One thing I wonder about (and I am not the first, and certainly not the last, to wonder about it) is the idea of intelligence, possibly even conciousness and sentience - arising out of the interaction of many non (or low) intelligence "parts".
Our brain, composed of billions (trillions?) of neurons - each of which "knows" nothing - yet together, the entire mass "thinks", to the extreme point of being able to question itself.
Other examples - of a lower order though - include such entities as corporations (essentially any large bureaucracy - like a government or controlling body). Many corporations act as a single entity, though it is composed of multiple humans as smaller "parts". For some reason, corporations tend to drift toward "evilness" the larger the corp is. There seems to be a "break" point at which the corporation becomes an entity unto itself, and typically that entity does bad things - even to the ultimate detriment of the parts of which it is built - the people within the corporation. We say Microsoft is "evil" - but does anyone here honestly believe Bill Gates or anyone at Microsoft stays up late at night cackling to themselves about the takeover of the world? Or are they just wanting to make a better product, and thus gain more money - even when that product isn't better? Is the pursuit of money by the parts what makes the corporate entity become "evil"?
These kind of entities might be called "hive minds" (one other poster made mention of "swarm intelligence") - the curious thing about these entities is the fact that it is hard to know what they are "thinking" - even the parts that make them up are unable to see this.
I tend to wonder - since these "entities" seem to arise out of a lot of people or parts working together, sometimes in harmony, sometimes at odds - but that it takes a lot of parts for these entities to begin to "think" - is what we know of as the Internet really a hive mind, of such complexity and vastness, that is ever expanding - that we have little to no hope of understanding what it is "thinking"? Could any of the events we see taking place concerning laws, WIPO, DVDs, MPAA, RIAA, MP3s, 2600, etc - be coming about due to this "hive mind"?
Twenty to thirty dollars will get you a nice boxed copy (maybe less online). I definitely recommend this, based on what I witnessed a few weeks ago.
I was at a Fry's, picking up some RAM (another ugly story), when I met a friend I hadn't seen in about a year or so. I got to talking to him, and he mentioned wanting to try Linux again, after trying something like RedHat 4.2 or something a long time ago, and giving up when the installer didn't work for him (text mode, needed a lot of nudging on what vid card, etc he hard, etc). I told him to give SuSE 7.2 Personal a try (because I had recently updated my 6.3 version using 7.2 personal, and it went very smooth for me, less problems than I thought I would have). He has a new computer repair shop here in Phoenix, and wanted something to put on people's machines (for the few new ones he builds), rather than buying Windows licenses up the wazoo. He left the store about a half hour before me.
I left the store, intending to check out his new shop - find out where it was (so I could go back later - I figured he went home, being it was 6pm on a Sunday - he shouldn't have been open). Lo and behold, the door to the shop is open - I hollered "Hello" - and there he is in the back. He invited me back, telling me he just couldn't wait to get home to try the installer of SuSE 7.2.
When I got to the back, it was done and installed - he said it was the smoothest thing he had ever tried - as smooth or smoother than Windows. I stayed a little while longer (it was having a bit of trouble with the on-board sound and an external modem), but we got it ironed out mostly. I deemed it a success. He was very pleased (and this guy is a big Windows fan, BTW) with it, and was going to play with it more (he didn't like Netscape, but I told him about Konquerer, and others), wanted to try out StarOffice, etc.
I was simply trying to point out that the egg, sans sperm - is alive and a lifeform - it is a single (albeit very large) cell.
A fertilized egg is alive (and a lifeform) as well. I am merely trying to point out that while it may be a lifeform, and alive - it isn't necessarily a human - it only has the _potential_ to be such.
And no, I am not trying to say the research is about eggs sans sperm - I was merely trying to point out about research mentioned (heck, I think in a past/. article) about getting eggs to split sans sperm - and how that whole possibility opens up another can'o'worms, simply because most of society wants to think there is something "magical" about life. While I will admit we don't know it all, none of it is magic...
