"The robot won't want to start pouring milk if it thinks you're about to pull the glass away."
Oh man, I dread the day when some important decision in real life is made, based on recommendations of these computers.
As you say, TV shows aren't realistic. They depict people as more violent or more emotionally shallow (depending on the show), as they are in real life. (Ex: a crime show generally has a murder in each episode, inplying that murders are more frequent that they really are.) And the shows sometimes show surviving victims of violence just wearing their arm in a sling for a while, and then bouncing right back to health.
Of course we know that the shows don't realistically depict people's actions, or depict the long-term results of physical and emotional injuries. But if computers learn about human interaction from watching TV, then the computers don't know that the shows are unrealistic.
Too late- a 12 year old girl posted a gun emoji on Instagram and was charged with making terroristic threats against her school. [washingtonpost.com]
According to the article, she did more than post a gun emoji. The message contained the word "Killing", then a picture of a gun, then the words "meet me in the library Tuesday", then pictures of a gun, a knife, and a bomb. Maybe she meant it as a joke - I don't know. I do know that there are some subjects that you really shouldn't joke about.
Suppose Omar Mateen used an iPhone, and suppose the FBI wanted Apple's help unlocking the phone, because they thought some data on the phone might help them prevent other, future, crimes. Then Tim Cook would be in a tough spot. If he refused to help the FBI, he would reinforce the impression of caring more about customer privacy than about public safety. But if he helped the FBI, people would think he helped this time only because it was a gay nightclub.
If Mr. Mateen used an iPhone, and the FBI asked for help, then I certainly hope Mr. Cook would help them. If he was worried about what people thought, then he might agree to help, only if the FBI kept quiet about the help.
The Air Force said it was notified on June 6 by a contractor that administers the database of records that the data within was "corrupted," according to a statement.
How many contractors administered the database? I wonder if that was part of the problem: "Oh, I thought you guys were going to back up the database... No you were supposed to back it up."
If just one contractor was clearly responsible for the backup, then I wish the government would:
1) Fire the contractor, and never use them again.
2) Publicly announce the name of the contractor, so that we know not to use them.
(Of course a lot more needs to be done, such as making sure this doesn't happen again in any govt. dept.)
Oracle Co-Chief Executive Officer Safra Catz invoked the Ten Commandments to characterize Google as acting above the law. Catz told jurors that, at a bat mitzvah in 2012, Google General Counsel Kent Walker told her, “You know, Safra, Google is this really special company, and the old rules don’t apply to us.”
“I immediately said, ‘Thou shalt not steal,’” Catz testified. “It’s an oldie but goodie.”
Wow. If that's true, then Kent Walker should learn to not say things like that - even in a non-business setting.
Changing the genius bar to a genius grove, opening a plaza - it sounds like Apple is trying to make enough room in their retail stores. That's good. But here's another idea for making room in Apple stores:
I wish Apple would open Customer Service Centers (CSC). A CSC would take care of non-sales jobs, like genius bars, repairs, and workshops. Apple stores still would do these functions, but customers would have the added option of going to a CSC instead of to a store.
Because a CSC would not do any sales, it should not be in a mall. The CSC should be in an area that's easy to drive to, with plenty of empty parking stalls near the CSC. (The Apple retail stores that I go to are in malls, and the parking spots near the stores are usually taken. If I have to take my iMac to an Apple store for repair, and if I have to park far away from the mall entrance, then it's hard to carry the iMac to the store.) Also the CSC should be large enough to have plenty of room in it for its customers.
If most Apple customers went to CSCs for repairs and genius bars, instead of going to retail stores, then that would help in several ways:
* Apple retail stores would be less crowded, and the sales staff would have more time to attend to the customers. (In the Apple stores that I go to, there are lots of employees and customers, and the people are crammed like sardines. Most store owners would love to have the problem of their stores being crowded with "too many customers", but the crowding makes it hard for me to ask questions and try out their computers.)
* It would be less crowded and stressful for the Apple employees and customers in a CSC. Customers in the CSC would be able to walk into the CSC, talk with a genius, pick up a repaired computer or whatever, and walk out.
* Since CSCs would not be in shopping malls, Apple could choose from plenty of options on where to put them. So Apple would be able to open CSCs in areas with empty parking stalls nearby.
* If Apple opened lots of CSCs, then customers who lived near a CSC but not near an Apple retail store would have a nearby place to go, for genius bars and repairs. (The nearest Apple store is 30 miles away? That's ok - a CSC is just 5 miles away.)
Just because the judge and jury don't know what an API is now, doesn't mean they can't understand it, given a good explanation. An API has to do with code. Show them some code.
