"sunshine you don't use would have been wasted anyway"
Is that so? Suppose we cover miles of oceans and lakes with these devices. Would there be no change in the ecology? No change in water or air temperature?
We dam rivers wherever possible, plant solar collectors over large areas, tap geothermal energy potential, and erect windmills wherever we can expect a breeze. There has been an effort to tap the energy of the surf and other wave action. The dams certainly have an impact on the environment and the others, well we just haven't given them much thought. If we can eventually tap 10% of some prevailing wind energy, can we say there will be no consequence? 'Green' energy sources may not be so green.
Our society has promoted the concept of instant gratification. Fast food, fast browsers, overnight Amazon delivery. Fast, fast, fast.
I have the minimum cable internet service from Cox. I often get 2MB/s or more down, unknown up. I do transfer large files on occasion. I either transfer them in the background where they have no effect on my other activities or I move them overnight. Why would I pay for faster service?
I understand the mantra, promoted by those who offer speed as a feature, and I appreciate having the option, but I am too stubborn to pay for that option. I suspect that many are swayed by the pressure to always be at the cutting edge- faster, better, more fashionable.
I hope you are not really that stupid. Your phone cost 200? Do you really believe that? What does your monthly service cost? And how much would that service cost if you paid full price for your phone? There is no 'high end smartphone' that costs less than $500.
My phone cost $500 and my service costs $30/month (Nexus 6p, Google Fi network). Which of us pays less after two years?
Not sure why you need a 'major' search engine. Perhaps you are the type who requires Nike shoes and Levi blue jeans and Coca Cola (major brands). OTOH if you were concerned about finding 'effective' search engines, the privacy respecting ones already mentioned should suit you.
You are too late to the party to get modded up, or for anyone to notice our comments, but I want you to know that I appreciate your thoughts.
I still wouldn't invest my money in wind generators just yet. The major windfarms in California typically have a certain percentage not functioning. I wouldn't prefer a maintenance job that requires me to climb a ladder 40 stories to a windy platform in a remote area. We still have the storage problem- many theoretical solutions but none in place for large installations. And I've seen enough corrosion that I'm skeptical of marine installations of any sort. Presumably there will be no ferrous, aluminum, magnesium or copper materials (oops, no copper in an electrical generator?) employed.
Corrosion engineering is a relatively new discipline. According to Wikipedia: "Corrosion to metals as an example of corrosion had cost the U.S. economy nearly $300 billion per year in 1995 [4]." I foresee a bright future for a high school student who prepares to enter the field. My structural engineer friend tells me that there are many hundreds of bridges in the US that desperately need maintenance or replacement, largely due to corrosion.
But after about 100 years we've accomplished much with the evolution of remarkably reliable and safe automobiles; and eventually we'll have reliable windmills, assuming something better doesn't come along.
This program has successfully erased your bootable hard drive. Erase another? [ OK ]
Why do I have to click 'OK' to every disastrous pop-up warning on my screen?
It's NOT OK!
I'm not allowed to click GODDAMMIT or WTF, I have to click OK or forever look at the stupid dialog box. This box appears only at times of greatest inconvenience and always cheerfully asks for an 'OK'. I'm not usually feeling cheerful after these fatal crashes and I'm reluctant to say OK. Whoever designed the OK dialog for unpleasant events should die a thousand horrible deaths at the hands of a crazed Slobbovian machinist, pig farmer and torturing apprentice.
I hope it's not like other 'products' that are only speculative future imaginary development projects. I hope that it is real; it is something that has been honed to perfection and eagerly waiting for my purchasing dollars to lift me to the heights of virtual bliss.
Yes, you may want to think that this announcement comes from the Ford engineering department as the result of solving a number of intractable problems related to autonomous vehicles.
Sorry. It's from the marketing department. Nothing has been solved, but the important thing is that even before Slashdot got hold of the story, many others did. The name Ford has again been associated with headlines which will make Ford owners feel good, and Ford investors will be happy. It's 'obviously' not just marketing hype because Ford did invest some actual money to back up the mirage.
Will anyone, after the passage of five years, point to this press release and complain that Ford deceived them? No, that's part of the plan. It's a bit sad that Slashdot is part of the ignorant mass that falls for this scam.
Does anyone believe that Russia doesn't hack US systems? Or the reverse? This story might be slightly interesting if it revealed some specific hack that broke new ground. It might be interesting if it had a devastating effect upon US intelligence operations. It might be compelling if we could prove a direct connection to Mr. Putin. And those things may come to pass but they haven't been observed yet.
