Isn't it great when these mega companies make huge profits? Not really. It's only great if they invest that money in R&D. If they are waiting around for someone else to come up with a new idea they can copy then they can go to hell. It's one thing to cut your costs to the bone to compete with innovators, but another to support a worthwhile R&D team that can move the technology forward.
Most of us know who is resting on their laurels and who are pushing the envelope. Amazon, Google, Apple, IBM, Intel and Elon Musk are accumulating patents at a fantastic rate (and a few of them represent real innovation). I don't know where Samsung stands on innovation- please advise.
While mindless nitpickers fuss over numbers and statistics, the important message is overlooked. Here it is again in case you never got past the stupid headline:
"It is an enabler for change. It unleashed forces which we are barely able to perceive, let alone control. It changed the world because it changed us. And it did all that in less than nine years."
There are few developments that compare. Ford's affordable automobile. Fire. Wheel. The personal computer and the internet. Gene sequencing and Crispr...
In my life, I felt that the Norelco (Phillips) CarryCorder was a major breakthrough (it allowed me to 'pirate' music from the radio). The ancient Norelco shaver still hasn't been improved upon, which is disappointing. The1969 Honda 750 motorcycle blew me away, although they had made many exotic machines before this was a breakthrough in speed, reliability and beauty for ordinary consumers.
You and I have different criteria for major game changing developments, but don't deny the impact of the first user friendly smartphone.
Shouldn't drones be fighting the fire? Why send humans up there? Drones have more carrying capacity per horsepower (no bulky life support systems needed) potentially better maneuverability, and don't risk lives. Yes, it's new technology and the ideal drone for that job may not exist yet- but that's the future and it should begin now.
It's odd that the richest person in congress would put forth this proposal. It's true that he has a democrat joining in the bill, but what's in it for him? There must be something evil hidden in the text that we haven't discovered yet.
I'm here in San Diego where the big convention is ongoing. I look to my left, I look to my right... I don't see Snowden. Is he in a bathroom or maybe a nearby pub? Or are you referring to some other Comic-Con in some other time or universe? Please explain the headline: "Edward Snowden At Comic-Con: 'I Live a Surprisingly Free Life'"
Like many other torrent sites, your Tor browser will hit you with a Captcha. In most cases, every page will open with a new Captcha until you are really angry. But even then the torture will continue until you give up or are willing to share your identity with a non-Tor browser. You'd think that torrent sites would expect users to be on Tor -- so why antagonize them?
Frequent posts from The Guardian and BBC cover important events in the US that local media fail to report. This should make us wonder why American news media aren't on top of these stories.
Of course tight budgets constrain many traditional news outlets and restrict the ability to really investigate anything. The de-funding of Public Broadcasting was a disaster in American history, forcing a dependence on advertising and fund raising.
But those of us who entertain conspiracy theories may suspect that the 'free press' in the US is heavily influenced by various pressures from government and advertisers. For instance, many media are now forbidden at Trump rallies because they have offended The Donald by asking serious questions. Some media are unwelcome at White House briefings. Your local city/state politicians also have preferred, cooperative, outlets for their announcements. Cooperation with big advertisers is also important for American media to survive financially. Evil Monsanto stories go on page 3 or nowhere at all.
Most US publishers share with their readers the political posturing of government officials and the promotional 'news' of advertisers but fail to investigate anything. The remainder of US news is crime, weather, celebrities, a smattering of drama about terrorist activity, and no mention of large parts of the world like Latin America.
So, thanks Guardian and BBC, for a fresh look at the world and my own country.
And the consumers of the world feel the same way. Whether it's a TV or a computer, they like things moving around the screen. Thus, reality shows and anything but quiet and thoughtfulness.
So . . . When this is part of my next smartphone: Google, the NSA, Amazon, the local police and everyone will know what I had for dinner, how much I had to drink and whether I used any illegal substances each day. Combined with the knowledge of where I've been, who I've been in contact with, what purchases I've made and what web sites I've visited... What could possibly go wrong?