If I were explaining an API to them, I would say that it's mainly a set of commands for certain tasks. If a Java programmer wants to instruct a Java program to do one of those tasks, then he/she must type in the corresponding command. (A "set of commands to type" is easier to understand than "set of rules", "interface" or "contract".) There is more to the API than commands - there are data values (ex: Math.PI), and the way that the API is divided into classes, interfaces, and packages. But mainly programmers care about the commands.
I would go to https://docs.oracle.com/javase.... I would show the judge and jury the Math.random() method description, and briefly go over the description.
I would keep the description of Math.random() up on one screen. On a second screen, I would show them the source code of a very simple Java program that calls Math.random(), and then prints the random number. I would point out the line in the program that contained the call to Math.random(), and say, "See, that's an example of using the Java API method that you see here on the first screen".
I would say that we don't know how the Java program determined the random number. We don't have to know. We just have to know which command in the API to use.
If there were time, then I wonder if Olympic training grounds could be used for the Olympics, like these training grounds in the US and Canada. They would have to accommodate spectators - food, lodging, parking, emergency services, plus a place to watch the olympic games. It's too late to get that set up now.
Or if all else fails, they could hold the Olympics in a healthy place (including clean water) without thousands of visitors, and just televise the games. It would be sort of weird for there not to be any crowds cheering and applauding.
Another option is an organization that lets you sponsor an overseas child. The organization might have an option for you to donate to a community project, such as stocking a library.
I need AppleScript. I use it mainly to move data between files that were created by different applications. Ex: I wrote an AppleScript that reads a Numbers spreadsheet, and writes the spreadsheet data to a JavaScript.js file. A web page can then read that.js file, and display the spreadsheet contents.
So yes AppleScript is cool like Fonzie, but I really need it.:-)
Apple has been moving to end their Macintosh line of computers.
I sure hope Apple doesn't replace Mac OS X with iOS. I hate the limitations in my iPad re. importing files, managing folders, etc. Ex: I wrote a tool that created html files and supporting sound files. These files were created by AppleScript and Perl, so they had to be created on a Mac, not on an iPad. I showed the tool to an Apple employee, who taught iPad workshops in an Apple retail store. I asked him how to copy those files and folders from my Mac to the iPad, preserving the file and folder structure. He said there was no way to do that. Ugh.
One big reason I switched from Windows to a Mac was because I found out about AppleScript. The more I learned about AppleScript, the more I felt that I had to get a Mac, in order to get Applescript. These days, most of my personal programming projects use AppleScript in some way. Ex: One tool clicks on menu buttons for you, so that you don't have to drill down thru menus and click the menu items. Mac OS X runs AppleScript but iOS doesn't run it. If Apple replaced Mac OS X with iOS, then besides the awkwardness of managing files and folders, I would lose AppleScript.
Regarding browser plug-ins, this article on Apple's website tells you how to remove QuickTime 7 for Windows. The article states,
Uninstalling QuickTime 7 also removes the legacy QuickTime 7 web plug-in, if present. Websites increasingly use the HTML5 web standard for a better video-playback experience across a wide range of browsers and devices, without additional software or plug-ins. Removing legacy browser plug-ins enhances the security of your PC.
I know this is an article about the gender of H-1B's, not the number of H-1B's. But still, it seems that Pres. Obama is trying to protect the flow of immigrants to the US. If a gender imbalance might hurt the flow, then he'll try to hide the gender imbalance.
What the heck is going on? Whose side is President Obama on? The heads of most countries work to help their citizens get jobs. The one exception that I see is that come countries are taking in refugees, even if those refugees take jobs away from native-born citizens.
But these H-1B employees aren't refugees. They won't starve if they don't get a job here, or be killed by gang violence if they can't live here.
Congrats, Apple! Once again, you're last to the finish line with another browser-related spec/feature/idea.
Safari was the first browser to pass the Acid2 and Acid3 tests. But more recently, Safari fell behind the other browsers in the HTML5 tests. I'm glad Apple is working on Safari again.
Someone had also downloaded about 2000 patient X-rays to a computer somewhere in China.
“Who knew there was a black market for X-rays?” Halamka says. He learned that some Chinese nationals can’t get visas to leave the country because they have infectious lung diseases such as tuberculosis. A clean lung X-ray is therefore a valuable commodity.
Assuming FBI head James Comey is telling the truth when he says he's not trying to set a precedent, I side with the FBI and Bill Gates on this case.
Any lawyers out there? Is there a way for Apple to comply with this particular request from the FBI, and in a later case, hold the FBI to their statement that they're not trying to set a precedent?
