I'm not surprised at all that ISPs are throttling internet speeds. If a cable company throttles netflix and youtube data then that increases the probability that people will get frustrated and just watch cable tv (especially the advertisements). If Verizon deprioritizes VOIP traffic to reduce call quality then that increases the probability people just go back to using P.O.T.S (which they conveniently sell). Maybe my tin foil hat is a little to tight today, but I think the only real way to prevent this kind of stuff form happening is a decentralized internet.
Yeah, anytime I start a comment out with "I didn't read the article yet, but..." I should probably realize I'm about to spout out some nonsense./facepalm
The judge sentenced Pierre-Paul François, who was EDF’s deputy head of nuclear production security in 2006 to three years imprisonment, with 30 months suspended. Meanwhile his boss, Pascal Durieux, who was EDF’s head of nuclear production security in 2006, was also sentenced to three years imprisonment, two years suspended, and a 10,000 euros (£8,500) fine for apparently commissioning the spying operation.
and
As a result of this, the French judge issued a guilty verdict in the case of Thierry Lorho, the head of Kargus Consultants. The former member of France’s secret services was sentenced to three years in jail, with two suspended and a €4,000 (£3,450) fine. EDF was also ordered to pay €50,000 (£42,800) to Jadot.
I didn't read the article yet, but 1.5 million euros seems like kind of a slap on the wrist for a power company. They'll prob make that much profit just from people using their computers to read this slashdot story (ok, that's kind of a hyperbole, but you get the idea). If this was "industrial scale espionage" like the summary said, you'd think there would be more than just a "small" fine for punishment.
Ahem, the joke is that simply losing one's tin foil hat is not enough to say good things about EA and that something much more extreme(like a brain slug) would be needed to even think of such a thing.
I would think that the anti-intellectuals would be a bigger threat than the pseudo-intellectuals.
It basically comes down to what group is more likely to accept proof that they are wrong. Pseudo-intellectuals at least show that they value a scientific explanation(even if it's nonsense) and therefore are more likely to accept a different (better) scientific explanation. Anti-intellectuals, on the other hand, put 0 value in a scientific explanation and are essentially imune to any type of proof or reason.
Obviously this question was directed at The Bad Astronomer, not me, and I would like to hear his thoughts on this as well. I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw in my 2 cents though.
That is an interesting thought, but the Godel Universe also doesn't have "Hubble Expansion" and so technically still doesn't fit with what we have observed of our universe.
I think that would be one of the key issues for sure.
Also, what kind of weird stuff would happen if we just started duplicating ourselves in the same way you can duplicate an operating system installed on a computer. We could wind up with millions of copies of our brains all existing at the same time, having conversations with each other.
I think it's reasonable to assume that once we have the technology to mimic a human brain (the most complex part of the human anatomy?), we would probably be able to have completely artificial bodies (including reproductive capabilities).
This is kind of off topic, but this reminds me of an article I read (maybe in time magazine) that was about how in the next 40 years or so we will have computers powerful enough to emulate a human brain. The point of the article was that once we reach that capability, humans will basically become immortal because we would just copy our brains onto a computer and not have to worry about our fragile organic bodies failing on us.
It's very interesting to think about all the effects a breakthrough like that would have on humanity, but I also wonder if something like that is even possible. Just because we can emulate the human brain doesn't mean we can transfer information off of our current brains. Even if we can transfer the information, will our consciousness with a computer brain be the same as our consciousness with an organic brain or will we experience the world completely different than we do now? Once we have eternal life as computers do we even bother reproducing anymore? If our only existence becomes as pieces of data in a computer are we even humans at that point? And is the real way humans wind up going extinct just the result of a power outage at the datacenter where we keep our brains?
Like I said, this was pretty off topic. But the title reminded me of that article I read. This might be it, I'm not sure though.
Some people call stealing form the bank in Monopoly, "part of the exitement of the game". Some people call it cheating. I would be in the latter group.
I would also be in the latter group. Blatant cheating and judgement calls are very different though.
A better (but not perfect) analogy would be:
Some people call selling their own properties to other players at a different cost than on the card in Monopoly, "part of the excitement of the game". Some people call it cheating because players could wind up being overcharged or undercharged.
Maybe there should be a calculator buit into the game that calculates the values of all properties based on each players assets so a player only ever has to pay the exact value of the property and we won't have to worry about anyone being cheated? Would something like that make the game more or less enjoyable?
What if the robot can't see the top of my pants? (My shirt is loose and blouses over)
What if my shoulders are angled? (Where's the 'top'?)
What if I have loose pants and a locked knee stance? (Where's my knee, and thus the hollow below the cap?)
When does the robot determine the boundaries of the zone? (If it's at the windup, I'll crouch during it then stand up. If it's as the pitch comes in, I'll squat on high strikes)
Actually, I think determining all that to a very high degree of accuracy is possible with just software based on a certain set of criteria, but I don't think it matters anyways.
