you take a few minutes to contemplate how it could be changed in a realistic manner -- within the bounds of the current system? If so, please share your insights with us.
I for one, believe this insurance to be a viable solution. If I had taken advantage of it, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble in a recent case of identity theft that resulted in my mistaken arrest. A lesson learned the hard way.
Here's my take on the story: Only the peak of the signal was propagated faster than the speed of light. Actual information cannot travel faster than the speed of light. For example, imagine that a bicycle is an atomic piece of information (that is, it is only useful when completely assembled). If you dissasemble the bicycle into several parts, then the front wheel (or any individual part) may travel over a distance faster than the speed of light so long as the average speed of all the components is less than the speed of light. Obtaining the transmitted information is equivalent to re-assembling all of the separate parts into a complete bicycle.
The Elegant Universe is one the best books I have ever read. It helped me to understand many aspects of physics that I couldn't quite grasp when reading other books. I couldn't recommend it more.
If I read correctly, his point wasn't that ARPANET was an operational network. His point was that ARPANET was an essential first step in today's Internet. Thus, the actions by DARPA today are not "operational" by themselves, but they are essential first steps towards an operational system. Only time will tell.
I believe those words were written to be interpreted in the era in which they were applicable - not in the era in which they were written. From this point of view, Roman numerals would be irreleveant, and ASCII (A=65,Z=90) would be much more appropriate (if we assume we truly are in the "end times"). Curious note: BILL GATES = 663 (+3 for the III = 666 -- his name is Bill Gates III).
Another curious note: suppose that retina scanning is the "mark on the forehead", and a fingerprint is the "mark on the right hand" (I know you don't "receive" either of those marks, but I am allowing for a less literal translation) I fully expect that these two boimetric identifiers will find wider usage as time progresses. Grocery stores in some locations are already using fingerprint scanners to identify people (described in a previous slashdot story).
Ask yourself - if a functioning ID system were in place, how much of a stretch is it before it is possible to control your ability to "buy or sell"? Granted, it would take a while to convince the general public, but in time, it can (and unfortunately, I believe will) be done. Perhaps they will say first, "we want to prevent terrorists from buying or selling", then "terrorists" changes to "criminals", and then "criminals" changes to "individuals that match criteria we select".
I also don't think the religious right will recognize the "mark" and defend against it. Perhaps I am pessimistic, but the Bible indicates that a great many will be deceived -- hardly possible if a majority recognize it for what it is. I believe those that truly recognize the "mark" will be a minority, and that you will recognize it not just because someone told you but because you came to that conclusion on your own.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but sometimes I like to think, "What if?".
On their web site is a utility that will allow you to associate hotkeys with a disc image:
Daemonmounter 1.01
A program allowing you to put keyboard shortcuts on up to 10 images. Just press your shortcut and the image will be mounted.
my guess is that eventually, retinal scanners will be added to this system.
Perhaps this is the meaning of the prophecy: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" - forehead = retial scan, right hand = fingerprint. If you translate "receive a mark" as signing up for the system, it is a bit scary.
Food for thought: I find it disconcerting that grocery stores are being targeted first. That is, places where you buy something you _must_ buy: food.
You're complaining because you didn't check with them first to find out what the rules were? Is it not enough to call a great personal achievement and leave it at that?
Slashdot Mirror
Think about it for a moment. What are the long-term results of what we see here? Patents are supposed to foster innovation by offering protection. This innovation, in turn, is intended to support capitalism and all of the nifty inventions we see every day. What we are now seeing is that _abuses_ of the patent system are feeding off of the energy provided to capitalism in the first place! What do you think will happen? Could it reach a point that businesses will be less willing to produce products for fear of litigation (one business already has, according to the article)? If so, what is the threshold of this point, and what forces could we emphasize in opposition to it?
I don't want to see innovation stifled "in the name of IP" leaving us with a modern version of the Dark Ages. With the increasing emphasis of individual or corporate profit (Enron, WorldCom, et. al) to such levels that it tips the balance of capitalism, perhaps it is possible that the contribution of individuals and small business to the GNP could decrease significantly.
Remember what fueled the Dark Ages (AD 500 - 700) - fear of prosecution/persecution. How is that different from what we see here?
I would rather see PlayCenter adhere to the KISS principle as well.
It DOES support foreign character sets -- I've seen Chinese on it. You get one less line on the display due to the size of the kanji.
As a matter of fact, the Nomad Muvo does show up as a drive letter in Windows, and 3rd-party software exists that allows the HDD-based players to do so as well. It just isn't built-in, unfortunately.
Creative is very conservative when it comes to this sort of thing. It takes more effort than you may think to implement a decoder on a portable device. There are likely all kinds of time/space/power tradeoffs in the software. Aside from the development, there is also a LOT of QA involved. Therefore, there needs to be a compelling market reason to add Ogg support. Currently, Ogg does not have "household name" status like MP3 and WMA. Additionally, Ogg does not include DRM like WMA does, so it's addition could ruffle the RIAA's (turkey) feathers.
What happened to backing up flames and claims with real data? The author of this article would be well advised to implement his ideas using an x86 emulator and at least do some prelimiary testing. Processor-level features such as out-of-order execution and register-renaming may not be handled by an emulator, but it would be an informative investigation nonetheless.