So slashdotters are left to speculate, to opine about what may become of this. Thus we may be among the first to insert foot in mouth as we wait for more facts to be available. Click bait.
We know that Putin doesn't want to deal with Clinton and he thinks Trump will be easier to 'negotiate' with, and so it's easy to believe he is attempting to pull strings; but let's be patient for real evidence of what's happening before we raise our voices.
Don'tcha just love that subject heading. It promises a rich and controversial argument along with Attitude that won't quit. Sorry, but it's all downhill from there.
However our example of 'intelligent life' may be first or last, but how long *will* it last? If other life forms are as self-destructive as we are, their existence will be but a blink of the eye in the overall duration of our particular universe. Catching that fleeting glimpse will be like finding a needle in No Man's Sky.
Well, as a former marine engineer, I'm thrilled to discover that there is no need for maintenance required for these engineering marvels. But can you explain the high cost of maintenance of land based turbines in California? And please explain why the water based units are maintenance free.
As a former marine engineer I have doubts. Unless materials science has changed dramatically, things do not thrive in ocean environments. Those materials that last longest tend to be very expensive. Maintenance on land based windmills is expensive and dangerous... out there it will be a serious problem.
Isn't this what my smartphone camera does? I didn't RTFM but the advert seemed to indicate that it takes 3 images when I press the button, then blends them somehow to make me seem like a real photographer.
Billions of dollars/euros/yuan cross the internet daily without much difficulty. Why would voting be less secure?
Just as some voters are disenfranchised by ID requirements, etc, some are disenfranchised by physically having to go somewhere to vote. Students, for instance, aren't interested in standing in line with a bunch of old people. Old people who aren't able to stand for long. Moms & executives who are too busy... If they could sit at their computer and do it conveniently, the balance of demographics would change. That could mean an advantage for conservatives or for progressives. This is why authorities hesitate. Until they can be sure who benefits from online voting, they will delay.
Until a critical mass of users choose to encrypt their messages, it will be inconvenient and ineffective for anyone to do so. For some reason half of Americans, and Europeans too, trust their government to some extent. They protest 'I've got nothing to hide' and continue their lackadaisical ways.
You may convince your circle of friends to encrypt, but it's Joe Average that needs to join in. And Maria Average. Women and young people especially will resist the inconvenience.
But why encrypt when really there isn't anything to hide in a particular message? The reason, above all, is that only when everyone encrypts will we have the critical mass that discourages any government or private entity from attempting to spy on all of us. The effort will be futile and we will have a small victory.
OK, it's a 'conservative site' that presents this argument against Snowden. And here, for a mostly progressive audience, it is presented as a troll to bait the eager readers to reply with venom. It is a common tactic at slashdot to rile up the readers and it's commonly called clickbait.
It's an election season in the US and more than usual we see the polarity between left and right, progressive vs conservative. And here we may be encouraging the divide between Americans to assure there is no middle ground.
I have always thought of slashdot readers as more astute than most. I don't do Fecebook or others because they seem less astute, more strident. I hope to see some balance in this particular discussion. If some consider Snowden to be a criminal, let's examine their motivations and see if there isn't some compelling reason for that belief.
The sad thing is that younger people have never had the opportunity to see the inner workings of a computer. To watch a program being executed with each clock stroke; watch registers fill, transfer, empty; to watch counters and arithmetic operations at their basic level...
It would be easy to create a visual simulation of such a basic device. It was done in 1975 on the Apple ][ and it can be done today. But given a choice between that and Pokemon Go, I think kids, parents and teachers will choose unwisely.
We had to walk 5 miles to school in the snow and rain, and it was all up hill... both ways!
Sorry, there's a tendency for some/. people to insert their lame personal anecdotes into these comments. Here's mine:
I built my first computer from chips on a breadboard- a 6800 processor with 256 bytes of RAM. I programmed it with a hex keypad and it output results on seven segment LEDs. If I wanted alphabetic letters I had to force the normally numeric LEDs to simulate text by specifying each segment that was to be lit or dark. There was no storage. After painstakingly succeeding to enter a program that worked (such as a thermometer or other primitive program) I had to hope the power didn't fail or I'd lose everything.