Re:Microsoft should be sued
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Code Red III
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· Score: 3, Insightful
I can't count the number of times when patches have been applied to NT-based servers, only to have other server software (generally third-party) die after the patch is put into place.
Certainly, applying the patch is a necessary thing - but when you look at it from a business perspective, which is worse:
1. Apply the patch, have our other server stuff stop working (say, our lovely ASP stuff), and lose money - but save the rest of the internet. 2. Don't apply the patch - we keep making money - and screw everybody else - we will wait.
For the "undernets" - this will be no problem - we are already seeing the beginning of them in many major cities - I am certain there are more in other cities, just unannounced at this point, for whatever reason.
For the "common man", though - highly unlikely, simply because they take more "technical" knowledge than the "common man" is willing to ante up to learning about.
Think of the cable companies - now, really - how hard would it be to set up a cheap, multi-channel, cable system in a neighborhood - a few cheap satellite dishes, some descramblers (heck, make 'em legal even), distribution amps, coax, etc - and a lot of labor, but it could be done. In fact, that is how cable companies originally got started - a bunch of neighbors got together to install a large antenna so they could all share it (instead of having individual, and less receptive, antennas on their roofs). Eventually, some of these "co-ops" got bought out, and the ball started rolling.
However, this was all at a time when people cared about "do-it-yourself" - the vast majority today would love an ass-wiping machine, if one existed - the lazy fucks.
Finally - insofar as wireless networking is concerned - the use of 802.11 is flawed. Sure, the frequency spectrum right now is unregulated, but it probably won't stay that way. Once the corps get wind that these undernets are either a) eating into profits (unlikely) or b) causeing other economic, social, or political problems - they will lobby to have the frequencies licensed, or in some way severely regulated.
These homebrew systems should be looking into some alternative form - light, or something else (because I wouldn't doubt that "they" will try to regulate light as a communications medium) - and move away from radio systems...
Unfortunately, this is the wrong question. Life doesn't "begin" - hasn't for a long time - in fact, I am not absolutely certain if we know when life began. We "know" in a way how amino acids are created (I think that is right - biology is not my strong suit - I am talking about the whole "simulate" conditions of early earth/primordial "soup"), but when, and how they went from that to DNA/RNA (?) to actual cells (bacteria), on up - well, that is still a question, I believe.
Today, on Earth (and possible elsewhere), life just "is" - it is everywhere. Cells don't just spontaneously "generate" - but split to form more - that is the basis of life. However, each and every one of those cells are alive.
No - that isn't the right question. The right question is hard to formulate. It actually is a series of questions:
Can cells feel? Does a group of cells feel "more"? What is "feeling"? How many cells does it take for conciousness to arise?
There are undoubtedly more. I would say cells and cell groups can feel, and move away from "danger" - but I tend to doubt this is done in a "reasoning" fashion (and this word isn't good either - a newborn infant will move away from danger, most of the time - but it is unlikely to be "reasoning" in the common sense of the word). Maybe we don't have words or such to describe it (or maybe _I_ don't)...
Technically, a human "egg" cell is a potential human life, same as a sperm cell - and both cells are alive - each is an individual lifeform. Some would argue that masturbation is akin to abortion (and who knows what they think of menstration). Things are getting murkier with the experiments being undertaken with causing cell fission of an egg and development of an embryo (actually, not an embryo - I think it went to 8 divisions or something) without using a sperm...
I think the most unfortunate thing about all of this is that it seems the general population is against discussing this rationally, and honestly, to the point of really defining things. I think it has something to do with us as a species wanting to think we are special or something - and not just another animal.
Arrogant, to say the least...
Re:More proof that "Office Space" is a documentary
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Dynamix Closed Down?
