They want to know your most intimate secrets but they don't want to tell you who they are.
Doesn't this bother _anyone_?
Jumping around their web site you'll find a reference to Harvard and some people who seem to be scientists. There doesn't seem to be a clear indication of where the money is coming from or who is really behind this project.
Doesn't this bother anyone?
So often we give our personal information over the internet to people who haven't the decency to give us an email address (Yahoo, Google, Facebook, etc). They tell us everything will be OK, but no individual accepts responsibility for our data security. Has any individual or company or organization ever paid a penalty for leaking private data over the internet?
Doesn't this bother anyone?
When you give this kind of information you can't expect the law to protect you. Your best defense is knowing who you are dealing with and whether they can be trusted.
I recommend that you ask for a full financial disclosure before risking your privacy to this essentially anonymous group. Ask for the names of major contributors and the organizations that they represent. Divine, if you can, the motivations of the contributors and how much control they have over the project.
It's good to see that some have time for such pursuits.
Now we need a game in which we take the role of homeless families seeking food and shelter. Programmers could add options to sleep in abandoned cars and avoid drug dealing thugs and compete with illegal aliens for low level jobs.
What great suspense as we wipe the grime off our faces and prepare for the job interview at the fast food joint. What jolly moments we'll have as we sing cheerful songs with the children and open the goodies we found in the dumpster!
Yes, I know this game is just around the corner -- are you the courageous programmer that will bring it to us?
Government supervision of news will keep it clean and pure.
Let's waste no energy with celebrity interviews, minor traffic incidents, fake news that actually promotes some business, PR announcements from politicians, etc. The government can be trusted to give us the straight scoop- news that matters, news we can use to build a stronger country.
Not only is existing 'news' trivial, but redundant. In the US, every TV network & newspaper repeats the same news feed. Only the names of the newsreaders are changed to protect the anonymous reporter who originated the story. A real crowd pleasing story will be updated for additional days with interviews of victims & witnesses & people with interesting opinions. How does this help us to be responsible citizens?
Only PBS & BBC consistently bring us useful news broadcasts in the US. CNN (cable TV) can be good and MSNBC on occasion. Among newspapers the Christian Science Monitor is well trusted. Some freedom from commercial pressure seems to be critical to getting real news to the public. These outlets could do even more with better funding.
The indications are that government financed and managed media will give us a better picture of events both local and worldwide while minimizing distractions like pro sports and celebrity gossip.
The mention of 'engine blocks melting' reminds me of speculation about the Chicago fire over 100 years ago.
It wasn't Mrs. O'Leary's cow that was responsible, of course, and there is no proof of any theory... but there is a very strange recent theory to consider.
First, consider some of the unique aspects of the fire. People jumped into the river to avoid the flames. There, far from any flammable material, many of them died. Autopsies showed that their lungs had been cooked from breathing air that should have been cool.
At the banks of lake Michigan was a steel storage yard, stacked with huge iron beams ready for the construction boom. These were also far from any fuel source, yet the beams melted to the ground. The intensity of the heat and the sometimes odd location of the heat indicated a very unusual fire.
It was unknown then that Chicago was not alone. Other intense fires occurred nearby and possibly across Siberia in various, mostly rural, places at around the same time.
In our time a theory has evolved that the fires had the same cause. This from Wikipedia:
"An alternative theory, first suggested in 1882, is that the Great Chicago Fire was caused by a meteor shower. At a 2004 conference of the Aerospace Corporation and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, engineer and physicist Robert Wood suggested that the fire began when Biela's Comet broke up over the Midwest and rained down below. That four large fires took place, all on the same day, all on the shores of Lake Michigan (see Related Events), suggests a common root cause. Eyewitnesses reported sighting spontaneous ignitions, lack of smoke, "balls of fire" falling from the sky, and blue flames. According to Wood, these accounts suggest that the fires were caused by the methane that is commonly found in comets.[10]"
You will enjoy the fruits of your further research into the subject.
One can't help but reflect upon these two and their stubborn support of DC and AC respectively. Edison created a circus atmosphere demonstrating the dangers of AC. He electrocuted dogs & other animals and even participated in the design of the electric chair to prove his point.
Edison's financial ambition was part of the problem, and his inability to understand AC, but mostly it seems to have been an emotional attachment to DC.
Let's hope that in our time emotion and personal gain have no part in such decisions.
