Likewise, colorblind scientists would be able to investigate both the visible spectrum and the effect various wavelengths had on the weird cone structures that only existed in the eyes of color-sighted people.
"This one weird old cone structure can give you polychromatic vision at the speed of light! Click to find out how!"
In terms of "spectrum" I think smell might take the sensory cake**. The senses don't nicely map to each other, so it depending on how we choose to define the problem any of them might win.
Vision lives within the same order of mangitude, wavelengths from ~380-720nm, with the ability to perceive maybe 10 million unique colors. But the sensitivity is tops, in theory able to detect a single photon.
Hearing ranges over 3 orders of magnitude, from 20-20,000Hz. Due to the logarithmic relationship between pitch and frequency, and the intricacies of the human ear, any of the other measures are pretty complex and frequency dependant. This is an excellent primer on the physics of hearing.
Back of the envelope, since humans are able to detect pitch differences on the order of 10 cents, if we're generous and give ourselves 11 octaves, we can maybe discern ~1,300 different pitches. Throw in timbre and loudness and things get more complicated. Sensitivity wise, there are frequencies in the lower register that have to be 60-70 dB before we perceive them.
The "half colorblind world" is not an apt analogy for faith in God.
A defining feature of faith is the untestability of its object. The inability to convincingly communicate it is not. Nor is the unawareness of a provably extant characteristic.
In half colorblind world, you could perform any number of tests to show that color-sighted people can distinguish patterns or shapes of equal luminosity but different hue.
Likewise, colorblind scientists would be able to investigate both the visible spectrum and the effect various wavelengths had on the weird cone structures that only existed in the eyes of color-sighted people.
That analogy might work better for antivaxxers or climate deniers. "We know this is something you can't poke with a stick, but you'll have to take it on 'faith' that the overwhelming conclusion from hundreds of studies is that some people can discern different parts of the visible spectrum."
Thanks for the props! I'm open to suggestions. I've had thoughts along similar lines, but from a different angle: how to go about writing more and getting it out there. And things like above... feel like they only really work in a Slashdot post.
If there's a way to wave the satirical caution flag at a broader audience, what would that look like? Submitting unsolicited material to... I'm not exactly sure who. (Whom? Shit now I'm sunk for sure.)
Pandora's Box, whoa!! Slow down, pardner. We just want to investigate 12 phones! That's only 11 more than the 1 phone we claimed was The Only One That Needed to Be Unlocked.
I mean, when you really think about it, 11 is a pretty small number. You can't even get a dozen eggs with only 11 in there. Would you not crack a handful of eggs to Stop Terrorists From Killing Us All? They probably have sarin gas hidden under an orphanage, and that blood will be on Tim Cook's hands.
Oh, and we're gonna need to use this for a few CP stings, just the very worst of the worst, really only like 350 devices. What's 350? I mean, that's not even 10 minutes worth of seconds! Can we not spare a few minutes to Keep Your Children Safe? Being against decrypting these phones is basically like letting a predator live in your basement and eat your Goldfish crackers while you tell the cops you've never met him.
Right, and there's about 10,000 devices involved in drug crimes we'll be needing to do this for. Drugs are bad, and you don't want your kids being Forced at Gunpoint to Try Meth, right? It's not like it's *your* phone, it's a bunch of violent thugs who were born this way, like Lady Gaga.
There's no other way to stop a black market that we ourselves created than to step just a tiny tiny bit on civil liberties. Terrorists, pedophiles, and cartel assassins don't really *need* civil liberties that badly, do they? Maybe the extra civil liberties we're taking from them we'll give to you good people, like in a tax credit or something.
Look, while we're at it, Sony and UMG are telling us that lots of phones have pirated music and movie content. This is Probably Responsible for Kanye West Being $50 Million in Debt, and you don't want him to starve in the streets, do you?
We just want to use this court-sanctioned decryption process in a targeted, limited way to inspect every device that comes within 150 miles of a border or port of entry to the US. And any time someone is stopped or questioned by law enforcement. And at random checkpoints. But they'll have juice and cookies at the checkpoints! And shackles, but mostly snacks!
It's Kanye West fachrissakes! He's a musical genius, said it himself! And while we're looking for any unauthorized copies of any music, movie, or software, or evidence of participation or support of any act of piracy, we can *also* check for terrorism links, CP, drug use references, GPS data that would indicate a traffic violation, evidence of any past criminal activity, plans to stage disruptive protests, and other unamerican activities.
