... Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells From the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
Robert K. Graham, founder of the Nobel Sperm Bank, devoted his later life to promoting this simple idea: "The more intelligent you are, the more children you should have." A simple idea with complex implications, many of which are not politically correct.
In California we release many thousands of sterile male Medflies at the first sign of an infestation. This has been remarkably successful in protecting valuable crops. The dollar value of these crops is well known. What is the dollar value of human lives and health? If that were clearly understood, perhaps more effort would go into eradication of dengue and malaria.
I love the idea of VLC. I can't imagine the blood, sweat and tears that went into this labor of love. It does a few things that QuickTime can't.
But the fact is that after so many years it is still buggy on my Macs (can't even start, stop or scroll thru a video reliably) and I have never been able to export even a simple video to another format (could be my ignorance). QuickTime on Mac is relatively solid, exports flawlessly, and offers some commonsense play options that VLC lacks.
Are we expecting a miracle in VLC for Android? Instant success? I recommend a great deal of patience.
I enjoyed Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, tinker toys and chemistry sets. In each case, my mom took them away because the parts were all over the house.
I would have enjoyed an electronics kit, but there were no transistors then. Not interested in Legos.
I also made things from sticks and stones and junk I picked up at construction sites. All us boys had home-made bows and arrows and slingshots and pea shooters, and we played with lead fishing weights and mercury.
So most of this stuff is dangerous and unfit for kids. Life is dangerous for kids too.
TFA refers to big monopolies that are familiar to us all, but there are millions of small monopolies that also drive business.
The USPTO gives monopolies to businesses and individuals in the form of Patents, Trademarks and copyright.
Exclusive rights to something of value confer power to the owner. This is the core strength of all the big monopolies mentioned.
Your local shoe repair shop will never have power because it owns no IP or other exclusive rights.
Your local gas station is in the same situation except that it may have exclusive rights to the only viable corner in the neighborhood.
But your local hacker who comes up with a patentable idea could skyrocket to wealth when Google buys his idea. Or he could just sit on it and prevent anyone from using it.
Monopolies come in all shapes and sizes. They can benefit or hurt individuals, corporations, nations or consumers. This general discussion cannot lead to a simple answer about monopolies.
... most major religions discourage birth control (and especially abortion) because it blocks the production of life - something they esteem to hold in the highest regard...
You refer to 'major', and later, 'organized' religions. Which is to say 'religions with an agenda'. Over the centuries, religions have learned what works for the success of the organization. Early on they discovered that it is easier to replicate devotees than convert outsiders. Those without blinders understand this motivation for the perpetuation of the organization and the rewards for insiders.
It is also true that the roots of these religions are from a rural society without the benefit of Social Security or other retirement plans. Population explosion was less of a problem and replicants were the retirement plan.
Those with blinders will assume that the organizations' continued pressure for them to replicate is somehow for their own benefit.
The ability to connect electronic circuits with neural tissue is an extremely important milestone. It can potentially aid the blind, those with impaired motor function and much more.
The problem is that it has never been done in a lasting way. Until compatibility issues are solved there is no circuit, however clever, that will perform its function for the months and years that may be required.
When the circuit has to be installed in a delicate tissue, such as the brain, requiring a complex procedure, is it wise to commit the patient to a lifetime of replacement surgeries?
The interface must be perfected before any such circuit can be successful.
We haven't been considering the content of the 200MB properly. 200 megs of one thing are not necessarily equal to 200 megs of another.
Suppose the farmer in question is Amish and has no interest in 200MB of HD video entertainment. What if he is transmitting medical data on his pigs or his tax report or some highly encrypted Amish prøn? See what I mean?
And how is the pigeon motivated by the contents it is carrying? Would a massive spreadsheet or heavy PowerPoint document carry the same incentive as a hot Brittney video or a lightweight Slashdot Idle story? Now which is faster?
To be unbiased, the test should include several types of data. This kind of study cannot be accurately performed on a tight budget. A well considered government funded study should be promptly implemented.