In my city, like many others, the major newspaper has made serious cuts to the news department and some top reporters were let go. Some of those reporters have moved to an online only newspaper which has become an excellent source of news.
Our newspaper, again like many others, has always had an agenda and an involvement in local politics that prevented honest reporting on certain topics. The reporters that moved now have more freedom to tell it like it is.
For the first time ordinary citizens have the opportunity to learn what goes on behind the scenes in local government. We learn about the conflicts between developers and the need for city services- water, sewer, traffic management, schools, etc. We also learn about the conflicts between officials who would cut labor costs and union workers who need a living wage. We are finally aware of personal conflicts between government officials and others who hold our future in their hands.
I have no idea how these reporters get paid. The new online newspaper is a non-profit, dependent upon donations. I hope it is getting the support that has been earned, but I suspect this may not be a sustainable model.
When you hear that alternative medicines are 'untested' you have to ask why. Is it because the sellers are hiding something? Let's give this a moment's thought:
The Scientific Method and double blind testing are wonderful tools, but expensive to employ in medical matters. It requires significant numbers of volunteer humans, a large investment in safety mechanisms and documentation, a significant mathematical analysis to derive valid results and much more...
Drug companies invest millions in these studies in hope of billions in profits from their intellectual property (IP). Drug companies do not make money from drugs, they make money from exclusive ownership of IP. In that sense they are no different from software companies or music studios- the actual cost of the media & distribution is insignificant.
OTOH, a company selling vitamins, amino acids, herbs, minerals, etc rarely has millions to spend upon such tests. They never make billions on their products. They have no hope of profiting from any intellectual property. They sell a commodity and compete vigorously to survive. The cost of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging and distribution is nearly 100% of the price you pay.
It is interesting to note that many (most?) drugs originate as herbs and folk remedies. Drug companies continue to search the earth and the sea for any natural substance that may have useful pharmaceutical properties. When they find one, they search for a way to synthesize the active ingredient so that they can patent it. Aspirin was derived from a tree bark that ancient Romans used to treat pain and fevers. Bayer made a lot of money from that and doesn't seem to have offered any of it to the Romans.
Despite these investment millions and government rules and regulation, drug companies still make mistakes and an approved drug can be later found to be useless or harmful. Far more people are killed and damaged by approved drugs than alternative medicines.
The scare tactics that are spread about alternative medicine have the same roots as the other right wing nonsense about a terrorist under every bed and the boogyman at the door. They come from Big Pharma and their paid government allies. Is it a surprise that retiring FDA officials go to work for the companies they regulated, and that company employees get jobs inside the FDA? How can your vitamin company compete with the pharmaceutical lobby? They can't and they may soon be out of business.
I'm not a scientist but a writer. I wonder how a writer who is steeped in some genre could ever break free and create a work for the ages to marvel at.
When one chooses a compelling environment (containing people- living and dead; and established truths, patterns, methods...) in which to work, the microscopic germs of thought that run contrary to that environment are quickly crushed and forgotten. The remaining thought pattern will tend to conform to what already exists.
Those germs, if allowed to grow and evolve, might have been the essence of a new train of thought that others could build upon for all future time. Such germs appear in many minds, in many fields of endeavor and suffer the fate of banishment due to social and environmental prejudices. The lifetime of such a germ may be less than one second. That is how much time is available to kill it or explore it and the environment is often the key factor.
It is critical that individual creative processes be encouraged and not always plunged into the mass of group thought.
It's not surprising that lonely nerds & hackers resent those who have someone to talk to.
Who could I call while shlepping through the supermarket? Who would readily receive my ring as I navigate the nasty rush hour? Who would call to ask about my aspirations in the twilight time?
Don't you just hate those people who have caring friends and family? Even prisoners have friends dammit!
When I see 'DARPA', 'will ultimately lead to', 'prototype', 'would be perfect for', etc; I just sigh and consider the last few seconds to be a lost part of my life.
I've been reading since the early '50s about the imminent personal flying craft and similar wonders in such august publications as PopSci, Popular Mechanics, etc. I grow weary.
The idea that introverts direct their thoughts inwardly is invalid.
Many I know, including myself, focus entirely outward, embracing the world around them. They may do it reading books, watching TV, surfing the net, writing, or even interacting with others.
I believe that many/. participants share this excitement about how technology is changing the world. This discussion is a prime example. Many of us are introverts, but we are not selfish at all.