And just to pacify you civil liberties nuts, this means we won't have to target those other 10,362 people! Don't say we never did anything for you.
Pandora's Box... lord you anti-government nutters and your hyperbole!
Absolutely this. Plus, how was the question worded? Because when I hear or read popular accounts of this situation, Apple is being asked to "unlock the phone"... like they've had this magic key the whole time and all they have to do is stop being terrorist-protecting jerks and let the FBI in.
They might get slightly different numbers if they asked instead, "Is it right for Apple to be compelled by the government to create a new, insecure version of its operating system?"
Followed by, "Would your answer change, knowing that the government had a chance to obtain this data on the day of the shooting, but instead changed the password that could've been used to access the data?"
Actually a very interesting angle. Publicly pledge to take the high road (maybe even on more things than just Snowden!). Promise to do it fairly, by the absolute letter of the law, to give the defendant every opportunity to defend himself--and secure not only his return but an unimpeachable conviction (if they can get it).
Is it just me, or is it incredibly sad that a candidate publicly, specifically committing their future government be fair and honorable would be a headline-worthy occasion?
That decision would be appealed by the prosecution as well, but it might start a trend in how higher courts decide.
Under US criminal law, the prohibition on double jeopardy prevents the prosecution from appealing a jury's decision to acquit*. So if, as you suggest, a nullification-inclined jury were the ones deciding, Snowden would walk**.
*IANAML, so I can't speak to what the prosecution can/cannot appeal following the verdict in a court-martial under the UCMJ (if Snowden were to somehow end up before a military tribunal rather than a civilian court, even though he was a civilian contractor and not a member of the military).
**On all counts on which the jury acquitted. There is nothing stopping them from acquitting on the most serious (probably espionage/treason related) charges, but finding him guilty of e.g. unauthorized access or misuse of sensitive information.
It wouldn't be home without next-day reposts. Tomorrow they'll be telling us about this awesome new archival glass data storage concept that operates in FIVE DINENSIONS!
O_O
The problem is that the possibility of being caught is near zero so any small thrill is enough of an incentive. The challenge of hitting an aircraft with a laser is enough of a thrill for some people and yes they are assholes. No matter how big the fine there will still be people who believe they will never get caught.
Another issue is that you are assuming people use valid risk assessment before doing things. For many people that is a false assumption as in "Hey Bubba, hold my beer and watch this."
Bingo. Deterrent effect is maximized by swiftness and certainty of punishment. Severity of punishment, as an independent variable, is not an effective knob to turn up deterrence**.
That is not only Just How Humans Work(TM), but is also borne out by plenty of studies (both short term "psych" studies, and long term sociological studies of criminal behavior). Regardless of how achievable this is in practice, the theory is pretty cut and dry: you'd be far better served by a program that upped the catch rate from 5% to 75% and gave everyone a £200 fine due in a week, than leaving the catch rate at 5% and raising the fine to £20,000.
**FWIW, a sufficiently severe punishment can, in the aggregate, act as a deterrent. The problem is, due to proportionality and cruelty concerns, the level of punishment may be higher than we're willing to stomach in a Western democracy.
If you criminalize laser pointers, only criminals will own laser pointers.
"Can I get this icon--" the boss paused, sweeping the bright red dot from a PowerPoint graph of Q3 profits to a pattern stamped on one of the heroin baggies piled on the conference room table "--in cornflower blue?"
EVIL CHRISTAN POV thinking with 5000 year pyramids is going to HELL!! All Pyramids were built on 4 simultaneous 24hour days, making them 20000 year old!!!1
Also, the weathering patterns on the Great Pyramid of Giza and Sphinx can be most accurately explained by the action of intergalactic electric filaments, not wind, rain, and sand.
Confirming the $250.00 grant, estimated to be worth $2.5 million, Wales admitted, "Yes, we received a $250,000 grant. But we are only spending $2.5 billion of it on search. The other $25 is going to expand our article on the base 10 number system.
I have owned multiple iPhones. I love taking apart electronics and fixing/modifying/resoldering them. Taking apart the iPhone to do anything, even as simple as unhooking the battery, is a special hell I would not recommend for any but the most diehard enthusiasts. (Or a dedicated repair outfit, ofc.)
