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User: marcus

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  1. Bingo! No ethics at all on Autonomous Car Ethics: If a Crash Is Unavoidable, What Does It Hit? · · Score: 1

    As is suitable for a car. It already computes the amount of fuel to inject without ethics. It needs no ethics to communicate with other cars for avoidance and if necessary calculate the softest crash.

  2. You got it. on Property Rights In Space? · · Score: 1

    No different from the way it is here.

  3. By the numbers... on Court on Video Games: Less Cleavage, More Carnage · · Score: 2

    At least by my experience...

    "Properly" being defined as, the same as or equivalent to the majority, sane."

    There are plenty of so-called adults, over 25 years of age in this context, that as you say "can not properly estimate risks, come to a rational conclusion, so on and so on". I am not joking.

    I'd say there are way more adults with this sort of deficiency than teens.

    Shall we bring up the topic of a citizenship test, even for the native born?

  4. distributed.net on Why the New Guy Can't Code · · Score: 1

    I've written for that and gotten published through Seti@home, Linux kernel, gcc, leafnode, the list goes on.

    You are telling me that none of your itches ever crossed any of the very public and accessible projects out there. I don't believe it.

    Just like you, the vast majority of what I've coded has never been published, but some jewels have been. It is very nice to be able to tell the prospective boss to "just google for xyz@yahoo.com and you'll find my *real* resume".

  5. Total BS on Marlinspike's Droid Firewall Kills Tracking · · Score: 1

    The parent post has zero rational content.
    That's all.

  6. Agreed on Involuntary Geolocation To Within One Kilometer · · Score: 1

    Considering some extremes...

    Using the satellite link on my RV, he'd only be able to resolve my position down to a hemisphere(actually you can do better than that, but not by his techniques).

    Using the packet radio available to hams, there would also be considerable variation, perhaps even a day-night cycle of delay times.

    My friend has a wifi link that spans part of a lake. It's at least a 1000 yards(greater than my laser rangefinder can measure). He shares service with a friend on the other side who, due to the geography, cannot get DSL.

  7. Hahaha on No Contactless Payment System In Next iPhone · · Score: 1

    You're funny, pitiful but funny.

    Apple would require that you open an account at their I-bank, keep a minimum balance, etc.

    Otherwise you don't get to use your phone. ;-)

    That's Apple.

  8. You know Apple and the service providers on No Contactless Payment System In Next iPhone · · Score: 1

    Don't you?

    You know you'd be required to give account information and authorize Apple/ATT/Verizon/etc. to access(withdraw from) your account in order to use *any* feature of your phone.

    Hell, they might even require you to open a special account in the Apple I-bank and of course make a minimum deposit, and require that you maintain a minimum balance(which they earn interest on)...the list goes on.

    Apple lovers will dive right in regardless.

    Other than that, how about if I don't like it, I don't have to buy/pay for it?

  9. Re:Wrong again on No Contactless Payment System In Next iPhone · · Score: 1

    Actually it is easier to just walk by and keep moving.

    Since most users of the busy metro system don't have NFC equipped phones, there's no reason for NFC to be installed.

    In fact, I'd wager my current(non-NFC) equipped phone, that most users of *any* busy metro system don't even know what NFC is.

    So...you have to install the "old tech" terminal anyway, or it is actually already there and paid for and revenue strapped gov trans agencies will not want to spend the millions to equip all the terminals with the NFC tech which will currently be used by less than 0.001 % of their users and by less than 10% of their users in 10 years.

    In ten years they will have facial recognition and admission/billing based on that anyway. You just go to the trans office, give your contact/banking info, they take a pic, and you're on your way. Then they drain your account as you walk by the terminal.

    NFC is a pointless waste.

  10. Really? on The Logical Leap: Induction In Physics · · Score: 1, Interesting

    How about some citations wise one?

    Can you earn that "Informative" rating or just make arbitrary statements?

  11. New/Used has nothing to do with it. on First-Sale Doctrine Lost Overseas · · Score: 4, Informative

    Omega sold that watch to a distributor.

    The distributor sold it to Costco.

    Somewhere along the line it was imported to the US. According to this ruling, any of the purchases/sales along the way from the OEM to your wrist can be forbidden if Omega says so.

  12. Everywhere on Super Principia Mathematica · · Score: 1

    It's posted all over the place.

    Google for any component phrase or set of words such as "ordinary would still be an understatement. Robert Louis Kemp has built a plateau of quod erat" and you'll get a number of hits.

    Anon is at least efficient with his writing.

  13. Thinking along similar lines on Preventing Networked Gizmo Use During Exams? · · Score: 1

    Why do they need to do arithmetic in a college level physics class? All the work in my physics, thermo, etc. classes was symbolic. No one would have thought an arithmetic aid like a simple calculator would have been of any use.

  14. That's right, he's 0 for 4 on Foldit Player May Have Created a Useful Protein · · Score: 0, Troll

    Anyone using Obama for support, loses.

