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User: qubit64

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Comments · 117

  1. too good to be fake? on 32,000 "Why I'm Tired" Emails · · Score: 1

    how can something be too good to be fake? if it's too good, wouldn't that indicate it IS fake?

  2. depends on application on Calling Software Reliability Into Question · · Score: 1

    its probably been said already a dozen times but the level of security required depends on the application. for the average home user it doesnt matter too much, for a business its getting more important, for certain government applications its essential, and for critical life-saving systems it's life-or-death. personally i dont care too much about someone hacking my home box, but if they can hack my ECU and set the throttle to idle at 6000 rpm when im driving through a schoolzone, im gonna be pretty pissed. (so, never hook up an ECU to any kind of wireless network)

  3. Re:I thought so. on Genome Surprise · · Score: 1

    Wow. This has got the be the most insightful comment I've seen in a while, maybe even ever.

  4. Re:I thought so. on Genome Surprise · · Score: 1

    and evidently for some of us, even the brain is no more complex. :)

  5. Re:sooo on New AMD Athlon 2600 Processor Released · · Score: 1

    that's normally used for measurement of pressure...

  6. Re:But the real benefit... on Cremation? Burial? How about Diamonds? · · Score: 1

    And, even if they could, your memories and who you "are" will be lost.

  7. Re:Childish intellectuals... on Violence, Video Games And Donahue · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Something I was taught early on by my best teacher ever, was that it doesn't matter who is making the argument, as long as it is sound. I don't care if it's usama, bush, the kid next door, a researcher, or a "concerned mother", I _try_ to listen to what they're saying, and try to expand on their ideas and/or think up counterpoints. That being said, no one is perfect, and often when I'm listening to something my own biases will creep in (or dominate), although often when I think of something later on, in isolation, I will be less biased and honestly evaluate what was said to the best of my ability. (Which is why it's best not to assume an argument is over after a single debate, but revisit it many times and hear from many people before making any important conclusion)

    About the circus media, I'd say that although from time to time some insight into an issue is shown on TV and some idea I haven't discovered is brought to light, much of the time what is being said can be obvious, misleading, alarmist, ridiculously biased, and so on. I've never seen a news anchor or anyone on TV showing any actual thought, with the possible exception of Bill Maher and some of his guests on politically incorrect, which was of course not perfect, but sometimes brought out interesting points on issues that one would rarely see on TV normally. I don't mean to say that TV news has no value, it does, it's just that whenever any story requires analysis (or doesn't but it is given) it seems like good interesting points rarely come up. The people who are giving their opinions are so often simply assume they are correct, and people almost never admit they are wrong, or even could be wrong. Which reminds me of Dennis Miller of course, who always mentions "that's just my opinion, I could be wrong." Often (always?) it seemed like a very sarcastic statement, but the idea that it is shameful to be mistaken, and then admit you're wrong, is one that has always really bothered me.

    Anyway to conclude, from my point of view, the best arguments I've ever had weren't so much arguments as discussions where neither "side" assumed they were right and argued from that point of view but brought out as many important ideas as possible, to try and acheive the best understand of an issue as possible. There is of course more to it than that and some of what I've said needs clarification, but it's an idea.

  8. Re:Conspiracy on Conspiracies And Probability · · Score: 1

    I saw those ballots, and if they are confusing, you shouldn't be voting.

  9. Re:Dijkstra: What are the odds? on Conspiracies And Probability · · Score: 1

    sure but the chances of that are somewhere better than 1 in 26.000 (roughly just based on the number of years the guy lived and how many days there are in that period, obviously it's not very accurate but it is certainly far from 1 in 1 million)

  10. Re:Conspiracy on Conspiracies And Probability · · Score: 2, Informative

    Nope, but Gore did have lots of big names with lots of money on his side too. Also, Gore did lose the election, based on your electoral system. If you want to change the system so that it's a "majority rules" system then go for it, but that's not how it works now. Finally, even with the recount done by the newspapers in florida (which was far from "official"), Bush would have won anyway, albeit by the slimmest of margins.

