Since I live in Mexico, I'm pretty sure I don't really need all those emails about "clearing up my debts" or "how to lose 20 pounds in two weeks". "Herbal Viagra" indeed! (luckily I don't need _that_ either)
I'm pretty tired of receiving between 10 to 15 daily spam emails, and that's not counting the filters I'm using in Hotmail which send ALL email coming from excite.com and msn.com directly to the trashcan.
Heck, I'm really amazed the pr0n spam has actually decreased these past few months (maybe they heard I was receiving the herbal Viagra ads and therefore wasn't a prospective customer).
So if you guys can send a russian programmer to jail, can't you just trade him for a hundred spammers or so? (Put them all in the same cell, too, while you're at it). The rest of the world will really thank you!
From the article: "You cannot expect people to become more educated," Smith said. "The equipment has to be perfectly safe."
See, here's why there are so many lawsuits and bad stuff (like the DMCA... do I get extra karma points for mentioning the DMCA in a completely unrelated discussion? Ah well, nevermind) happens.
Expectations. If you don't expect people to be educated, then they never will be. Instead of having so many lawyers going "my poor client didn't knew thay you shouldn't stand at the top of a 15-foot metal ladder in the middle of a thunderstorm, while installing his TV antenna", you should get more judges who think "Serves you right for being such an idiot. Next case!".
I agree that sometimes consumers must be protected from Evil Corporations Who Want To Take Over The World, but there's a big difference between: a) not letting oneself get screwed by the Evil Corporations etc.; and b) blaming the Evil Corporations etc. for each and every stupid accident that could have been prevented with a little common sense.
Well, technically, I think it would go something like this:
Let's say they sell 2 million CDs, at $15 a piece.
Now let's say there's 10 million copies of the CDs floating around in Korean cyberspace.
Ergo, to the marketdroids, those 10 million copies at $15 each equal $150 million in CDs they should've sold.
Not that they would ever sell that quantity of CDs in the first place, but then marketing and logic don't always go hand in hand these days.
True, but the more money I receive from my writing, the less time I need to spend on a "real" job earning it, and therefore the more time I can spend writing.
Not that I have ever made a penny out of my stories yet, but a man can dream:) Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
I just want to know what company you own? Youre right this point of view is usually shared by rich business owners. What company I own? Now that's funny. I'm just another software developer out there writing code in C, VB, Javascript, etc.
BUT I also like to write, and I wouldn't want to spend endless nights busting my ass off writing the next great American (well, ok, Mexican) novel, just to see someone else rip it off, change a few things, and release it under a new name, with a better publisher, and make me earn less of the money I worked for.
Or maybe we just had too much caffeine this morning.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
According to the Patent Office's director of copyright, Anthony Murphy, a major proponent of the new program, understanding intellectual property carries important social value: "By bringing awareness of the importance of copyright into our schools, tomorrow's consumers can take their place in a community which understands, values and respects intellectual property."
I can see why the director of copyright would like to see this program implemented. And frankly, if it's closely regulated, it's a good idea.
I know this may go against the average Napster-usin', CD-burnin', Porn-downloadin' Non-consumin' consumer, but copyrights are there for a reason. It's the abuse of the system by people on both sides of this fight which causes so much sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Of course, now that we've elected two Texans to the executive branch, it could be argued that we're a new nation and treaties the United States of America signed don't apply to us. Welcome to the Republic of Texas!
To: The people of the Republic of Texas:
Now don't y'all go bombing the rest of the world or we're gonna come back and kick yer ass again. Remember the Alamo!
Sincerely, the people of Mexico.
There. Now the world is a safer place. Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
So that means we get to protect Boston, but not NYC and Washington!
And would that be so bad?
(Disclaimer: I dont live in any of those cities. I don't even live in the US. I just like "Cheers" more than "The district" or "NYPD Blue")
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Quoting (a little bit out of order, but it helps me make an interesting point): Now, the low-G environment would benefit geriatrics and people with other problems as well. These folk can't guard themselves with their arms like most folk, and many are severely osteoporotic. In short, you drop 'em, they break. Literally.
