I know I am, having at one time actually sought out the vilest shit known to man, to get a better grasp on the state of the human psyche. (No, really.)
What it didn't do is increase my desire to touch penors of 10-year-olds, burn pets alive, immerse in huge quantities of human feces, or maim, rape and eat diner waitresses (in that order) just one bit.
Pedophilia isn't contagious, nor is ASPD, sadism or coprophilia. What does increase the appeal is presenting said things in a positive light, as 4chan is wont to do for the iconoclastic and Hollywood movies for the impressionable youth. I'm not saying everyone browsing 4chan will be turned into a pedophile, but it will increase your propensity to be amused by it.
As sidenote and illustration, the movie "A History of Violence" which more aptly should have been called "An Aestheticization of Violence". I personally couldn't help actually being drawn towards the violent acts depicted and I'm sure many movies out there do the same thing. I appreciate the movie for what it is, but can't help wondering if it's such a great thing coming out of the cinema and imagining brutal scenarios in your head because they just looked so slick. I find it no great mystery that with the youth growing up basically watching nothing else than movies that show how cool it looks to snap a neck there, snipe a head there and saw up a few people in between develop not only a tolerance but an appreciation. It is more than a little hypocritical that the institutionalized glorification is a-ok, while the independent and often value-judgment-free displays end up on block lists.
(Pointing out stupidity in what I said very welcome.)
That would necessitate them actually being aware of any issue.
After community moderation got introduced, Taco realized that once story submission was democratized too, Slashdot could basically run unattended. There hasn't been anyone in the office since the Firehose went live.
Keep your fingers crossed Taco finds new interest in WoW because he left his login at the office.
thanks to the "virtual globe" software Google Earth, which allowed the group to map and visualise the most promising fossil grounds
These are scientists who busy themselves with "finding stuff at locations". Did they really not have access to map software that offered similar features long before Google Earth?
He used to start singing the America tune in his "Pick up the gun" Western skit and several other situations when he made fun of fighting the people you've armed yourself.
There's the infamous "I'm sorry, folks" episode when he started fighting with the audience after a bad start. A drunk woman called "You suck" and he basically flipped. The cry was repeated by other people and he even integrated it into the performance.
What's special about this incident is not that it happened but that there's press involvement. Considering the way these guys talk to each other over the radio, do you honestly doubt incidents such as this were the order of the day?
The United States No Electronic Theft Act (NET Act) passed in 1997, provides for criminal prosecution of individuals who engage in copyright infringement, even when there is no monetary profit or commercial benefit. Penalties can be five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Prior, copyright infringement for a non-commercial purpose was not punishable by criminal prosecution, although infringers could be sued in a civil action to recover damages. Criminal prosecutions were possible only when the infringer derived a commercial benefit from his or her actions. This state of affairs was underscored by the unsuccessful 1994 prosecution of David LaMacchia for facilitating copyright infringement as a hobby, without any commercial motive. The court suggested that Congress could act to make some non-commercial infringements a crime, and Congress acted on that suggestion.
The NET Act amends the definition of "commercial advantage or private financial gain" to include the exchange of copies of copyrighted works even if no money changes hands.
(Wikipedia, shortened, emphasis added for skimming)
Simply attacking someone about doing it wrong isn't enough, nor helpful, and our goal isn't to blame, it's to move forward
Calling out careless behavior isn't all about blame. I do try to think of it as helpful: in avoiding similar mistakes in the future, which is kind of like moving forward.
"[...] Let's cut down on staph infections by twenty percent in the next year." There should be intense competition for objectively defineable metrics of success, where the higher the number the better the patient care
With metrics like these, you'll have to be careful not to motivate short-sighted behavior. Like, say, prescribing too many antibiotics to meet some quota or outdo the hospital around the corner that's trying to only use them in severe cases to achieve a sustainable effect.
"Only" lab experiments, but this shows the problem is not as simple.