I disagree with the chip idea. It's too obvious, and more importantly, it isn't terribly practical. Would an entity whose existence revolves around deception choose an obvious tool? I'd bet not. Instead of embedding ID chips, wouldn't it make more sense to use the IDs we already have -- retinal patterns and fingerprints? IMHO, this is what the "forehead" and the "right hand" represent. I also think that the whole "digital ID" concept is a ruse to distract everyone from the real deception -- identification by biological characteristics.
Additionally, there isn't much point anymore in chanting "the end is near". People have been saying THAT forever. Remember the Millerites in 1844? You will know the end is near when everyone (the whole world) believes we are on the cusp of a new beginning. At that point, the deception will be complete, and the end will, ironically, be at hand.
In order for the system to be fixed, there must be:
1) Motivation (e.g., financial or political) to drive the change, and
2) A feedback loop within the system to guide the change
Critical mass of the motivating factor is essential. That is, it's not a problem unless, for example, the number of people negatively affected or the amount of money involved crosses a significant threshold.
BTW, when you stated, "the system needs to be fixed" did you take a few minutes to contemplate how it could be changed in a realistic manner -- within the bounds of the current system?
If so, please share your insights with us.
I for one, believe this insurance to be a viable solution. If I had taken advantage of it, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble in a recent case of identity theft that resulted in my mistaken arrest. A lesson learned the hard way.
Here's my take on the story:
Only the peak of the signal was propagated faster than the speed of light. Actual information cannot travel faster than the speed of light. For example, imagine that a bicycle is an atomic piece of information (that is, it is only useful when completely assembled). If you dissasemble the bicycle into several parts, then the front wheel (or any individual part) may travel over a distance faster than the speed of light so long as the average speed of all the components is less than the speed of light. Obtaining the transmitted information is equivalent to re-assembling all of the separate parts into a complete bicycle.
The Elegant Universe is one the best books I have ever read. It helped me to understand many aspects of physics that I couldn't quite grasp when reading other books. I couldn't recommend it more.
If I read correctly, his point wasn't that ARPANET was an operational network. His point was that ARPANET was an essential first step in today's Internet. Thus, the actions by DARPA today are not "operational" by themselves, but they are essential first steps towards an operational system. Only time will tell.
I believe those words were written to be interpreted in the era in which they were applicable - not in the era in which they were written. From this point of view, Roman numerals would be irreleveant, and ASCII (A=65,Z=90) would be much more appropriate (if we assume we truly are in the "end times"). Curious note: BILL GATES = 663 (+3 for the III = 666 -- his name is Bill Gates III).
Another curious note: suppose that retina scanning is the "mark on the forehead", and a fingerprint is the "mark on the right hand" (I know you don't "receive" either of those marks, but I am allowing for a less literal translation) I fully expect that these two boimetric identifiers will find wider usage as time progresses. Grocery stores in some locations are already using fingerprint scanners to identify people (described in a previous slashdot story).
Ask yourself - if a functioning ID system were in place, how much of a stretch is it before it is possible to control your ability to "buy or sell"? Granted, it would take a while to convince the general public, but in time, it can (and unfortunately, I believe will) be done. Perhaps they will say first, "we want to prevent terrorists from buying or selling", then "terrorists" changes to "criminals", and then "criminals" changes to "individuals that match criteria we select".
I also don't think the religious right will recognize the "mark" and defend against it. Perhaps I am pessimistic, but the Bible indicates that a great many will be deceived -- hardly possible if a majority recognize it for what it is. I believe those that truly recognize the "mark" will be a minority, and that you will recognize it not just because someone told you but because you came to that conclusion on your own.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but sometimes I like to think, "What if?".
CBT hooks are extremely useful. For those who may be interested, here is some example code
Hard drive testing programs:
IBM -- Drive Fitness Test
Maxtor -- Powermax
Western Digital -- Data Lifeguard Tools Utilities: DLGDIAG
Seagate -- SeaTools
Fujitsu -- Diagnostic Tool
NOTE: Some of these tools may work with all drives, but this (free) collection should cover quite a few drives.
MemTest86
This is an memory tester that boots from a floppy. I use it frequently, and it works very well - a must-have for a testing toolkit.
On their web site is a utility that will allow you to associate hotkeys with a disc image:
Daemonmounter 1.01
A program allowing you to put keyboard shortcuts on up to 10 images. Just press your shortcut and the image will be mounted.
Since the site is gone for the moment, here are some quick links:
Web Site:
www.terapin-mine.com
Purchase:
http://www.thinkgeek.com
Reviews:
http://www.digitaljournalist.org
http://www.edgereview.com
http://computers.cnet.com
my guess is that eventually, retinal scanners will be added to this system.
Perhaps this is the meaning of the prophecy: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" - forehead = retial scan, right hand = fingerprint. If you translate "receive a mark" as signing up for the system, it is a bit scary.
Food for thought: I find it disconcerting that grocery stores are being targeted first. That is, places where you buy something you _must_ buy: food.
Creative Labs' Audigy supports ASIO and is targeted for the general user ($100 retail). It may even be suitable for the purpose described here.
You're complaining because you didn't check with them first to find out what the rules were? Is it not enough to call a great personal achievement and leave it at that?