"I see you're trying to wake up. Would you like me to fsck off, keep chattering, read you the news, read you the weather, read you a daily fortune cookie, or let you go back to sleep and snooze? Note that the snooze feature is only available to registered users. You can register right now for only $49.95 via Palpal or credit card and I will stop talking. Please groan or scream to accept this transfer from your account or I... Thank you. Would you like to purchase the extended warranty...?"
I heard an interesting theory about what done in Napoleon's army in retreat from Moscow. Apparently their uniforms had tin/pewter buttons everywhere. Apparently tin works fine for buttons, cheaper than brass, until the temperature drops below a certain point. Then tin becomes brittle junk that shatters. Suddenly all the coat, vest, pant, suspender, fly buttons and what-not vanished and the cold got in.
Death by cheap military contractor. (Like that's never happened before!)
I'm not saying that it's true (I'd like to see some more proof, including accounts from the march), but it makes a good story. I guess the moral would be "Always know where your tin buttons are during a phase change!" (Or not.)
I've been doing some text-to-speech reading of web pages (so I could have fun with the MS Agent characters) and I know what you mean about brittle. In fact, sed/awk might be a more general solution for me.;)
You should try it with no screen at all! I've been playing with text-to-speech of web pages recently. It's not that hard to scrape text for reading from an individual web site, but each one requires a look at the HTML to set up filters for the meaningful text and a few tries to get it right -- and problems if the page's formating ever changes.
With RSS, I expect it to be a lot better and be much easier to get a non-kludge working. That's my next addition planned after some speech input.
Sticklers agree: The 5100 represents the first production portable computer. So does the Smithsonian, where a prototype now resides.
Sticklers do not agree. For some weird and stupid reason probably related to marketing, the HP9830 (1974) was classified as a "programable calculator". Balls. It was a 16 bit computer and had BASIC. (There was a thermal printer that attached to the top.) Guts and stuff
Really? I blocked anything from Yahoo a few months ago after getting spam through them and repeated abuse robo-replies saying that it didn't come from them. (Yes, the headers definitely showed it was coming through them and the spamvertized site was hosted by them.)
If they can't be bothered to write an abuse bot that works at least part of the time, forget it.
The "news" story is pretty much completely wrong. You might want to read the actual technical details and refactor. (Sadly, a lot stays the same, I think.)
Because of the lack of any technical details in the FA, this will most likely be either a bad "abuse with abuse" or a pointless feel-good solution.
My modest proposal: A email to Doom interface. (Remember the Doom job control UI for Linux a few years ago?) Spam filters could grade the email and represent it as a particular monster in Doom. Then you could just hit delete with a rocket launcher or BFG. Of course, if you're sloppy with your shots, there might be some collateral damage on real email -- but isn't there always?
Yep, an utterly point idea, but at least it's more fun than these FUSSPs.
Not unless someone can pull a rabbit out of their hat with quantum computing--making it impossible to dissect part of the state without collapsing the rest. Well... Let's wait and see.
The AI program would continually check its own integrity and its ability to modify itself. If these checks failed then it could self-destruct. The aliens would then have to start again with a fresh copy of the program which would, at the least, be irritating. The data would of course be heavily encrypted, and the AI program would, in addition to being immensely complicated, be constructed with numerous layers of self-modifying code, so that effectively the only way the aliens could find out what the program does would be to run it. Then, however, the program would be self-aware and would have the ability to self-destruct if necessary.
He's obviously never tried protecting a game against the retro-addition of a save game crack! Seriously, I doubt a system could be completely protected purely in software running on untrusted hardware.
The original work might be in public domain, but when a publisher prints a new copy of it, there's a copyright on that particular version that applies to the layout, typesetting, fonts, illustrations if any, etc. Public domain isn't viral.:)
Or running out from subatomic scale to galaxy size. (A classic in science films) WTF? Did the film somehow mention the idea that the damned universe just happens to be older than 4004 BC or something?
Too easy clam-boi. (I couldn't make up anything as silly and scary as Scientology even if I tried.)
A Piece of Blue Sky
While it was possible to defend against prosecution in the United States for claims of miracle cures by invoking the First Amendment's freedom of belief, it was stupid of Hubbard to sell his vitamin mixture as a specific for radiation sickness. In 1958, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) seized a consignment of 21,000 "Dianazene" tablets, which were marketed by a Scientology company, the Distribution Center. The tablets were destroyed by the F.D.A. because their labeling claimed they were a preventative and treatment for radiation sickness. 13
This was not the last time Hubbard tangled with the F.D.A. Nor was it the last time he claimed a cure for the effects of radiation. The Scientologists still advertise All About Radiation with a flier which claims that "L. Ron Hubbard has discovered a formula which can proof a person against radiation." Scientologists believe that enormous doses of Niacin, a form of vitamin B3, will protect them from the devastating effects of exposure to radiation in the event of nuclear war.
And then there was the later run-in with the FDA over the quack claims about the e-meter.
Slashdot Mirror
(Did you think I was kidding? Bwahahaha!)
The dust bunnies in the corners would eat the bots and grow larger, eventually producing a dust bun-bun. Be afraid.
Death by cheap military contractor. (Like that's never happened before!)
I'm not saying that it's true (I'd like to see some more proof, including accounts from the march), but it makes a good story. I guess the moral would be "Always know where your tin buttons are during a phase change!" (Or not.)
Yes I am. And so is William Shatner!
Besides, what's wrong with pledging allegence to Queen Elizabeth the 1st of Scotland?
Maybe we could all get together and send him a few pints via a BeerPal account?
Since the show has BBC Wales in the credits, shouldn't it be "Culprit of Leeked Doctor Who Episode Found"?
He'll be making house calls on you next! You illegal leak-watcher you!
I've been doing some text-to-speech reading of web pages (so I could have fun with the MS Agent characters) and I know what you mean about brittle. In fact, sed/awk might be a more general solution for me. ;)
With RSS, I expect it to be a lot better and be much easier to get a non-kludge working. That's my next addition planned after some speech input.
My mistake, 1972 (And didn't certain Apple employees work at HP at the time?)
The sound that the HP-65 made when reading a mag card was perfect! I had to go have a cold shower after listening to that sound a few times.
Dude! You were just using the wrong TV Mind you, colour would have been nice. (No, the mouse isn't connected to the MC-10.)
I think the military definition of portable is if two people can move it.
If they can't be bothered to write an abuse bot that works at least part of the time, forget it.
The "news" story is pretty much completely wrong. You might want to read the actual technical details and refactor. (Sadly, a lot stays the same, I think.)
My modest proposal: A email to Doom interface. (Remember the Doom job control UI for Linux a few years ago?) Spam filters could grade the email and represent it as a particular monster in Doom. Then you could just hit delete with a rocket launcher or BFG. Of course, if you're sloppy with your shots, there might be some collateral damage on real email -- but isn't there always?
Yep, an utterly point idea, but at least it's more fun than these FUSSPs.
I used an Intel chip with a wooden case. Of course, it was a 3 MHz 8085...
Not unless someone can pull a rabbit out of their hat with quantum computing--making it impossible to dissect part of the state without collapsing the rest. Well... Let's wait and see.
After all, there's a war on terror going on, and Computers Don't Argue
The original work might be in public domain, but when a publisher prints a new copy of it, there's a copyright on that particular version that applies to the layout, typesetting, fonts, illustrations if any, etc. Public domain isn't viral. :)
Or running out from subatomic scale to galaxy size. (A classic in science films) WTF? Did the film somehow mention the idea that the damned universe just happens to be older than 4004 BC or something?