This is what I said: 'stated, ironically, that "Ignorance is Strength," '
Perhaps I should have put it this way instead... Orwell ironically stated that "Ignorance is Strength"
Humblest apologies for any confusion but I was trying to say that Orwell was being ironic, not that this statement was ironic vis a vis the current discussion.
BB keeps reams of information on all of us, but while the information is easily collected, stored, processed and retrieved reviewing the information is another matter altogether. Orwell stated, ironically, that "Ignorance is Strength," but, IMHO, Knowledge is power. Knowing what others do with the information that is collected on and about us allows us to "diddle" the system ourselves.
One could even argue that we have a right to mess with systems - government or otherwise - that are insecure or that could be used against us in an illegitmate or illegal manner. It could also be argued that the offense is not the actual use of the information for "bad" purposes but the Collection of the information without thought of how it is used or secured.
Information may be more available, but it is more volatile and less controlled by the collectors.
J:)
When it comes to biometrics I like retina scanning. With the systems that are out there now, the scanning can't be forced and you don't leave retina prints on doorknobs everywhere.
J:)
War is Peace Love is Hate Ignorance is Strength Ernie is Bert
This situation sounds like the sort of thing that could never be resolved over borders. The source of the spam is probably too slippery to be nailed. Therefore...
Does that invulnerability work both ways? Could the sender of the mail be spammed just as he has spammed others? I like that: "Spam not unto others lest ye be spammed."
Not that I'm trying to provoke anything, but his account, heck his ISP's server, could be maxxed out fairly easily.
IMHO post secondary education very important to producing better thinkers. While I agree that not everyone needs to go to school to learn how to think, most - including myself - do.
I believe that school provides you with several things that are harder to obtain in the real world. Including:
The ability to handle an awful lot of information at any given time. Do you remember end of semester when all that stuff was due? You either learned to work efficiently or you sunk. You didn't schedule your time, you rationed it. Now that's a skill.:)
The ability to think critically. People who didn't learn programming in school tend to be the sort of people who put several "return(-1);" statements midway through a function instead of having one exit point at the end of the function. Thinking rationally about what you are doing is important. You need to be able to balance the projects requirements to come up with the best solution; ie maintenance considerations vs development time.
Communication Skills. Presentations Suck! I hated doing them. But practice makes perfect and I can communicate more effectively and efficiently now (you may disagree:) because of that experience.
These are just some of the things that are important about going to school. Is it possible to acquire these skills outside of school? Of course, that's where you hone them. But generally (not always) the best place to learn the basics is school.
Just some thoughts...
j:)
Let me get Maudlin for a minute
on
30 Years of RFCs
·
· Score: 1
You have to wonder if the individuals involved in the formation of ARPANET way back when knew what was going to happen. Did they know that they were the prime movers in something magical. At this point in time most of us here do things which seem and are 'cool' and 'neat' to us but we can be pretty sure that it has been done before. What must it have been like to have been part of something truly original.
I think it's that sense of magic and discovery that pushes me into the realm of computers more and more.
One should never slap someone down for sticking their neck out. Not even politicians with their head up their ass. So he's not clear on the concept of.... At least he's trying.
And for those who don't like his attempt to solicit volunteers (perhaps I shouldn't use the term solicit w.r.t. politicians:); I've yet to see any election campaign succeed without them.
I agree with most of his statements about hackerdom and all that, but his actions seem to go against his statements in two respects: 1. He _seems_ to be seeking out the spotlight. 2. He _seems_ to have a bit of an "us and them" attitude.
Maybe I'm out to lunch on this one, but much of what I've seen in the media of late seems to support my views.
Also, anybody see a resemblence to his stated beliefs and the views of Ayn Rand as evidenced in her book "Anthem?"
The Simpson's really did get played out, but The new setting and characters will be enough (imho) to get the creative juices flowing again. Their biggest pitfall lies in what path the show takes; Will it be a comedy in a sci-fi setting or will the Science Fiction overshadow the humour?
We can only wait and see, And I can certainly give it a chance.
Slashdot Mirror
If I sent a self addressed and stamped box would you send me some beer? I really could use a Guiness right now. 119.5 seconds to the perfect pint.
J
"Evil" words might not be so popular, but I betcha "Naughty" words beat them all. I'd check but I'm at work and I know Big Brother is watching.
