First off, careful when you use sweeping words like "stupid" and "moron", because that's just not really helpful now, is it? Do you want to have an intelligent discussion or are you simply seeking validation of your own ideas?
People tend to embrace the devil they know and discard all other alternatives as dumb, but I say that the current situation that most office drones deal with on a daily basis is pretty dumb, too. Is it really the best way? And for whom? Think of all the costs associated with highly centralized technological and industrial centers: the overcrowding, and with that the high costs of living, increased pollution, and the need to commute (oh the fucking commute!). I've known people working in large metropolitan areas who, after tallying up living and childcare costs, were basically working just so they could live in the area! But unfortunately neither could they simply move to some place cheaper because all the relevant jobs are in such high-cost places. This is a problem.
Current technology, however, won't cut it: what I'm suggesting is that some real effort be put into developing an immersive virtual workplace, where people can interact professionally in ways previously not thought possible. I'm asking people to exercise their imagination, to see beyond their myopic view of what professional life can and should be and consider for a moment that there may be a far better way. Tens of thousands of years ago people were hunter-gatherers, but something changed between then and now, and it can change again. A voice in the back of my head screams there has to be a better way as I trudge into the office every morning with all the other schlubs. Given the sheer scope of possible benefits, it behooves us to try.
Also, for the record I have never had such a productive conversation on my way to the bathroom - quite the opposite. More like in the bathroom.
You know that's definitely not going to happen, right?
I don't believe in definitely / definitely not, especially when we're talking about an overhyped technology company in the midst of a tech bubble. But it will probably still be around then. Sigh.
That's easy to answer. It's impossible given the current broadband environment.
...so let's not even bother to try? It's not even a question of people not dreaming big, but rather not dreaming at all. Instead, the focus of most tech startups seems to be let's do this thing [messaging/social networking/gaming app] to make enough of a splash and hope we get bought out. So very disheartening.
Would be creating a virtual workplace with seamless interaction with coworkers. Why are we not working on this? We could live wherever we want, no commuting, no traffic pollution, no being forced to lived in high-priced areas where everything - housing, space, schools, parking - is at a premium. But the world seems content to move in the opposite direction: we have the internet, so let's move all the tech companies to one place.
Nope and nope. Missing the point entirely, but I imagine this happens a lot.
As far as my judgment goes: it has been shown repeatedly that the NSA has been conducting surveillance on American citizens for the past few years in direct violation of the Constitution, which is not merely "law", but rather the foundation for all laws of the United States. It's hard to make this point any clearer: the US government has basically been flaunting the Bill of Rights. Let me state it even more clearly: as outlined in the 1st and 4th amendments and confirmed by a succession of SCOTUS rulings: unwarranted domestic spying is illegal, whether conducted by a government or a private entity. Pretty basic stuff. But in spite of all this you're saying that "gee wiz, maybe the government is acting well within its rights because there were some court rulings that said it was all OK, so.. please proceed with the domestic spying program, good sirs, nothing to see here." I guess my problem is I don't get what your game is. Do you truly believe that all this shit being conducted by the NSA and GCHQ is somehow OK? Are you comfortable with it... as an "informed citizen"? Please explain yourself!
And I see you're more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not sure what's worse, a shill, or an amateur apologist. At least I can somewhat comprehend the motives of a shill. The apologist, not so much.
The U.S. Supreme Court responded to these questions by outlining the fundamental purpose of the amendment as guaranteeing "the privacy, dignity and security of persons against certain arbitrary and invasive acts by officers of the Government, without regard to whether the government actor is investigating crime or performing another function."
Seen the Snowden character assassination even here on Slashdot. "Look at that traitor with the dodgy face, not the highly unconstitutional government surveillance program which basically takes a huge dump over your privacy rights!"
Not that it would do much good here, but God bless 'em for tryin'!
Or does it seem that "serious" tech development has been largely superseded by much more frivolous stuff like social networks, casual gaming, and crap like snapchat? They have their place, sure, but the prices being thrown about for what are after all pretty basic applications are absurd. Seems to me that much of the "value" of these companies is 99% hat and 1% cattle. Exasperated by these tech bubbles - because that's what all this is - they exalt a few lucky morons and do so much damage when they pop.
There is a certain MS "style" which I've seen in effect since the early nineties that persists to this day. It's what I like to call the "Clippy Syndrome": you're gonna do things our way or we're to going to annoy the shit out of you in a very patronizing fashion, because they obviously know what's best. From 640KB memory right up to Windows 8 Metro. Same thing holds for the stuff they later acquired: you know that you used to be able to opt out of updates with Skype? Well, since MS bought them no more. Now Skype will nag you and nag you and nag you until you just fucking give in (or start using Oovoo).
The sort of thing they're well known for, basically the MO of MS: force an unpopular product/feature onto an existing client base and just expect them to suck it up now or wait for the "corrected" release (the next version). Either way, they'll pay eventually.