P. aeruginosa, responsible for one-in-10 hospital-acquired infections, is a so-called "opportunistic" bacteria that attacks people with weakened immune systems.
In laboratory experiments, researchers showed that the bug can rapidly mutate, building resistance to progressively higher doses of a disinfectant known as BSK, or benzalkonium chloride.
Safe for humans, BSK is widely-used in cleaning and disinfecting products to kill bacteria, fungi and algae.
[...]
"We found that in both cases -- for the disinfectant and the antibiotic -- the [mutated] bacteria was taking them in, but expelling them just as quickly. It would be like trying to pump air into a bicycle tire with a huge hole in it[.]"
But they don't need to agree on everything, do they? Every little point on the agenda that does make it through can be considered a win by the IP lobby. The rest will follow, in time, after people had a chance to get used to the overall new IP climate. (Call me a cynic, too.)
I understand where you're coming from, and if I were you, I'd probably dismiss it for lack of evidence, too. Also, I've seen so damn many stark raving mad "theories", that it's difficult to take any one serious. Still, I'm asking you, and everyone who reads this, to keep your eyes open and watch what's happening all over the globe from a slightly different angle once in a while. Maybe see it as similar to Pascal's Wager.
This isn't about science. This is about the "big picture", which isn't science's strong point as it is more concerned with details. I know, how very convenient. I honestly wish it weren't.
I do not even really care if they are global, intra-national or regional conspiracies. Or if there is one at all, even if I'm fairly sure (look up the definition of conspiracy/cabal and tell me there are none). It's secondary to me whether the model to explain it is localized corruption that just happens to form a global network or whether it really is a monolithic, hierarchical, global conspiracy that influences economy, civil rights and whatnot. All I know is I see the pattern that connects these bad effects we're seeing, like a huge stencil on society, and I want it shut down, as soon as possible. And I ask you, too, to not close your eyes to the deterioration we're witnessing on a global scale.
On second thought, don't bother. The voice in my head just told me it'll all be over soon. Just kidding.
There is no need whatsoever for cash to be slipped under doors. If you set the "right" motivation, the system is self-regulating. Tell people it's a dog-eat-dog world, that only the fittest will survive, show them the pictures to go with it, then apply the right kind of pressure from the top, take away money from X, set quota Y, and eventually you'll get-- today. Let this go on for forty years and finally you'll get-- [exercise, fill this in].
The system that grew steadily and stealthily around us was rubber-stamped by us, and it is the perfect Petri dish for their germs. That's what systemic corruption is. You will not be able to get rid of it without changing the system.
It seems the real problem is that it is too complex for you to see through. You prefer fast and hard explanations, and easy rules to go by, which is part of the environment that developed around and was set up for us. Let me guess, you're a big fan of Hanlon's Razor?
Slashdot Mirror
tl;dr
I know I am, having at one time actually sought out the vilest shit known to man, to get a better grasp on the state of the human psyche. (No, really.)
What it didn't do is increase my desire to touch penors of 10-year-olds, burn pets alive, immerse in huge quantities of human feces, or maim, rape and eat diner waitresses (in that order) just one bit.
Pedophilia isn't contagious, nor is ASPD, sadism or coprophilia. What does increase the appeal is presenting said things in a positive light, as 4chan is wont to do for the iconoclastic and Hollywood movies for the impressionable youth. I'm not saying everyone browsing 4chan will be turned into a pedophile, but it will increase your propensity to be amused by it.
As sidenote and illustration, the movie "A History of Violence" which more aptly should have been called "An Aestheticization of Violence". I personally couldn't help actually being drawn towards the violent acts depicted and I'm sure many movies out there do the same thing. I appreciate the movie for what it is, but can't help wondering if it's such a great thing coming out of the cinema and imagining brutal scenarios in your head because they just looked so slick. I find it no great mystery that with the youth growing up basically watching nothing else than movies that show how cool it looks to snap a neck there, snipe a head there and saw up a few people in between develop not only a tolerance but an appreciation. It is more than a little hypocritical that the institutionalized glorification is a-ok, while the independent and often value-judgment-free displays end up on block lists.
