America has been called the most litigious society in history, so there's no doubting the need for lawyers. But intellectual-property attorneys-specifically, patent lawyers-have the sunniest prospects of all.
I guess I'm the only one that thinks fewer lawyers would be better!
Too bad patent examiner didn't make their list. Eisntein would be proud.
Aborting fetuses with genetic diseases is one thing, using gene therapy to cure them is something else. Sure, we would have lost out if Stephen Hawking was aborted, but it would be much better for Stephen if his mutation causing ALS had been corrected, don't you agree?
No. Perhaps he's happy the way he is. Perhaps ALS is what has defined him as he is today... would you risk losing him? Perhaps, without ALS, he'd be flipping burgers. (I'm not saying that we should be fearful of every little insect we accidentally step on... I'm saying that playing with people's genetics is just plain dangerous and has more consequences than most people would like to think.)
Personally, I think the only use of "bioethics" is to employ "bioethicists". Whenever a new technology is out, people are scared of it. Eventually, when the technology is commonplace, people can't even understand what all the fuss was all about. Look at computer-phobia before the 1980's, for instance. Just let things take their natural course and in time people won't fear biotech either.
Those are two different issues that just happen to inter-relate, sometimes. People being scared of technology and thinking that man-created things should be moral are separate things. Tying them together, permanently, shows a lack of understanding of the opposite point-of-view.
Letting things take their natural course... that's an interesting phrase. Forget morality and consequences for a minute: by modifying genetic structures of humans are we following a "natural course?"
Anyway, your comment sounds a lot like what cults do (slow indoctrination). You can accomplish a great deal if you piecemeal a goal over time... I imagine that's why Hitler got as far as he did.
As another post mentioned, it is still fiction... and, there are some bigger ideas behind it than what you pointed out.
Indeed, at the end of gattaca, there are some pointed examples about how altering genes to cure certain diseases/ailments/whatever (not for talents!) could quite possibly have altered the future (in a negative way):
A short sequence which shows some famous people who may had not been born if science had decrypted the human DNA sooner: Abraham Lincoln (Marfan Syndrome) Emily Dickinson (Manic Depression) Vincent van Gogh (Epilepsy) Albert Einstein (Dyslexia) John F. Kennedy (Addison's Disease) Rita Hayworth (Alzheimer's Disease) Ray Charles (Primary Glaucoma) Stephen Hawking (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Asthma) The last sentence is: "Of course, the other birth that may never have taken place is your own"
Anyway, the point is that there are some serious moral, philisophical and political issues... and none of them should be taken lightly.
Furthermore, I would guess by your standards, that Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein would not be considered the classic that it is.
As an aside, commensurate with your sidenote, I didn't know about.11g until you just mentioned it. Now, I feel vindicated (in a geek-way) by my recent decision to skip.11a and.11b.
There was just something about the "price" of.11a and the "performance" of.11b that didn't get me to open up my wallet. Perhaps.11g will do the trick?
Im pretty sure we've all seen the comics, the cartoons, the video games.
Actually, I don't really identify with Spider Man... I've never read a comic, seen the cartoon, or played the video games.
I think the reason it's done so well is that it has the appearance of being a cut above the heap of shit that Hollywood has dumped on the public, lately. That, and people finally have something fun to be excited about again.
I wonder: did he really get an actual patent? or did he have a fake one, just for show? I don't recall the article actually mentioning a patent in detail, just the picture.
that would go along pretty well with the rest of this shit.
Oddly enough, I've just returned from a week-long vacation (holiday, if you prefer) in London and was able to visit the Babbage exhibit.
For as much as Babbage contributed, I found the exhibit extremely lacking in information and delinquent in relating the importance of his work.
They did indeed have difference engine #2, however it was covered and being worked on by a couple gentlemen who did not appear willing or capable of fielding an inquiry.
Also, the exhibit neglected to make any significant mention of Babbage's work outside of the difference engine(s): encryption, politics, analytical engine, etc.
As a side note, I did, however, find that their weather exhibit was excellent and very informative. On the other hand, the mathematics exhibit was, like the Babbage exhibit, disappointing.
I really would like to see JDOM ranked as one of the finalists in the "Most Useful Java Community-Developed Technology" category. (For those unaware, JDOM is an API for reading/writing XML in Java-centric a manner that masks complexity while retaining usability and power.)
In general we tend to prefer to avoid adding new APIs
to the Java platform which replicate the functionality
of existing APIs.
However JDOM does appear to be significantly easier
to use than the earlier APIs, so we believe it will
be a useful addition to the platform.
Indeed. My wife has somehow (albeit, lovingly) allowed three couples (mixed sexes and races) to inter-marry and all live in the same house... harmoniously!
...it means the teacher can concentrate on the language rather than the quirks of any of a dozen different tools.
good point. I would add, though, that sometimes even that one tool may have its own set of quirks that are different or contradictory to the "overall" language.
As an aside... it's interesting how many people suddenly like MODs (et al.) when they're in MP3 format.
Many of my friends in college would feign death when I played, or talked, about MODs and demos. But, lo and behold, once those MODs were converted into MP3 format, they were suddenly the best thing since sliced bread.
I'm currently doing the same thing (with a 486/75), but one thing's got me: if the power goes out the laptop is definitely okay, but the DSL/cable router....... well....
I wouldn't be so hasty using that big brush of yours...