For my part, I have to become really sick before I begin to notice my body. I neglect myself because there simply isn't time to fuss about my body, my feelings, my appearance to others.
I am introverted in that I can tolerate long periods of silence, of solitude, of Erik Satie music. I can think through long and complex processes and I can invite creative inspiration via mental discipline that IM seems to preclude.
Yet I seem to need daily quality face-to-face interaction as well. IM and similar chatter are a poor substitute for me. I've used my sig, below, for years now and it fits right in this thread.
Isn't it fascinating to see this paranoia at Slashdot?
These are echoes of the voices that feared the coming of the horseless carriage and the light bulb and the Zeppelin Tube*. Why would anyone need such a thing? What about the children?!! It will only lead to heartache and a chronic case of the Buffalo shuffles. It's the work of the Devil!
As it happens this 'technology' has been around for at least a century in the form of parabolic reflectors. I have personally participated in an experiment where I could communicate normally at a distance with someone via two ten foot reflectors. This required no moving nor electronic parts. A whisper could be heard in full fidelity in the midst of chaotic noises in the environment.
Some years ago people developed smaller electronic devices that could focus sound fairly well. There were hints about applications for these devices, including military uses. I have waited for news of actual products to no avail until today.
Don't be afraid, little people.
*[The Zeppelin tube: the tube of unlimited power--can only be used for good--or for evil.]
I can't use the proprietary DjVu image viewer plug-in with my Mac/Firefox combo and I don't understand the use of TIFF images served one (very slow) page at a time requiring both Flash & Quicktime in my browser. Other book sources offer text and PDF formats. It is possible that there is some intent to restrict users by these unconventional formats and awkward serving procedures.
Indeed, the FAQ says that if you want to download an entire book for offline reading, you must send an email request. Your use of the book is restricted to non-commercial. So despite the fact that most of these books are around 100 years old, they seem to be claiming some rights by making copies of them.
When I zip over to Gutenberg.org; in seconds I find a list of interesting books and when I pick the venerable Kama Sutra, the entire text is on my screen in a flash. Unfortunately I acted too fast and discovered that the text I got was in French, but with such an efficient system I can correct my mistake quickly.
The CMU system would take forever to get such results and it can only be due to a deliberate obfuscation. How many of us want to read ancient science books anyway?
If the plaintiff has anything to protect it would be a service mark, since he is not selling a product.
The continuous use of a mark along with the 'sm' or other identifier claiming ownership is what validates it. Registering the mark may make it easier to defend in court, but is not required. Defending the mark is important and if abuses are allowed it could be lost to the public domain.
That said, the current function of the USPTO seems to be to protect corporate interests. The reality is that when a wealthy entity and an individual disagree on IP ownership, the individual is likely to lose.
IANAL, yadda, yadda, but I have interests to protect too.
Exactly where on this planet is it illegal? Who enforces this law? What are the prescribed penalties? How many have been arrested, convicted and punished?
I hope I'm not divulging military secrets when I mention the obvious (but no doubt patentable) allure of using piezoelectric material in the uniforms of field soldiers. This material would generate significant voltage upon the impact of larger bullets, shrapnel, dirty bombs, flying debris and blows from the enemies' rifle butts. An active warrior would be a veritable powerplant as he braves the front lines with his modern garb. Even the final impact of his body crashing to the ground would generate electricity.
quote "... for a 10 hour mission to observe forest fires in California, scanning the terrain from 23-25,000 feet using a variety of sensors for visible and IR light. Able to remain aloft for up to 30 continuous hours..."
So what did it do for the remaining 20 hours? A beer run?
Displaced SoCal citizens could have used that data, we could still use it today (Saturday).
Easy. Top Graduates learn by rote. Hippies are immersed. Hippies will win every time there is a conflict between corporate goals and human goals.
Have you forgotten the 1984 Apple commercial where the girl throws the hammer at Big Brother and frees all the zombie clones? Those zombie clones were MicroClones from Redmond. When they get the message, the world will be saved. http://pulsar.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/1984.mov
It can be so frustrating to find that special name only to discover that someone already used it. To have it stolen right out from under you, however, is infuriating.
It's been a few years since I registered my domains. I seem to recall a similar paranoia about checking availability. Not just registrars, but search engines are capable of clever stuff.