So how exactly, if they're so fragile, are we gonna send them up there? Last time I checked, getting up to orbit was highly strenous for the astronauts. We're talking big G's here.
I understand your point, and i think you're right about taking care of them in low-G ambients, but until we get smoother rides up to orbit, I think it's a moot point.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
a Beowulf Cluster of suggestions to/. for future articles?
- "First Posts!" has been mentioned already.
- Natalie Portman has been mentioned already.
So that leaves us with: - Hot Grits and their influence on the liberal mindset, by JonKatz
- Microsoft sucks!, by Hemos
- Penis birds: extinct, or merely migrating somewhere else?, submitted by the goatse.cx guy (rejected)
Uhh... let's leave it at that, for now. Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
With the worst beginnings of a regular slashdot post, or something. Who can forget that instant classic: First post!
Or the second-most used (or abused) introduction to a post: IANAL, but... (Followed by 3 pages of weird, stupid and/or self-contradicting legal advice)
Any takers? Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Don't be silly. Everybody knows Egyptions are "missing matter" particles, used by ancient cultures to build big, huge mounds of carved rocks, and also to raise big, tall carved rocks.
However, no archaeologist / quantum physicist has ever seen one of these particles (ergo, their "missing matter" classification), and that's why no one has ever tried to build a pyramid or raise an obelisk using them.
I mean, really. It's all so simple once you think about it.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Little kids have lots of common sense knowledge even before they start going to school. They learn it automatically and that's the reason why we say kids are intelligent. "Common sense"? I've seen little kids do really stupid things. Does that mean that they're not intelligent? No. It's just that they still haven't learned enough about life (even before school).
Besides, there is a difference: kids are "programmed" (genetically speaking) to learn stuff since they are born. Computers are not. Not yet, anyway. We're only learning how to teach them.
"Given enough time, Cyc will learn to learn."
That is what it should have been doing from day one, if it was intelligent.
No one claims (as far as I can see) that Cyc is intelligent right now, only that it could be.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
So remember, humans aren't intelligent, they only think they are.
Marvin? Have you been playing with the computer again? For the last time, stop teasing the monkeymen! Sheesh...
I should've left you at Milliways, washing spaceships.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Unless a machine is given the ability to learn from and interact with its environment via its sensors and effectors it's not intelligent. If I recall an article several years ago on Discovery magazine, regarding Cyc, one of the long-term goals was to make Cyc a self-learning machine. Meaning that eventually they would just hook it up to, say, Usenet, and let it learn from all it read.
But in order to do that, it needs to have all the basic fundamental "truths" and assumptions we humans take for granted, and that's the stage I see their proyect is, currently.
Given enough time, Cyc will learn to learn. Mark my words (*lol* as if we're gonna remember this discussion in 10 years!).
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
How can the planet closest to the sun, with daytime temperatures soaring past 850 degrees Fahrenheit at its equator, have what appears to be ice in its polar craters?
Maybe it radiates heat back into space more efficiently than previously thought.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Slashdot Mirror
Since I live in Mexico, I'm pretty sure I don't really need all those emails about "clearing up my debts" or "how to lose 20 pounds in two weeks". "Herbal Viagra" indeed! (luckily I don't need _that_ either)
I'm pretty tired of receiving between 10 to 15 daily spam emails, and that's not counting the filters I'm using in Hotmail which send ALL email coming from excite.com and msn.com directly to the trashcan.
Heck, I'm really amazed the pr0n spam has actually decreased these past few months (maybe they heard I was receiving the herbal Viagra ads and therefore wasn't a prospective customer).
So if you guys can send a russian programmer to jail, can't you just trade him for a hundred spammers or so? (Put them all in the same cell, too, while you're at it). The rest of the world will really thank you!