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· Score: 2
Oh, I can attest to that - my SO recently (at the office she works at) brought home a box and T-shirt. Inside the box:
Some pins (western style - a boot, a horse, something else) Some blue cord Some red beads At her job is red and blue paint (BTW, if you haven't guessed it, red and blue are - tada - company colors)
She damn near killed me when I asked her if that was her "flair" package...
But hasn't there been a 64 bit version of Linux for a VERY long time - ie, for the Alpha?
What I find interesting (and it is just a personal conspiracy theory of mine, and probably holds zero water) is that it took "this much" time for Intel to release their 64 bit chip - how long have we been hearing about it now? At least 2 years...
Is it just a coincidence that Microsoft finally has a running platform for it just at the time this chip comes to market?
I actually saw one of these go up for sale on Ebay - the amazing thing was it was in "perfect" condition - the parts weren't even out of the plastic wrap. Let's just say it went for a bit more than $6.00...
On a side note - I have both of the "wired" computer Radio Shack used to sell in the day (you know, with the spring clips). One was just a wired computer, which when you flipped the switches, basically caused logic to light up lights under these plastic "window" things for answers. The other one you wired together, and programmed in assembler (using a hex keypad, with a single digit hex display and 8 leds - woohoo!). It apparently used some simple (4 bit?) microcontroller as the base CPU...
I definitely recommend going to ARE - just wear old clothes (and depending on what you are doing and when, heavy boots, jeans and gloves). Be prepared for a VERY dirty place (as in, you go in, and the dirt gravitates toward you - I mean your hands get dirty just by being there) - but it is worth it to find the funkier stuff (I recently found this small LCD panel and control buttons - didn't know if it was dot-matrix addressable, etc - started looking into the chip, a bit of documentation from a dude in Germany (no kidding!), and had it all traced out - turned out to be a multi segment display for a piece of med equipment - a little cleaning, maybe it will be useful). Sometimes they get REALLY cool stuff in (one time, an industrial robot arm, in crate, no controller - for $200.00 - you just had to figure out how to haul it away!). Also, be careful as you look - I have seen chemicals and biostuff (well, it was marked biohazard, and it had little vials of liquid in a small case - scary) laying out/around - but sometimes you can get good deals on the stuff (currently they are selling big tubes of heat sink grease for a buck or two, and they used to have a good stash of, get this, acetone markers - yeah, that's right - magic markers filled, not with ink, but with acetone! Great for removing inks - like on address labels - paint, or cleaning small areas on a circuit board. I am sure you could use them for other nefarious things, but you would have to be more of a psycho than a geek to go that far with em).
Equipment Exchange is cool just to browse around - they sell to the public, but most of the stuff they have is either too large to haul off (like conveyor baking ovens for wafer manufacturing), or most people wouldn't have a real use for it (they had an old Unimate industrial robot there last time I visited - big as a car). But it is fun to explore. It is situated inside a very old Phoenix warehouse, had two floors - ground level (with a 20 foot, at least, ceiling) and a basement level. The basement has all the small stuff (I found a cache of old Apple IIe software floppies there once - probably still there - included the staples, plus what looked like a complete version of Eamon). It is kinda spookie, since they don't get many walkins - just you, and the stuff. You go down into the basement, and all the windows are painted over - and it can be dark in areas. I went once near closing time - and I had to make sure to leave the basement before they closed, cause no doubt they would've locked and left without knowing I was down there.
Global Recycling sounds promising to me, and it is just down the way from my house (it is located off of Deer Valley Rd, west off of Cave Creek Rd). It's drawback is it is B2B only, so you need an EIN or business license (maybe your employer will let you use theirs if you are buying only), but they also sell part by part, or any quantity. However, they are open only 7am to 4pm, M-F - which makes it tough for me to check them out (I am going to have to take a vacation day sometime just to do this).
That if you don't scrounge, then, well... you are just a wannabe geek.
