The German philosopher and author, Adorno, had some sage words on this topic. He argued that Facism was the outgrowth of a people with so fragile an ego that they lost the ability to belive in their capability of judging for themselves what was right and wrong. Adorno argues that when this happens we allow demagauges (sp?) to make those judgements for us, and the result is the concentration of an enourmous amount of power in the hands of a very very very few.
His argument can be expanded to deal with almost all forms of oppresive government. Bolshivism, Nazism, Maoism, to say nothing of the numerous military dictatorships the world over (yes, these count too. If the entire country decides that a ruler is just an asshole and that opposition is the only option, he will fall), all of these rely on their implicit ability to define right and wrong.
Are we letting big buisness and other corrupt hyper-capitalist interests define that for us? It's a question left up to history to decide, but I'm not above saying that it scares me sometimes.
If you're going to get religious on the/. croud, at least have the good sence to quote/paraphrase Pascal's gambit.
Consider the Christian and the Athiest. All things being equil, if, in the end the Athiest is right and the Christian is wrong, their posisions in the hereafter will be equil. The Christian loose nothing, save the effort required to live a moraly upright life. If, however the Christian is right and the Athiest wrong, then will the position of the Christian be superior!
Before you all jump down my throat on this: Yes, I am aware that more than one religion exists which claims that if you don't belive in it you're phukt. I'm also aware that if hell is exothermic hell will eventualy break loose, but if it's endothermic it will eventualy freeze over.
But there's a real difference between a weaponized strain of a virus and the naturaly occuring brand. Weaponized viruses are frequently resistant to knowen vacination tecniques. They have altered incubation periods and transmitable stages allowing for rapid amplification through a population or use as a localized weapon (depending on the desires of those producing the virus). Most are also selectively produced for leathality. Weaponized smallpox has a kill rate in excess of 80%. That's scary as hell. Ebola is scary because in its natural state it has a kill rate that high.
Just beware that a weaponized strain and the naturaling occuring type are two different things. And yes, smallpox has been weaponized.
Which part do you object to? His failure to capitalize God or his insertation of an asterix where the o goes? Perhaps I should explain.
god = Any power higher than what we see as mortal. Zeus, for example, was/is a god. Thus, god (no caps) usualy takes the indeffinate article.
God = A specific god. Usualy this refers to "the one true God" AKA the God of Jewdisasm ("I Am") and Christianity. Muslims refer to their God as Allah, but He would also be capitalised and would also take the definate article.
G*d or g*d = A traditional Jewish way of writing God. Typicaly this would be capitalised, but lets call it a typo. G*d (or more accurately G-d) is a method of communicating the idea of God without writing the word. Traditional Jewish Kabalistic law holds that writing God or the name of God is a Bad Thing (tm) and that you shouldn't do it. Thus, religious scholoars apapted and wrote G-d rather than God so they could communicate with each other about God without annoying him.
Not really. Fusion "containers" are massive electromagnetic coils which are themselves suspended in a vacuum chamber. The idea is to magneticly contain a 100,000+ C plasma until fusion occurs and hopefully produce more energy than you use. This is a ways off.
In answer to a question further down the page, hydrogen fuel cells are better than batteries because of the rate they can deliver energy. It's difficult to make an electric car that can make a decent top speed. Hydrogen fuel cells pack the punch to give you a good boost.
Last point -- Someone else was asking where the energy for this will come from, pointing out that you will always come up short if you're using water as your source of hydrogen. A reply indicated that other more hydrogen rich molecules would be used. I wish to clarify that this is the case, but only until either more advanced solar systems can be developed or until fusion power becomes more practical. The idea is not hydrogen as an energy source, but as a storage medium.
Ah... so what you're saying is that the AI is flawed because it will cut through your land to attack an enemy other than you, and when you offer resistance it gets mad and attacks. This you argue is not an accurate simulation of how human being act, and thus represents a flaw in the AI.
... demonstrate that damage was done? I mean, what you're talking about here is someone who's hacked an embeded device (basicly).