If you search Google for a five letter word and it finds nothing, do you suppose they ignore that? I assume that they log it in a special file for review by a human. A unique 5 letter word (assuming it's pronounceable) is worth its weight in gold! (alas, 5 letter words don't weigh much)
So I tried various ways to avoid attracting attention to my precious creations. I honestly don't remember them now, so you are wasting your time reading this... But wait, maybe I can come up with a tip or two off the top of my head.
1 Don't use a major search engine to look for your name. Maybe Scroogle.org would be safer (I doubt it- doesn't it just link to Google? Please offer alternatives).
2 Don't type the name into the browser toolbar.
3 Don't use a registrar to search until you are ready to buy right now.
4 Don't call your best friend and ask if the name sounds OK.
5 Disguise your name. If it is 'xyz', try xyz's or 'the xyz' or xy'z... Some of these might throw off any evildoers while giving you useful information.
People aren't too bright in general. Questions that can't be answered with a 'yes' or 'no', up or down, good or bad... such questions befuddle people. The great mass of people are binary beings. One or zero. The concept of evolution offers them no benefit and may well cause them a headache. There are institutions- religion, military and prison which serve to make decisions easier for these people.
I used to rent rooms to college students. All through the house I installed dimmer switches for the lights. I find that I need different amounts of light at different times and in different situations. The students however, one and all, were uncomfortable with anything other than on or off. Even intelligent people are often uncomfortable with anything involving shades of grey. No political candidate is going to say "I will evaluate all sides of the issue and get the best advice I can, and then I'll respond with reasonable speed and caution." Can you imagine Schwarzenegger or Reagan or Bush making a statement like that? Only Carter- and people still despise him for it.
I would guess that Slashdotters live and work among more intelligent people. You may have little if any exposure to the masses in the USA such as you find in small towns in Arkansas, South Dakota or Missouri. You probably have even less exposure to people in Latin America, rural China, or equatorial Africa. You and everyone you know, are among the top 1% of intelligent/aware people in the world.
The examples in Rob's essay all involve more evolved people. Few of the masses I speak of frequent the 'wisdom of crowds' circles that he mentioned. Those wise people are among the elite- yes even the idle movie-goers who need a review before going to the theater. The simple act of going to a theater, or participating in a public spirited group activity expands their awareness and distinguishes them from the masses. These people weigh and consider many factors before making a decision, even a movie choice. While it is good that they are able to do this, it is unfortunate that they sometimes weigh the wrong decisions. For example they may consider carefully their bet on the World Series game and not spend much time considering the upcoming election issues or whether they are drinking too many soft drinks.
As we have seen with the economy, I think there is an increasing gap between the intelligence of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Even as Slashdot readers enthusiastically feed off ideas like Rob's, the ignorant are more deeply entrenched in their superstitions. Science & nutrition allow some of us to be smarter than our genes would predict while the human law of survival-of-the-least-fit drags the average IQ even lower than that of the last century.
I'm all for scientists learning English, math, German, Latin and a bit of Greek so that they can communicate with each other and those who need to know. When technical topics are to be presented to the public, however, I strongly urge that a professional be allowed to handle it.
The Society for Technical Communication (stc.org) is a good place to start. Many of their thousands of members are dedicated to that art. They have done their own scientific studies of communications and published in peer-reviewed journals.
You probably know them as the people who wrote your software manual or the instructions for repairing your bicycle. They also do medical & bio docs. Some specialize in educational material, a few are expert in glyphs and their effectiveness in various environments, others in fun specialties like indexing, many are well versed on effective web presentation of particular topics... Wherever technical information has to be introduced to unfamiliar users, tech comms will be there.
There is a certain aesthetic appeal to the idea of repairing your own car, building your own room addition or mowing your own lawn. In most cases it's best to let a pro do it.
Slashdot Mirror
They want to know your most intimate secrets but they don't want to tell you who they are.
Doesn't this bother _anyone_?
Jumping around their web site you'll find a reference to Harvard and some people who seem to be scientists. There doesn't seem to be a clear indication of where the money is coming from or who is really behind this project.
Doesn't this bother anyone?
So often we give our personal information over the internet to people who haven't the decency to give us an email address (Yahoo, Google, Facebook, etc). They tell us everything will be OK, but no individual accepts responsibility for our data security. Has any individual or company or organization ever paid a penalty for leaking private data over the internet?
Doesn't this bother anyone?
When you give this kind of information you can't expect the law to protect you. Your best defense is knowing who you are dealing with and whether they can be trusted.