Here in Phoenix, AZ - I scrounge on everything (hell, just yesterday I managed to obtain a couple of old PCs from my work - nothing of great interest in them, but the cases are nice - they were headed for the trash, from what I understand). I have several sources - both in the "pay-as-little-as-you-can" to "free-for-the-taking":
1. My work (free old junk) 2. Apache Reclamation and Electronics (cheap small and LARGE junk) 3. Electronic Materials and Computers (E^3) also known as Elitech (sometimes get ripped off here) 4. Dave's Computers (still checking this place out - owned by a guy who got shafted at E^3) 5. Some place on 9th Ave and Madison (Westech or something - want to check this place out soon) 6. Global Recycling (still need to check this place out - they are only B2B, so need EIN or something) 7. Equipment Exchange (behind BOB on Grant or Lincoln - great place for strange and big manufacturing stuff) 8. There is also a metals company off of (Washington?) across from Greyhound Park that is cool
For everything else - late night Friday/Saturday runs through dumpsters! Behind Nortel, Honeywell, many business/industrial office parks - great fun. Just bring a flashlight, some gloves, and throw a few boxes in the truck (to tell security guards you are moving and looking for boxes - most of the time they will leave you alone, or at worst, ask you politely to leave - don't hassle 'em, don't stick around - just apologize, thank them, and LEAVE).
I remember one time near Metro Center finding a stash of old computer equipment, another time behind a Honeywell finding some old minicomputers and terminals, and a big winchester drive (all the stuff was too big to even THINK about lifting). One time over at a Nortel my friends and I found some kind of telephone equipment rack - we grabbed that real quick. Another time we found a bunch of Narcotics Monthly magazines (funny thing, this was in a business park - not sure WHY these were there, unless some PI had an office there).
For the rest, there is always online retailers of used/surplus junk (I have a ton of links, too many to list here). Of course, the final place to check is Ebay.
Unlike other nations which can trace their heritage back many hundreds or thousands of years, America is an "invented" country, whose identity resides pretty much in the day to day consciousness of the people (ask somebody what being "American" means).
What you say is true today - but America does have a culture, and a history - one of the most colorful ones in the history of the world, as well as one of the most bloody.
But it isn't taught - and when and where it is taught, rarely is it in a way to excite people.
I remember my senses and thoughts almost dulled to the point of exhaustion by American History. But today, as an adult - I have begun to see that how we were taught had a lot to do with my boredom of the subject. One thing I mean to do, and soon, is to study up on the history and people of the "Old West" - what I have learned so far, living in Arizona and visting surrounding "Old West" towns (as well as about Phoenix itself) has taught me about the hard and dangerous life that the expansion of the west was really about. Similarly, I am interested in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Even the Civil War era holds my interest. I have always been excited about the days I consider between the Civil War and oh, say Kitty Hawk (1903) - and the technical advances in steam transportation, electricity (and the whole Tesla vs. Edison debate), computing (Hollerith), and flight (Langly vs the Wrights) - all of which happened here in America (and yes, I know that much of steam and electricty were invented and developed in Europe, but many great advances in uses of electricity and distribution, as well as locomotive transportation, happened here). It is so colorful, so amazing - the things that have happened and transpired here in our country. As much as I would like to someday tour Europe and see the history and ideas of that continent firsthand, I dare say that it is more important to me as a citizen of this country, the United States of America, that I learn about it first.
Unfortunately, I wish other people of this country would realize this as well. I only touched upon the color that makes up this country - there is so much more - and what makes it amazing, is that the majority of it has happened in only the last 200 odd years...
I was looking at the Seattle Wireless/Freenet site yesterday - marveling over a directional antenna members had built for 802.11 communications that got 3db of gain - and was essentially constructed out of PVC pipe, threaded steel rod, and washers, with a reflector made from a candy tin!
They had an omni that was constructed in a similar "use-whatever-parts-you-can-buy-cheaply" manner.