Yadda yadda. The point is that tech doesn't scare me now that I'm in my 70s. I understand the hardware and the software and I keep a hammer close by in case some device should become annoying.
Since the last century we have been releasing engineered sterile fruit flies to protect commercial crops. In the US, the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has found it to be an efficient method of control. In Peru, Australia, Croatia, South Africa and other places around the world sterile flies control populations without the dangers of chemical methods.
This genetic manipulation method for mosquitoes is certainly worth a try. I've heard that some locations are attempting to import bats to eat the mosquitoes, but this might be more reasonable. It will be sad if the bats go hungry, so maybe we could increase the fruit fly population to compensate them.
Assuming this will be an intelligent device that can be trained by the user and upgraded by the manufacturer, then it will be an online device. And as an online device that can hear, is anyone concerned that someone might be listening in addition to the user?
Seems to be a stealth opportunity. The Chinese manufacturer will insert code to relay your most intimate moments to the Beijing authorities. If you fit the profile you will be invited to foment revolt and mayhem in America. God forbid you should spank your kids or the listening three-letter-agencies will be all over you in a flash. And for the right price, your boss can check up on your extracurricular activities. Your life will be an open book to any interested party (if it isn't already).
l am Frank David, a financial consultant and friend to a foreigner who died in Dec 26, 2011 that shared same surname with you. I am contacting you to assist retrieve his huge amount that he reserved in bank prior to his death. Would you be interested to partake in the deal? I will be pleased to advise more on the next step to take upon your willingness to assist.
Kind regards
Frank David
And here is Frank's eddress for those who would like to help him: frank00146@outlook.com - Please, as a kindness, every slashdotter should respond.
I'm sure I would find that very uncomfortable. However, in light (a pun?) of this information I've decided to sleep with my eyes closed, preferably in a dark room, in hope that the blue frequency will be blocked.
The companies listed also take risks. They try products/services that the public might not be ready for. This is another sign of a company that might deserve respect and possibly an investment. Again, does this fit Samsung's operation? Why do you think so?
Slashdot Mirror
"sunshine you don't use would have been wasted anyway"
Is that so? Suppose we cover miles of oceans and lakes with these devices. Would there be no change in the ecology? No change in water or air temperature?
We dam rivers wherever possible, plant solar collectors over large areas, tap geothermal energy potential, and erect windmills wherever we can expect a breeze. There has been an effort to tap the energy of the surf and other wave action. The dams certainly have an impact on the environment and the others, well we just haven't given them much thought. If we can eventually tap 10% of some prevailing wind energy, can we say there will be no consequence? 'Green' energy sources may not be so green.
Our society has promoted the concept of instant gratification. Fast food, fast browsers, overnight Amazon delivery. Fast, fast, fast.
I have the minimum cable internet service from Cox. I often get 2MB/s or more down, unknown up. I do transfer large files on occasion. I either transfer them in the background where they have no effect on my other activities or I move them overnight. Why would I pay for faster service?
I understand the mantra, promoted by those who offer speed as a feature, and I appreciate having the option, but I am too stubborn to pay for that option. I suspect that many are swayed by the pressure to always be at the cutting edge- faster, better, more fashionable.
I hope you are not really that stupid. Your phone cost 200? Do you really believe that? What does your monthly service cost? And how much would that service cost if you paid full price for your phone? There is no 'high end smartphone' that costs less than $500.
My phone cost $500 and my service costs $30/month (Nexus 6p, Google Fi network). Which of us pays less after two years?
"what major search engine can I use"
Not sure why you need a 'major' search engine. Perhaps you are the type who requires Nike shoes and Levi blue jeans and Coca Cola (major brands). OTOH if you were concerned about finding 'effective' search engines, the privacy respecting ones already mentioned should suit you.
Great arguments.
You are too late to the party to get modded up, or for anyone to notice our comments, but I want you to know that I appreciate your thoughts.
I still wouldn't invest my money in wind generators just yet. The major windfarms in California typically have a certain percentage not functioning. I wouldn't prefer a maintenance job that requires me to climb a ladder 40 stories to a windy platform in a remote area. We still have the storage problem- many theoretical solutions but none in place for large installations. And I've seen enough corrosion that I'm skeptical of marine installations of any sort. Presumably there will be no ferrous, aluminum, magnesium or copper materials (oops, no copper in an electrical generator?) employed.