From the article: "You cannot expect people to become more educated," Smith said. "The equipment has to be perfectly safe."
See, here's why there are so many lawsuits and bad stuff (like the DMCA... do I get extra karma points for mentioning the DMCA in a completely unrelated discussion? Ah well, nevermind) happens.
Expectations. If you don't expect people to be educated, then they never will be. Instead of having so many lawyers going "my poor client didn't knew thay you shouldn't stand at the top of a 15-foot metal ladder in the middle of a thunderstorm, while installing his TV antenna", you should get more judges who think "Serves you right for being such an idiot. Next case!".
I agree that sometimes consumers must be protected from Evil Corporations Who Want To Take Over The World, but there's a big difference between: a) not letting oneself get screwed by the Evil Corporations etc.; and b) blaming the Evil Corporations etc. for each and every stupid accident that could have been prevented with a little common sense.
As usual, let's blame the lawyers instead.
Scientist1: Hey, check this out.
Scientist2: Wow... that's strange.
Scientist1: Really strange.
Scientist2: It's more than just regular strange, it's... strange strange.
Scientist1: Yup, doubly strange.
Scientist2: I wonder how we should call it?
And the rest, of course, is history.
(*Slaps own forehead*) No wonder every time I tried dissolving stuff in non-solvents it never worked out...
Well, technically, I think it would go something like this:
Let's say they sell 2 million CDs, at $15 a piece.
Now let's say there's 10 million copies of the CDs floating around in Korean cyberspace.
Ergo, to the marketdroids, those 10 million copies at $15 each equal $150 million in CDs they should've sold.
Not that they would ever sell that quantity of CDs in the first place, but then marketing and logic don't always go hand in hand these days.
Any way we can decide for ourselves about this information? Or is it classified too?
Just as long as they don't make me watch "World's Scariest Lesbians"
If they show Janet Reno there, I'll will both have a heart attack and collect a bet I once made...
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Corn that's been spliced with a potato, that I'll eat. Devolved chicken?
... PORN! With chicks, too! Yay!
Hmmmm. Potato + Corn, spliced, equals
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
For instance:
- WhatifGodwasone.of.us
- Justthetwo.of.us
- Thestory.of.us
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Great art made many of its creators no money.
:)
True, but the more money I receive from my writing, the less time I need to spend on a "real" job earning it, and therefore the more time I can spend writing.
Not that I have ever made a penny out of my stories yet, but a man can dream
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
I just want to know what company you own? Youre right this point of view is usually shared by rich business owners.
What company I own? Now that's funny. I'm just another software developer out there writing code in C, VB, Javascript, etc.
BUT I also like to write, and I wouldn't want to spend endless nights busting my ass off writing the next great American (well, ok, Mexican) novel, just to see someone else rip it off, change a few things, and release it under a new name, with a better publisher, and make me earn less of the money I worked for.
Or maybe we just had too much caffeine this morning.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
According to the Patent Office's director of copyright, Anthony Murphy, a major proponent of the new program, understanding intellectual property carries important social value: "By bringing awareness of the importance of copyright into our schools, tomorrow's consumers can take their place in a community which understands, values and respects intellectual property."
I can see why the director of copyright would like to see this program implemented. And frankly, if it's closely regulated, it's a good idea.
I know this may go against the average Napster-usin', CD-burnin', Porn-downloadin' Non-consumin' consumer, but copyrights are there for a reason. It's the abuse of the system by people on both sides of this fight which causes so much sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Of course, now that we've elected two Texans to the executive branch, it could be argued that we're a new nation and treaties the United States of America signed don't apply to us. Welcome to the Republic of Texas!
To: The people of the Republic of Texas:
Now don't y'all go bombing the rest of the world or we're gonna come back and kick yer ass again.
Remember the Alamo!
Sincerely, the people of Mexico.
There. Now the world is a safer place.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
So that means we get to protect Boston, but not NYC and Washington!
And would that be so bad?