I recommend that you ask for a full financial disclosure before risking your privacy to this essentially anonymous group. Ask for the names of major contributors and the organizations that they represent. Divine, if you can, the motivations of the contributors and how much control they have over the project.
It's good to see that some have time for such pursuits.
Now we need a game in which we take the role of homeless families seeking food and shelter. Programmers could add options to sleep in abandoned cars and avoid drug dealing thugs and compete with illegal aliens for low level jobs.
What great suspense as we wipe the grime off our faces and prepare for the job interview at the fast food joint. What jolly moments we'll have as we sing cheerful songs with the children and open the goodies we found in the dumpster!
Yes, I know this game is just around the corner -- are you the courageous programmer that will bring it to us?
My first thought was that the picture is a reminder of our insignificance relative to the greater universe (and even the quantum universe).
But what daring goes into these missions! Tiny we may be but we have great ambition.
Doesn't it seem logical that if the phone is a big money maker they would want to promote it?
Here in California I have seen many AT&T ads for other brands of cell phones. Never for the iPhone. Is it different where you live?
Come to think of it I've seen many Apple ads for the iPhone and AT&T is never mentioned.
So, if these guys are making each other rich, why aren't they more friendly to each other? Makes me doubt the NYT analysis.
Government supervision of news will keep it clean and pure.
Let's waste no energy with celebrity interviews, minor traffic incidents, fake news that actually promotes some business, PR announcements from politicians, etc. The government can be trusted to give us the straight scoop- news that matters, news we can use to build a stronger country.
Not only is existing 'news' trivial, but redundant. In the US, every TV network & newspaper repeats the same news feed. Only the names of the newsreaders are changed to protect the anonymous reporter who originated the story. A real crowd pleasing story will be updated for additional days with interviews of victims & witnesses & people with interesting opinions. How does this help us to be responsible citizens?
Only PBS & BBC consistently bring us useful news broadcasts in the US. CNN (cable TV) can be good and MSNBC on occasion. Among newspapers the Christian Science Monitor is well trusted. Some freedom from commercial pressure seems to be critical to getting real news to the public. These outlets could do even more with better funding.
The indications are that government financed and managed media will give us a better picture of events both local and worldwide while minimizing distractions like pro sports and celebrity gossip.
The mention of 'engine blocks melting' reminds me of speculation about the Chicago fire over 100 years ago.
It wasn't Mrs. O'Leary's cow that was responsible, of course, and there is no proof of any theory ... but there is a very strange recent theory to consider.
First, consider some of the unique aspects of the fire. People jumped into the river to avoid the flames. There, far from any flammable material, many of them died. Autopsies showed that their lungs had been cooked from breathing air that should have been cool.
At the banks of lake Michigan was a steel storage yard, stacked with huge iron beams ready for the construction boom. These were also far from any fuel source, yet the beams melted to the ground. The intensity of the heat and the sometimes odd location of the heat indicated a very unusual fire.
It was unknown then that Chicago was not alone. Other intense fires occurred nearby and possibly across Siberia in various, mostly rural, places at around the same time.
In our time a theory has evolved that the fires had the same cause. This from Wikipedia:
"An alternative theory, first suggested in 1882, is that the Great Chicago Fire was caused by a meteor shower. At a 2004 conference of the Aerospace Corporation and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, engineer and physicist Robert Wood suggested that the fire began when Biela's Comet broke up over the Midwest and rained down below. That four large fires took place, all on the same day, all on the shores of Lake Michigan (see Related Events), suggests a common root cause. Eyewitnesses reported sighting spontaneous ignitions, lack of smoke, "balls of fire" falling from the sky, and blue flames. According to Wood, these accounts suggest that the fires were caused by the methane that is commonly found in comets.[10]"
You will enjoy the fruits of your further research into the subject.
One can't help but reflect upon these two and their stubborn support of DC and AC respectively. Edison created a circus atmosphere demonstrating the dangers of AC. He electrocuted dogs & other animals and even participated in the design of the electric chair to prove his point.
Edison's financial ambition was part of the problem, and his inability to understand AC, but mostly it seems to have been an emotional attachment to DC.
Let's hope that in our time emotion and personal gain have no part in such decisions.
Whoa, for a moment I thought you said _million_ years. No need to panic, people.
In my city, like many others, the major newspaper has made serious cuts to the news department and some top reporters were let go. Some of those reporters have moved to an online only newspaper which has become an excellent source of news.