First, you'll be fucking around with itty bitty screws that have a significant digit measured in microns. And there are like five (slightly) different kinds of the little bastards. Second, if you don't put everything back in *precisely* the right alignment, you will notice. Maybe Home clicks kinda funny now, or Volume Up is a bit squishy. Third, and maybe this is just observational voodoo, but I swear that manhandling the flexible polymer battery too much degrades battery life.
tl;dr - If you set your clock to 1970 because some FB chain letter told you Jim Morrison's ghost would bring you good luck, just let the damn thing run down to 0%.
Every sufficiently advanced species receives this message and arrives at an existential turning point:
Either the planet's warring tribes and factions come together to make the film according to the aliens' script, proving themselves worthy to begin a 10,000 year "unpaid internship" fetching space lattes for alien directors;
or,
They ignore the message, puttering along trying to make it on their own as an indy civilization, probably never moving out of their home system.
Traffic laws, signage, lines, traffic control devices, etc. serve multiple masters:
a) To define the rules of the road/help make things safer;
b) To make it easier for cops and lawyers to declare who fucked up when an accident happens;
c) To generate revenue (In unscrupulous jurisdictions, of which there are many).
Other posters have touched on the dubious logic behind removing lines making things "safer." This is sketchy on a). It actively detracts from b) (whether one thinks that's a good thing is another matter entirely). And I can't see it helping c)... no more "your wheel went an inch over the line once a mile back" pretext pullovers.
Slashdot Mirror
Likewise, colorblind scientists would be able to investigate both the visible spectrum and the effect various wavelengths had on the weird cone structures that only existed in the eyes of color-sighted people.
"This one weird old cone structure can give you polychromatic vision at the speed of light! Click to find out how!"
That TED talk was awesome.
In terms of "spectrum" I think smell might take the sensory cake**. The senses don't nicely map to each other, so it depending on how we choose to define the problem any of them might win.
Vision lives within the same order of mangitude, wavelengths from ~380-720nm, with the ability to perceive maybe 10 million unique colors. But the sensitivity is tops, in theory able to detect a single photon.
Hearing ranges over 3 orders of magnitude, from 20-20,000Hz. Due to the logarithmic relationship between pitch and frequency, and the intricacies of the human ear, any of the other measures are pretty complex and frequency dependant. This is an excellent primer on the physics of hearing.
Back of the envelope, since humans are able to detect pitch differences on the order of 10 cents, if we're generous and give ourselves 11 octaves, we can maybe discern ~1,300 different pitches. Throw in timbre and loudness and things get more complicated. Sensitivity wise, there are frequencies in the lower register that have to be 60-70 dB before we perceive them.
Humans can possibly detect somewhere between a trillion and a quadrillion (but likely more than 80 million) odors, and the sensitivity to certain chemicals in the ppb to ppt range.
And it seems that sense of touch may be much more sensitive than previously thought. Like down to the nanometer scale, which is crazy.
**Even more than other types of cake, the sensory cake can be reasonably said to be a lie. Or at least, a cake with no universal truth value.
This could lead to the grossest science fair projects yet!
"But Doug, the lab-grown meat booth doesn't even have Hollandaise sauce!"
The "half colorblind world" is not an apt analogy for faith in God.
A defining feature of faith is the untestability of its object. The inability to convincingly communicate it is not. Nor is the unawareness of a provably extant characteristic.
In half colorblind world, you could perform any number of tests to show that color-sighted people can distinguish patterns or shapes of equal luminosity but different hue.
Likewise, colorblind scientists would be able to investigate both the visible spectrum and the effect various wavelengths had on the weird cone structures that only existed in the eyes of color-sighted people.
That analogy might work better for antivaxxers or climate deniers. "We know this is something you can't poke with a stick, but you'll have to take it on 'faith' that the overwhelming conclusion from hundreds of studies is that some people can discern different parts of the visible spectrum."
Thanks for the props! I'm open to suggestions. I've had thoughts along similar lines, but from a different angle: how to go about writing more and getting it out there. And things like above... feel like they only really work in a Slashdot post.
If there's a way to wave the satirical caution flag at a broader audience, what would that look like? Submitting unsolicited material to... I'm not exactly sure who. (Whom? Shit now I'm sunk for sure.)
Tim was right: gov't wants to open Pandora's box.
