. . . and currently run via nanotechnological means, albeit inefficient ones.
I refer, of course, to the human brain. All it is, is an organic, massively-parallel processing environment with an equally massive and complex boot-rom, and a uniquely flexible OS.
So, why is it ok to have a jellyware CPU system with intuition, and not a hardware one ?? The difference is likely to be a matter of "hardware" complexity, and the "software" running on it. . .
Ask any convict, for example. **THEIR** vote doesn't count. ..or someone under the arbitrary age of voting (who still can't buy a beer, even if they WERE eligible to vote. ..)
And, do tell me, why it's ok for an 18-year-old with severe mental retardation to vote, and lock a 17-year-old genius whose birthday is November 8th ??? In many ways, a competency test for franchise might be a good thing. The problem is, of course, it's an AWFULLY slippery slope. . .
Didn't say the legislation would pass or become law, but I'll bet dollars to donuts that somebody will introduce such a bill. . . it's a typically Washington Thing . . .
Nah, just hand out free liquor and sports cars, and let Darwin cull out the stupid (g)
But, really. ..the time to complain about ballot design is BEFORE teh election, and as both parties vetted it up front, it seems to be a case of sour grapes. . .
. ..and that is there will be legislation to prevent Networks from broadcasting election results OR projections until ALL precincts voting in a given election close.
They'll justify it by saying that as broadcasters must do public service to use the public airwaves, that predicting winners before it's ALL over is NOT in the public interest. . .
In other words, it won't be over until the wee hours of the morning, as they're still voting in Honolulu. . .
. . . but why do elementary schools, for example, NEED net access ?? For that matter, why do secondary schools ???
I'm not trying to start a flame war, but I've never seen a decent, well-thought-out argument for net access in the schools. Libraries, yes, but how does it improve mastery of classroom subjects ??? Will it teach little Johnny or Janie to read, or to do arithmetic, or explain why the Magna Carta is the first major precursor of American government ??? Kids need to master SOME knowledge before the Net can be a help. And just where IS that point ?????
As always, your milage may vary. Here, inside the Beltway, its not unusual to have a 6-month wait for personnel hire actions. I tried for a position, where I waited 2 1/2 years before I heard ANYTHING (. . . and had long since forgotten the application), and then they wanted me to start in 2 weeks. ..at about half the pay I was getting at the time. . .
. ..is the truest indication of system reliability. I've always found it good engineering practice to design for a MUCH higher load than the system is expected to take. That goes for physical engineering, not just for computers and networks.
Mind you, it costs more that way, but what does a catastrophic failure cost ???
Federal Personnel Offices have several drawbacks. ..like not getting back to a candidate at all, or waiting 6-8 months to tell him/her that they have got the job. . . Even with up to 33% more pay (and this is targeted mostly at the entry-level IT types. . . Hell desk and such. . . )
Now, I work as a contractor to several Federal agencies (we have a number of contracts), and I don't see this measure doing much at all: 95% + of all the IT is already being done by Contractors: most of the Feds, in my experience, are in Sr. I.T. Management.
IMNSHO, another proposal full of sound and fury, but in the end, signifying nothing much. ..
. ..that Gore was the well-meaning fool. And after reading an evil little piece, several years ago, when "Earth in the Balance" and "The Unabomber Manifesto" were alternated, by paragraph, and halfway through, the order was switched, I'd say that Gore is really the malicious fool.
As per Heinlein's suggestion, I'm voting against. In this case, against Gore, as opposed to voting for Bush. In four years, we'll see who I vote against. . .
If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for. . . but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.
If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time on it that truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires.
Text is copyrighted 1973 by Robert A. Heinlein, from "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" The latest
edition was published in 1995 by Pomegranite books, and the ISBN number is: ISBN 0876544731
(Paraphrased, as I don't have the exact copy on me)
If you live in a society where you can vote, do so.
If you cannot find someone to vote FOR, find someone you can vote AGAINST
If all else fails, ask the advice of a well-meaning fool (there is always one or two about...). Then do exactly the opposite.
I've found it to be a quite useful guide in confused times.
Oh, and Katz makes an excellent well-meaning fool for the final method. . ..
Mind you, it was never INTENDED to be a democracy. You simply can't have a large democracy, nothing gets decided. That's why we have a REPUBLIC instead.
Proof of thesis: Slashdot.