Our newspaper, again like many others, has always had an agenda and an involvement in local politics that prevented honest reporting on certain topics. The reporters that moved now have more freedom to tell it like it is.
For the first time ordinary citizens have the opportunity to learn what goes on behind the scenes in local government. We learn about the conflicts between developers and the need for city services- water, sewer, traffic management, schools, etc. We also learn about the conflicts between officials who would cut labor costs and union workers who need a living wage. We are finally aware of personal conflicts between government officials and others who hold our future in their hands.
I have no idea how these reporters get paid. The new online newspaper is a non-profit, dependent upon donations. I hope it is getting the support that has been earned, but I suspect this may not be a sustainable model.
When you hear that alternative medicines are 'untested' you have to ask why. Is it because the sellers are hiding something? Let's give this a moment's thought:
The Scientific Method and double blind testing are wonderful tools, but expensive to employ in medical matters. It requires significant numbers of volunteer humans, a large investment in safety mechanisms and documentation, a significant mathematical analysis to derive valid results and much more...
Drug companies invest millions in these studies in hope of billions in profits from their intellectual property (IP). Drug companies do not make money from drugs, they make money from exclusive ownership of IP. In that sense they are no different from software companies or music studios- the actual cost of the media & distribution is insignificant.
OTOH, a company selling vitamins, amino acids, herbs, minerals, etc rarely has millions to spend upon such tests. They never make billions on their products. They have no hope of profiting from any intellectual property. They sell a commodity and compete vigorously to survive. The cost of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging and distribution is nearly 100% of the price you pay.
It is interesting to note that many (most?) drugs originate as herbs and folk remedies. Drug companies continue to search the earth and the sea for any natural substance that may have useful pharmaceutical properties. When they find one, they search for a way to synthesize the active ingredient so that they can patent it. Aspirin was derived from a tree bark that ancient Romans used to treat pain and fevers. Bayer made a lot of money from that and doesn't seem to have offered any of it to the Romans.
Despite these investment millions and government rules and regulation, drug companies still make mistakes and an approved drug can be later found to be useless or harmful. Far more people are killed and damaged by approved drugs than alternative medicines.
The scare tactics that are spread about alternative medicine have the same roots as the other right wing nonsense about a terrorist under every bed and the boogyman at the door. They come from Big Pharma and their paid government allies. Is it a surprise that retiring FDA officials go to work for the companies they regulated, and that company employees get jobs inside the FDA? How can your vitamin company compete with the pharmaceutical lobby? They can't and they may soon be out of business.
I'm not a scientist but a writer. I wonder how a writer who is steeped in some genre could ever break free and create a work for the ages to marvel at.
When one chooses a compelling environment (containing people- living and dead; and established truths, patterns, methods...) in which to work, the microscopic germs of thought that run contrary to that environment are quickly crushed and forgotten. The remaining thought pattern will tend to conform to what already exists.
Those germs, if allowed to grow and evolve, might have been the essence of a new train of thought that others could build upon for all future time. Such germs appear in many minds, in many fields of endeavor and suffer the fate of banishment due to social and environmental prejudices. The lifetime of such a germ may be less than one second. That is how much time is available to kill it or explore it and the environment is often the key factor.
It is critical that individual creative processes be encouraged and not always plunged into the mass of group thought.
It's not surprising that lonely nerds & hackers resent those who have someone to talk to.
Who could I call while shlepping through the supermarket? Who would readily receive my ring as I navigate the nasty rush hour? Who would call to ask about my aspirations in the twilight time?
Don't you just hate those people who have caring friends and family? Even prisoners have friends dammit!
'There but for the curse of God, go I'.
Forgive me, I didn't follow the links.
When I see 'DARPA', 'will ultimately lead to', 'prototype', 'would be perfect for', etc; I just sigh and consider the last few seconds to be a lost part of my life.
I've been reading since the early '50s about the imminent personal flying craft and similar wonders in such august publications as PopSci, Popular Mechanics, etc. I grow weary.
The idea that introverts direct their thoughts inwardly is invalid.
/. participants share this excitement about how technology is changing the world. This discussion is a prime example. Many of us are introverts, but we are not selfish at all.
Many I know, including myself, focus entirely outward, embracing the world around them. They may do it reading books, watching TV, surfing the net, writing, or even interacting with others.
