This reminds me of a report a few years back that found that most paper being put into recycling bins actually wound up being stockpiled in warehouses because companies weren't buying enough post-consumer paper. Same thing was happening in Austria. It kinda made me a bit cynical about the whole environmental issue. (I still recycle most of the stuff I can, but I always get skeptical whenever a new 'study' comes out on the benefits of recycled materials.)
But I digress... so, in PA, we're not allowed to throw out computers. We have to take them to recycling centers... well, technically. I still think most people just toss the machines. For the reason that toxic metals will leech into the ground and pollute the water. What a shame that we're shipping all our crap to other countries to pollute.:-/
Not to mention the lovely days of DOS where all graphics code that ran at any decent speed was directly tied to the hardware from within the game.
Re:I've had an MRE (and I'm not military)
on
The Future of MREs
·
· Score: 2
They're "cool" maybe once in a while... try eating them for days or weeks on end. You'll grow tired quickly.:-)
Re:But what about hot dogs and apple pie?
on
The Future of MREs
·
· Score: 1
Hey man, I like the brownie bar and oatmeal cookies. Not that they are terrific delicacies or anything... but like has already been remarked... after a hard day of work, just about ANYTHING tastes good... and when your hands and face are covered in camo, grease, and dirt... are you really going to be that concerned about the taste of the food? Nope... you'll be worried about the carcinogens going into your body!:-)
"All current representative democracies work more or less in the same way. You have yet to specify the uniqueness of the system you describe that would make it less likely to develop flawed policy."
Give me a couple of examples of current representative democracies that work like the one in the United States, and how they function on a macroscopic sense in terms of checks and balances, so that I have a sense of where you're coming from and what point you wish to make. Then we'll start comparing and contrasting.
"Anyone who lived through the "great leap forward" or the "cultural revolution" would tell you otherwise"
And you'll note that I made allowances for this in my post. And for the record, the gentleman I was talking to had lived through all that, and more. His opinion was that overall and still acknowledging that there were still major problems to address, communism had done more good than harm for the people.
It's called the system of checks and balances. The government is divided up into three branches... this is elementary school stuff. There are no other democracies like it... it's not even a real democracy, it's a representative democracy at best, and a republic in all reality. And yes, I pointed out that the government is run by people in the end, so yes, nothing can be perfect... but this brings up another salient point, and that is that the people must be aware of what is going on, and not just propaganda spouted by anti-government types... and they need to be aware so that they can elect people with good character to office.
Despite my adamant opposition to Communism and corrupt governments such as the Chinese, it might be helpful for you to think of his statement in a historical context. For 100 years during what amounted to economic rape by western nations, China was in a state of constant instability. Opium wars, Sino-Japanese wars, Boxer Rebellion, Civil War, etc all served to leave permanent psychological scars on the Chinese. When the Communist government was established, yes, there were problems and still are, and yes, there was harsh repression and restriction of freedoms... BUT, it was stable. And after 100 years of chaos, that stability was probably the best thing to happen to the people in a long time. If you don't believe me, that's fine, but I'm speaking from my own research, and conversations I had with my ex-gf's uncle while I was in China. Until the west understands that Chinese people are _deathly_ afraid of instability, re-enforced by the pure terror and chaos of the Cultural Revolution, they will not understand how China is reforming itself.
"While what you say is more or less true, let's not forget that in the hands of bad people, the US system is not as happy and carefree as you suggest."
I like to point out to my friends that any government --- democratic, republican, socialist, communist, etc --- is run by people. Made out of the same flesh and blood as the average citizen; and subject to the same idiosyncracies, greed, and lust for power that seems to be a part of every human. To expect that government be good automagically is folly because people get corrupted. The entire POINT of the United States system is some sort of attempt to mitigate these basic truths of human nature by having a system that checks itself. Sure it aint perfect, but it's alot better than in other places.
"Having traveled through much of western China, where Muslim Turkic Uighurs (who despise the Chinese) often predominate, I find it hard to imagine a truly democratic China without at least a partial breakup of the country. Such a breakup would lead to chaos in western China, because the Uighurs are poorer and less educated than most Chinese and have a terrible historical record of governing themselves."