Does the DMCA ban reverse engineering as well? Is that technicaly constitutional? It seems that there's a lot of questions about this case that need answering. But the bottom line is that Sony isn't loosing any money from this site. None of these files are of any use if you don't HAVE an Abio right?
Yes and no. I think the real trick of it is that we're depending to much on the computer to move our troops. I've been working on a concept sketch for a RTSgame utilizing a hybridization between engines like homeworld and quake set in deep space.
The trick, of course, is to drop the computer components as much as possible and go with massively multiplayer.
Oh, and in other ironies, we share the same name, so this is really creepy.
Adorno would be turning in his grave. As a refugee from Nazi Germany he argued that it was the exclusive definition of German Kultur (i.e. You don't do this, this, this, and this, therefore you're not German) which resulted in the decline of Germany into the cultural barbarism which was the Nazi Period.
Now I ask you. Sen Feingold? Un-American? How are we acting any different? I'm not calling anyone a Nazi, I'm just saying that these are not the actions of a civilized nation.
As one of those Linux wanabes and a fairly recent addition to the slashdot community (1 year or so) I'd like to concur and respectfully disagree. I concur insofar as the statement that there is a groupthink mentality growing on slashdot which is dangerous to the vitality of the readerbase and is slowly changing the character of the site for the worse.
I disagree in the assumption that all new users and linux wanabes are responsible for this. I for example try to keep my posts restricted to my personal areas of expertese (spelling not being one of those areas) and pure speculation. I don't post on the future trends in the open source movement because I simply don't know shit about them. I'm intersted to see what others have to say though... and I think I've learned alot from Slashdot in my year or so here.
Now into that speculation. I've noted that Slashdot tends to be straying from what many consider its origional purpose to be. Most of the reader base sees this site as dedicated first and foremost to news about Linux, high tecnology, and science. Nonetheless, we've branched out. Articles on personal liberties (many of which really don't belong to "your rights online") and poltical developments grace these pages.
Perhaps, other niche groups need their own slashdot? I've seen a few uses of the slashcode in various poorly frequented news sights, but nothing of the scope that Slashdot has.
As a history buff myself, I'd be curious to see the reaction a site like, oh, say Pastdot would get:-)
Point being, I think a lot of the AC posts and trolls we see here are a result of two things. 10 year olds with to much time on their hands, and people looking to discuss issues who really aren't part of this "community" or clique if you prefer. Perhaps/. has simply gotten to ideocentric to accecpt deviants anymore. Perhaps I'm just rambeling.
That stated isn't the answer obvious? If the/coders have the time and will to do it why not simply force all AC posts to start at -1 or -2. This makes them need 7, not 5 points of moderation to reach 5. The result (hopefully) is that the less relelvant AC posts will remain in the dumpster of oblivion whereas the truely insightfull and interesting ones will filter up and be seen as they were intended.
I know this is a troll but I'm responding to it anyway. But not for the reasons the writer intends.
The Soviet Union was not communist. It wanted to attain communism, but every leader, Lenin through Gorby, would admit that this never happened. Under Lenin the Soviet Union was first socialist, then capitalist (the NEP). Under Stalin, and every "communist party leader" thereafter, the State was Stalinist (think, despotic totalitarianism).
The same goes, more or less, for the PRC.
And on that note, these nations did have a single entity behind them. Lenin, Stalin, Khruschev, Bresniev (sp?), Andropov (sp?), Gorby. No, there was no head of state... not at all... why would we ever think there was a head of state?
I feel like I'm karma whoring because I say this every time it comes up but here goes again.
The difference is that I give that data willingly to these corporations. I decide that it's worth an extra $0.25 off a ribeye steak to let Harris Teeter track my spending habbits. I decide it's ok to tell Joe Bizfwick's Online Supercenter what age and gender I am so they can more accurately target my buying preferences.
It's different when you give the information away
But this is different. When the government, the government which is supposed to protect my privacy, forces me under penalty of fine (and not just 25 cents more for a steak mind you) and incarceration to divulge this information it stops being my choice. Part of privacy rights is not just the right to be left alone, but the right to decide who you tell what to. This card invalidates that. That's what sucks.