I feel for you brother. I too have much media. Hundreds of hours of unwatched video, thousands of hours of audio, thousands of ebooks and no time to enjoy them. I hope that before I die there will be time for some of that.
Is it possible that the problem is not the equipment, not the cost, but the fact that you have no life? Do you have a job? Do you perform any function other than to absorb entertainment? Hey, just curious, and maybe a bit jealous.
Many years ago, my friend the airline mechanic took an interest in crash reports. He was suspicious that many 'pilot error' reports were misleading because he saw how the planes were maintained (badly). I wish there were time to tell some of his stories of neglect- sometimes tragic, sometimes comical (used condoms, panties & beer cans in the wing sections).
So at great cost in time and money he studied copies of the reports from each major crash. Sure enough the primary blame was put upon the defenseless dead pilots. After scouring the lengthy documents he was able to find indications of the real problems: equipment malfunctions. They were obliquely referred to, but they were there.
His theory was that the airlines, the manufacturers, the FAA and the entire industry had interests to protect. If the planes were revealed as defective or poorly maintained, they would lose millions. Always better to blame the pilot.
We may hope that maintenance is better now and that the true cause of crashes is being revealed. But do they have any incentive to reveal the truth?
If your job is so precarious, you might as well start looking for another employer. The best spy software isn't going to record what pops up in that window
I've been using this for a while now. I tried and saw the items you suggest 'get pregnant' etc among many other possibilities. These results come and go as you type and change almost instantly. It would take a sharp eye to notice 'how do i start selling weed' in that flurry. I fail to see how the process impairs your activities.
It's easy to ignore if you don't like it. So easy I'm not sure when it first appeared. Early on, the feature put me slightly off balance but over time I found it helpful. It showed me options that I hadn't intended but which lead me to relevant topics. I would not want to give it up now.
My guess is that many commenters here already have multiple computing devices that serve various purposes in their lives. Is there some good reason to deny others a device of their choice?
I still have two Newton Message Pads which still serve well for specific purposes. I'm sure you insulted them in their day because they weren't DOS compatible and couldn't play your favorite game.
I see two extremes in these small units. The book reader which takes space and money and serves only one purpose; and the netbook/laptop which tries to be all things to all people, despite the awkwardness of use. The iPad is comfortably in the middle. You got a problem with that?
When electron tubes gave way to transistors I sensed a revolution in progress, but it was hard to wrap my brain around a simple transistor being able to do such a variety of things with such a small energy cost.
Now this. My now aged brain struggles to comprehend and see the implications. I expect all to be revealed in this forum.
All of the concerns so far are about 'books'. This is a vague term indeed. . Chair is a similarly vague term. It includes big comfy reclining chairs, 3 legged milking stools, dentist chairs beanbag chairs and electric chairs. It is helpful to be more specific when discussing books. . I suspect that most here would prefer a paper novel for leisure reading in the bathroom or at the beach. . And I suspect that many would prefer an electronic text for study and research. A text that could find a chapter or a text string in a flash. A text that could cross reference related topics for a quick review. A text with graphics and text that can be made larger or smaller as needed. Pages that can be printed, annotated, shared with other students or incorporated into reports. . We are talking about a school here, right? It's not the women's auxiliary knitting and novel discussion group.
And let's consider their claim that an asphalt road needs to be replaced every 7 years. This is their justification for a long lasting (21 yr lifespan) solar road being cost effective.
When is the last time you saw a 7 year old road replaced? Roads around here are at least 30 years old and may get their potholes fixed every 7 years or so.
Replacing a 30 year road with a 21 year road that costs 3 times as much isn't cost effective.
And that assumes they are right about the 21 year lifespan and the 3X cost. The 7 year fantasy suggests that they are just lying and can't be trusted in regard to any of their claims.
While it is nice to program systems that provide faster sorting, more efficient network traffic and better inventory analysis, I have to ask: is this what you really want to do? You could get rich with an algorithm for better commodities price prediction, but many are tearing out their hair trying to do the same thing. And the work can be tedious and ultimately almost certain to fail.
If you really must work in tech, what can you do that will be worthwhile, that will satisfy your soul?
