...a different type of intelligence... How many different types of intelligence are there? What is intelligence in the first place? Has someone who can solve differential equations greater intelligence than a native who can survive in the African jungle without being eaten, poisoning himself or starving? Can the intelligence even be measured? Are the applicable techniques that measure intelligence without reference to background or education? How can we have artificial intelligence if we don't really know what natural intelligence is or is supposed to be?
And last but not least, will we ever become sufficiently intelligent to understand the difference between raw intelligence and knowledge?
And you are doing exactly what you evolved to do. Get resources, attract a female, make offspring... The attracting a female part makes you do things like getting a job, education... anything you can to improve your statute within society such that you have a better chance of courting a female...
You are just an automaton.
Bullshit. I have free will and a consciousness that allows me to take a step back and predict the consequences of decisions. I choose not to reproduce my genetic material(not by not courting females, just by picking those that feel the same way). I choose to accept a lower salary in exchance for better working conditions and more time to myself. And I choose to respond to an AC even though it will not accomplish anything of significance in the greater scheme of things;-)
It's even worse than pointless. I'm typing this on IE8, but it identifies itself as 6 to appease some of the dreadful apps used on the intranet. So even though the browser should be perfectly capable of rendering the site, filtering based on browser version will lose yet another set of potential eyeballs.
Apple locks you out, Microsoft locks you in. I personally would rather be locked-out.
It's bloody freezing over here. If there's going to be any locking I'll be on the same side of the door as the fridge, warm bed and heating thank you very much;-)
It's never happened historically that the general population, upon the creation of a new communications technology... suddenly started making morally superior decisions.
Has there ever been a communications technology remotely comparable in terms of scale and (relative) freedom to the internet?
The internet qualifies as neither a revolutionary technology, nor one that advances "peaceful behavior".
It is a heck of a lot harder for the leadership of a country to convince its citizenship that it is necessary to wage war against another country because of some perceived flaw with the people of that country when that same citizenship spends its evenings talking to those people over the nets.
Look at what the governments of North-Korea, Iran(at least during the election) and China have in common. They all, to one extent or another, (try to) prevent their citizens from accessing or broadcasting information they disapprove of. Information and knowledge are power. The internet allows for the transmission of information and knowledge in previously unimaginably large amounts. That the "99% is crap" rule applies doesn't matter when that 1% is there for the entire world to access.
In other words, force IS the solution. Either directly, or by proxy.
My point exactly. And in the case of bullying, which by all accounts is just as unacceptable amongst minors as it is when adults do it, you hold those accountable who are actually responsible for the little git, a.k.a. the parents/legal guardians.
If I go out on the street and force someone to hand over his money just because that person is physically or emotionally weaker than I am, I can expect a visit from the police and some quality time behind bars. Yet when a minor does it the victim is supposed to take care of the matter him- or herself?
You know, your little paranoid rant would be a lot more convincing if there actually were any meds to "cure" or "treat" autism. And no, I don't know of anyone diagnosed with autism that has been prescribed Zanax or Paxil unless they had really serious anxiety problems, and those exist regardless of whatever the diagnosis may be.
Like it or not, for a lot of people a proper diagnosis can help a lot, not as a crutch to explain one's failings, but as a way to glean insight into what the fuck is wrong in your head and how to go about dealing with it. Especially the milder forms of autism can be compensated for to some extent(the negative effects anyway, being a human calculator is fun).
I tell you, I find pacifism to be rather scary. How is a society going to be a fit place to live -- or a school a fit place to learn -- if no one takes responsibility for reining in the bullies, miscreants, etc.? You can't rely on authority figures to do it. It is your responsibility, it is everyone's responsibility, to make the world a better place. The only tools you have, though, are peer pressure, reason, charisma, and punching. Bullies are not amenable to reason, charisma only works if you have it, and peer pressure relies on your ability to influence a bully's peers. Often, only punching is available.
When punching is the only option, a pacifist not only rejects his responsibility as a member of a society, but also claims that taking on the responsibility is morally wrong. I am not okay with that.
There is a subtle difference between pacifism and the feeling that violence should only be used as a last resort. Are we still animals where each and every individual must be capable of defending themselves against predators?
Between adults the kind of behavior described in this thread results in lawsuits, career changes etc. Yet somehow we accept that when we force children together in a school environment that they pick on each other like the little animals they are. There are ways of dealing with these issues that don't require the victim to use physical force, we're just not willing to use them.
If force is the only solution, why don't we take every violent criminal back to the local police station where 12 randomly picked citizens get to pound on him for a bit? Takes a heck of a lot less time than a trial, is a lot cheaper than prison, and people even get to use their iphones while doing it.