Evidence: can we EVER agree on anything ?? And if WE can't, then how can you expect %nation% to do so.
Sorry, but the only way to run a democratic society, at least as far as I'm aware, is as a republic. Any other way ends up as mob rule. ..and a a member of the Geek minority, I can assure you that mob rule would NOT be favorable to Geeks. . .
. ..ever hear of the Infrastructure Protection Initiative ?? Look here.
DOD thinks infrastucture hacks could be lethal: hit a hospital, for instance, or mess with a traffic control system (air OR ground. ..) Or hack a Fission plant's control system. . ..
Just because there has not been a lethal hack to date, does not imply that a lethal hack via an exploit doesn't exist. . .
If $user is stupid enough to not use a firewall on any net-attached device he/she/it richly deserves the consequences. . . After a few wipes and re-installs, or more likely, expensive and inconvienient service calls to $pccompany, they'll learn. ZoneAlarm is free, and Norton's Personal Firewall is fairly simple to use, and isn't bad for a Norton product. . .
Why must Uncle Sam fund a LOCAL Library ???
on
Should You Vote?
·
· Score: 1
Isn't that the job of LOCAL taxpayers ???
I was under the impression that the Federal Government existed to do things of NATIONWIDE scope. The only library that fits that description is the Library of Congress. But then, I also believe that the 10th Amendment means EXACTLY what it says. . .
I **was** responding to the poster prior to me, who claimed that you had a right to do anything that was not coercively harmful to others. As such, I was attempting to show that definition is
more than a bit ridiculous. ..
Nope. Dead wrong. Surivial chance from a bullet hitting you? 25% Survival chance from being stabbed? Around 85%. Average number of stab wounds to prove fatal? 40. Average number of bullets to prove fatal? 1.
Depends on what was done. You're not going to die of a bullet through the arm, but get your throat sliced, and you're gone in under a minute.
Details are important. After all, on the average, we're all female and Chinese. . .
By your definition, I have the right to paint swastikas on the wall and doors of the local synagogue (yes, I know, we're pushing Godwin's Law here. ..). But I'm quite sure that if I did it, I'd be prosecuted, and rightly so. Why ??? Trespass is not, as you would say, "coercively harmful", and as for the swastikas, hey, that's just freedom of expression. Or to use a more classic example, the right to free speech does NOT extend to the right to shout "fire" in a crowded venue. ..
Rights ***DO*** have to be laid out and delineated as to how far they go. . .
Slashdot Mirror
However, if we were to take several slow processors, and network them together in parallel, we'd probbably get a lot closer for a lot less.
Interesting concept. Has anyone tried AI using clustering technologies, rather than brute-force computing ????
I refer, of course, to the human brain. All it is, is an organic, massively-parallel processing environment with an equally massive and complex boot-rom, and a uniquely flexible OS.
So, why is it ok to have a jellyware CPU system with intuition, and not a hardware one ?? The difference is likely to be a matter of "hardware" complexity, and the "software" running on it. . .
Ask any convict, for example. **THEIR** vote doesn't count. . .or someone under the arbitrary age of voting (who still can't buy a beer, even if they WERE eligible to vote. . .)
And, do tell me, why it's ok for an 18-year-old with severe mental retardation to vote, and lock a 17-year-old genius whose birthday is November 8th ??? In many ways, a competency test for franchise might be a good thing. The problem is, of course, it's an AWFULLY slippery slope. . .
The process:
It explains much of the way Washington works. . .
But, really. . .the time to complain about ballot design is BEFORE teh election, and as both parties vetted it up front, it seems to be a case of sour grapes. . .
They'll justify it by saying that as broadcasters must do public service to use the public airwaves, that predicting winners before it's ALL over is NOT in the public interest. . .
In other words, it won't be over until the wee hours of the morning, as they're still voting in Honolulu. . .
I'm not trying to start a flame war, but I've never seen a decent, well-thought-out argument for net access in the schools. Libraries, yes, but how does it improve mastery of classroom subjects ??? Will it teach little Johnny or Janie to read, or to do arithmetic, or explain why the Magna Carta is the first major precursor of American government ??? Kids need to master SOME knowledge before the Net can be a help. And just where IS that point ?????
As always, your milage may vary. Here, inside the Beltway, its not unusual to have a 6-month wait for personnel hire actions. I tried for a position, where I waited 2 1/2 years before I heard ANYTHING (. . . and had long since forgotten the application), and then they wanted me to start in 2 weeks. . .at about half the pay I was getting at the time. . .