-=But=- if the software comes with the computer, and you don't agree to the licence you've had no say in its purchace. Try buying a mainstream computer that doesn't come with bundled software.
Somehow, an agreement I never signed on to is preventing me from selling the software? Where did I concent to this contract? That's the gap in the logic. Send forth the lawyers.
But the chart is questionable as well. The RIAA is presuming that the only thing driving this single year of decreased sales is the existance of file sharing. Without more data this is completely inconclusive.
CDs are a luxury. Many say we're going into a recession (or are allready in one) and thus consumer confidance is low. People don't buy as many luxuries when consumer confidance is low.
Other goods which may be considered substitutes are becoming available at reasonable prices as well. DVDs are entering the mainstream, and many people are turning to digital video rather than digital audio for their entertainment.
Competing goods are also becoming widely available. Digital Satelite TV has a wide selection of music channels. As this gains market share against cable many users will drift away from purchacing CD audio outright in favor of just turning on the TV.
MP3 is just one among many possible explanations for what is, realisticly, a statisticly unremarkable drop in sales. I also note, as I get to the end of this rant, that you're generaly in agreement with me, which makes me feel kind of dumb for writing this, but what the hell, the points needed expansion anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
It's a conglomeration of the words "phase" and "laser." I guess that would mean it produces lots of different wavelengths at once?
The German philosopher and author, Adorno, had some sage words on this topic. He argued that Facism was the outgrowth of a people with so fragile an ego that they lost the ability to belive in their capability of judging for themselves what was right and wrong. Adorno argues that when this happens we allow demagauges (sp?) to make those judgements for us, and the result is the concentration of an enourmous amount of power in the hands of a very very very few.
His argument can be expanded to deal with almost all forms of oppresive government. Bolshivism, Nazism, Maoism, to say nothing of the numerous military dictatorships the world over (yes, these count too. If the entire country decides that a ruler is just an asshole and that opposition is the only option, he will fall), all of these rely on their implicit ability to define right and wrong.
Are we letting big buisness and other corrupt hyper-capitalist interests define that for us? It's a question left up to history to decide, but I'm not above saying that it scares me sometimes.
If you're going to get religious on the /. croud, at least have the good sence to quote/paraphrase Pascal's gambit.
Consider the Christian and the Athiest. All things being equil, if, in the end the Athiest is right and the Christian is wrong, their posisions in the hereafter will be equil. The Christian loose nothing, save the effort required to live a moraly upright life. If, however the Christian is right and the Athiest wrong, then will the position of the Christian be superior!
Before you all jump down my throat on this: Yes, I am aware that more than one religion exists which claims that if you don't belive in it you're phukt. I'm also aware that if hell is exothermic hell will eventualy break loose, but if it's endothermic it will eventualy freeze over.
And hense Tivo. Yep, I can see it now "OnStrVo"
But there's a real difference between a weaponized strain of a virus and the naturaly occuring brand. Weaponized viruses are frequently resistant to knowen vacination tecniques. They have altered incubation periods and transmitable stages allowing for rapid amplification through a population or use as a localized weapon (depending on the desires of those producing the virus). Most are also selectively produced for leathality. Weaponized smallpox has a kill rate in excess of 80%. That's scary as hell. Ebola is scary because in its natural state it has a kill rate that high.
Just beware that a weaponized strain and the naturaling occuring type are two different things. And yes, smallpox has been weaponized.
Horridly offtopic, but what the hell.
Which part do you object to? His failure to capitalize God or his insertation of an asterix where the o goes? Perhaps I should explain.
god = Any power higher than what we see as mortal. Zeus, for example, was/is a god. Thus, god (no caps) usualy takes the indeffinate article.
God = A specific god. Usualy this refers to "the one true God" AKA the God of Jewdisasm ("I Am") and Christianity. Muslims refer to their God as Allah, but He would also be capitalised and would also take the definate article.