Corrosion engineering is a relatively new discipline. According to Wikipedia: "Corrosion to metals as an example of corrosion had cost the U.S. economy nearly $300 billion per year in 1995 [4]." I foresee a bright future for a high school student who prepares to enter the field. My structural engineer friend tells me that there are many hundreds of bridges in the US that desperately need maintenance or replacement, largely due to corrosion.
But after about 100 years we've accomplished much with the evolution of remarkably reliable and safe automobiles; and eventually we'll have reliable windmills, assuming something better doesn't come along.
This program has successfully erased your bootable hard drive. Erase another?
[ OK ]
Why do I have to click 'OK' to every disastrous pop-up warning on my screen?
It's NOT OK!
I'm not allowed to click GODDAMMIT or WTF, I have to click OK or forever look at the stupid dialog box. This box appears only at times of greatest inconvenience and always cheerfully asks for an 'OK'. I'm not usually feeling cheerful after these fatal crashes and I'm reluctant to say OK. Whoever designed the OK dialog for unpleasant events should die a thousand horrible deaths at the hands of a crazed Slobbovian machinist, pig farmer and torturing apprentice.
Where can I buy this product?
I hope it's not like other 'products' that are only speculative future imaginary development projects. I hope that it is real; it is something that has been honed to perfection and eagerly waiting for my purchasing dollars to lift me to the heights of virtual bliss.
Yes, I hope, but...
Yes, you may want to think that this announcement comes from the Ford engineering department as the result of solving a number of intractable problems related to autonomous vehicles.
Sorry. It's from the marketing department. Nothing has been solved, but the important thing is that even before Slashdot got hold of the story, many others did. The name Ford has again been associated with headlines which will make Ford owners feel good, and Ford investors will be happy. It's 'obviously' not just marketing hype because Ford did invest some actual money to back up the mirage.
Will anyone, after the passage of five years, point to this press release and complain that Ford deceived them? No, that's part of the plan. It's a bit sad that Slashdot is part of the ignorant mass that falls for this scam.
Does anyone believe that Russia doesn't hack US systems? Or the reverse? This story might be slightly interesting if it revealed some specific hack that broke new ground. It might be interesting if it had a devastating effect upon US intelligence operations. It might be compelling if we could prove a direct connection to Mr. Putin. And those things may come to pass but they haven't been observed yet.
So slashdotters are left to speculate, to opine about what may become of this. Thus we may be among the first to insert foot in mouth as we wait for more facts to be available. Click bait.
We know that Putin doesn't want to deal with Clinton and he thinks Trump will be easier to 'negotiate' with, and so it's easy to believe he is attempting to pull strings; but let's be patient for real evidence of what's happening before we raise our voices.
Don'tcha just love that subject heading. It promises a rich and controversial argument along with Attitude that won't quit. Sorry, but it's all downhill from there.
However our example of 'intelligent life' may be first or last, but how long *will* it last? If other life forms are as self-destructive as we are, their existence will be but a blink of the eye in the overall duration of our particular universe. Catching that fleeting glimpse will be like finding a needle in No Man's Sky.
So, Derek, tell me about your years at sea...
Well, as a former marine engineer, I'm thrilled to discover that there is no need for maintenance required for these engineering marvels. But can you explain the high cost of maintenance of land based turbines in California? And please explain why the water based units are maintenance free.
As a former marine engineer I have doubts. Unless materials science has changed dramatically, things do not thrive in ocean environments. Those materials that last longest tend to be very expensive. Maintenance on land based windmills is expensive and dangerous ... out there it will be a serious problem.
"content that is 5Ãf--5 or smaller"
(the jumble above is the correct spelling of 'angstrom'.)
So, yes, that's quite small. It can probably be removed without dire consequences ...
Or is it that slashdot doesn't recognize common text standards?
Isn't this what my smartphone camera does?
I didn't RTFM but the advert seemed to indicate that it takes 3 images when I press the button, then blends them somehow to make me seem like a real photographer.
Billions of dollars/euros/yuan cross the internet daily without much difficulty.
Why would voting be less secure?
Just as some voters are disenfranchised by ID requirements, etc, some are disenfranchised by physically having to go somewhere to vote. Students, for instance, aren't interested in standing in line with a bunch of old people. Old people who aren't able to stand for long. Moms & executives who are too busy... If they could sit at their computer and do it conveniently, the balance of demographics would change. That could mean an advantage for conservatives or for progressives. This is why authorities hesitate. Until they can be sure who benefits from online voting, they will delay.