I believe that many
For my part, I have to become really sick before I begin to notice my body. I neglect myself because there simply isn't time to fuss about my body, my feelings, my appearance to others.
I am introverted in that I can tolerate long periods of silence, of solitude, of Erik Satie music. I can think through long and complex processes and I can invite creative inspiration via mental discipline that IM seems to preclude.
Yet I seem to need daily quality face-to-face interaction as well. IM and similar chatter are a poor substitute for me. I've used my sig, below, for years now and it fits right in this thread.
I just checked GoDaddy to verify that they will try to grab a name for you:
" If this name expires or is cancelled by the registrant we'll try to grab it the instant it becomes available." [forgive them the missspelling]
I'm sure others offer a similar service. They may be able to grab a name in the milliseconds after it comes back on the market.
Isn't it fascinating to see this paranoia at Slashdot?
These are echoes of the voices that feared the coming of the horseless carriage and the light bulb and the Zeppelin Tube*. Why would anyone need such a thing? What about the children?!! It will only lead to heartache and a chronic case of the Buffalo shuffles. It's the work of the Devil!
As it happens this 'technology' has been around for at least a century in the form of parabolic reflectors. I have personally participated in an experiment where I could communicate normally at a distance with someone via two ten foot reflectors. This required no moving nor electronic parts. A whisper could be heard in full fidelity in the midst of chaotic noises in the environment.
Some years ago people developed smaller electronic devices that could focus sound fairly well. There were hints about applications for these devices, including military uses. I have waited for news of actual products to no avail until today.
Don't be afraid, little people.
*[The Zeppelin tube: the tube of unlimited power--can only be used for good--or for evil.]
I can't use the proprietary DjVu image viewer plug-in with my Mac/Firefox combo and I don't understand the use of TIFF images served one (very slow) page at a time requiring both Flash & Quicktime in my browser. Other book sources offer text and PDF formats. It is possible that there is some intent to restrict users by these unconventional formats and awkward serving procedures.
Indeed, the FAQ says that if you want to download an entire book for offline reading, you must send an email request. Your use of the book is restricted to non-commercial. So despite the fact that most of these books are around 100 years old, they seem to be claiming some rights by making copies of them.
When I zip over to Gutenberg.org; in seconds I find a list of interesting books and when I pick the venerable Kama Sutra, the entire text is on my screen in a flash. Unfortunately I acted too fast and discovered that the text I got was in French, but with such an efficient system I can correct my mistake quickly.
The CMU system would take forever to get such results and it can only be due to a deliberate obfuscation. How many of us want to read ancient science books anyway?
If the plaintiff has anything to protect it would be a service mark, since he is not selling a product.
The continuous use of a mark along with the 'sm' or other identifier claiming ownership is what validates it. Registering the mark may make it easier to defend in court, but is not required. Defending the mark is important and if abuses are allowed it could be lost to the public domain.
That said, the current function of the USPTO seems to be to protect corporate interests. The reality is that when a wealthy entity and an individual disagree on IP ownership, the individual is likely to lose.
IANAL, yadda, yadda, but I have interests to protect too.
Does nobody challenge this ridiculous statement?
Exactly where on this planet is it illegal?
Who enforces this law?
What are the prescribed penalties?
How many have been arrested, convicted and punished?
I hope I'm not divulging military secrets when I mention the obvious (but no doubt patentable) allure of using piezoelectric material in the uniforms of field soldiers. This material would generate significant voltage upon the impact of larger bullets, shrapnel, dirty bombs, flying debris and blows from the enemies' rifle butts. An active warrior would be a veritable powerplant as he braves the front lines with his modern garb. Even the final impact of his body crashing to the ground would generate electricity.
quote "... for a 10 hour mission to observe forest fires in California, scanning the terrain from 23-25,000 feet using a variety of sensors for visible and IR light. Able to remain aloft for up to 30 continuous hours
So what did it do for the remaining 20 hours? A beer run?
Displaced SoCal citizens could have used that data, we could still use it today (Saturday).
The good news is that the data wasn't entirely restricted to emergency personnel- you and I can see some of the GISified fire data here (pdf):
http://www.sdcountyemergency.com/newsreleases/10262007_1900hrs_Evac_FirePerem.pdf
and here (Google Earth application required):
http://mw1.google.com/mw-earth-vectordb/socalfires/eoc1/root.kml
Hippies vs Top Graduates?
