Slashdot Mirror


User: Kelzar

Kelzar's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
23
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 23

  1. Re:For perspective on Why NASA's Budget "Victory" Is Anything But · · Score: 1

    Yeah, and they might not even get to host it. We could probably spend their money better. That gives me an idea...

  2. Re:Load of Crap! on Gov't Report Predicts Cyborgs, Rise of China for 2030 · · Score: 1

    I'm more optimistic. We reached peak oil in the 19th century, but then we figured out we could also get oil out of the ground. I agree with your point, I just want to point out that the unforseen is... But as far as the middle class having a lower standard of living, could you expand upon that? Are you talking about real estate or what? I ask because I am a relatively poor person, but I think my standard of living is higher than my parents (at my age) simply because of technological innovation. If you want a McManshion and fancy cars, my standard of living doesn't look so hot; if you measure my standard of living based on what I care about, I'm doing great.

  3. Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users on Ubuntu 13.04 Will Allow Instant Purchasing, Right From the Dash · · Score: 1

    I had new users in mind. I don't think my grandma would assume her searches would be online.

  4. Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users on Ubuntu 13.04 Will Allow Instant Purchasing, Right From the Dash · · Score: 1

    I think 'opt-in' would be better than 'opt-out'. When you radically change the way something works, you should do your best to make sure that the user understands what changes are being implemented. I think there would be much less backlash if there was, for instance, an option during installation/upgrade with an info bubble explaining the feature.

  5. Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk on Ubuntu 13.04 Will Allow Instant Purchasing, Right From the Dash · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I think I'll ditch Ubuntu soon. I used to upgrade every six months, but that stopped after 10.04. Between GNOME 3 and Unity, I've just decided to stay where I am - until now. Upgrading to 12.04 as we speak, but I wouldn't be surprised if I migrate to another distro soon. I figure I'll give 12.04 a chance before I commit to something else. The direction that Ubuntu has been going for the past couple of years just isn't a direction I'm comfortable with. That has become very clear with this whole Amazon deal. Even if you can opt-out, the very fact it exists demonstrates Canonical's priorities. Ubuntu set me free from Microsoft in 2008 and I hate to disavow it now, but there's no sense in being loyal to a product for the sake of what it used to be.

  6. Re:If they can still print the email on UN Summit Strikes Climate Deal Promising "Damage Aid" To Poor Nations · · Score: 1

    I think you've got to have land to have territorial waters and whatnot, so I'd think they would at least want to keep a few bits peeking above the surface. Otherwise I suppose they could either go the route of the Knights Hospitaller see Wikipedia and still have recognition without a jurisdiction, or they could just let their country dissolve.

  7. Didi you read the title of the article? on Strong Climate Change Opinions Are Self-Reinforcing · · Score: 1

    It seems that some of you missed the title of the article. Before you reply to a post, ask yourself, "Does this post sound like its coming from some one with strong climate change opinions?" Chances are, if its a post on slashdot, its a post from one of the highly-engaged Americans who's "highly motivated to disregard anything that says otherwise".

  8. Re:General distrust of subject experts on Is Climate Change the New Evolution? · · Score: 1

    Sorry internet! I see in retrospect that I failed. I only meant to say that I feel humbled by my ignorance. I shouldn't have made the peasant remark. I meant to say that just as the medieval peasant (who likely didn't know his/her own age) did well to look to his intellectual betters (e.g., Peter Abelard and Avicenna), that is often the best that we can hope for for ourselves. Ideally we should have a firm grasp of science but, by in large (myself included), we don't. Wasn't trying to dispute evolution or anything, especially not the verification principle, just saying I think we should endeavor to educate ourselves as directly as we can with empirical evidence as we can.

  9. Re:General distrust of subject experts on Is Climate Change the New Evolution? · · Score: 1

    I don't know if I'm a conservative or a liberal, but I know one thing for sure: most arguments I make are arguments from authority. I only believe in evolution and relativity because of what I've read in books. Never looked at a fetus, never danced with the stars... I don't have a lot of money, so I basically rely on the scientific community in the same way that a pre-modern peasant relied on the church.