Why post as AC? Cuz you are ignorant. Care to point me to the ZPG web site? Not gonna happen. They disappeared early in the century. Replaced by a watered-down do-nothing organization.
No, not Lucy's Ricky, but RICO (The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) a law originally intended to go after Mafia syndicates. It basically makes decision makers responsible when a criminal conspiracy is uncovered.
But recently it has been applied to a wide variety of conspiracies. From Wikipaedia* or thereabouts "In April 2000, federal judge William J. Rea in Los Angeles, ruling in one Rampart scandal case, said that the plaintiffs could pursue RICO claims against the LAPD, an unprecedented finding."
If ISPs and property owners are conspiring against tenants, RICO is worth a try. There are probably other conspiracies that slashdotters are aware of too- like the recent 'no compete' agreement between the big Silicon Valley employers that was frowned upon. The world is full of racketeers, but many have connections that protect them.
*Wikipaedia (or Wikipædi) is a wab-foondit, free beuk o knawledge (or encyclopaedia) that oniebodie can chynge gif thay like. Wikipaedia haes aboot 24 million airticles, but no monie in Scots.
Could the new 'prominence' of Linux be because normal people don't use desktop computers any more? Only senior citizens still using their grandson's hand-me-up, some hard core gamers and Linux geeks still use them. And confess- how many of you are still using a green screen CRT monitor?
"the key issue here is not your freedom of choosing GMO or not, it's the millions of people who are starving."
And the solution is not better farming techniques or technology, but fewer people. That's the dirty little secret that politicians, environmentalists, religious zealots and Nobel laureates dare not speak aloud.
What are the 'green' people doing to discourage fertility among those least able to support new human life? They can rant about GMOs, global warming, polluted air and oceans, etc all they want, but until they address the excess billions of humans on earth the problem will never be solved.
We may some day send men to Mars or peer into black holes, but there is no technology that can save the planet while the population continues to increase. Starvation will continue, disease will spread and the entire planet will continue to deteriorate.
Please don't be distracted by the infinite consequences of the problem; focus on population management, the root cause.
Creme tangerine and Montelimar A ginger sling with a pineapple heart A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news But you have to have them all pulled out After the Savoy truffle
I'm not familiar with the game Civilization but it seems to allow examining cause and effect regarding political and economic decisions. Sounds like fun and a great place to experiment with different ideas. At each turning point students and teachers should look at the results in the game and ask whether it provided realistic conclusions. They should be alert to bias in the game's algorithms (perhaps toward or against the current 'green' climate theories for example).
Unfortunately, many teachers have small minds obsessed with power. They have the answers and their job is to pour facts into the students' heads. I don't recall many of my teachers answering a question with 'I'm not sure', 'I don't know', or 'well, let's look that up'. As far as the teacher was concerned, either s/he knew the answer or the question wasn't worth answering. Textbooks likewise present information as indisputable gospel solid fact. Look at a ten or forty year old textbook and it is full of misinformation with no room for contradiction.
Many answers were wrong. Fifth grade- the teacher's explanation of electricity, AC and DC, was not just wrong, but ridiculous. Yet the tone of authority with which it was given was unmistakable.
Teachers should embrace uncertainty. Rather than shove 'facts' down the students' throats, they should examine different viewpoints, be flexible in their opinions and welcome grey areas and new information. Authoritarian attitudes have no place in education and do not encourage critical thinking.
Imagine if Google tech originated with Microsoft, Oracle, Facebook or the CIA.
Google has been pressured by many powerful forces to modify their offerings, often to reduce Free Speech. They have resisted in many justified cases where some companies would cave. There is the worrisome relationship between Google and the State Department to consider, but overall they've been 'less evil' than almost any imaginable alternative.