Keep this in mind, when reading about Uyghur history, especially in the Xinjiang province: The history is very politically charged. There are Uyghurs who wish to see an East Turkestan established, the Chinese, and the Russians both have interests in not seeing an independent nation established. The history of both sides is tailored to meet these needs. China maintains that Xinjiang was, and always has been, a part of China. The Uyghurs maintains that this is false. I tend to fall on the side of the Uyghurs, but I also believe that they are little better than the communists in manipulating historical record. Thus, the history has become, I think, permanently distorted, at least until archeologists can get into the region and do some serious excavating.
A couple of points to your otherwise insightful post. 1) The Uyghurs are poorer, but they have a very interesting history and, at least in the Northwestern Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, actually managed to establish a kingdom that was at relative peace for 1000 years, aside from a brief 200 year voluntary stint under the Mongul empire. China was attempting an annexation of Xinjiang since 104BC, and each time was expelled until 1867 when the Manchurians finally firmly implanted themselves. Even at this juncture, they were expelled in 1933 and Xinjiang was never really taken over until 1949. I most certainly doubt that the Uyghurs were an exceptionally poor people during this time, considering the Silk Road runs right through their land. I am not sure about this last statement, that is speculation on my part. 2) The Uyghurs are the majority ethnic group in Xinjiang. Just to make sure people realize that they aren't a minority with dense pockets here and there. 3) China will never willingly give up Xinjiang. The region is far too rich in natural gas and oil. Look up the gas pipeline. It's the second largest infrastructure project next to the three gorges dam project. China has sunk an amazing amount of capital in terms of utilizing it's vast stores there, and is set to recieve a tremendous amount of foreign investment into the region because of this. A split in China? Don't hold your breath.:-)
Honestly, I think the jury is still out for either side. We have weather data for, what the past 100 years? We probably have accurate weather data for even less time. I just can't bring myself to believe that we are able to conclusively predict weather patterns on a geological timescale based on what amounts to a paltry amount of data.
Re:No Center, multiple "Centers" ...
on
Heart of the Net
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Google works on the idea that information that is the most useful will be linked to more, essentially, it identifies clusters of information dense websites and ranks them. There was some other research, involving graph theory (actually, Google tech does too... Google really is a feat of theoretical and practical value), that talk about power law relationships. Here's an article (1 in a series of 2) in American Scientist.
The bibliography has some references that might be useful to anyone truly interested in the topological nature of the internet.
This comes right to the heart of whether or not there truly can be artificial humans. You say that robots can not possess desire or free will, but have we identified where our own human desires or will comes from? Could it possibly be that, under all the layers of personality, social programming, and spirituality, our basic programming is simply nothing more complex than survival and reproduction? I leave that open to a possibility. In our artificial intelligence systems, we have been able to recreate these rudiments, and then some. Even simple social interactions have been created. So, I think the question then becomes more of self-awareness. Can we create an artificial being that is self-aware? That seems to be a more definitive question of what truly constitutes an intelligent being. That leads into another issue, how do we tell? How long would we have to wait for our artificial creation to demonstrate that it has percieved its own existence and wants to know why it is there?
I always thought our congress-critters were too robotic and inhuman. They've obviously been replaced by alien robotic technology in an attempt to enslave the human species. Time to go get my aluminum hat, I think they're beginning their transmissions again.
Yes, I understand the seriousness of the situation, so don't karma slap me too hard for having some fun.:-)
Re:I thought it had one shot value
on
Review: Kung Pow
·
· Score: 1, Funny
"ive run both linux and windows for 7 years. windows 2000/xp is more stable than linux, period. try using linux as a desktop OS with a variety of apps downloaded from everywhere. and XP with the same. youll see which is more stable."
I have too. I happen to disagree. Our experiences with both systems differ.
It looks like KDE. The article also says that 99% of the programs he tried didn't work. I'm probably going to get bitched out, but I'm still a skeptic.
The other thing, that has already been pointed out, is about the email worms... if you have to run outlook as root, and you get one of those babies... well... *poof*
That said, it looks nice... I'll be impressed when they can demonstrate more stability running windows applications.
But then again, M$ has been trying that for about 2 decades.