It wouldn't take much to do that either. If the US, China, Russia, and a couple of other countries (like Australia, some in Europe, South Korea) agreed to hold events somewhere else (maybe split them and have Athletics in the US, Swimming in China, some in Russia, etc.) then the IOC would almost have to cave.
I agree. The Olympics are scheduled for August 5-21. Some universities have Olympic-sized pools, which the universities might be willing to rent during those days for a couple of weeks. And there are plenty of beaches around the world, whose water is clean enough for rowing and sailing.
With the Olympics split up like this, spectators would see only part of the Olympics live. But on the other hand, splitting up the Olympics would let more people around the world see some games live. And splitting up the games would lessen the crush/crunch of hotels and transportation.
Re. the cartoon - I guess that could happen, if you typed fast enough. One time at work I was standing next to my boss A, as he was talking to B on the phone. During the phone call, a quake whose epicenter was closer to B struck. B got all excited, saying "Hey, we're having an earthquake!" Then the shaking hit where A and I were. So A found out about the quake before he felt it.
And what does Apple do? They now offer pink iPhone case options. Yeah, sure, guys. Makes me want to work for you - such vision, wow!:)
As the article says, Apple "is no longer seen as cutting edge." If Apple puts out cutting edge products, then more creative hw and sw engineers will want to work for it.
Do you have any links to articles that claim that Falun Gong practitioners are trying to overthrow the government? According to Wikipedia, this group of people is persecuted
due to its size, independence from the state, and spiritual teachings.... Tensions culminated in April 1999, when over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered peacefully near the central government compound in Beijing to request legal recognition and freedom from state interference. This demonstration is widely seen as catalyzing the persecution that followed.
The article claims that thousands have died in custody.
If that's true, then I don't care if their beliefs are religious, secular or a cult. I don't care if the beliefs are true or total nonsense. The Chinese government has no right to imprison, torture and kill them. Just leave them alone.
Slashdot Mirror
organdonor.gov says, "an average of 22 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs."
I'm a registered organ donor. After I die, I won't need my heart, kidneys, etc. But other people will.
The TechCrunch article mentions one slight threat to the reviewer:
The representative then said that she would report Garrett to Amazon if he didn’t take down the review
"The robot won't want to start pouring milk if it thinks you're about to pull the glass away."
Oh man, I dread the day when some important decision in real life is made, based on recommendations of these computers.
As you say, TV shows aren't realistic. They depict people as more violent or more emotionally shallow (depending on the show), as they are in real life. (Ex: a crime show generally has a murder in each episode, inplying that murders are more frequent that they really are.) And the shows sometimes show surviving victims of violence just wearing their arm in a sling for a while, and then bouncing right back to health.
Of course we know that the shows don't realistically depict people's actions, or depict the long-term results of physical and emotional injuries. But if computers learn about human interaction from watching TV, then the computers don't know that the shows are unrealistic.
Too late- a 12 year old girl posted a gun emoji on Instagram and was charged with making terroristic threats against her school. [washingtonpost.com]
According to the article, she did more than post a gun emoji. The message contained the word "Killing", then a picture of a gun, then the words "meet me in the library Tuesday", then pictures of a gun, a knife, and a bomb. Maybe she meant it as a joke - I don't know. I do know that there are some subjects that you really shouldn't joke about.
Suppose Omar Mateen used an iPhone, and suppose the FBI wanted Apple's help unlocking the phone, because they thought some data on the phone might help them prevent other, future, crimes. Then Tim Cook would be in a tough spot. If he refused to help the FBI, he would reinforce the impression of caring more about customer privacy than about public safety. But if he helped the FBI, people would think he helped this time only because it was a gay nightclub.
If Mr. Mateen used an iPhone, and the FBI asked for help, then I certainly hope Mr. Cook would help them. If he was worried about what people thought, then he might agree to help, only if the FBI kept quiet about the help.
From the article:
The Air Force said it was notified on June 6 by a contractor that administers the database of records that the data within was "corrupted," according to a statement.
How many contractors administered the database? I wonder if that was part of the problem: "Oh, I thought you guys were going to back up the database ... No you were supposed to back it up."
If just one contractor was clearly responsible for the backup, then I wish the government would:
1) Fire the contractor, and never use them again.
2) Publicly announce the name of the contractor, so that we know not to use them.
(Of course a lot more needs to be done, such as making sure this doesn't happen again in any govt. dept.)
According to Bloomberg,
Oracle Co-Chief Executive Officer Safra Catz invoked the Ten Commandments to characterize Google as acting above the law. Catz told jurors that, at a bat mitzvah in 2012, Google General Counsel Kent Walker told her, “You know, Safra, Google is this really special company, and the old rules don’t apply to us.”