Analyst Emily Lutella says "Oops, that's very different." It's actually seven million faces with photos taken from different angles. Government experts have a five year plan to identify faces regardless of angle, lighting, makeup, glasses, hats or Guy Fawkes masks.
"we'll show you a notification if a nearby app or website is available"
I'm not sure but I think my applications come from all over the world. Why would I care is one is 'nearby'? And, no thank you, I don't want more mandatory cruft in my phone.
My wife and I shared the driving about equally. Equally concerned about safety, we didn't want the driver to be distracted by orally abusing and gesticulating at offending drivers we encountered on our journeys. It's an important function of driving, but reduces overall safety. We settled on a plan such that whoever was driving would continue on course even after a serious transgression by a road companion... while the passenger would open the window and express his/her self at the offender with extreme vocal energy and gestures involving arms, fingers and facial disapproval.
It is important that bad drivers are clearly admonished at the moment of their failures or they will not learn. Anyone who trains a dog knows that. A horn just isn't enough in some cases, and in others it is too much. How can the Google car incorporate that shaming that is so beneficial to negligent drivers without requiring the Google car occupant to participate?
When your resume goes into the HR soup it is analyzed for certain keywords. Fail to include the important ones and your resume goes in the reject file.
Perhaps investors are actually looking for these idiotic keywords. Talk plain and you lose.
Some of us would rather run the Mac OS on a slow fat computer than run Windows on a fast thin computer. The hardware isn't really that interesting for regular folks surfing the net and watching Utube or using MS Office. Just need something to get the job done without any hassles or malware.
There is the issue of fashion however. Slim is sexy. Nevertheless there is only one laptop that makes an impression at Starbucks--it's the one with the lit up Apple logo. The beauty of this is that the mass of humanity can focus on keeping up with the latest latte fashion without worrying about lots of arcane computer fussery.
You can put a V8 engine in a Yugo, but you still have an unmanageable user interface. It's the OS that counts.
This thread got me thinking. I spend too much time gathering news and I haven't given it enough thought to do it efficiently. Here are some questions I'm struggling to answer now:
What is news? How can we benefit from news? What is the best way to find beneficial news? Is dramatic news more important than routine news about government & business? Is sports and entertainment a valuable part of news? How much time should be devoted to keeping up with news? How can news prepare people for elections? How much opinion should be allowed in news? How can one detect bias in news? Are blogs, podcasts, videos and social media valuable sources of news? Are attractive, authoritative news presenters beneficial? If there is an auto collision in your neighborhood, is that news? If there is an auto collision 20 miles away, is that news? If there is an auto collision 40 miles away and someone dies, is that news? How is news influenced by editors and publishers? How is news influenced by advertisers? How is news influenced by government? How is news influenced by religion, local moral opinions, ethnic traditions, geographical trends, etc? Specifically, what do we expect from business news, world news, local news, entertainment news, weather news, family & friend news, etc? What is the best source of each? Should we pay for news or let advertising pay for it?
What questions have I missed? Are there good answers to any of these?
Sorry you are unable to follow the Google suggestion. When you learn to read before you rant you will eventually discover that the FUD about silver safety is a scam. You need to consume gallons over a long period of time to experience a change of skin color, and even then it doesn't seem to have health consequences.
When you are selling an expensive patented antibiotic and competing against less expensive OTC silver, will you spread the joy that silver is more effective? Or will you look for any way to eliminate the competition? Use your head when you read various opinions. Or join the marketing staff at Monsanto where they need shills like you.
Silver. (Google 'silver colloid') Still in use today to sterilize touchable surfaces in hospitals. Sorry, it can't be patented so no big corporation will be interested. The medical establishment will only steer you to patented products, so be wary of their advice. You can even make your own. Far more adaptable than other antibiotics. Drink it; inhale it; drop it in your eyes; lavish it on skin burns; spray it on icky surfaces you have to touch... Some minor precautions advised (don't drink large quantities over a long period of time).