Why not begin the singularity? Why not create the first computer that will see a path to it's own improvement and help you to build it? Generation after generation of ever smarter computers that design their own (improved) offspring...
It could make you rich, it could get you killed, but it will certainly get you into the history books.
Computers & robots working together to eliminate all the thinking and back breaking labor that humans tolerate today. Each generation smarter, stronger, better than the last. Kurzweil's singularity come to life.
On the down side you put every IT worker out of work. On the up side, no human thought or toil is ever needed again. You have made us free to watch TV and drink beer all day long.
I waded through a lot of whining to find your refreshing thoughts which agree completely with my own.
The knee-jerk assumption that IT is the way to go is so tired, with roots in the 50s, it's time to rethink the premise.
In the late 60's I decided to study Psickology. It was the thing to do. My university kept telling me that the courses I was asking for were full. That should have set off alarms, but I was young.
I finally investigated and discovered that nearly 40% of the students at my school were psych majors. Not only that, but around the US it was the same story. There must have been millions of psych majors!
I got the message. There is no way for even a sick society to support that many therapists. I moved on.
Psychology is a 1940 'technology' that peaked around 1965. Where is it now?
IT generated excitement from the 60s to the 90s among ambitious young people, but where is it now? It is drawing the desperate who just want a job. Smart minds are looking for a more fertile field.
Slashdot Mirror
...
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
- E. A. Poe
http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/The_Bells.htm
Robert K. Graham, founder of the Nobel Sperm Bank, devoted his later life to promoting this simple idea:
"The more intelligent you are, the more children you should have."
A simple idea with complex implications, many of which are not politically correct.
Furthermore the lifespan of the male mosquito is already very short. A week for most of the 2,500 species.
In California we release many thousands of sterile male Medflies at the first sign of an infestation. This has been remarkably successful in protecting valuable crops. The dollar value of these crops is well known. What is the dollar value of human lives and health? If that were clearly understood, perhaps more effort would go into eradication of dengue and malaria.
And when I enlarge the text enough to read it I need to scroll just to read a single story.
I paid a lot for my monitor. Don't appreciate anyone who wastes that space.
I love the idea of VLC. I can't imagine the blood, sweat and tears that went into this labor of love. It does a few things that QuickTime can't.
But the fact is that after so many years it is still buggy on my Macs (can't even start, stop or scroll thru a video reliably) and I have never been able to export even a simple video to another format (could be my ignorance). QuickTime on Mac is relatively solid, exports flawlessly, and offers some commonsense play options that VLC lacks.
Are we expecting a miracle in VLC for Android? Instant success? I recommend a great deal of patience.
He presented a very similar presentation in his podcast for TEDtalks.
www.TED.com
I enjoyed Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, tinker toys and chemistry sets. In each case, my mom took them away because the parts were all over the house.
I would have enjoyed an electronics kit, but there were no transistors then. Not interested in Legos.
I also made things from sticks and stones and junk I picked up at construction sites. All us boys had home-made bows and arrows and slingshots and pea shooters, and we played with lead fishing weights and mercury.
So most of this stuff is dangerous and unfit for kids. Life is dangerous for kids too.
TFA refers to big monopolies that are familiar to us all, but there are millions of small monopolies that also drive business.
The USPTO gives monopolies to businesses and individuals in the form of Patents, Trademarks and copyright.
Exclusive rights to something of value confer power to the owner. This is the core strength of all the big monopolies mentioned.
Your local shoe repair shop will never have power because it owns no IP or other exclusive rights.
Your local gas station is in the same situation except that it may have exclusive rights to the only viable corner in the neighborhood.
But your local hacker who comes up with a patentable idea could skyrocket to wealth when Google buys his idea. Or he could just sit on it and prevent anyone from using it.
Monopolies come in all shapes and sizes. They can benefit or hurt individuals, corporations, nations or consumers. This general discussion cannot lead to a simple answer about monopolies.
... most major religions discourage birth control (and especially abortion) because it blocks the production of life - something they esteem to hold in the highest regard ...