And yet in spite of this institutionalized douchebaggery, they somehow keeping making money. Someone please remind me again how up is down, black is white. What a world.
Honestly, there should be a viable, easy-to-use alternative to Facebook which respects your privacy and doesn't have shady dealings with a government and isn't run by a functionally retarded man-child. But if there is one, well I don't know about it. And if I don't know about it, then 95% of people don't know about it.
Same with WhatsApp. It's very useful, but this isn't advanced AI here: it's pretty clear what it does and how it does it. Where is the good, user-friendly, open-source alternative?
I'm also pissed here because I actually liked WhatsApp as an app and respected their "mission statement" - was even willing to pay for it in exchange for (what I thought) was a little privacy. But in the end they turned out to be whores, to Facebook of all companies, for whom I have a particularly acute contempt.
Who said anything about robots? You seem to entirely misconstrue the meaning of my original statement: being an adult involves having strong emotional reactions but it also means having the self-control and maturity to manage these emotions in a constructive manner. Being an adult means putting aside petty grievances and personal grudges to try and achieve something for the common good. Being an adult means that I no longer act nor think like a child and think it's all about me, me, me because even the staunchest libertarian will be forced to agree that even personal self-interest is sometimes best served through cooperation and not the miserable and petty one-upmanship that passes for political discourse in this day and age.
This political system is such an utter disgrace. Those who merely respond "that's just the way it is" are either too jaded or are utterly lacking in imagination to envision something better. And if you say it can never get better then I say: fine, but at least admit you are a nihilist and ascribe to no particular ethos, that the world merely is, that events merely are, that there are no moral categories, and that we are merely specks of flesh aimlessly wandering on a much bigger speck of rock, all of it soon extinguished and forever passing out of memory.
That statement speaks volumes about what is wrong about the electoral system, and US politics in general. It's all about winning and consolidating power. Few people are really interested in the process of governance. Jesus H. Christ, where are the adults?!
Slashdot Mirror
Why has this been downvoted Offtopic?! Maybe he knows.
And if not hero, then perhaps mildly inspiring personage (real or otherwise)?
in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
Kind of like how the USA has a legal framework that permits corporations to rape us all daily
Yes, but in the eyes of many US polticians this is "legitimate rape."
Making US courts seem like paragons of justice since 1934.
Main problem I foresee is what happens when someone presses all the buttons.
All too easy.
First off, careful when you use sweeping words like "stupid" and "moron", because that's just not really helpful now, is it? Do you want to have an intelligent discussion or are you simply seeking validation of your own ideas?
People tend to embrace the devil they know and discard all other alternatives as dumb, but I say that the current situation that most office drones deal with on a daily basis is pretty dumb, too. Is it really the best way? And for whom? Think of all the costs associated with highly centralized technological and industrial centers: the overcrowding, and with that the high costs of living, increased pollution, and the need to commute (oh the fucking commute!). I've known people working in large metropolitan areas who, after tallying up living and childcare costs, were basically working just so they could live in the area! But unfortunately neither could they simply move to some place cheaper because all the relevant jobs are in such high-cost places. This is a problem.
Current technology, however, won't cut it: what I'm suggesting is that some real effort be put into developing an immersive virtual workplace, where people can interact professionally in ways previously not thought possible. I'm asking people to exercise their imagination, to see beyond their myopic view of what professional life can and should be and consider for a moment that there may be a far better way. Tens of thousands of years ago people were hunter-gatherers, but something changed between then and now, and it can change again. A voice in the back of my head screams there has to be a better way as I trudge into the office every morning with all the other schlubs. Given the sheer scope of possible benefits, it behooves us to try.
Also, for the record I have never had such a productive conversation on my way to the bathroom - quite the opposite. More like in the bathroom.
You know that's definitely not going to happen, right?
I don't believe in definitely / definitely not, especially when we're talking about an overhyped technology company in the midst of a tech bubble. But it will probably still be around then. Sigh.
That's easy to answer. It's impossible given the current broadband environment.
...so let's not even bother to try? It's not even a question of people not dreaming big, but rather not dreaming at all. Instead, the focus of most tech startups seems to be let's do this thing [messaging/social networking/gaming app] to make enough of a splash and hope we get bought out. So very disheartening.
Merely hope.
"Facebook Shuts Down."
Alas, two years too soon.
Would be creating a virtual workplace with seamless interaction with coworkers. Why are we not working on this? We could live wherever we want, no commuting, no traffic pollution, no being forced to lived in high-priced areas where everything - housing, space, schools, parking - is at a premium. But the world seems content to move in the opposite direction: we have the internet, so let's move all the tech companies to one place.
Nope and nope. Missing the point entirely, but I imagine this happens a lot.