G*d or g*d = A traditional Jewish way of writing God. Typicaly this would be capitalised, but lets call it a typo. G*d (or more accurately G-d) is a method of communicating the idea of God without writing the word. Traditional Jewish Kabalistic law holds that writing God or the name of God is a Bad Thing (tm) and that you shouldn't do it. Thus, religious scholoars apapted and wrote G-d rather than God so they could communicate with each other about God without annoying him.
Hope this clears things up!
I would just like to point out (for your conspiracy theorists) that today is Vetteran's Day. Begin conjecture.
Not really. Fusion "containers" are massive electromagnetic coils which are themselves suspended in a vacuum chamber. The idea is to magneticly contain a 100,000+ C plasma until fusion occurs and hopefully produce more energy than you use. This is a ways off.
In answer to a question further down the page, hydrogen fuel cells are better than batteries because of the rate they can deliver energy. It's difficult to make an electric car that can make a decent top speed. Hydrogen fuel cells pack the punch to give you a good boost.
Last point -- Someone else was asking where the energy for this will come from, pointing out that you will always come up short if you're using water as your source of hydrogen. A reply indicated that other more hydrogen rich molecules would be used. I wish to clarify that this is the case, but only until either more advanced solar systems can be developed or until fusion power becomes more practical. The idea is not hydrogen as an energy source, but as a storage medium.
That is all.
Ah... so what you're saying is that the AI is flawed because it will cut through your land to attack an enemy other than you, and when you offer resistance it gets mad and attacks. This you argue is not an accurate simulation of how human being act, and thus represents a flaw in the AI.
Belgium. 1940. Think about it.
Examples of this are phrases like Kleenex, Scotch Tape, and Saran Wrap right? Or am I thinking of something else?
... demonstrate that damage was done? I mean, what you're talking about here is someone who's hacked an embeded device (basicly).
Does the DMCA ban reverse engineering as well? Is that technicaly constitutional? It seems that there's a lot of questions about this case that need answering. But the bottom line is that Sony isn't loosing any money from this site. None of these files are of any use if you don't HAVE an Abio right?
Yes and no. I think the real trick of it is that we're depending to much on the computer to move our troops. I've been working on a concept sketch for a RTSgame utilizing a hybridization between engines like homeworld and quake set in deep space.
The trick, of course, is to drop the computer components as much as possible and go with massively multiplayer.
Oh, and in other ironies, we share the same name, so this is really creepy.
Adorno would be turning in his grave. As a refugee from Nazi Germany he argued that it was the exclusive definition of German Kultur (i.e. You don't do this, this, this, and this, therefore you're not German) which resulted in the decline of Germany into the cultural barbarism which was the Nazi Period.
Now I ask you. Sen Feingold? Un-American? How are we acting any different? I'm not calling anyone a Nazi, I'm just saying that these are not the actions of a civilized nation.
Yea, the adds were crap. The parodies they generated were hysterical.
This is your brain
This is your brain on drugs
This is your brain with a side order of bacon
Your brain, part of this complete breakfast!
As one of those Linux wanabes and a fairly recent addition to the slashdot community (1 year or so) I'd like to concur and respectfully disagree. I concur insofar as the statement that there is a groupthink mentality growing on slashdot which is dangerous to the vitality of the readerbase and is slowly changing the character of the site for the worse.
:-)
/. has simply gotten to ideocentric to accecpt deviants anymore. Perhaps I'm just rambeling.
I disagree in the assumption that all new users and linux wanabes are responsible for this. I for example try to keep my posts restricted to my personal areas of expertese (spelling not being one of those areas) and pure speculation. I don't post on the future trends in the open source movement because I simply don't know shit about them. I'm intersted to see what others have to say though... and I think I've learned alot from Slashdot in my year or so here.
Now into that speculation. I've noted that Slashdot tends to be straying from what many consider its origional purpose to be. Most of the reader base sees this site as dedicated first and foremost to news about Linux, high tecnology, and science. Nonetheless, we've branched out. Articles on personal liberties (many of which really don't belong to "your rights online") and poltical developments grace these pages.