Slashdot Mirror
Isn't it great when these mega companies make huge profits? Not really. It's only great if they invest that money in R&D. If they are waiting around for someone else to come up with a new idea they can copy then they can go to hell. It's one thing to cut your costs to the bone to compete with innovators, but another to support a worthwhile R&D team that can move the technology forward.
Most of us know who is resting on their laurels and who are pushing the envelope. Amazon, Google, Apple, IBM, Intel and Elon Musk are accumulating patents at a fantastic rate (and a few of them represent real innovation). I don't know where Samsung stands on innovation- please advise.
While mindless nitpickers fuss over numbers and statistics, the important message is overlooked. Here it is again in case you never got past the stupid headline:
"It is an enabler for change. It unleashed forces which we are barely able to perceive, let alone control. It changed the world because it changed us. And it did all that in less than nine years."
There are few developments that compare. Ford's affordable automobile. Fire. Wheel. The personal computer and the internet. Gene sequencing and Crispr...
In my life, I felt that the Norelco (Phillips) CarryCorder was a major breakthrough (it allowed me to 'pirate' music from the radio). The ancient Norelco shaver still hasn't been improved upon, which is disappointing. The1969 Honda 750 motorcycle blew me away, although they had made many exotic machines before this was a breakthrough in speed, reliability and beauty for ordinary consumers.
You and I have different criteria for major game changing developments, but don't deny the impact of the first user friendly smartphone.
Shouldn't drones be fighting the fire? Why send humans up there? Drones have more carrying capacity per horsepower (no bulky life support systems needed) potentially better maneuverability, and don't risk lives. Yes, it's new technology and the ideal drone for that job may not exist yet- but that's the future and it should begin now.
It's odd that the richest person in congress would put forth this proposal. It's true that he has a democrat joining in the bill, but what's in it for him? There must be something evil hidden in the text that we haven't discovered yet.
I'm here in San Diego where the big convention is ongoing. I look to my left, I look to my right ... I don't see Snowden. Is he in a bathroom or maybe a nearby pub? Or are you referring to some other Comic-Con in some other time or universe? Please explain the headline:
"Edward Snowden At Comic-Con: 'I Live a Surprisingly Free Life'"
Like many other torrent sites, your Tor browser will hit you with a Captcha. In most cases, every page will open with a new Captcha until you are really angry. But even then the torture will continue until you give up or are willing to share your identity with a non-Tor browser. You'd think that torrent sites would expect users to be on Tor -- so why antagonize them?
Frequent posts from The Guardian and BBC cover important events in the US that local media fail to report. This should make us wonder why American news media aren't on top of these stories.
Of course tight budgets constrain many traditional news outlets and restrict the ability to really investigate anything. The de-funding of Public Broadcasting was a disaster in American history, forcing a dependence on advertising and fund raising.
But those of us who entertain conspiracy theories may suspect that the 'free press' in the US is heavily influenced by various pressures from government and advertisers. For instance, many media are now forbidden at Trump rallies because they have offended The Donald by asking serious questions. Some media are unwelcome at White House briefings. Your local city/state politicians also have preferred, cooperative, outlets for their announcements. Cooperation with big advertisers is also important for American media to survive financially. Evil Monsanto stories go on page 3 or nowhere at all.
Most US publishers share with their readers the political posturing of government officials and the promotional 'news' of advertisers but fail to investigate anything. The remainder of US news is crime, weather, celebrities, a smattering of drama about terrorist activity, and no mention of large parts of the world like Latin America.
So, thanks Guardian and BBC, for a fresh look at the world and my own country.
And the consumers of the world feel the same way. Whether it's a TV or a computer, they like things moving around the screen. Thus, reality shows and anything but quiet and thoughtfulness.
So . . . When this is part of my next smartphone: Google, the NSA, Amazon, the local police and everyone will know what I had for dinner, how much I had to drink and whether I used any illegal substances each day. Combined with the knowledge of where I've been, who I've been in contact with, what purchases I've made and what web sites I've visited... What could possibly go wrong?