“I immediately said, ‘Thou shalt not steal,’” Catz testified. “It’s an oldie but goodie.”
Wow. If that's true, then Kent Walker should learn to not say things like that - even in a non-business setting.
Changing the genius bar to a genius grove, opening a plaza - it sounds like Apple is trying to make enough room in their retail stores. That's good. But here's another idea for making room in Apple stores:
I wish Apple would open Customer Service Centers (CSC). A CSC would take care of non-sales jobs, like genius bars, repairs, and workshops. Apple stores still would do these functions, but customers would have the added option of going to a CSC instead of to a store.
Because a CSC would not do any sales, it should not be in a mall. The CSC should be in an area that's easy to drive to, with plenty of empty parking stalls near the CSC. (The Apple retail stores that I go to are in malls, and the parking spots near the stores are usually taken. If I have to take my iMac to an Apple store for repair, and if I have to park far away from the mall entrance, then it's hard to carry the iMac to the store.) Also the CSC should be large enough to have plenty of room in it for its customers.
If most Apple customers went to CSCs for repairs and genius bars, instead of going to retail stores, then that would help in several ways:
* Apple retail stores would be less crowded, and the sales staff would have more time to attend to the customers. (In the Apple stores that I go to, there are lots of employees and customers, and the people are crammed like sardines. Most store owners would love to have the problem of their stores being crowded with "too many customers", but the crowding makes it hard for me to ask questions and try out their computers.)
* It would be less crowded and stressful for the Apple employees and customers in a CSC. Customers in the CSC would be able to walk into the CSC, talk with a genius, pick up a repaired computer or whatever, and walk out.
* Since CSCs would not be in shopping malls, Apple could choose from plenty of options on where to put them. So Apple would be able to open CSCs in areas with empty parking stalls nearby.
* If Apple opened lots of CSCs, then customers who lived near a CSC but not near an Apple retail store would have a nearby place to go, for genius bars and repairs. (The nearest Apple store is 30 miles away? That's ok - a CSC is just 5 miles away.)
Just because the judge and jury don't know what an API is now, doesn't mean they can't understand it, given a good explanation. An API has to do with code. Show them some code.
If I were explaining an API to them, I would say that it's mainly a set of commands for certain tasks. If a Java programmer wants to instruct a Java program to do one of those tasks, then he/she must type in the corresponding command. (A "set of commands to type" is easier to understand than "set of rules", "interface" or "contract".) There is more to the API than commands - there are data values (ex: Math.PI), and the way that the API is divided into classes, interfaces, and packages. But mainly programmers care about the commands.
I would go to https://docs.oracle.com/javase.... I would show the judge and jury the Math.random() method description, and briefly go over the description.
I would keep the description of Math.random() up on one screen. On a second screen, I would show them the source code of a very simple Java program that calls Math.random(), and then prints the random number. I would point out the line in the program that contained the call to Math.random(), and say, "See, that's an example of using the Java API method that you see here on the first screen".
I would say that we don't know how the Java program determined the random number. We don't have to know. We just have to know which command in the API to use.
They'd be able to understand that.
If there were time, then I wonder if Olympic training grounds could be used for the Olympics, like these training grounds in the US and Canada. They would have to accommodate spectators - food, lodging, parking, emergency services, plus a place to watch the olympic games. It's too late to get that set up now.
Or if all else fails, they could hold the Olympics in a healthy place (including clean water) without thousands of visitors, and just televise the games. It would be sort of weird for there not to be any crowds cheering and applauding.
Another option is an organization that lets you sponsor an overseas child. The organization might have an option for you to donate to a community project, such as stocking a library.
I need AppleScript. I use it mainly to move data between files that were created by different applications. Ex: I wrote an AppleScript that reads a Numbers spreadsheet, and writes the spreadsheet data to a JavaScript .js file. A web page can then read that .js file, and display the spreadsheet contents.
So yes AppleScript is cool like Fonzie, but I really need it. :-)
Apple has been moving to end their Macintosh line of computers.
I sure hope Apple doesn't replace Mac OS X with iOS. I hate the limitations in my iPad re. importing files, managing folders, etc. Ex: I wrote a tool that created html files and supporting sound files. These files were created by AppleScript and Perl, so they had to be created on a Mac, not on an iPad. I showed the tool to an Apple employee, who taught iPad workshops in an Apple retail store. I asked him how to copy those files and folders from my Mac to the iPad, preserving the file and folder structure. He said there was no way to do that. Ugh.