Sen. Sam Brownback (
R-Kansas) echoed McCain's misgivings. "While I do believe government has a role to play in the development of a converged digital environment, I would be extremely hesitant regarding any proposal for government to mandate copy-protection technology."
Brownback said he was "comfortable on relying on existing law to address copy protection issues raised by the onset of digital convergence and the use of content by law abiding consumers in their own homes."
For anyone interested in San Francisco's rent situation, you might find these two articles, by Thomas Sowell, to be interesting: The Housing Farce and The Housing Farce, Part II.
I wonder if these legal types are ever going to actually blame this on the actual people who are sharing...
Nope -- "there's nothing new under the sun" -- society, in general, has always had problems separating a legitimate tool from it's illegitimate use(r)s. Gun-rights activists have been dealing with this one for years.
Slashdot Mirror
Too bad patent examiner didn't make their list. Eisntein would be proud.
Dark Helmet : Raspberry. There's only one man who would dare give me the raspberry: Lone Star!
No. Perhaps he's happy the way he is. Perhaps ALS is what has defined him as he is today... would you risk losing him? Perhaps, without ALS, he'd be flipping burgers. (I'm not saying that we should be fearful of every little insect we accidentally step on... I'm saying that playing with people's genetics is just plain dangerous and has more consequences than most people would like to think.)
Personally, I think the only use of "bioethics" is to employ "bioethicists". Whenever a new technology is out, people are scared of it. Eventually, when the technology is commonplace, people can't even understand what all the fuss was all about. Look at computer-phobia before the 1980's, for instance. Just let things take their natural course and in time people won't fear biotech either.
Those are two different issues that just happen to inter-relate, sometimes. People being scared of technology and thinking that man-created things should be moral are separate things. Tying them together, permanently, shows a lack of understanding of the opposite point-of-view.
Letting things take their natural course... that's an interesting phrase. Forget morality and consequences for a minute: by modifying genetic structures of humans are we following a "natural course?"
Anyway, your comment sounds a lot like what cults do (slow indoctrination). You can accomplish a great deal if you piecemeal a goal over time... I imagine that's why Hitler got as far as he did.
Indeed, at the end of gattaca, there are some pointed examples about how altering genes to cure certain diseases/ailments/whatever (not for talents!) could quite possibly have altered the future (in a negative way):
Anyway, the point is that there are some serious moral, philisophical and political issues... and none of them should be taken lightly.Furthermore, I would guess by your standards, that Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein would not be considered the classic that it is.
Thanks for the distinction, I was also wondering.
.11g until you just mentioned it. Now, I feel vindicated (in a geek-way) by my recent decision to skip .11a and .11b.
.11a and the "performance" of .11b that didn't get me to open up my wallet. Perhaps .11g will do the trick?
As an aside, commensurate with your sidenote, I didn't know about
There was just something about the "price" of
I think the reason it's done so well is that it has the appearance of being a cut above the heap of shit that Hollywood has dumped on the public, lately. That, and people finally have something fun to be excited about again.
At least there was Amelie.
I wonder: did he really get an actual patent? or did he have a fake one, just for show? I don't recall the article actually mentioning a patent in detail, just the picture.
that would go along pretty well with the rest of this shit.
- Magnus Effect
- Coriolis Effect
I think the Magnus Effect in baseball and the Coriolis Effect on weather are beautiful. Both are relatively easy to demonstrate, understand and have changed the way people enjoy their lives.it was required reading in my CS department's capstone class at college... good book, good requirement.
Oddly enough, I've just returned from a week-long vacation (holiday, if you prefer) in London and was able to visit the Babbage exhibit.
For as much as Babbage contributed, I found the exhibit extremely lacking in information and delinquent in relating the importance of his work.
They did indeed have difference engine #2, however it was covered and being worked on by a couple gentlemen who did not appear willing or capable of fielding an inquiry.
Also, the exhibit neglected to make any significant mention of Babbage's work outside of the difference engine(s): encryption, politics, analytical engine, etc.
As a side note, I did, however, find that their weather exhibit was excellent and very informative. On the other hand, the mathematics exhibit was, like the Babbage exhibit, disappointing.
glad I wasn't the only one. ;)
That would have been interesting... but, I guess what he really *did* do was ok, though.
In fact, JDOM is a part of the Java Community Process as Java Specification Request 102.
Sun comment about JDOM:
- breathe
- re-read
- think
- type
- breathe
- proof-read
- post
At least one person did.Indeed. My wife has somehow (albeit, lovingly) allowed three couples (mixed sexes and races) to inter-marry and all live in the same house... harmoniously!
Drew Carey even came over once for a party.
These events would (should?) never happen!
As an aside... it's interesting how many people suddenly like MODs (et al.) when they're in MP3 format.
Many of my friends in college would feign death when I played, or talked, about MODs and demos. But, lo and behold, once those MODs were converted into MP3 format, they were suddenly the best thing since sliced bread.
*phew* Lord of the Rings overload.
I'm currently doing the same thing (with a 486/75), but one thing's got me: if the power goes out the laptop is definitely okay, but the DSL/cable router....... well....
May be time to buy a cheapo UPS for that.
Needless to say, I've not purchased anything from them.
For anyone interested in San Francisco's rent situation, you might find these two articles, by Thomas Sowell, to be interesting: The Housing Farce and The Housing Farce, Part II.
The parent comment is not a troll -- the coward makes a good point about potential abuses.
This just in!