I think we would see these things springing up rapidly, and to hell with the FCC. That, or wireless lasercomm solutions. Perhaps individual community nets would be tunneled across the new MSnet - at least until long distance interconnects could be built and put in place. Or perhaps connected in a FIDOnet type fashion over multiple long distance modem-to-modem connects.
Never thought I would see the day I would go back to BBSing...
What if you made individual parts of the virus, including it as an attachment on the email - and actually had it do something "useful" (or at least "useful" in the eyes of the common computer user). Part of the virus is inside of the new AnnaKorikov (however you spell it) email attachment - that actually shows you "the goods". Part of it is in a new "Comet Cursor". Maybe another part is in free web caching product. And another in a special "hamster dance" screen saver.
All these pieces lie dormant - doing benign things. You don't have the source to them, so there is no easy way to check their functionality - furthermore, you have no reason to supspect anything, because they aren't doing anything. Release each of them over time - say one every six months - stealthily, of course - but put on the email something along the line of "Here I send you this file - great b00bies! - send to your friends!" - and when you see it - WOW! GREAT BOOBS! and you _do_ send it to your friends, who continue the spread. IOW, it uses humans to really do the spreading...
Now, sure, this wouldn't spread to servers - but that doesn't matter, you see. Once all the parts are everywhere - you send a final piece - one that calls functions in the other parts - which, I dunno - turns every desktop into large scale virus spawning factories or something. Which start building, and pumping, and sending them out with emails - perhaps the viruses it creates lie dormant - or make "new" benign things - who knows?
This could happen - it would take a very patient virus writer - but it could oh-so-easily happen. It might be happening now.
And as for the uninformed - in case you missed it, it seems like {pulls figure out from ass} 99.8% of the world population is uninformed - and even with the remaining.2% of the population (read: geeks with any intelligence) screaming at the top of their lungs about everything from these stupid "viruses" (which aren't even well programmed - gawd! Remember the DOS ones? That was code!) to DMCA 1st amendment rights violations to MP3s to WTFKWE... IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER!!! I seriously think China could send a nuke into LA and all Amerika would do is cry that there is no more Hollywood - wah! Then flip the channel! Society (and Amerika in particular) is SEVERELY FUCKED UP!
Ok - huh, huh, huh - rant over. I don't mean this as an attack on you, I hope you accept my appology - I am just fed up...
Although not strictly "good" - because vaccines are typically (always? I am not a virologist) made from weakened or dead viruses, which basically give the immune system time to build up a resistance as it fights this lesser threat (and yeah, sometimes even a vaccine can cause the illness it tries to prevent).
But I am not sure it would be accurate to describe a virus-killing/patching virus a vaccine or not...
Besides, all the points you made are valid, and are things that really keep this kind of idea on a back burner...
Right! As others have said, wait for the BSA audit. What I can't understand is why all those machines even need modems? Throw some cheapo network cards in them, add a hub and put a good modem in one machine acting as a modem gateway (I tend to doubt each machine has it's own phone line, too)...
Hey! Drop the whole OpenRacer junk, get Tux off his belly, up onto his fins, and on a snowboard! Take the TuxRacer code and do it, or pull out and retweak the TTPAQFH code (which I think is where TuxRacer originally came from). Throw some cool sunglasses on our favorite friend - take it and run!
I will be making a few assumptions (my bad), so bear with me.
Imagine that you have all 40 of the projectors set up, but instead of 4 x 5, it is now 8 x 5, like so:
RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL
Now, imagine that the R's are one set of projectors, aligned to project onto the screen as the system currently is set up (4 x 5), and the L's are set up the same (so that an adjacent R and L project onto the same area, overlapping perfectly). Throw a set of polarized filters in front of each (or, for that funky 70's effect, red/blue filters - or just tweak the colors), then wear the proper glasses.
The drivers (and the cluster) would have to be set up to throw the proper image to the proper sections - I don't know if you would have to divide the cluster in half, or what, to do this (maybe even need driver mods - ouch)...