(Disclaimer: I dont live in any of those cities. I don't even live in the US. I just like "Cheers" more than "The district" or "NYPD Blue")
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Quoting (a little bit out of order, but it helps me make an interesting point):
Now, the low-G environment would benefit geriatrics and people with other problems as well.
These folk can't guard themselves with their arms like most folk, and many are severely osteoporotic. In short, you drop 'em, they break. Literally.
So how exactly, if they're so fragile, are we gonna send them up there? Last time I checked, getting up to orbit was highly strenous for the astronauts. We're talking big G's here.
I understand your point, and i think you're right about taking care of them in low-G ambients, but until we get smoother rides up to orbit, I think it's a moot point.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
a Beowulf Cluster of suggestions to /. for future articles?
- "First Posts!" has been mentioned already.
- Natalie Portman has been mentioned already.
So that leaves us with:
- Hot Grits and their influence on the liberal mindset, by JonKatz
- Microsoft sucks!, by Hemos
- Penis birds: extinct, or merely migrating somewhere else?, submitted by the goatse.cx guy (rejected)
Uhh... let's leave it at that, for now.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
I wasn't gonna post to this article, due to lack of time, but when I saw the number of articles I knew I had to do it:
Are Men Obsolete? by michael on Tuesday July 10, @02:34PM EST 42
So, did Douglas Adams knew this all along, and he was warning us about it?
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
With the worst beginnings of a regular slashdot post, or something. Who can forget that instant classic:
First post!
Or the second-most used (or abused) introduction to a post:
IANAL, but... (Followed by 3 pages of weird, stupid and/or self-contradicting legal advice)
Any takers?
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Don't be silly. Everybody knows Egyptions are "missing matter" particles, used by ancient cultures to build big, huge mounds of carved rocks, and also to raise big, tall carved rocks.
However, no archaeologist / quantum physicist has ever seen one of these particles (ergo, their "missing matter" classification), and that's why no one has ever tried to build a pyramid or raise an obelisk using them.
I mean, really. It's all so simple once you think about it.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Little kids have lots of common sense knowledge even before they start going to school. They learn it automatically and that's the reason why we say kids are intelligent.
"Common sense"? I've seen little kids do really stupid things. Does that mean that they're not intelligent? No. It's just that they still haven't learned enough about life (even before school).
Besides, there is a difference: kids are "programmed" (genetically speaking) to learn stuff since they are born. Computers are not. Not yet, anyway. We're only learning how to teach them.
"Given enough time, Cyc will learn to learn." That is what it should have been doing from day one, if it was intelligent.
No one claims (as far as I can see) that Cyc is intelligent right now, only that it could be.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
So remember, humans aren't intelligent, they only think they are.
Marvin? Have you been playing with the computer again? For the last time, stop teasing the monkeymen! Sheesh...
I should've left you at Milliways, washing spaceships.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Unless a machine is given the ability to learn from and interact with its environment via its sensors and effectors it's not intelligent.
If I recall an article several years ago on Discovery magazine, regarding Cyc, one of the long-term goals was to make Cyc a self-learning machine. Meaning that eventually they would just hook it up to, say, Usenet, and let it learn from all it read.
But in order to do that, it needs to have all the basic fundamental "truths" and assumptions we humans take for granted, and that's the stage I see their proyect is, currently.
Given enough time, Cyc will learn to learn. Mark my words (*lol* as if we're gonna remember this discussion in 10 years!).
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Time to cover the computer with tin foil now too (you should see my cat...) You should see his cat during a thunder storm... "Here, Sparky!"
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
How can the planet closest to the sun, with daytime temperatures soaring past 850 degrees Fahrenheit at its equator, have what appears to be ice in its polar craters?
Maybe it radiates heat back into space more efficiently than previously thought.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
At night they enter Nepal
And pierce the lover and his lass
"Neutrinos blamed for the killing of Nepal's Royal Family. Film at eleven".
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I