As far as my judgment goes: it has been shown repeatedly that the NSA has been conducting surveillance on American citizens for the past few years in direct violation of the Constitution, which is not merely "law", but rather the foundation for all laws of the United States. It's hard to make this point any clearer: the US government has basically been flaunting the Bill of Rights. Let me state it even more clearly: as outlined in the 1st and 4th amendments and confirmed by a succession of SCOTUS rulings: unwarranted domestic spying is illegal, whether conducted by a government or a private entity. Pretty basic stuff. But in spite of all this you're saying that "gee wiz, maybe the government is acting well within its rights because there were some court rulings that said it was all OK, so.. please proceed with the domestic spying program, good sirs, nothing to see here." I guess my problem is I don't get what your game is. Do you truly believe that all this shit being conducted by the NSA and GCHQ is somehow OK? Are you comfortable with it... as an "informed citizen"? Please explain yourself!
Apparently the idea of simply being an informed citizen never entered your mind.
Informed by what, informed by whom? And it's not your information that I question, merely your judgment.
And I see you're more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not sure what's worse, a shill, or an amateur apologist. At least I can somewhat comprehend the motives of a shill. The apologist, not so much.
What you've just stated is a "dodgy fact." Apparently you can invent pretty much any claim about the constitution, the actual law be damned.
From Wikipedia article on the fourth amendment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F... :
The U.S. Supreme Court responded to these questions by outlining the fundamental purpose of the amendment as guaranteeing "the privacy, dignity and security of persons against certain arbitrary and invasive acts by officers of the Government, without regard to whether the government actor is investigating crime or performing another function."
Seen the Snowden character assassination even here on Slashdot. "Look at that traitor with the dodgy face, not the highly unconstitutional government surveillance program which basically takes a huge dump over your privacy rights!"
Not that it would do much good here, but God bless 'em for tryin'!
Or does it seem that "serious" tech development has been largely superseded by much more frivolous stuff like social networks, casual gaming, and crap like snapchat? They have their place, sure, but the prices being thrown about for what are after all pretty basic applications are absurd. Seems to me that much of the "value" of these companies is 99% hat and 1% cattle. Exasperated by these tech bubbles - because that's what all this is - they exalt a few lucky morons and do so much damage when they pop.
There is a certain MS "style" which I've seen in effect since the early nineties that persists to this day. It's what I like to call the "Clippy Syndrome": you're gonna do things our way or we're to going to annoy the shit out of you in a very patronizing fashion, because they obviously know what's best. From 640KB memory right up to Windows 8 Metro. Same thing holds for the stuff they later acquired: you know that you used to be able to opt out of updates with Skype? Well, since MS bought them no more. Now Skype will nag you and nag you and nag you until you just fucking give in (or start using Oovoo).
The sort of thing they're well known for, basically the MO of MS: force an unpopular product/feature onto an existing client base and just expect them to suck it up now or wait for the "corrected" release (the next version). Either way, they'll pay eventually.
And yet in spite of this institutionalized douchebaggery, they somehow keeping making money. Someone please remind me again how up is down, black is white. What a world.
Honestly, there should be a viable, easy-to-use alternative to Facebook which respects your privacy and doesn't have shady dealings with a government and isn't run by a functionally retarded man-child. But if there is one, well I don't know about it. And if I don't know about it, then 95% of people don't know about it.
Same with WhatsApp. It's very useful, but this isn't advanced AI here: it's pretty clear what it does and how it does it. Where is the good, user-friendly, open-source alternative?
I'm also pissed here because I actually liked WhatsApp as an app and respected their "mission statement" - was even willing to pay for it in exchange for (what I thought) was a little privacy. But in the end they turned out to be whores, to Facebook of all companies, for whom I have a particularly acute contempt.
Who said anything about robots? You seem to entirely misconstrue the meaning of my original statement: being an adult involves having strong emotional reactions but it also means having the self-control and maturity to manage these emotions in a constructive manner. Being an adult means putting aside petty grievances and personal grudges to try and achieve something for the common good. Being an adult means that I no longer act nor think like a child and think it's all about me, me, me because even the staunchest libertarian will be forced to agree that even personal self-interest is sometimes best served through cooperation and not the miserable and petty one-upmanship that passes for political discourse in this day and age.
This political system is such an utter disgrace. Those who merely respond "that's just the way it is" are either too jaded or are utterly lacking in imagination to envision something better. And if you say it can never get better then I say: fine, but at least admit you are a nihilist and ascribe to no particular ethos, that the world merely is, that events merely are, that there are no moral categories, and that we are merely specks of flesh aimlessly wandering on a much bigger speck of rock, all of it soon extinguished and forever passing out of memory.
That statement speaks volumes about what is wrong about the electoral system, and US politics in general. It's all about winning and consolidating power. Few people are really interested in the process of governance. Jesus H. Christ, where are the adults?!
He steals from the poor
And gives to the rich
Stupid bitch.