Easy. Top Graduates learn by rote. Hippies are immersed. Hippies will win every time there is a conflict between corporate goals and human goals.
Have you forgotten the 1984 Apple commercial where the girl throws the hammer at Big Brother and frees all the zombie clones? Those zombie clones were MicroClones from Redmond. When they get the message, the world will be saved.
http://pulsar.esm.psu.edu/Faculty/Gray/graphics/movies/1984.mov
It can be so frustrating to find that special name only to discover that someone already used it. To have it stolen right out from under you, however, is infuriating.
It's been a few years since I registered my domains. I seem to recall a similar paranoia about checking availability. Not just registrars, but search engines are capable of clever stuff.
If you search Google for a five letter word and it finds nothing, do you suppose they ignore that? I assume that they log it in a special file for review by a human. A unique 5 letter word (assuming it's pronounceable) is worth its weight in gold! (alas, 5 letter words don't weigh much)
So I tried various ways to avoid attracting attention to my precious creations. I honestly don't remember them now, so you are wasting your time reading this
1 Don't use a major search engine to look for your name. Maybe Scroogle.org would be safer (I doubt it- doesn't it just link to Google? Please offer alternatives).
2 Don't type the name into the browser toolbar.
3 Don't use a registrar to search until you are ready to buy right now.
4 Don't call your best friend and ask if the name sounds OK.
5 Disguise your name. If it is 'xyz', try xyz's or 'the xyz' or xy'z... Some of these might throw off any evildoers while giving you useful information.
Your suggestions?
People aren't too bright in general. Questions that can't be answered with a 'yes' or 'no', up or down, good or bad ... such questions befuddle people. The great mass of people are binary beings. One or zero. The concept of evolution offers them no benefit and may well cause them a headache. There are institutions- religion, military and prison which serve to make decisions easier for these people.
I used to rent rooms to college students. All through the house I installed dimmer switches for the lights. I find that I need different amounts of light at different times and in different situations. The students however, one and all, were uncomfortable with anything other than on or off. Even intelligent people are often uncomfortable with anything involving shades of grey. No political candidate is going to say "I will evaluate all sides of the issue and get the best advice I can, and then I'll respond with reasonable speed and caution." Can you imagine Schwarzenegger or Reagan or Bush making a statement like that? Only Carter- and people still despise him for it.
I would guess that Slashdotters live and work among more intelligent people. You may have little if any exposure to the masses in the USA such as you find in small towns in Arkansas, South Dakota or Missouri. You probably have even less exposure to people in Latin America, rural China, or equatorial Africa. You and everyone you know, are among the top 1% of intelligent/aware people in the world.
The examples in Rob's essay all involve more evolved people. Few of the masses I speak of frequent the 'wisdom of crowds' circles that he mentioned. Those wise people are among the elite- yes even the idle movie-goers who need a review before going to the theater. The simple act of going to a theater, or participating in a public spirited group activity expands their awareness and distinguishes them from the masses. These people weigh and consider many factors before making a decision, even a movie choice. While it is good that they are able to do this, it is unfortunate that they sometimes weigh the wrong decisions. For example they may consider carefully their bet on the World Series game and not spend much time considering the upcoming election issues or whether they are drinking too many soft drinks.
As we have seen with the economy, I think there is an increasing gap between the intelligence of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Even as Slashdot readers enthusiastically feed off ideas like Rob's, the ignorant are more deeply entrenched in their superstitions. Science & nutrition allow some of us to be smarter than our genes would predict while the human law of survival-of-the-least-fit drags the average IQ even lower than that of the last century.
I'm all for scientists learning English, math, German, Latin and a bit of Greek so that they can communicate with each other and those who need to know. When technical topics are to be presented to the public, however, I strongly urge that a professional be allowed to handle it.
The Society for Technical Communication (stc.org) is a good place to start. Many of their thousands of members are dedicated to that art. They have done their own scientific studies of communications and published in peer-reviewed journals.
You probably know them as the people who wrote your software manual or the instructions for repairing your bicycle. They also do medical & bio docs. Some specialize in educational material, a few are expert in glyphs and their effectiveness in various environments, others in fun specialties like indexing, many are well versed on effective web presentation of particular topics... Wherever technical information has to be introduced to unfamiliar users, tech comms will be there.
There is a certain aesthetic appeal to the idea of repairing your own car, building your own room addition or mowing your own lawn. In most cases it's best to let a pro do it.