Well, flaming doesn't get anywhere (ie; the AC who called me a wanker). I'm not completely close minded to the possibilities that some people might be more sensitive to EMF than others... there is a fair amount of evidence, although not conclusive, that say, using a Cell phone and what not can increase chances for brain tumors (this is just an example). So, it is safe to say that EMF can and does alter certain aspects of living tissue. Drawing this further, it is possible that some people may have some sort of sensitivity to this. Now, as to questioning this man's mental health, I still believe it's not an altogether bad thing. He is going around and essentially forcing people in this town to go without cell phones, a radio antenna, etc... yeah, they're lucky to have a house over their head and food to eat compared with a large part of the world. More to the point, there _are_ cases, much more documented about people being crazy and imagining all sorts of nasty things happening to them... much more than sensitivity to EMF. Now, if I were in charge, and I'm not, but hypothetically speaking, I would have a three-pronged approach, 1) verify his sanity, 2) conduct tests with him. He should at least be willing to assent to some blind tests in order to justify these claims. If he is truly physically sensitive to EMF, then that's easily tested. 3) Look into other similar claims and see what experts say. Am I being logical in this?
Note: Mental disorders don't have to mean 'some crazies' as you put it. I take medication myself for depression and I'm somewhat normal other than I read/. and argue about EMF sensitivity when I should be doing other work. Point is, I don't walk around yelling and streetlights.:-)
Now, as to my own credentials, no, I am not a physics major. I did have a lot of interest in the subject, but did not pursue it in college. My knowledge is rusty, but that one thing (among others) we talked about in my class stood out. Is it definitive, nope. Course not. Other people have pointed out the changing flux and other phenomena I hadn't thought of. I do actually have a few publications. Not books, mind you. Yet. They aren't publications in this particular area; they have to deal with databases, solid modeling, and graph theoretical indexes and are in well-refereed research pubs. I'm not bragging, but I am putting this out so that you are clear that I'm not some rube. Although, sometimes I go off half-cocked and wind up eating a bit of crow.:-)
The basic thing is, I have a big problem with people who go around and make life difficult for other people with dubious reasons. I favor a more pragmatic approach rather than automatic acquiesence to an individual's, as of now, dubious claims.
I believe that you need to calm down. I was pointing out some relatively minor calculations, not one datapoint, we had done in physics that seemed to cast some doubt on the claims of these individuals, which do seem to be a bit odd. So, yes, I am quite a bit skeptical and I remain so despite your frothing at the mouth reply. I also did not claim to know it all. There have been several replies quite rightly pointing out some pertinent facts that I had not considered such as the change in the flux.
"Oh, and here you go, totally contradicting yourself. Or are only dental X-Rays bad for us, and NOT all of the other EMF's in our environment?"
That comment wasn't meant to be taken seriously... well at least not totally. Perhaps he has a mental disorder; I am being serious about that. As far as I can see, no one has seriously questioned this man's mental health, he has simply gone around and gotten signatures based on his beliefs on a subject for which his credentials are dubious at best. As for X-Rays etc... they're close range. The intensity of an EMF decreases quite rapidly the further away from the source.
I remember in physics class in high school, we figured out the strength of the EM field around a high voltage wire. We calculated that even as close at 50 feet (like wires suspended in the air), the earth's natural field was like 100 times stronger.
Since then, I've always viewed these claims of EM radiation problems with a skeptical eye. My own suspicions is that this guy had a few too many REMs to the skull from his dental X-Rays and is a candidate for therapy.:-D
Oh... that's not too bad compared to what the submision claimed. I was worried it would be something like salon with it's premium content.
Me: Wow this is a really good article... *scrolls down*
Salon.com: Did you like this article? Read the rest of it after a subscription...
Me: Nooooooooooooooo! *pulls hair out*
Not that I have anything against subscription services, but I admit I got used to alot of stuff being free.
On the other hand, if you want research documents, try out NEC's Research Index. It's really quite good, I met one of the guys who put it together and talked about the theory behind it. Plus, I got a couple papers in the database.
1) The picture on top is scary.