I was going to post this anonymously but I'll man up and admit it. I don't know if this makes me a geek or just a dork but I was choked up the first time I read this http://xkcd.com/695/. It's not a related comic but your post reminded me of it. Don't think I've ever felt that way about a comic.
Actually, being sensitive is very un-geeky;-) And yes, I agree that one touched a note. Nothing to be ashamed of or to "man up" about in my opinion.
The guy firing it is braced to absorb the force of the recoil. You may not be braced to absorb an impact from the exact orientation of the incoming bullet.
What you said is like claiming that it's impossible for a(n American) football player to knock another one down unless the first one falls down, too.
Ehmm, that only applies if he tries to knock the other guy down using the football as a projectile.
I've also found drivers for all of my hardware(well, except the printer gathering dust), but they're nowhere near the same level of quality as the drivers for Vista/7 that are out there for the same hardware.
*I'm sure a lot more fields that I can't think of at the moment.
Pretty much any business environment that is cut-thoat really(anything with more than 2 employees that are not related?). All it takes is an e-mail with a poor choice of words and a PHB with a grudge and you're in serious trouble.
Hmm, I might enjoy work once the babyboomers sod off and the place is filled up with people that can't write properly...time to grow some pointy hair.
The majority of Europe hates America. Really, really hates America. However, most European people understand that most American people are alright. The basic values of the Founding Fathers are pretty noble and good.
Ehmm, unless you can quote some census data on that, speak for yourself please? Hate is a pretty strong emotion. I'll admit that those people who I know have an opinion on the US at all generally disapprove though.
You know what the worst part is, though? The reason people throughout Europe really, really hate the US? Our governments copy you like fscking monkeys, spending more in order to get less, joining in with your pointless wars in far off lands - at least you have companies that profit from rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan. Our school systems get more and more like yours, even though our schools have always turned out smarter kids. Nationalised public services start being seen as some left-wing ideal, rather than centrist and part-of-the-basic-ideals-of-the-free-market.
Odd, noone I know feels this way. Then again, most of the people I tend to hang out with realize that if our elected representatives stick their heads up the ass of the US, maybe we should have voted for someone else instead, and they get to pay the price next election.
I take it you are from the UK? Sentiment on the mainland is a little more nuanced than you picture it in your post I think.
The problem is most p2p file sharing of copyrighted material IS in violation of current laws. There is no fair use for downloading an entire song, movie or TV show. There is no justification that makes this ok.
So on the one hand we have lots and lots and lots and LOTS of people downloading materials of the web, in violation of current laws. On the other hand the elected officials who represent these people pass, modify and enforce laws making what the electorate has accepted as normal illegal.
Apparently there is enormous demand for what is currently being offered by P2P. Whether it's the fact that it's free/cheap, that games where the DRM has been removed by the scene actually work better than the real thing, or just the simple convenience of being able to watch your favorite show whenever it damn well pleases you...apparently there is something so incredibly alluring about these downloads that people persist in doing it, despite being warned at every corner about the illegality of doing so.
The demand side of the market is clamoring for something, so let the invisible hand do its thing, and give all the lawyers a good slapping while it's at it.
Considering I don't live in the US, I'm not on either side. I'm in those aforementioned countries where we have those amenities I mentioned, paid for by my taxes just like everybody elses. Then again our political structure seems to be mostly based of a realistic approach to dealing with the issues at hand, and not so much shouting down from ideological ivory towers.
In any case, I wish you luck and sincerely hope that libertarian dream state will come to pass. Much like communism we need some real-world examples of why certain approaches don't work.
Yes, and there are those who think it's ok to murder, rape, and steal as they please - that's contrary to my position, but that doesn't make it a valid point of view. Totalitarianism is never a valid point of view, no matter how many people may support it.
Did you just honestly compare universal healthcare, education etc to murder, rape and theft? You realize there's countries out there that have all these things right? Countries where the people are generally better educated and healthier than in the US?
So anyone who disagrees with you politically is a totalitarianist? Well, if we're going to disagree anyway, how about this? We take all the folks that feel like you do, put you on a nice big piece of land that has been completely stripped of all taxpayer-provided amenities, put a big fucking concrete wall around it to protect you from the scary commies, and leave you be? You can make up your own flag, think of a nice name for your little piece of paradise, and all watch Fox News together.
Slashdot Mirror
Drugs and teenage sex are countries too, I suppose.
So where would one apply for a visa to these countries? I can think of a few teenagers who'd love to go, and get off my lawn in the process. Win-win!
...a different type of intelligence...
How many different types of intelligence are there? What is intelligence in the first place? Has someone who can solve differential equations greater intelligence than a native who can survive in the African jungle without being eaten, poisoning himself or starving? Can the intelligence even be measured? Are the applicable techniques that measure intelligence without reference to background or education? How can we have artificial intelligence if we don't really know what natural intelligence is or is supposed to be?