One big reason I switched from Windows to a Mac was because I found out about AppleScript. The more I learned about AppleScript, the more I felt that I had to get a Mac, in order to get Applescript. These days, most of my personal programming projects use AppleScript in some way. Ex: One tool clicks on menu buttons for you, so that you don't have to drill down thru menus and click the menu items. Mac OS X runs AppleScript but iOS doesn't run it. If Apple replaced Mac OS X with iOS, then besides the awkwardness of managing files and folders, I would lose AppleScript.
Regarding browser plug-ins, this article on Apple's website tells you how to remove QuickTime 7 for Windows. The article states,
Uninstalling QuickTime 7 also removes the legacy QuickTime 7 web plug-in, if present. Websites increasingly use the HTML5 web standard for a better video-playback experience across a wide range of browsers and devices, without additional software or plug-ins. Removing legacy browser plug-ins enhances the security of your PC.
I know this is an article about the gender of H-1B's, not the number of H-1B's. But still, it seems that Pres. Obama is trying to protect the flow of immigrants to the US. If a gender imbalance might hurt the flow, then he'll try to hide the gender imbalance.
What the heck is going on? Whose side is President Obama on? The heads of most countries work to help their citizens get jobs. The one exception that I see is that come countries are taking in refugees, even if those refugees take jobs away from native-born citizens.
But these H-1B employees aren't refugees. They won't starve if they don't get a job here, or be killed by gang violence if they can't live here.
Whose side is Pres. Obama on?
Congrats, Apple! Once again, you're last to the finish line with another browser-related spec/feature/idea.
Safari was the first browser to pass the Acid2 and Acid3 tests. But more recently, Safari fell behind the other browsers in the HTML5 tests. I'm glad Apple is working on Safari again.
"broader audience", "broader appeal"
Funny! (But I'm not sure you did that on purpose.)
Right. According to the IEEE article,
Someone had also downloaded about 2000 patient X-rays to a computer somewhere in China.
“Who knew there was a black market for X-rays?” Halamka says. He learned that some Chinese nationals can’t get visas to leave the country because they have infectious lung diseases such as tuberculosis. A clean lung X-ray is therefore a valuable commodity.
Assuming FBI head James Comey is telling the truth when he says he's not trying to set a precedent, I side with the FBI and Bill Gates on this case.
Any lawyers out there? Is there a way for Apple to comply with this particular request from the FBI, and in a later case, hold the FBI to their statement that they're not trying to set a precedent?
It wouldn't take much to do that either. If the US, China, Russia, and a couple of other countries (like Australia, some in Europe, South Korea) agreed to hold events somewhere else (maybe split them and have Athletics in the US, Swimming in China, some in Russia, etc.) then the IOC would almost have to cave.
I agree. The Olympics are scheduled for August 5-21. Some universities have Olympic-sized pools, which the universities might be willing to rent during those days for a couple of weeks. And there are plenty of beaches around the world, whose water is clean enough for rowing and sailing.
With the Olympics split up like this, spectators would see only part of the Olympics live. But on the other hand, splitting up the Olympics would let more people around the world see some games live. And splitting up the games would lessen the crush/crunch of hotels and transportation.
Re. the cartoon - I guess that could happen, if you typed fast enough. One time at work I was standing next to my boss A, as he was talking to B on the phone. During the phone call, a quake whose epicenter was closer to B struck. B got all excited, saying "Hey, we're having an earthquake!" Then the shaking hit where A and I were. So A found out about the quake before he felt it.
According to the Hartford Currant, some Yale students signed a petition that called for repealing the First Amendment.
"I think the constitution should be one big safe space, right?" Ami Horowitz tells one student.
"Hurting people's feelings ... should not be protected speech," he says to another.
Horowitz got 50 signatures in less than an hour.
And what does Apple do? They now offer pink iPhone case options. Yeah, sure, guys. Makes me want to work for you - such vision, wow! :)
As the article says, Apple "is no longer seen as cutting edge." If Apple puts out cutting edge products, then more creative hw and sw engineers will want to work for it.
Do you have any links to articles that claim that Falun Gong practitioners are trying to overthrow the government? According to Wikipedia, this group of people is persecuted
due to its size, independence from the state, and spiritual teachings. ... Tensions culminated in April 1999, when over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered peacefully near the central government compound in Beijing to request legal recognition and freedom from state interference. This demonstration is widely seen as catalyzing the persecution that followed.
The article claims that thousands have died in custody.
If that's true, then I don't care if their beliefs are religious, secular or a cult. I don't care if the beliefs are true or total nonsense. The Chinese government has no right to imprison, torture and kill them. Just leave them alone.