  11. Re:HP engines..... on John Carmack, Rocket Boy · · Score: 1

    Okay that's the answer I was looking for. Essentially, no, unless I want to lose my eyebrows. (Or worse)

  12. Re:HP engines..... on John Carmack, Rocket Boy · · Score: 1

    So if I'm bored some day I go pick up some hydrogen peroxide, mix it with kerosene, and make some sort of remote detonation device and head over to the other side of the beach?

  13. Re:Conspiracies, nuts, and JFK on Conspiracies And Probability · · Score: 1

    Maybe this explains the appeal of religion?

  14. Re:Id love to ead all about it... on Conspiracies And Probability · · Score: 1

    nope, use the random registration generator. (search for it on google im too lazy to find it right now)

  15. Re:it's coming... on Feds Open 'Total' Tech Spy System · · Score: 1

    The jury is still out on democracy. Three hundred years is a rather short time.

  16. Re:Where's my Doom III? on John Carmack, Rocket Boy · · Score: 1

    I imagine that at this point it's not so much the programming that is going to take the most time, it's the content... (Maybe I'm wrong, I have nothing to base this comment on, or any comment on this for that matter. It's just something I recall from somewhere. Maybe a dream?)

  17. Re:Scenario on Dell No Longer Selling Systems w/o Microsoft OS · · Score: 1

    Because here the other manufacturers are linux, sun, apple, and anyone else who makes an OS. None of 'em would probably win in court, regardless of whether or not they were right.

  18. Re:Wonder if a mass scale weapon could be made... on Build Your Own Tesla Coil · · Score: 1

    Anyone else immediately hear Moff Tarkin's voice saying "we will then crush the rebellion with one swift stroke" after reading this?

  19. Re:How Lazy do you get? on Consumer Friendly (or Disney Hostile) DVD Players? · · Score: 1

    The problem is that 12 seconds turns into many many hours after watching enough movies. (And lord knows I do...)

  20. Re:Another great quote on Edsger Wybe Dijkstra: 1930-2002 · · Score: 1

    well, I got my opinion from dictionary.com's definitions and it included things outside of natural phenomena. I'm not sure which is "correct", I've heard people who think science means either, and people who restrict it to natural phenomena. I guess it's just one of the many words that have different meanings for different people. (sigh)

  21. Re:depends on whether math is a science on Edsger Wybe Dijkstra: 1930-2002 · · Score: 1

    Interestingly enough when I first went to write my original post I was going to say the exact same thing as your topic. I myself do consider math to be a science, although some may consider an art. I'd say that at least applied math should be considered science. The pure end of things is a bit more difficult to say, because at some point in the future it may end up with applications so, I dunno.

  22. Re:Another great quote on Edsger Wybe Dijkstra: 1930-2002 · · Score: 1

    Go to www.dictionary.com and look up the word science. I'm pretty sure that CS is a science. (Maybe it's not a natural philosophy in the same way physics is but it is a science)

  23. Re:Linux in mind? on Playstation 3 CPU Almost Finished? · · Score: 1

    prices dropping? what about that ibm assembly line that cost 2.5 billion?

  24. Re:How capitalism can indeed serve social interest on Reclaiming the Commons · · Score: 1

    Wait, what if the child has no money? Isn't the citizen being altruistic then, something Ayn Rand was dead set against? (I honestly don't know much about this. It's a serious question, not a troll.)

  25. Re:Why? on New Red Hat Multimedia Oriented Distribution · · Score: 1

    I don't really understand this either. I think dumbing linux down is a bad idea, but building an easy to use windows-like distribution (are there any at that level or near it yet?) wouldn't be a bad idea. The problem is selling it. I wouldn't use it because I like things the way I have them set up, not someone else's way.