  10. Re:Spellink chekers. Duh! on The Curious Case of Increasing Misspelling Rates On Wikipedia · · Score: 1

    Don't hate. The Labour Party (not that they're alone) communicates in a dialect that speaks to its constituency. Just because you find it incoherent doesn't mean that they're making mistakes.

  11. Re:Okay, let's examine that decision on Taliban Seizes and Burns PCs, Cell Phones To Stop Obscenity · · Score: 1

    Communism doesn't kill people, physics kills people.

  12. Re:clearly on Better Brain Wiring Linked To Family Genes · · Score: 1

    Not trying to weigh in one way or the other, but I think this question mirrors the arguments surrounding Galen Strawson's position on free will. Just saying that if you're interested in this question, a lot of really smart people spilled ink on a very similar question. It seems rather thorny to me, and I think the question ultimately reveals the presence of problematic assumptions, but I don't see any better alternatives. Anyway, I apologize in advance to anyone who looks into Strawson's position and finds it unhelpful. Doing my best. Just thought I saw a pattern.

  13. No one saw this coming on Japanese Build Robot Toddlers · · Score: 1

    Well, with their birth-rate this was kind of inevitable. Kind of awesome too. Future labor shortage averted!

  14. Re:What about others? on Military Bans Removable Media After WikiLeaks Disclosures · · Score: 1

    Somebody took the Bible too literally. Punch cards never existed in real life, they're just a myth that resulted from a mis-translation from Koine Greek.

  15. Re:horse on Military Bans Removable Media After WikiLeaks Disclosures · · Score: 1

    No? I know an ass who was in Vietnam.

  16. Re:The final step. on Venezuelan Gov't Seeks Internet Content Bill · · Score: 1

    'Democratic' doesn't necessarily mean liberal. Maybe the average Jose is more interested in stability, social justice, or some other such thing. Not saying that Venezuelans are or are not getting those things from the Chavez admin, just saying that "the people" rarely place liberal ideals on the top of the list, especially in the developing world. Look at Russia (and lots of other places). Lots of people there are more interested in prosperity and order than in liberalism.

  17. Re:Note to self on Stuxnet Still Out of Control At Iran Nuclear Sites · · Score: 1

    And that, sir, is why you will never be the leader of a rogue state.

  18. Re:Iran Saving The Middle East From Israeli Terror on Stuxnet Still Out of Control At Iran Nuclear Sites · · Score: 1

    I'm getting mixed signals. Is your comment a bad joke or just a confused rant? Maybe you should use emoticons to clarify in the future.

  19. Re:Peer-Review v. Newspaper on Team Use Stem Cells to Restore Mobility in Paralyzed Monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because the Philippine Daily Inquirer publishes daily instead of monthly?

  20. Re:Technically... on Is That Sushi Hazardous To Your Health? · · Score: 1

    Err... kind of. I think 2.7182(819680)'s point is valid. Just pointing out that a whale used to be a fish, before people started classifying the world according to a scientific/taxonomic system. By the same token, I think we could say that "sushi" has different, and equally valid, meanings for people in different linguistic communities. Just thought that might be a bit... pedantic.

  21. Re:Technically... on Is That Sushi Hazardous To Your Health? · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why can't we all just get along? It doesn't have to be this way! Can't it be both? Just like a whale is a fish and a mammal?

  22. Re:The real deal about Chrome OS on Try Out Chrome OS In a Virtual Machine · · Score: 1

    The most important thing for me, as far as my info on their servers go, is it would no longer be my private (private as in privacy, not private as in possession - that too is a problem, but not my main one) property.

  23. Information Age on Smart Grid Could Pose Threat To Privacy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think we're going to have to accept that a number of entities are going to have all kinds of information about us. One potential solution is to create meaningful regulations that balance individual interests/rights against those of corporate entities (corporate in the broadest sense, inc. state entities). Perhaps something along the lines of the confidentiality that exists between an individual and various professionals/clergymen.