Mind you, it costs more that way, but what does a catastrophic failure cost ???
There have been several columns on this in the Washington Post over the last few weeks.
Federal Personnel Offices have several drawbacks. . .like not getting back to a candidate at all, or waiting 6-8 months to tell him/her that they have got the job. . . Even with up to 33% more pay (and this is targeted mostly at the entry-level IT types. . . Hell desk and such. . . )
Now, I work as a contractor to several Federal agencies (we have a number of contracts), and I don't see this measure doing much at all: 95% + of all the IT is already being done by Contractors: most of the Feds, in my experience, are in Sr. I.T. Management.
IMNSHO, another proposal full of sound and fury, but in the end, signifying nothing much. . .
As per Heinlein's suggestion, I'm voting against. In this case, against Gore, as opposed to voting for Bush. In four years, we'll see who I vote against. . .
If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time on it that truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires.
Text is copyrighted 1973 by Robert A. Heinlein, from "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" The latest edition was published in 1995 by Pomegranite books, and the ISBN number is: ISBN 0876544731
(Paraphrased, as I don't have the exact copy on me)
If you live in a society where you can vote, do so. ..). Then do exactly the opposite.
If you cannot find someone to vote FOR, find someone you can vote AGAINST
If all else fails, ask the advice of a well-meaning fool (there is always one or two about.
I've found it to be a quite useful guide in confused times. .
Oh, and Katz makes an excellent well-meaning fool for the final method. . .
Nevermind, AOL already does that. . . .
OK, then CueCats. . .nah. . .
Windows CDs ??? Nice idea, but the EPA would likely cite you for spreading toxic waste. . .
(diving for cover)
Proof of thesis: Slashdot.
Evidence: can we EVER agree on anything ?? And if WE can't, then how can you expect %nation% to do so.
Sorry, but the only way to run a democratic society, at least as far as I'm aware, is as a republic. Any other way ends up as mob rule. . .and a a member of the Geek minority, I can assure you that mob rule would NOT be favorable to Geeks. . .
As for the LULUG, eastern Pennsylvania. . .well, here's a hint: ESR is within an hour's drive of you. . . .
Sal, Lehigh Class of '83
DOD thinks infrastucture hacks could be lethal: hit a hospital, for instance, or mess with a traffic control system (air OR ground. . .) Or hack a Fission plant's control system. . . .
Just because there has not been a lethal hack to date, does not imply that a lethal hack via an exploit doesn't exist. . .
Try DC. . .we have a hill full of them. . . .
At work, I use IPChains. . . .
If $user is stupid enough to not use a firewall on any net-attached device he/she/it richly deserves the consequences. . . After a few wipes and re-installs, or more likely, expensive and inconvienient service calls to $pccompany, they'll learn. ZoneAlarm is free, and Norton's Personal Firewall is fairly simple to use, and isn't bad for a Norton product. . .
I was under the impression that the Federal Government existed to do things of NATIONWIDE scope. The only library that fits that description is the Library of Congress. But then, I also believe that the 10th Amendment means EXACTLY what it says. . .
Looks like the rich papa's boy race is tied.
While George apparentely goes digging, Al seems to claim credit for everything under the sun (and in fact, just claimed credit FOR the sun. . .)
A pox on BOTH of them ! Vote NONE OF THE ABOVE!
Do try and read the thread first, next time. . .
Nope. Dead wrong. Surivial chance from a bullet hitting you? 25% Survival chance from being stabbed? Around 85%. Average number of stab wounds to prove fatal? 40. Average number of bullets to prove fatal? 1.
Depends on what was done. You're not going to die of a bullet through the arm, but get your throat sliced, and you're gone in under a minute.
Details are important. After all, on the average, we're all female and Chinese. . .
By your definition, I have the right to paint swastikas on the wall and doors of the local synagogue (yes, I know, we're pushing Godwin's Law here. . .). But I'm quite sure that if I did it, I'd be prosecuted, and rightly so. Why ??? Trespass is not, as you would say, "coercively harmful", and as for the swastikas, hey, that's just freedom of expression. Or to use a more classic example, the right to free speech does NOT extend to the right to shout "fire" in a crowded venue. . .
Rights ***DO*** have to be laid out and delineated as to how far they go. . .