And last but not least, will we ever become sufficiently intelligent to understand the difference between raw intelligence and knowledge?
And you are doing exactly what you evolved to do. Get resources, attract a female, make offspring... The attracting a female part makes you do things like getting a job, education... anything you can to improve your statute within society such that you have a better chance of courting a female...
You are just an automaton.
Bullshit. I have free will and a consciousness that allows me to take a step back and predict the consequences of decisions. I choose not to reproduce my genetic material(not by not courting females, just by picking those that feel the same way). I choose to accept a lower salary in exchance for better working conditions and more time to myself. And I choose to respond to an AC even though it will not accomplish anything of significance in the greater scheme of things ;-)
Time to grow up and get a convertible.
As well as a girlfriend in her early twenties. Although that might dampen your wife's spirits a bit... ;-)
It's even worse than pointless. I'm typing this on IE8, but it identifies itself as 6 to appease some of the dreadful apps used on the intranet. So even though the browser should be perfectly capable of rendering the site, filtering based on browser version will lose yet another set of potential eyeballs.
Apple locks you out, Microsoft locks you in. I personally would rather be locked-out.
It's bloody freezing over here. If there's going to be any locking I'll be on the same side of the door as the fridge, warm bed and heating thank you very much ;-)
It's never happened historically that the general population, upon the creation of a new communications technology... suddenly started making morally superior decisions.
Has there ever been a communications technology remotely comparable in terms of scale and (relative) freedom to the internet?
2) I very much doubt you could hear me without being in the same room.
Well, apparently there's this exploit in the wild....
Really? Never suffered from a case of blue balls? They might not hurt anyone else...but a man's own balls can definitely mess him up good ;-)
The internet qualifies as neither a revolutionary technology, nor one that advances "peaceful behavior".
It is a heck of a lot harder for the leadership of a country to convince its citizenship that it is necessary to wage war against another country because of some perceived flaw with the people of that country when that same citizenship spends its evenings talking to those people over the nets.
Look at what the governments of North-Korea, Iran(at least during the election) and China have in common. They all, to one extent or another, (try to) prevent their citizens from accessing or broadcasting information they disapprove of. Information and knowledge are power. The internet allows for the transmission of information and knowledge in previously unimaginably large amounts. That the "99% is crap" rule applies doesn't matter when that 1% is there for the entire world to access.
I think I'll get it whenever it comes out, but I'll tell my wife to keep the scissors handy, just in case.
I apologize, but that sentence was just on its knees begging me to take it out of context. ;-)
and recognises that he must try to delete the images associated with David Lynch's 1984 version of Dune from the public's consciousness
No more weirding modules? Pretty please?
In other words, force IS the solution. Either directly, or by proxy.
My point exactly. And in the case of bullying, which by all accounts is just as unacceptable amongst minors as it is when adults do it, you hold those accountable who are actually responsible for the little git, a.k.a. the parents/legal guardians.
If I go out on the street and force someone to hand over his money just because that person is physically or emotionally weaker than I am, I can expect a visit from the police and some quality time behind bars. Yet when a minor does it the victim is supposed to take care of the matter him- or herself?
You know, your little paranoid rant would be a lot more convincing if there actually were any meds to "cure" or "treat" autism. And no, I don't know of anyone diagnosed with autism that has been prescribed Zanax or Paxil unless they had really serious anxiety problems, and those exist regardless of whatever the diagnosis may be.
Like it or not, for a lot of people a proper diagnosis can help a lot, not as a crutch to explain one's failings, but as a way to glean insight into what the fuck is wrong in your head and how to go about dealing with it. Especially the milder forms of autism can be compensated for to some extent(the negative effects anyway, being a human calculator is fun).
I tell you, I find pacifism to be rather scary. How is a society going to be a fit place to live -- or a school a fit place to learn -- if no one takes responsibility for reining in the bullies, miscreants, etc.? You can't rely on authority figures to do it. It is your responsibility, it is everyone's responsibility, to make the world a better place. The only tools you have, though, are peer pressure, reason, charisma, and punching. Bullies are not amenable to reason, charisma only works if you have it, and peer pressure relies on your ability to influence a bully's peers. Often, only punching is available.
When punching is the only option, a pacifist not only rejects his responsibility as a member of a society, but also claims that taking on the responsibility is morally wrong. I am not okay with that.
There is a subtle difference between pacifism and the feeling that violence should only be used as a last resort. Are we still animals where each and every individual must be capable of defending themselves against predators?
Between adults the kind of behavior described in this thread results in lawsuits, career changes etc. Yet somehow we accept that when we force children together in a school environment that they pick on each other like the little animals they are. There are ways of dealing with these issues that don't require the victim to use physical force, we're just not willing to use them.