Until a critical mass of users choose to encrypt their messages, it will be inconvenient and ineffective for anyone to do so. For some reason half of Americans, and Europeans too, trust their government to some extent. They protest 'I've got nothing to hide' and continue their lackadaisical ways.
You may convince your circle of friends to encrypt, but it's Joe Average that needs to join in. And Maria Average. Women and young people especially will resist the inconvenience.
But why encrypt when really there isn't anything to hide in a particular message? The reason, above all, is that only when everyone encrypts will we have the critical mass that discourages any government or private entity from attempting to spy on all of us. The effort will be futile and we will have a small victory.
OK, it's a 'conservative site' that presents this argument against Snowden. And here, for a mostly progressive audience, it is presented as a troll to bait the eager readers to reply with venom. It is a common tactic at slashdot to rile up the readers and it's commonly called clickbait.
It's an election season in the US and more than usual we see the polarity between left and right, progressive vs conservative. And here we may be encouraging the divide between Americans to assure there is no middle ground.
I have always thought of slashdot readers as more astute than most. I don't do Fecebook or others because they seem less astute, more strident. I hope to see some balance in this particular discussion. If some consider Snowden to be a criminal, let's examine their motivations and see if there isn't some compelling reason for that belief.
The sad thing is that younger people have never had the opportunity to see the inner workings of a computer. To watch a program being executed with each clock stroke; watch registers fill, transfer, empty; to watch counters and arithmetic operations at their basic level...
It would be easy to create a visual simulation of such a basic device. It was done in 1975 on the Apple ][ and it can be done today. But given a choice between that and Pokemon Go, I think kids, parents and teachers will choose unwisely.
We had to walk 5 miles to school in the snow and rain, and it was all up hill ... both ways!
Sorry, there's a tendency for some /. people to insert their lame personal anecdotes into these comments. Here's mine:
I built my first computer from chips on a breadboard- a 6800 processor with 256 bytes of RAM. I programmed it with a hex keypad and it output results on seven segment LEDs. If I wanted alphabetic letters I had to force the normally numeric LEDs to simulate text by specifying each segment that was to be lit or dark. There was no storage. After painstakingly succeeding to enter a program that worked (such as a thermometer or other primitive program) I had to hope the power didn't fail or I'd lose everything.
Yadda yadda. The point is that tech doesn't scare me now that I'm in my 70s. I understand the hardware and the software and I keep a hammer close by in case some device should become annoying.
Since the last century we have been releasing engineered sterile fruit flies to protect commercial crops. In the US, the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has found it to be an efficient method of control. In Peru, Australia, Croatia, South Africa and other places around the world sterile flies control populations without the dangers of chemical methods.
This genetic manipulation method for mosquitoes is certainly worth a try. I've heard that some locations are attempting to import bats to eat the mosquitoes, but this might be more reasonable. It will be sad if the bats go hungry, so maybe we could increase the fruit fly population to compensate them.
Assuming this will be an intelligent device that can be trained by the user and upgraded by the manufacturer, then it will be an online device. And as an online device that can hear, is anyone concerned that someone might be listening in addition to the user?
Seems to be a stealth opportunity. The Chinese manufacturer will insert code to relay your most intimate moments to the Beijing authorities. If you fit the profile you will be invited to foment revolt and mayhem in America. God forbid you should spank your kids or the listening three-letter-agencies will be all over you in a flash. And for the right price, your boss can check up on your extracurricular activities. Your life will be an open book to any interested party (if it isn't already).
This arrived yesterday, 160731 :
Hello Dear,
l am Frank David, a financial consultant and friend to a foreigner who died in Dec 26, 2011 that shared same surname with you. I am contacting you to assist retrieve his huge amount that he reserved in bank prior to his death. Would you be interested to partake in the deal? I will be pleased to advise more on the next step to take upon your willingness to assist.
Kind regards
Frank David
And here is Frank's eddress for those who would like to help him: frank00146@outlook.com - Please, as a kindness, every slashdotter should respond.
I'm sure I would find that very uncomfortable. However, in light (a pun?) of this information I've decided to sleep with my eyes closed, preferably in a dark room, in hope that the blue frequency will be blocked.
addendum:
The companies listed also take risks. They try products/services that the public might not be ready for. This is another sign of a company that might deserve respect and possibly an investment. Again, does this fit Samsung's operation? Why do you think so?