Why post as AC? Cuz you are ignorant.
Care to point me to the ZPG web site?
Not gonna happen.
They disappeared early in the century.
Replaced by a watered-down do-nothing organization.
I'd say get with the times.
No, not Lucy's Ricky, but RICO (The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) a law originally intended to go after Mafia syndicates. It basically makes decision makers responsible when a criminal conspiracy is uncovered.
But recently it has been applied to a wide variety of conspiracies. From Wikipaedia* or thereabouts "In April 2000, federal judge William J. Rea in Los Angeles, ruling in one Rampart scandal case, said that the plaintiffs could pursue RICO claims against the LAPD, an unprecedented finding."
If ISPs and property owners are conspiring against tenants, RICO is worth a try. There are probably other conspiracies that slashdotters are aware of too- like the recent 'no compete' agreement between the big Silicon Valley employers that was frowned upon. The world is full of racketeers, but many have connections that protect them.
*Wikipaedia (or Wikipædi) is a wab-foondit, free beuk o knawledge (or encyclopaedia) that oniebodie can chynge gif thay like. Wikipaedia haes aboot 24 million airticles, but no monie in Scots.
Could the new 'prominence' of Linux be because normal people don't use desktop computers any more? Only senior citizens still using their grandson's hand-me-up, some hard core gamers and Linux geeks still use them. And confess- how many of you are still using a green screen CRT monitor?
"the key issue here is not your freedom of choosing GMO or not, it's the millions of people who are starving."
And the solution is not better farming techniques or technology, but fewer people. That's the dirty little secret that politicians, environmentalists, religious zealots and Nobel laureates dare not speak aloud.
What are the 'green' people doing to discourage fertility among those least able to support new human life? They can rant about GMOs, global warming, polluted air and oceans, etc all they want, but until they address the excess billions of humans on earth the problem will never be solved.
We may some day send men to Mars or peer into black holes, but there is no technology that can save the planet while the population continues to increase. Starvation will continue, disease will spread and the entire planet will continue to deteriorate.
Please don't be distracted by the infinite consequences of the problem; focus on population management, the root cause.
Creme tangerine and Montelimar
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart
A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news
But you have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle
I'm not familiar with the game Civilization but it seems to allow examining cause and effect regarding political and economic decisions. Sounds like fun and a great place to experiment with different ideas. At each turning point students and teachers should look at the results in the game and ask whether it provided realistic conclusions. They should be alert to bias in the game's algorithms (perhaps toward or against the current 'green' climate theories for example).
Unfortunately, many teachers have small minds obsessed with power. They have the answers and their job is to pour facts into the students' heads. I don't recall many of my teachers answering a question with 'I'm not sure', 'I don't know', or 'well, let's look that up'. As far as the teacher was concerned, either s/he knew the answer or the question wasn't worth answering. Textbooks likewise present information as indisputable gospel solid fact. Look at a ten or forty year old textbook and it is full of misinformation with no room for contradiction.
Many answers were wrong. Fifth grade- the teacher's explanation of electricity, AC and DC, was not just wrong, but ridiculous. Yet the tone of authority with which it was given was unmistakable.
Teachers should embrace uncertainty. Rather than shove 'facts' down the students' throats, they should examine different viewpoints, be flexible in their opinions and welcome grey areas and new information. Authoritarian attitudes have no place in education and do not encourage critical thinking.
Imagine if Google tech originated with Microsoft, Oracle, Facebook or the CIA.
Google has been pressured by many powerful forces to modify their offerings, often to reduce Free Speech. They have resisted in many justified cases where some companies would cave. There is the worrisome relationship between Google and the State Department to consider, but overall they've been 'less evil' than almost any imaginable alternative.
Analyst Emily Lutella says "Oops, that's very different." It's actually seven million faces with photos taken from different angles. Government experts have a five year plan to identify faces regardless of angle, lighting, makeup, glasses, hats or Guy Fawkes masks.