Perhaps, other niche groups need their own slashdot? I've seen a few uses of the slashcode in various poorly frequented news sights, but nothing of the scope that Slashdot has.
As a history buff myself, I'd be curious to see the reaction a site like, oh, say Pastdot would get
Point being, I think a lot of the AC posts and trolls we see here are a result of two things. 10 year olds with to much time on their hands, and people looking to discuss issues who really aren't part of this "community" or clique if you prefer. Perhaps
That stated isn't the answer obvious? If the /coders have the time and will to do it why not simply force all AC posts to start at -1 or -2. This makes them need 7, not 5 points of moderation to reach 5. The result (hopefully) is that the less relelvant AC posts will remain in the dumpster of oblivion whereas the truely insightfull and interesting ones will filter up and be seen as they were intended.
I know this is a troll but I'm responding to it anyway. But not for the reasons the writer intends.
The Soviet Union was not communist. It wanted to attain communism, but every leader, Lenin through Gorby, would admit that this never happened. Under Lenin the Soviet Union was first socialist, then capitalist (the NEP). Under Stalin, and every "communist party leader" thereafter, the State was Stalinist (think, despotic totalitarianism).
The same goes, more or less, for the PRC.
And on that note, these nations did have a single entity behind them. Lenin, Stalin, Khruschev, Bresniev (sp?), Andropov (sp?), Gorby. No, there was no head of state... not at all... why would we ever think there was a head of state?
Christ, you people can't even troll properly.
A libritarian would say "if you don't like it, don't buy from Amazon"
I have less of a problem with that than with "America, Love it or Leave it" which is where I get the feeling this is going.
I feel like I'm karma whoring because I say this every time it comes up but here goes again.
The difference is that I give that data willingly to these corporations. I decide that it's worth an extra $0.25 off a ribeye steak to let Harris Teeter track my spending habbits. I decide it's ok to tell Joe Bizfwick's Online Supercenter what age and gender I am so they can more accurately target my buying preferences.
It's different when you give the information away
But this is different. When the government, the government which is supposed to protect my privacy, forces me under penalty of fine (and not just 25 cents more for a steak mind you) and incarceration to divulge this information it stops being my choice. Part of privacy rights is not just the right to be left alone, but the right to decide who you tell what to. This card invalidates that. That's what sucks.
-=But=- if the software comes with the computer, and you don't agree to the licence you've had no say in its purchace. Try buying a mainstream computer that doesn't come with bundled software.
Somehow, an agreement I never signed on to is preventing me from selling the software? Where did I concent to this contract? That's the gap in the logic. Send forth the lawyers.
Augh... I remember something about this. Isn't that a nicotene solution in water?
I have one short phrase in rebutal to that comment.
Hypoglycemic and hyperactive five year old kid with a snickers bar and a coke.
you're the devil.....
Quick point: We don't pump crude oil into our aircraft. It's refined, and Thermo applies there too.
But the chart is questionable as well. The RIAA is presuming that the only thing driving this single year of decreased sales is the existance of file sharing. Without more data this is completely inconclusive.
CDs are a luxury. Many say we're going into a recession (or are allready in one) and thus consumer confidance is low. People don't buy as many luxuries when consumer confidance is low.
Other goods which may be considered substitutes are becoming available at reasonable prices as well. DVDs are entering the mainstream, and many people are turning to digital video rather than digital audio for their entertainment.
Competing goods are also becoming widely available. Digital Satelite TV has a wide selection of music channels. As this gains market share against cable many users will drift away from purchacing CD audio outright in favor of just turning on the TV.
MP3 is just one among many possible explanations for what is, realisticly, a statisticly unremarkable drop in sales. I also note, as I get to the end of this rant, that you're generaly in agreement with me, which makes me feel kind of dumb for writing this, but what the hell, the points needed expansion anyway.
You see, that horse isn't Ferrari's invention
;-)
No kidding, the horse evolved... what? 15 Million years ago or so? I'm sure that copyright's expired