This is what I said: 'stated, ironically, that "Ignorance is Strength," '
Perhaps I should have put it this way instead...
Orwell ironically stated that "Ignorance is Strength"
Humblest apologies for any confusion but I was trying to say that Orwell was being ironic, not that this statement was ironic vis a vis the current discussion.
BB keeps reams of information on all of us, but while the information is easily collected, stored, processed and retrieved reviewing the information is another matter altogether. Orwell stated, ironically, that "Ignorance is Strength," but, IMHO, Knowledge is power. Knowing what others do with the information that is collected on and about us allows us to "diddle" the system ourselves.
One could even argue that we have a right to mess with systems - government or otherwise - that are insecure or that could be used against us in an illegitmate or illegal manner. It could also be argued that the offense is not the actual use of the information for "bad" purposes but the Collection of the information without thought of how it is used or secured.
Information may be more available, but it is more volatile and less controlled by the collectors.
J:)
When it comes to biometrics I like retina scanning. With the systems that are out there now, the scanning can't be forced and you don't leave retina prints on doorknobs everywhere.
J:)
War is Peace
Love is Hate
Ignorance is Strength
Ernie is Bert
This situation sounds like the sort of thing that could never be resolved over borders. The source of the spam is probably too slippery to be nailed. Therefore...
Does that invulnerability work both ways? Could the sender of the mail be spammed just as he has spammed others? I like that: "Spam not unto others lest ye be spammed."
Not that I'm trying to provoke anything, but his account, heck his ISP's server, could be maxxed out fairly easily.
Oh whatever...
J:)
IMHO post secondary education very important to producing better thinkers. While I agree that not everyone needs to go to school to learn how to think, most - including myself - do.
I believe that school provides you with several things that are harder to obtain in the real world. Including:
The ability to handle an awful lot of information at any given time. Do you remember end of semester when all that stuff was due? You either learned to work efficiently or you sunk. You didn't schedule your time, you rationed it. Now that's a skill.:)
The ability to think critically. People who didn't learn programming in school tend to be the sort of people who put several "return(-1);" statements midway through a function instead of having one exit point at the end of the function. Thinking rationally about what you are doing is important. You need to be able to balance the projects requirements to come up with the best solution; ie maintenance considerations vs development time.
Communication Skills. Presentations Suck! I hated doing them. But practice makes perfect and I can communicate more effectively and efficiently now (you may disagree:) because of that experience.
These are just some of the things that are important about going to school. Is it possible to acquire these skills outside of school? Of course, that's where you hone them. But generally (not always) the best place to learn the basics is school.
Just some thoughts...
j:)
You have to wonder if the individuals involved in the formation of ARPANET way back when knew what was going to happen. Did they know that they were the prime movers in something magical. At this point in time most of us here do things which seem and are 'cool' and 'neat' to us but we can be pretty sure that it has been done before. What must it have been like to have been part of something truly original.
I think it's that sense of magic and discovery that pushes me into the realm of computers more and more.
Just a thought
J
One should never slap someone down for sticking their neck out. Not even politicians with their head up their ass. So he's not clear on the concept of .... At least he's trying.
And for those who don't like his attempt to solicit volunteers (perhaps I shouldn't use the term solicit w.r.t. politicians:); I've yet to see any election campaign succeed without them.
ya well
I agree with most of his statements about hackerdom and all that, but his actions seem to go against his statements in two respects:
1. He _seems_ to be seeking out the spotlight.
2. He _seems_ to have a bit of an "us and them" attitude.
Maybe I'm out to lunch on this one, but much of what I've seen in the media of late seems to support my views.
Also, anybody see a resemblence to his stated beliefs and the views of Ayn Rand as evidenced in her book "Anthem?"
J
The Simpson's really did get played out, but The new setting and characters will be enough (imho) to get the creative juices flowing again. Their biggest pitfall lies in what path the show takes; Will it be a comedy in a sci-fi setting or will the Science Fiction overshadow the humour?
We can only wait and see, And I can certainly give it a chance.
Why I laugh?
The Linux part of the article was great, but the
most important part to me was the flexibility of
MS in changing its opinion.
You have to wonder if some of the people in
Redmond really are starting to believe their
own press.