You refer to 'major', and later, 'organized' religions. Which is to say 'religions with an agenda'. Over the centuries, religions have learned what works for the success of the organization. Early on they discovered that it is easier to replicate devotees than convert outsiders. Those without blinders understand this motivation for the perpetuation of the organization and the rewards for insiders.
It is also true that the roots of these religions are from a rural society without the benefit of Social Security or other retirement plans. Population explosion was less of a problem and replicants were the retirement plan.
Those with blinders will assume that the organizations' continued pressure for them to replicate is somehow for their own benefit.
"you can count on the fingers of one head..."
Hey!
Is that supposed to be a joke about my condition!
You sick bastard!!!
The ability to connect electronic circuits with neural tissue is an extremely important milestone. It can potentially aid the blind, those with impaired motor function and much more.
The problem is that it has never been done in a lasting way. Until compatibility issues are solved there is no circuit, however clever, that will perform its function for the months and years that may be required.
When the circuit has to be installed in a delicate tissue, such as the brain, requiring a complex procedure, is it wise to commit the patient to a lifetime of replacement surgeries?
The interface must be perfected before any such circuit can be successful.
We haven't been considering the content of the 200MB properly. 200 megs of one thing are not necessarily equal to 200 megs of another.
Suppose the farmer in question is Amish and has no interest in 200MB of HD video entertainment. What if he is transmitting medical data on his pigs or his tax report or some highly encrypted Amish prøn? See what I mean?
And how is the pigeon motivated by the contents it is carrying? Would a massive spreadsheet or heavy PowerPoint document carry the same incentive as a hot Brittney video or a lightweight Slashdot Idle story? Now which is faster?
To be unbiased, the test should include several types of data. This kind of study cannot be accurately performed on a tight budget. A well considered government funded study should be promptly implemented.
I feel for you brother. I too have much media. Hundreds of hours of unwatched video, thousands of hours of audio, thousands of ebooks and no time to enjoy them. I hope that before I die there will be time for some of that.
Is it possible that the problem is not the equipment, not the cost, but the fact that you have no life? Do you have a job? Do you perform any function other than to absorb entertainment? Hey, just curious, and maybe a bit jealous.
Many years ago, my friend the airline mechanic took an interest in crash reports. He was suspicious that many 'pilot error' reports were misleading because he saw how the planes were maintained (badly). I wish there were time to tell some of his stories of neglect- sometimes tragic, sometimes comical (used condoms, panties & beer cans in the wing sections).
So at great cost in time and money he studied copies of the reports from each major crash. Sure enough the primary blame was put upon the defenseless dead pilots. After scouring the lengthy documents he was able to find indications of the real problems: equipment malfunctions. They were obliquely referred to, but they were there.
His theory was that the airlines, the manufacturers, the FAA and the entire industry had interests to protect. If the planes were revealed as defective or poorly maintained, they would lose millions. Always better to blame the pilot.
We may hope that maintenance is better now and that the true cause of crashes is being revealed. But do they have any incentive to reveal the truth?
Nonsense
If your job is so precarious, you might as well start looking for another employer. The best spy software isn't going to record what pops up in that window
I've been using this for a while now. I tried and saw the items you suggest 'get pregnant' etc among many other possibilities. These results come and go as you type and change almost instantly. It would take a sharp eye to notice 'how do i start selling weed' in that flurry. I fail to see how the process impairs your activities.
It's easy to ignore if you don't like it. So easy I'm not sure when it first appeared. Early on, the feature put me slightly off balance but over time I found it helpful. It showed me options that I hadn't intended but which lead me to relevant topics. I would not want to give it up now.
My guess is that many commenters here already have multiple computing devices that serve various purposes in their lives. Is there some good reason to deny others a device of their choice?
I still have two Newton Message Pads which still serve well for specific purposes. I'm sure you insulted them in their day because they weren't DOS compatible and couldn't play your favorite game.
I see two extremes in these small units. The book reader which takes space and money and serves only one purpose; and the netbook/laptop which tries to be all things to all people, despite the awkwardness of use. The iPad is comfortably in the middle. You got a problem with that?