If force is the only solution, why don't we take every violent criminal back to the local police station where 12 randomly picked citizens get to pound on him for a bit? Takes a heck of a lot less time than a trial, is a lot cheaper than prison, and people even get to use their iphones while doing it.
I was going to post this anonymously but I'll man up and admit it. I don't know if this makes me a geek or just a dork but I was choked up the first time I read this http://xkcd.com/695/. It's not a related comic but your post reminded me of it. Don't think I've ever felt that way about a comic.
Actually, being sensitive is very un-geeky ;-) And yes, I agree that one touched a note. Nothing to be ashamed of or to "man up" about in my opinion.
The guy firing it is braced to absorb the force of the recoil. You may not be braced to absorb an impact from the exact orientation of the incoming bullet.
What you said is like claiming that it's impossible for a(n American) football player to knock another one down unless the first one falls down, too.
Ehmm, that only applies if he tries to knock the other guy down using the football as a projectile.
Now can we go back to car analogies?
I've also found drivers for all of my hardware(well, except the printer gathering dust), but they're nowhere near the same level of quality as the drivers for Vista/7 that are out there for the same hardware.
*I'm sure a lot more fields that I can't think of at the moment.
Pretty much any business environment that is cut-thoat really(anything with more than 2 employees that are not related?). All it takes is an e-mail with a poor choice of words and a PHB with a grudge and you're in serious trouble.
Hmm, I might enjoy work once the babyboomers sod off and the place is filled up with people that can't write properly...time to grow some pointy hair.
The majority of Europe hates America. Really, really hates America. However, most European people understand that most American people are alright. The basic values of the Founding Fathers are pretty noble and good.
Ehmm, unless you can quote some census data on that, speak for yourself please? Hate is a pretty strong emotion. I'll admit that those people who I know have an opinion on the US at all generally disapprove though.
You know what the worst part is, though? The reason people throughout Europe really, really hate the US? Our governments copy you like fscking monkeys, spending more in order to get less, joining in with your pointless wars in far off lands - at least you have companies that profit from rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan. Our school systems get more and more like yours, even though our schools have always turned out smarter kids. Nationalised public services start being seen as some left-wing ideal, rather than centrist and part-of-the-basic-ideals-of-the-free-market.
Odd, noone I know feels this way. Then again, most of the people I tend to hang out with realize that if our elected representatives stick their heads up the ass of the US, maybe we should have voted for someone else instead, and they get to pay the price next election.
I take it you are from the UK? Sentiment on the mainland is a little more nuanced than you picture it in your post I think.
While other men fret over the length of their penises, Slashdotters worry about the brevity of their UIDs.
You are aware of your assumption that the two are mutually exclusive, I take it? ;-)
The problem is most p2p file sharing of copyrighted material IS in violation of current laws. There is no fair use for downloading an entire song, movie or TV show. There is no justification that makes this ok.
So on the one hand we have lots and lots and lots and LOTS of people downloading materials of the web, in violation of current laws. On the other hand the elected officials who represent these people pass, modify and enforce laws making what the electorate has accepted as normal illegal.
Apparently there is enormous demand for what is currently being offered by P2P. Whether it's the fact that it's free/cheap, that games where the DRM has been removed by the scene actually work better than the real thing, or just the simple convenience of being able to watch your favorite show whenever it damn well pleases you...apparently there is something so incredibly alluring about these downloads that people persist in doing it, despite being warned at every corner about the illegality of doing so.
The demand side of the market is clamoring for something, so let the invisible hand do its thing, and give all the lawyers a good slapping while it's at it.
Oh come on, you know pre-warp civilizations are not ready for that kind of information!
Excel for taxes...*snicker*
Considering I don't live in the US, I'm not on either side. I'm in those aforementioned countries where we have those amenities I mentioned, paid for by my taxes just like everybody elses. Then again our political structure seems to be mostly based of a realistic approach to dealing with the issues at hand, and not so much shouting down from ideological ivory towers.
In any case, I wish you luck and sincerely hope that libertarian dream state will come to pass. Much like communism we need some real-world examples of why certain approaches don't work.
Yes, and there are those who think it's ok to murder, rape, and steal as they please - that's contrary to my position, but that doesn't make it a valid point of view. Totalitarianism is never a valid point of view, no matter how many people may support it.
Did you just honestly compare universal healthcare, education etc to murder, rape and theft? You realize there's countries out there that have all these things right? Countries where the people are generally better educated and healthier than in the US?
So anyone who disagrees with you politically is a totalitarianist? Well, if we're going to disagree anyway, how about this? We take all the folks that feel like you do, put you on a nice big piece of land that has been completely stripped of all taxpayer-provided amenities, put a big fucking concrete wall around it to protect you from the scary commies, and leave you be? You can make up your own flag, think of a nice name for your little piece of paradise, and all watch Fox News together.