Pandora's Box, whoa!! Slow down, pardner. We just want to investigate 12 phones! That's only 11 more than the 1 phone we claimed was The Only One That Needed to Be Unlocked.
I mean, when you really think about it, 11 is a pretty small number. You can't even get a dozen eggs with only 11 in there. Would you not crack a handful of eggs to Stop Terrorists From Killing Us All? They probably have sarin gas hidden under an orphanage, and that blood will be on Tim Cook's hands.
Oh, and we're gonna need to use this for a few CP stings, just the very worst of the worst, really only like 350 devices. What's 350? I mean, that's not even 10 minutes worth of seconds! Can we not spare a few minutes to Keep Your Children Safe? Being against decrypting these phones is basically like letting a predator live in your basement and eat your Goldfish crackers while you tell the cops you've never met him.
Right, and there's about 10,000 devices involved in drug crimes we'll be needing to do this for. Drugs are bad, and you don't want your kids being Forced at Gunpoint to Try Meth, right? It's not like it's *your* phone, it's a bunch of violent thugs who were born this way, like Lady Gaga.
There's no other way to stop a black market that we ourselves created than to step just a tiny tiny bit on civil liberties. Terrorists, pedophiles, and cartel assassins don't really *need* civil liberties that badly, do they? Maybe the extra civil liberties we're taking from them we'll give to you good people, like in a tax credit or something.
Look, while we're at it, Sony and UMG are telling us that lots of phones have pirated music and movie content. This is Probably Responsible for Kanye West Being $50 Million in Debt, and you don't want him to starve in the streets, do you?
We just want to use this court-sanctioned decryption process in a targeted, limited way to inspect every device that comes within 150 miles of a border or port of entry to the US. And any time someone is stopped or questioned by law enforcement. And at random checkpoints. But they'll have juice and cookies at the checkpoints! And shackles, but mostly snacks!
It's Kanye West fachrissakes! He's a musical genius, said it himself! And while we're looking for any unauthorized copies of any music, movie, or software, or evidence of participation or support of any act of piracy, we can *also* check for terrorism links, CP, drug use references, GPS data that would indicate a traffic violation, evidence of any past criminal activity, plans to stage disruptive protests, and other unamerican activities.
And just to pacify you civil liberties nuts, this means we won't have to target those other 10,362 people! Don't say we never did anything for you.
Pandora's Box... lord you anti-government nutters and your hyperbole!
Absolutely this. Plus, how was the question worded? Because when I hear or read popular accounts of this situation, Apple is being asked to "unlock the phone"... like they've had this magic key the whole time and all they have to do is stop being terrorist-protecting jerks and let the FBI in.
They might get slightly different numbers if they asked instead, "Is it right for Apple to be compelled by the government to create a new, insecure version of its operating system?"
Followed by, "Would your answer change, knowing that the government had a chance to obtain this data on the day of the shooting, but instead changed the password that could've been used to access the data?"
Thanks for sharing that, enlightening on a number of topics.
Actually a very interesting angle. Publicly pledge to take the high road (maybe even on more things than just Snowden!). Promise to do it fairly, by the absolute letter of the law, to give the defendant every opportunity to defend himself--and secure not only his return but an unimpeachable conviction (if they can get it).
Is it just me, or is it incredibly sad that a candidate publicly, specifically committing their future government be fair and honorable would be a headline-worthy occasion?
That decision would be appealed by the prosecution as well, but it might start a trend in how higher courts decide.
Under US criminal law, the prohibition on double jeopardy prevents the prosecution from appealing a jury's decision to acquit*. So if, as you suggest, a nullification-inclined jury were the ones deciding, Snowden would walk**.
*IANAML, so I can't speak to what the prosecution can/cannot appeal following the verdict in a court-martial under the UCMJ (if Snowden were to somehow end up before a military tribunal rather than a civilian court, even though he was a civilian contractor and not a member of the military).
**On all counts on which the jury acquitted. There is nothing stopping them from acquitting on the most serious (probably espionage/treason related) charges, but finding him guilty of e.g. unauthorized access or misuse of sensitive information.
Ok MikeChino. Driver's license and registration please.
It wouldn't be home without next-day reposts. Tomorrow they'll be telling us about this awesome new archival glass data storage concept that operates in FIVE DINENSIONS!