Who is this Muhammed? I remember decades of hearing about Mohamed, the prophet, and I currently know about 8 people with that name.
My friends are what we used to call Moslems. There must be hundreds of books referring to Moslems, but today the media has forgotten that word.
Is nothing sacred any more?
Am I the first to be dazzled by this?
When electron tubes gave way to transistors I sensed a revolution in progress, but it was hard to wrap my brain around a simple transistor being able to do such a variety of things with such a small energy cost.
Now this. My now aged brain struggles to comprehend and see the implications. I expect all to be revealed in this forum.
All of the concerns so far are about 'books'. This is a vague term indeed.
.
Chair is a similarly vague term. It includes big comfy reclining chairs, 3 legged milking stools, dentist chairs beanbag chairs and electric chairs. It is helpful to be more specific when discussing books.
.
I suspect that most here would prefer a paper novel for leisure reading in the bathroom or at the beach.
.
And I suspect that many would prefer an electronic text for study and research. A text that could find a chapter or a text string in a flash. A text that could cross reference related topics for a quick review. A text with graphics and text that can be made larger or smaller as needed. Pages that can be printed, annotated, shared with other students or incorporated into reports.
.
We are talking about a school here, right? It's not the women's auxiliary knitting and novel discussion group.
And let's consider their claim that an asphalt road needs to be replaced every 7 years. This is their justification for a long lasting (21 yr lifespan) solar road being cost effective.
When is the last time you saw a 7 year old road replaced? Roads around here are at least 30 years old and may get their potholes fixed every 7 years or so.
Replacing a 30 year road with a 21 year road that costs 3 times as much isn't cost effective.
And that assumes they are right about the 21 year lifespan and the 3X cost. The 7 year fantasy suggests that they are just lying and can't be trusted in regard to any of their claims.
While it is nice to program systems that provide faster sorting, more efficient network traffic and better inventory analysis, I have to ask: is this what you really want to do? You could get rich with an algorithm for better commodities price prediction, but many are tearing out their hair trying to do the same thing. And the work can be tedious and ultimately almost certain to fail.
If you really must work in tech, what can you do that will be worthwhile, that will satisfy your soul?
Why not begin the singularity? Why not create the first computer that will see a path to it's own improvement and help you to build it? Generation after generation of ever smarter computers that design their own (improved) offspring...
It could make you rich, it could get you killed, but it will certainly get you into the history books.
Computers & robots working together to eliminate all the thinking and back breaking labor that humans tolerate today. Each generation smarter, stronger, better than the last. Kurzweil's singularity come to life.
On the down side you put every IT worker out of work. On the up side, no human thought or toil is ever needed again. You have made us free to watch TV and drink beer all day long.
Well said!
I waded through a lot of whining to find your refreshing thoughts which agree completely with my own.
The knee-jerk assumption that IT is the way to go is so tired, with roots in the 50s, it's time to rethink the premise.
In the late 60's I decided to study Psickology. It was the thing to do. My university kept telling me that the courses I was asking for were full. That should have set off alarms, but I was young.
I finally investigated and discovered that nearly 40% of the students at my school were psych majors. Not only that, but around the US it was the same story. There must have been millions of psych majors!
I got the message. There is no way for even a sick society to support that many therapists. I moved on.
Psychology is a 1940 'technology' that peaked around 1965. Where is it now?
IT generated excitement from the 60s to the 90s among ambitious young people, but where is it now? It is drawing the desperate who just want a job. Smart minds are looking for a more fertile field.
Biotech is one of the brightest opportunities.
Mod parent up please
The headline is just plain wrong- Fox gets more than Hulu.
The math is pretty simple:
Hulu: 1 ad X $60 = $60/thousand
Fox: 9+ ads X ~$30 = minimum $270/thousand
Furthermore, I'll wager that more thousands are watching Fox.
This story seems to be an attempt to make geeks feel good about themselves vs the 'establishment'. Is that really necessary on /.?
For now, ham radio is probably the best communication device in times of dexterity.