2) Fuck Romero's site, I'm more interested in his girlfriend's server. She's got some nice pics there and she's quite the looker.:-)
Slashdot Mirror
This reminds me of a report a few years back that found that most paper being put into recycling bins actually wound up being stockpiled in warehouses because companies weren't buying enough post-consumer paper. Same thing was happening in Austria. It kinda made me a bit cynical about the whole environmental issue. (I still recycle most of the stuff I can, but I always get skeptical whenever a new 'study' comes out on the benefits of recycled materials.)
:-/
But I digress... so, in PA, we're not allowed to throw out computers. We have to take them to recycling centers... well, technically. I still think most people just toss the machines. For the reason that toxic metals will leech into the ground and pollute the water. What a shame that we're shipping all our crap to other countries to pollute.
Not to mention the lovely days of DOS where all graphics code that ran at any decent speed was directly tied to the hardware from within the game.
They're "cool" maybe once in a while... try eating them for days or weeks on end. You'll grow tired quickly. :-)
Hey man, I like the brownie bar and oatmeal cookies. Not that they are terrific delicacies or anything... but like has already been remarked... after a hard day of work, just about ANYTHING tastes good... and when your hands and face are covered in camo, grease, and dirt... are you really going to be that concerned about the taste of the food? Nope... you'll be worried about the carcinogens going into your body! :-)
"All current representative democracies work more or less in the same way. You have yet to specify the uniqueness of the system you describe that would make it less likely to develop flawed policy."
Give me a couple of examples of current representative democracies that work like the one in the United States, and how they function on a macroscopic sense in terms of checks and balances, so that I have a sense of where you're coming from and what point you wish to make. Then we'll start comparing and contrasting.
"Anyone who lived through the "great leap forward" or the "cultural revolution" would tell you otherwise"
And you'll note that I made allowances for this in my post. And for the record, the gentleman I was talking to had lived through all that, and more. His opinion was that overall and still acknowledging that there were still major problems to address, communism had done more good than harm for the people.
It's called the system of checks and balances. The government is divided up into three branches... this is elementary school stuff. There are no other democracies like it... it's not even a real democracy, it's a representative democracy at best, and a republic in all reality. And yes, I pointed out that the government is run by people in the end, so yes, nothing can be perfect... but this brings up another salient point, and that is that the people must be aware of what is going on, and not just propaganda spouted by anti-government types... and they need to be aware so that they can elect people with good character to office.
Despite my adamant opposition to Communism and corrupt governments such as the Chinese, it might be helpful for you to think of his statement in a historical context. For 100 years during what amounted to economic rape by western nations, China was in a state of constant instability. Opium wars, Sino-Japanese wars, Boxer Rebellion, Civil War, etc all served to leave permanent psychological scars on the Chinese. When the Communist government was established, yes, there were problems and still are, and yes, there was harsh repression and restriction of freedoms... BUT, it was stable. And after 100 years of chaos, that stability was probably the best thing to happen to the people in a long time. If you don't believe me, that's fine, but I'm speaking from my own research, and conversations I had with my ex-gf's uncle while I was in China. Until the west understands that Chinese people are _deathly_ afraid of instability, re-enforced by the pure terror and chaos of the Cultural Revolution, they will not understand how China is reforming itself.
"While what you say is more or less true, let's not forget that in the hands of bad people, the US system is not as happy and carefree as you suggest."
I like to point out to my friends that any government --- democratic, republican, socialist, communist, etc --- is run by people. Made out of the same flesh and blood as the average citizen; and subject to the same idiosyncracies, greed, and lust for power that seems to be a part of every human. To expect that government be good automagically is folly because people get corrupted. The entire POINT of the United States system is some sort of attempt to mitigate these basic truths of human nature by having a system that checks itself. Sure it aint perfect, but it's alot better than in other places.
My $.02
"Having traveled through much of western China, where Muslim Turkic Uighurs (who despise the Chinese) often predominate, I find it hard to imagine a truly democratic China without at least a partial breakup of the country. Such a breakup would lead to chaos in western China, because the Uighurs are poorer and less educated than most Chinese and have a terrible historical record of governing themselves."