Sports are overall very subjective. They are heavily based on emotion, feeling, and the heat of the moment. When I go to a hockey game I don't go thinking "I hope every call is made perfectly", I go thinking "I hope this game is exciting and I have a good time". Part of what makes sports so much fun is the drama of good and bad calls and players pushing themselves to their limits.
If a hockey player makes a great steal, dekes out 2 defenders and then blasts a slapshot past the goalie, then that's exciting and is the reason why most people watch the game. But if one of his teammates, who wasn't even involved in the play, was offsides by something only noticable to a computer and play is stopped or the goal disallowed, then the game becomes less interesting.
Judgment calls are made all the time based on extenuating circumstances. For example, during the playoffs officials typically call much fewer penalties than they do during the regular season. This gives players a little more margin for error so they can play harder and helps prevent a game (and potentially a series) from being decided based on a ticky-tack call.
Sorry to totally hijack this and make it about hockey, but I'm just not that familiar with baseball.:(
tl;dr: Sports are games played by people, for the enjoyment of people, and should be judged by people.
Forget this whole notion of printing pictures or burning videos onto DVDs. Just pass on the memories via word of mouth. Bed time stories, campfire songs, etc... The best part about this is by the time your great-great-grandkids start reminiscing about you and your family, (as far as they know) you'll be 10ft tall nobel prize winners who vanquished dragons and discovered the moon.
I wonder how many people will only hold onto the actual handle part and avoid grabbing the "blade" section. Everything I know about lightsabers tells me that the glowing colorful part is the dangerous end, so even though I know that these are decoration and are not real, I might still instinctively only grab the handle part.
Might be interesting to set up a camera and see how many people hesitate before grabbing the "blade" or if anyone just only goes for the handle, even if it is awkward to hold on that way.
Yeah, I noticed that too. I did notice at least one cop in the videos who was holding a camcorder and recording the protestors. It would be interesting to see the footage from that perspective as well.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not surprised at all that ISPs are throttling internet speeds. If a cable company throttles netflix and youtube data then that increases the probability that people will get frustrated and just watch cable tv (especially the advertisements). If Verizon deprioritizes VOIP traffic to reduce call quality then that increases the probability people just go back to using P.O.T.S (which they conveniently sell). Maybe my tin foil hat is a little to tight today, but I think the only real way to prevent this kind of stuff form happening is a decentralized internet.
Yeah, anytime I start a comment out with "I didn't read the article yet, but..." I should probably realize I'm about to spout out some nonsense. /facepalm
FTFA:
The judge sentenced Pierre-Paul François, who was EDF’s deputy head of nuclear production security in 2006 to three years imprisonment, with 30 months suspended. Meanwhile his boss, Pascal Durieux, who was EDF’s head of nuclear production security in 2006, was also sentenced to three years imprisonment, two years suspended, and a 10,000 euros (£8,500) fine for apparently commissioning the spying operation.
and
As a result of this, the French judge issued a guilty verdict in the case of Thierry Lorho, the head of Kargus Consultants. The former member of France’s secret services was sentenced to three years in jail, with two suspended and a €4,000 (£3,450) fine. EDF was also ordered to pay €50,000 (£42,800) to Jadot.
I didn't read the article yet, but 1.5 million euros seems like kind of a slap on the wrist for a power company. They'll prob make that much profit just from people using their computers to read this slashdot story (ok, that's kind of a hyperbole, but you get the idea). If this was "industrial scale espionage" like the summary said, you'd think there would be more than just a "small" fine for punishment.
Ahem, the joke is that simply losing one's tin foil hat is not enough to say good things about EA and that something much more extreme(like a brain slug) would be needed to even think of such a thing.
"WOOOOOOOSH" indeed.
The head writer for Futurama, David X Cohen, also published a paper on pancake sorting.
You're praising EA?!?!? Did a brain slug land on your head right after your tin foil hat fell off?
I agree. It kinda reminds me of Feynman's Wobbling Plate.
Interesting, so what your saying is that aliens are also the source of lighting? Things are stating to make more sense now...
In all seriousness, thanks for sharing the videos. very cool.
Now all we have to do is figure out why the aliens are causing electric discharges and we can call this mystery solved!
this^^
I have also wondered about dark matter and dark energy. It really feels like a band-aid theory, similar to the aether theories.
I would think that the anti-intellectuals would be a bigger threat than the pseudo-intellectuals.
It basically comes down to what group is more likely to accept proof that they are wrong. Pseudo-intellectuals at least show that they value a scientific explanation(even if it's nonsense) and therefore are more likely to accept a different (better) scientific explanation. Anti-intellectuals, on the other hand, put 0 value in a scientific explanation and are essentially imune to any type of proof or reason.
Obviously this question was directed at The Bad Astronomer, not me, and I would like to hear his thoughts on this as well. I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw in my 2 cents though.
It's notification software. OS X versions are all names of big cat's (tiger, leopard). Big cats growl.