(Pointing out stupidity in what I said very welcome.)
That would necessitate them actually being aware of any issue.
After community moderation got introduced, Taco realized that once story submission was democratized too, Slashdot could basically run unattended. There hasn't been anyone in the office since the Firehose went live.
Keep your fingers crossed Taco finds new interest in WoW because he left his login at the office.
thanks to the "virtual globe" software Google Earth, which allowed the group to map and visualise the most promising fossil grounds
These are scientists who busy themselves with "finding stuff at locations". Did they really not have access to map software that offered similar features long before Google Earth?
Nice references.
What's special about this incident is not that it happened but that there's press involvement. Considering the way these guys talk to each other over the radio, do you honestly doubt incidents such as this were the order of the day?
It's actually not, because it's not a crime.
I agree that it shouldn't, but it actually is:
@Vasquez: MSE says no malware. I feel safer already.
Calling out careless behavior isn't all about blame. I do try to think of it as helpful: in avoiding similar mistakes in the future, which is kind of like moving forward.
With metrics like these, you'll have to be careful not to motivate short-sighted behavior. Like, say, prescribing too many antibiotics to meet some quota or outdo the hospital around the corner that's trying to only use them in severe cases to achieve a sustainable effect.
"Only" lab experiments, but this shows the problem is not as simple.
I guess, like samurphy21 says, the only way to be sure is to nuke them from^W^W^W use a high-ethanol concentration.
MRSA bugs immunity to hospital disinfectants and antiseptics
Great. A big thank-you to all the knee-jerk antibiotics prescribers and disinfectant abusers.
hardly a tonne of work. more like a week of work.
Google failed me. How many weeks is a tonne again?
But they don't need to agree on everything, do they? Every little point on the agenda that does make it through can be considered a win by the IP lobby. The rest will follow, in time, after people had a chance to get used to the overall new IP climate. (Call me a cynic, too.)
I understand where you're coming from, and if I were you, I'd probably dismiss it for lack of evidence, too. Also, I've seen so damn many stark raving mad "theories", that it's difficult to take any one serious. Still, I'm asking you, and everyone who reads this, to keep your eyes open and watch what's happening all over the globe from a slightly different angle once in a while. Maybe see it as similar to Pascal's Wager.
This isn't about science. This is about the "big picture", which isn't science's strong point as it is more concerned with details. I know, how very convenient. I honestly wish it weren't.
I do not even really care if they are global, intra-national or regional conspiracies. Or if there is one at all, even if I'm fairly sure (look up the definition of conspiracy/cabal and tell me there are none). It's secondary to me whether the model to explain it is localized corruption that just happens to form a global network or whether it really is a monolithic, hierarchical, global conspiracy that influences economy, civil rights and whatnot. All I know is I see the pattern that connects these bad effects we're seeing, like a huge stencil on society, and I want it shut down, as soon as possible. And I ask you, too, to not close your eyes to the deterioration we're witnessing on a global scale.
On second thought, don't bother. The voice in my head just told me it'll all be over soon. Just kidding.
There is no need whatsoever for cash to be slipped under doors. If you set the "right" motivation, the system is self-regulating. Tell people it's a dog-eat-dog world, that only the fittest will survive, show them the pictures to go with it, then apply the right kind of pressure from the top, take away money from X, set quota Y, and eventually you'll get-- today. Let this go on for forty years and finally you'll get-- [exercise, fill this in].
The system that grew steadily and stealthily around us was rubber-stamped by us, and it is the perfect Petri dish for their germs. That's what systemic corruption is. You will not be able to get rid of it without changing the system.
It seems the real problem is that it is too complex for you to see through. You prefer fast and hard explanations, and easy rules to go by, which is part of the environment that developed around and was set up for us. Let me guess, you're a big fan of Hanlon's Razor?