:-)
Keep this in mind, when reading about Uyghur history, especially in the Xinjiang province: The history is very politically charged. There are Uyghurs who wish to see an East Turkestan established, the Chinese, and the Russians both have interests in not seeing an independent nation established. The history of both sides is tailored to meet these needs. China maintains that Xinjiang was, and always has been, a part of China. The Uyghurs maintains that this is false. I tend to fall on the side of the Uyghurs, but I also believe that they are little better than the communists in manipulating historical record. Thus, the history has become, I think, permanently distorted, at least until archeologists can get into the region and do some serious excavating.
A couple of points to your otherwise insightful post. 1) The Uyghurs are poorer, but they have a very interesting history and, at least in the Northwestern Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, actually managed to establish a kingdom that was at relative peace for 1000 years, aside from a brief 200 year voluntary stint under the Mongul empire. China was attempting an annexation of Xinjiang since 104BC, and each time was expelled until 1867 when the Manchurians finally firmly implanted themselves. Even at this juncture, they were expelled in 1933 and Xinjiang was never really taken over until 1949. I most certainly doubt that the Uyghurs were an exceptionally poor people during this time, considering the Silk Road runs right through their land. I am not sure about this last statement, that is speculation on my part. 2) The Uyghurs are the majority ethnic group in Xinjiang. Just to make sure people realize that they aren't a minority with dense pockets here and there.
3) China will never willingly give up Xinjiang. The region is far too rich in natural gas and oil. Look up the gas pipeline. It's the second largest infrastructure project next to the three gorges dam project. China has sunk an amazing amount of capital in terms of utilizing it's vast stores there, and is set to recieve a tremendous amount of foreign investment into the region because of this. A split in China? Don't hold your breath.
Stupid conservation of angular momentum...
Honestly, I think the jury is still out for either side. We have weather data for, what the past 100 years? We probably have accurate weather data for even less time. I just can't bring myself to believe that we are able to conclusively predict weather patterns on a geological timescale based on what amounts to a paltry amount of data.
Google works on the idea that information that is the most useful will be linked to more, essentially, it identifies clusters of information dense websites and ranks them. There was some other research, involving graph theory (actually, Google tech does too... Google really is a feat of theoretical and practical value), that talk about power law relationships. Here's an article (1 in a series of 2) in American Scientist. The bibliography has some references that might be useful to anyone truly interested in the topological nature of the internet.
This comes right to the heart of whether or not there truly can be artificial humans. You say that robots can not possess desire or free will, but have we identified where our own human desires or will comes from? Could it possibly be that, under all the layers of personality, social programming, and spirituality, our basic programming is simply nothing more complex than survival and reproduction? I leave that open to a possibility. In our artificial intelligence systems, we have been able to recreate these rudiments, and then some. Even simple social interactions have been created. So, I think the question then becomes more of self-awareness. Can we create an artificial being that is self-aware? That seems to be a more definitive question of what truly constitutes an intelligent being. That leads into another issue, how do we tell? How long would we have to wait for our artificial creation to demonstrate that it has percieved its own existence and wants to know why it is there?
:-)
I always thought our congress-critters were too robotic and inhuman. They've obviously been replaced by alien robotic technology in an attempt to enslave the human species. Time to go get my aluminum hat, I think they're beginning their transmissions again.
:-)
Yes, I understand the seriousness of the situation, so don't karma slap me too hard for having some fun.
Even worse than Battlefield Earth?
So addicted RPGers can spend their money online and play hookey from work all in an effort to see which one goes broke the fastest?
Utilities: "For failing to pay your bill, we're cutting the power to your house now."
RPGer: "But I've sent in 1000 PEDs each month!"
<lights go out>
"ive run both linux and windows for 7 years. windows 2000/xp is more stable than linux, period. try using linux as a desktop OS with a variety of apps downloaded from everywhere. and XP with the same. youll see which is more stable."
I have too. I happen to disagree. Our experiences with both systems differ.
It looks like KDE. The article also says that 99% of the programs he tried didn't work. I'm probably going to get bitched out, but I'm still a skeptic.
The other thing, that has already been pointed out, is about the email worms... if you have to run outlook as root, and you get one of those babies... well... *poof*
That said, it looks nice... I'll be impressed when they can demonstrate more stability running windows applications.
But then again, M$ has been trying that for about 2 decades.