"we'll show you a notification if a nearby app or website is available"
I'm not sure but I think my applications come from all over the world. Why would I care is one is 'nearby'? And, no thank you, I don't want more mandatory cruft in my phone.
My wife and I shared the driving about equally. Equally concerned about safety, we didn't want the driver to be distracted by orally abusing and gesticulating at offending drivers we encountered on our journeys. It's an important function of driving, but reduces overall safety. We settled on a plan such that whoever was driving would continue on course even after a serious transgression by a road companion ... while the passenger would open the window and express his/her self at the offender with extreme vocal energy and gestures involving arms, fingers and facial disapproval.
It is important that bad drivers are clearly admonished at the moment of their failures or they will not learn. Anyone who trains a dog knows that. A horn just isn't enough in some cases, and in others it is too much. How can the Google car incorporate that shaming that is so beneficial to negligent drivers without requiring the Google car occupant to participate?
When your resume goes into the HR soup it is analyzed for certain keywords. Fail to include the important ones and your resume goes in the reject file.
Perhaps investors are actually looking for these idiotic keywords. Talk plain and you lose.
How many of these words need capitals?
Internet,
Web
Enjoy
One
Final
Day
As
Proper
Nouns
Some of us would rather run the Mac OS on a slow fat computer than run Windows on a fast thin computer. The hardware isn't really that interesting for regular folks surfing the net and watching Utube or using MS Office. Just need something to get the job done without any hassles or malware.
There is the issue of fashion however. Slim is sexy. Nevertheless there is only one laptop that makes an impression at Starbucks--it's the one with the lit up Apple logo. The beauty of this is that the mass of humanity can focus on keeping up with the latest latte fashion without worrying about lots of arcane computer fussery.
You can put a V8 engine in a Yugo, but you still have an unmanageable user interface.
It's the OS that counts.
This thread got me thinking. I spend too much time gathering news and I haven't given it enough thought to do it efficiently. Here are some questions I'm struggling to answer now:
What is news? How can we benefit from news? What is the best way to find beneficial news? Is dramatic news more important than routine news about government & business? Is sports and entertainment a valuable part of news? How much time should be devoted to keeping up with news? How can news prepare people for elections? How much opinion should be allowed in news? How can one detect bias in news? Are blogs, podcasts, videos and social media valuable sources of news? Are attractive, authoritative news presenters beneficial? If there is an auto collision in your neighborhood, is that news? If there is an auto collision 20 miles away, is that news? If there is an auto collision 40 miles away and someone dies, is that news? How is news influenced by editors and publishers? How is news influenced by advertisers? How is news influenced by government? How is news influenced by religion, local moral opinions, ethnic traditions, geographical trends, etc? Specifically, what do we expect from business news, world news, local news, entertainment news, weather news, family & friend news, etc? What is the best source of each? Should we pay for news or let advertising pay for it?
What questions have I missed? Are there good answers to any of these?
Sorry you are unable to follow the Google suggestion. When you learn to read before you rant you will eventually discover that the FUD about silver safety is a scam. You need to consume gallons over a long period of time to experience a change of skin color, and even then it doesn't seem to have health consequences.
When you are selling an expensive patented antibiotic and competing against less expensive OTC silver, will you spread the joy that silver is more effective? Or will you look for any way to eliminate the competition? Use your head when you read various opinions. Or join the marketing staff at Monsanto where they need shills like you.
Silver. (Google 'silver colloid') Still in use today to sterilize touchable surfaces in hospitals. Sorry, it can't be patented so no big corporation will be interested. The medical establishment will only steer you to patented products, so be wary of their advice. You can even make your own. Far more adaptable than other antibiotics. Drink it; inhale it; drop it in your eyes; lavish it on skin burns; spray it on icky surfaces you have to touch... Some minor precautions advised (don't drink large quantities over a long period of time).