I'm not saying it's the best name ever, but that's prob where the name comes form.
It's more likely that they have read it and thought "Man, what a brilliant idea!"
That is an interesting thought, but the Godel Universe also doesn't have "Hubble Expansion" and so technically still doesn't fit with what we have observed of our universe.
I think that would be one of the key issues for sure.
Also, what kind of weird stuff would happen if we just started duplicating ourselves in the same way you can duplicate an operating system installed on a computer. We could wind up with millions of copies of our brains all existing at the same time, having conversations with each other.
Haha, a whole new meaning to forking indeed.
I think it's reasonable to assume that once we have the technology to mimic a human brain (the most complex part of the human anatomy?), we would probably be able to have completely artificial bodies (including reproductive capabilities).
This is kind of off topic, but this reminds me of an article I read (maybe in time magazine) that was about how in the next 40 years or so we will have computers powerful enough to emulate a human brain. The point of the article was that once we reach that capability, humans will basically become immortal because we would just copy our brains onto a computer and not have to worry about our fragile organic bodies failing on us.
It's very interesting to think about all the effects a breakthrough like that would have on humanity, but I also wonder if something like that is even possible. Just because we can emulate the human brain doesn't mean we can transfer information off of our current brains. Even if we can transfer the information, will our consciousness with a computer brain be the same as our consciousness with an organic brain or will we experience the world completely different than we do now? Once we have eternal life as computers do we even bother reproducing anymore? If our only existence becomes as pieces of data in a computer are we even humans at that point? And is the real way humans wind up going extinct just the result of a power outage at the datacenter where we keep our brains?
Like I said, this was pretty off topic. But the title reminded me of that article I read. This might be it, I'm not sure though.
Some people call stealing form the bank in Monopoly, "part of the exitement of the game". Some people call it cheating. I would be in the latter group.
I would also be in the latter group. Blatant cheating and judgement calls are very different though.
A better (but not perfect) analogy would be:
Some people call selling their own properties to other players at a different cost than on the card in Monopoly, "part of the excitement of the game". Some people call it cheating because players could wind up being overcharged or undercharged.
Maybe there should be a calculator buit into the game that calculates the values of all properties based on each players assets so a player only ever has to pay the exact value of the property and we won't have to worry about anyone being cheated? Would something like that make the game more or less enjoyable?
Customer: "In fact I have, which is why I left the phone. My personal phone number is on there." *winks*
What if the robot can't see the top of my pants? (My shirt is loose and blouses over)
What if my shoulders are angled? (Where's the 'top'?)
What if I have loose pants and a locked knee stance? (Where's my knee, and thus the hollow below the cap?)
When does the robot determine the boundaries of the zone? (If it's at the windup, I'll crouch during it then stand up. If it's as the pitch comes in, I'll squat on high strikes)
Actually, I think determining all that to a very high degree of accuracy is possible with just software based on a certain set of criteria, but I don't think it matters anyways.
Sports are overall very subjective. They are heavily based on emotion, feeling, and the heat of the moment. When I go to a hockey game I don't go thinking "I hope every call is made perfectly", I go thinking "I hope this game is exciting and I have a good time". Part of what makes sports so much fun is the drama of good and bad calls and players pushing themselves to their limits.
If a hockey player makes a great steal, dekes out 2 defenders and then blasts a slapshot past the goalie, then that's exciting and is the reason why most people watch the game. But if one of his teammates, who wasn't even involved in the play, was offsides by something only noticable to a computer and play is stopped or the goal disallowed, then the game becomes less interesting.
Judgment calls are made all the time based on extenuating circumstances. For example, during the playoffs officials typically call much fewer penalties than they do during the regular season. This gives players a little more margin for error so they can play harder and helps prevent a game (and potentially a series) from being decided based on a ticky-tack call.
Sorry to totally hijack this and make it about hockey, but I'm just not that familiar with baseball. :(
tl;dr: Sports are games played by people, for the enjoyment of people, and should be judged by people.
Forget this whole notion of printing pictures or burning videos onto DVDs. Just pass on the memories via word of mouth. Bed time stories, campfire songs, etc... The best part about this is by the time your great-great-grandkids start reminiscing about you and your family, (as far as they know) you'll be 10ft tall nobel prize winners who vanquished dragons and discovered the moon.
I wonder how many people will only hold onto the actual handle part and avoid grabbing the "blade" section. Everything I know about lightsabers tells me that the glowing colorful part is the dangerous end, so even though I know that these are decoration and are not real, I might still instinctively only grab the handle part.
Might be interesting to set up a camera and see how many people hesitate before grabbing the "blade" or if anyone just only goes for the handle, even if it is awkward to hold on that way.
Yeah, I noticed that too. I did notice at least one cop in the videos who was holding a camcorder and recording the protestors. It would be interesting to see the footage from that perspective as well.
Obligatory Bill Burr? It's all funny, but you gotta go to 2:10 to get the part related to self checkouts.