Well, flaming doesn't get anywhere (ie; the AC who called me a wanker). I'm not completely close minded to the possibilities that some people might be more sensitive to EMF than others... there is a fair amount of evidence, although not conclusive, that say, using a Cell phone and what not can increase chances for brain tumors (this is just an example). So, it is safe to say that EMF can and does alter certain aspects of living tissue. Drawing this further, it is possible that some people may have some sort of sensitivity to this. Now, as to questioning this man's mental health, I still believe it's not an altogether bad thing. He is going around and essentially forcing people in this town to go without cell phones, a radio antenna, etc... yeah, they're lucky to have a house over their head and food to eat compared with a large part of the world. More to the point, there _are_ cases, much more documented about people being crazy and imagining all sorts of nasty things happening to them... much more than sensitivity to EMF. Now, if I were in charge, and I'm not, but hypothetically speaking, I would have a three-pronged approach, 1) verify his sanity, 2) conduct tests with him. He should at least be willing to assent to some blind tests in order to justify these claims. If he is truly physically sensitive to EMF, then that's easily tested. 3) Look into other similar claims and see what experts say. Am I being logical in this?
/. and argue about EMF sensitivity when I should be doing other work. Point is, I don't walk around yelling and streetlights. :-)
:-)
Note: Mental disorders don't have to mean 'some crazies' as you put it. I take medication myself for depression and I'm somewhat normal other than I read
Now, as to my own credentials, no, I am not a physics major. I did have a lot of interest in the subject, but did not pursue it in college. My knowledge is rusty, but that one thing (among others) we talked about in my class stood out. Is it definitive, nope. Course not. Other people have pointed out the changing flux and other phenomena I hadn't thought of. I do actually have a few publications. Not books, mind you. Yet. They aren't publications in this particular area; they have to deal with databases, solid modeling, and graph theoretical indexes and are in well-refereed research pubs. I'm not bragging, but I am putting this out so that you are clear that I'm not some rube. Although, sometimes I go off half-cocked and wind up eating a bit of crow.
The basic thing is, I have a big problem with people who go around and make life difficult for other people with dubious reasons. I favor a more pragmatic approach rather than automatic acquiesence to an individual's, as of now, dubious claims.
Yeah, but when you come into the article from another site, you don't get that nice little warning. :-)
I believe that you need to calm down. I was pointing out some relatively minor calculations, not one datapoint, we had done in physics that seemed to cast some doubt on the claims of these individuals, which do seem to be a bit odd. So, yes, I am quite a bit skeptical and I remain so despite your frothing at the mouth reply. I also did not claim to know it all. There have been several replies quite rightly pointing out some pertinent facts that I had not considered such as the change in the flux.
"Oh, and here you go, totally contradicting yourself. Or are only dental X-Rays bad for us, and NOT all of the other EMF's in our environment?"
That comment wasn't meant to be taken seriously... well at least not totally. Perhaps he has a mental disorder; I am being serious about that. As far as I can see, no one has seriously questioned this man's mental health, he has simply gone around and gotten signatures based on his beliefs on a subject for which his credentials are dubious at best. As for X-Rays etc... they're close range. The intensity of an EMF decreases quite rapidly the further away from the source.
I remember in physics class in high school, we figured out the strength of the EM field around a high voltage wire. We calculated that even as close at 50 feet (like wires suspended in the air), the earth's natural field was like 100 times stronger.
:-D
Since then, I've always viewed these claims of EM radiation problems with a skeptical eye. My own suspicions is that this guy had a few too many REMs to the skull from his dental X-Rays and is a candidate for therapy.
Me: Wow this is a really good article... *scrolls down*
Salon.com: Did you like this article? Read the rest of it after a subscription...
Me: Nooooooooooooooo! *pulls hair out*
Not that I have anything against subscription services, but I admit I got used to alot of stuff being free.
On the other hand, if you want research documents, try out NEC's Research Index. It's really quite good, I met one of the guys who put it together and talked about the theory behind it. Plus, I got a couple papers in the database.
1) The picture on top is scary. :-)
2) Fuck Romero's site, I'm more interested in his girlfriend's server. She's got some nice pics there and she's quite the looker.