    If you want to win, better 'hope' he doesn't 'volunteer' to support you.

  15. Duh, mod insightful on How To Behave At a Software Company? · · Score: 1

    If for no better reason than because no one else has managed to post the obvious.

    Really, I'd take the pen from the guy break it, and give him a pencil!

    I've had people come over to my desk and start writing their notes on my documents, and expecting to walk away with them! Then they are surprised when I stop them.

    I get so much more done per hour during off hours, without annoyances and distractions, the boss would freak if he found out.

  16. pic32 on Where To Start In DIY Electronics? · · Score: 1

    Full-on MIPS core makes an excellent C target as we well as asm.
    Many free or low cost tools.
    Dev boards available for as little as $35.
    Plenty of code space, RAM, and performance.

  17. Nicely done on Look At Sick People To Give Your Immune System a Boost · · Score: 2, Insightful

    His comment is the equivalent of saying "the purpose of a car is to take you to work and back home every day."

    Sadly, he's just another victim.

  18. Re:I'll just swagger down to the local hospital .. on Look At Sick People To Give Your Immune System a Boost · · Score: 1

    "Maybe programmers should be forced to look at buggy programs . . . ?"

    Believe me, it works. I've seen some seriously sad sh*t in my career. Definitely motivates to make sure your work does not look the same.

  19. No citation available on Liberalism and Atheism Linked To IQ · · Score: 1

    I know it is a small sample, but I've just been fortunate enough to know well and frequently fraternize with several(4 in particular I'm thinking of) really bright people. They are hard for me to classify. As simply as I can state it, they are all very interesting. There are certainly variations among them as they are from the 4 corners of the continent. Yet there are some common features. All came from relatively poor to mid class families. All are well read, but with different interests. All consume drugs for entertainment, alcohol and/or other. A couple are serious devoted sports fans, while two have no interests there. All work in the semiconductor industry. All have a strange, twisted, and sharp sense of humor. You do not want to get into an insult joust with any of them. If I might attempt some generalizations in the current context, they would be socially liberal as in "free". That is, they don't give a damn what your skin color is, unless it makes you sexy exotic somehow. Nor do they care what kind of sex you like; rather they are more likely to want to join in if you show them something different. Finally, they don't care much what you think of their tastes either.

    On other matters they are universally quite conservative, intolerant of sheer stupidity and ignorance in themselves and others. The most anger I have ever seen in any of them was in one when he, or the government did something stupid. They are all fiscally sound, think the government should be also, and freedom loving nearly anarchistic. All seem to have a certain recklessness, what one described as "a healthy disrespect for the law". One was the first to reveal to me the concept that "just because it's the law doesn't make it right". If my dad ever heard that, he'd go up in flames.

    If you asked any of them "Are you a liberal?" They'd all say no. I'm sure of it. Same for the conservative question. They certainly don't fit any modern representation of "moderate" either as some of their ideas are, at least in these modern contexts, pretty harsh.

    Skipping to the end of your post, if intelligence has any effect at all on the reproductive success rate in the modern world, it seems to be counter productive. So I certainly agree with you there.

  20. Re:Yep, and really smart people choose for themsel on Liberalism and Atheism Linked To IQ · · Score: 1

    Yes, that was my point. Note "really smart people". Minor variations to either side of the norm might produce measurable statistics. Once you get to the extremes, you can no longer make such generalizations.

    So, if he wants to establish some equivalence between higher IQ scores and higher "liberalness" he fails because people that score higher than the stated 103 will not classify themselves in such a simple minded manner. This is probably why he did not include any stats about people that score 120, 130, or even more. Unfortunately for him, they don't fit his vision.

  21. Yep, and really smart people choose for themselves on Liberalism and Atheism Linked To IQ · · Score: 1

    They don't associate themselves with or identify themselves as a member of some class. They make their own decisions.

    Sorry, but stereotyping and other forms of generalization don't work very well when you are dealing with the long tail, on either side of the peak.

  22. At least it puts Norway on Spearfishers Chase Google Car · · Score: 1

    On the map.

    I'm sure some of us couldn't find it before.

  23. Aussie Hockey? on NFL Claims the Fleur-De-Lis, They Guarantee · · Score: 1

    Really?
    Somehow I am certain that I am thinking of a different game.

    http://www.hockey.org.au/
    http://www.auf.com.au/HTML/Photo_Gallery.htm

  24. Holy Crap! They're Right Next Door on SourceForge Clarifies Denial of Site Access · · Score: 1

    Did Anyone Look at the Exclusion Lists?

    There's a veritable population of excluded 'entities' right here in town!

    Many have odd looking names like MAJIDA, AL KAYALI, ABDULAH, FADWA, etc.

    Then there's the innocuous MYNET.NET, SYNAPTIX.NET, ...

  25. Exactly, eating like a plant on One Variety of Sea Slugs Cuts Out the Energy Middleman · · Score: 1

    Means you'll be sucking up ... "fertilizer".