O_O
The boss' cornflower blue question is cribbed directly from Fight Club.
This is why I support Open Carry Laser laws and donate to the NLA. I live my life by their motto, "Pew pew pew, hahaha shit yeah, lasers!!"
The problem is that the possibility of being caught is near zero so any small thrill is enough of an incentive. The challenge of hitting an aircraft with a laser is enough of a thrill for some people and yes they are assholes. No matter how big the fine there will still be people who believe they will never get caught.
Another issue is that you are assuming people use valid risk assessment before doing things. For many people that is a false assumption as in "Hey Bubba, hold my beer and watch this."
Bingo. Deterrent effect is maximized by swiftness and certainty of punishment. Severity of punishment, as an independent variable, is not an effective knob to turn up deterrence**.
That is not only Just How Humans Work(TM), but is also borne out by plenty of studies (both short term "psych" studies, and long term sociological studies of criminal behavior). Regardless of how achievable this is in practice, the theory is pretty cut and dry: you'd be far better served by a program that upped the catch rate from 5% to 75% and gave everyone a £200 fine due in a week, than leaving the catch rate at 5% and raising the fine to £20,000.
**FWIW, a sufficiently severe punishment can, in the aggregate, act as a deterrent. The problem is, due to proportionality and cruelty concerns, the level of punishment may be higher than we're willing to stomach in a Western democracy.
If you criminalize laser pointers, only criminals will own laser pointers.
"Can I get this icon--" the boss paused, sweeping the bright red dot from a PowerPoint graph of Q3 profits to a pattern stamped on one of the heroin baggies piled on the conference room table "--in cornflower blue?"
EVIL CHRISTAN POV thinking with 5000 year pyramids is going to HELL!! All Pyramids were built on 4 simultaneous 24hour days, making them 20000 year old!!!1
Also, the weathering patterns on the Great Pyramid of Giza and Sphinx can be most accurately explained by the action of intergalactic electric filaments, not wind, rain, and sand.
#hitlerhadacoldfusiontachionbomb
Welcome to Brian's Totally Bitchin Wikindex of Portmanteaus, Inuyasha Characters, and Roads Between Penistone and Scunthorpe!
Confirming the $250.00 grant, estimated to be worth $2.5 million, Wales admitted, "Yes, we received a $250,000 grant. But we are only spending $2.5 billion of it on search. The other $25 is going to expand our article on the base 10 number system.
I have owned multiple iPhones. I love taking apart electronics and fixing/modifying/resoldering them. Taking apart the iPhone to do anything, even as simple as unhooking the battery, is a special hell I would not recommend for any but the most diehard enthusiasts. (Or a dedicated repair outfit, ofc.)
First, you'll be fucking around with itty bitty screws that have a significant digit measured in microns. And there are like five (slightly) different kinds of the little bastards. Second, if you don't put everything back in *precisely* the right alignment, you will notice. Maybe Home clicks kinda funny now, or Volume Up is a bit squishy. Third, and maybe this is just observational voodoo, but I swear that manhandling the flexible polymer battery too much degrades battery life.
tl;dr - If you set your clock to 1970 because some FB chain letter told you Jim Morrison's ghost would bring you good luck, just let the damn thing run down to 0%.
...and avoid other aircraft.
Will the oppressive over-regulation never stop!?
Every sufficiently advanced species receives this message and arrives at an existential turning point:
Either the planet's warring tribes and factions come together to make the film according to the aliens' script, proving themselves worthy to begin a 10,000 year "unpaid internship" fetching space lattes for alien directors;
or,
They ignore the message, puttering along trying to make it on their own as an indy civilization, probably never moving out of their home system.
This.
Traffic laws, signage, lines, traffic control devices, etc. serve multiple masters:
a) To define the rules of the road/help make things safer;
b) To make it easier for cops and lawyers to declare who fucked up when an accident happens;
c) To generate revenue (In unscrupulous jurisdictions, of which there are many).
Other posters have touched on the dubious logic behind removing lines making things "safer." This is sketchy on a). It actively detracts from b) (whether one thinks that's a good thing is another matter entirely). And I can't see it helping c)... no more "your wheel went an inch over the line once a mile back" pretext pullovers.
How dare you insult hungarians. We are a proud people!
And full of eels, just like our hovercraft!
Nothing pivots like a Clinton in office.
Hakeem Olajuwon?