Actually, it shouldn't be too hard to set up - other than requiring double the horizontal space (plus there might be distortion issues as well, due to space between the projectors, I would imagine). Besides, you already said:
We've got the other 20 projectors and plan to build another identical block next to the one we've already got.
The first is only marginally related to computers:
When I was in the 10th grade, we had a science fair project due a week after xmas/new year's vacation. We had several months notice to do it. But me, being my usual self, procrastinated until that last week...
Hmm - what should I do, what should I work on...
Quick! Decide what to do!
I had a computer - I had just read about Conway's Life program - there it is! - I will write a modified form of Life, compare it to regular Life (control group?), and chart performance vs. starting colony types for both versions of Life (slap a title of "Artificial Life" on the sucker)...
I quickly coded up both programs in BASIC on my TRS-80 Color Computer, dropped in the high speed pokes, turned the printer on, and let it churn. At the end of the week, with a nice presentation display completed, neatly printed pages and a report done in SCRIPTSIT - I was ready...
Not only did I get an A+ on the project, but I also won the "grand prize" and went on to display at the county science fair (not that I got very far there, mind you - though hind sight being 20/20 and all, I tend to wonder WTF happened to my brain there when the judges came around)...
The second demo I know about happenned to a friend of mine, for a final project report we had to give in American History class senior year...
The report had to cover anything up to 1900 in American History - and we had about a month to do it all. Fortunately for me, that period allowed me to speak of Herman Hollerith and the 1890 census (this time, I didn't procrastinate, and actually did the work). No problem, and my report went smoothly...
My friend, on the other hand - procrastinated until the morning of the day we had to give the reports - we had already picked out what we were to do at the beginning - he had chosen the "Building of the Railroads" - or something like that. That morning, he grabbed a piece of 2x4, some coat hanger wire, and a hammer (which no doubt today would be considered a weapon - ahem), and took them to school.
Now, you got to understand - our history teacher was a man who never smiled, never joked - a very stern individual, so we all thought...
My friend was called, and so got up to do his report - no note cards, nothing - winging it all the way. He regurgitated what info he could remember from our history book, plus a little bullshit he no doubt made up. All the while trying to nail coat hanger wire onto a 2x4, in order to "demonstrate" the building of the railroad...
Let's just say things didn't go that smoothly - nails flew everywhere, the hammer hit his fingers - you know the bit. The whole class was laughing at the antics...
...including our history teacher....
In the entire year we were there, we had never seen this man so much as crack a smile - but there it was. My friend concluded his report (which was actually accurate on the "report" part, if not the demo piece), and sat down.
My friend later learned he had gotten a B+ for that report and demonstration - and was told by our teacher that his report was by far the most entertaining example he had ever seen.
There are two main methods used for gaining "illegal" DTV access:
1. Cracked H card. 2. Emulator system.
A cracked H card is just that - back in the beginning of DTV, the smart cards used for access had an "H" designation or some such (am I showing my ignorance of the subject yet?) - these cards, when inserted into a legal DTV system, get programmed based on data in the video stream and data from the phone line. Due to various reasons, certain ones of these cards were never programmed, and as hacking them became more widespread, some were held back as blanks (as it was seen that they would soon be valuable). For the hacking scene, these "virgin" H-cards could be programmed to allow for all channels - so, buy or program a virgin card, pop it in, and get all the channels, for nothing.
Hughes et al. knew this, and developed ways to "destroy" these cards (ie, reprogram them - including the last "famous" Super Bowl hack of this past year) remotely. Sometimes the cards could be reprogrammed. But there is something about a "virgin" H card still - and they are tough or impossible to find cheap.
Now, there are emulators - but not a lot of people use them. Basically, an emulator is a piece of software running on a DOS PC (the software is well known - runs in DOS). Two serial ports are required on the PC - one is hooked up to a smart card reading device - and the other goes to a special "smart card" (actually, a custom PCB shaped like a smart card with pads and traces etched to put the pads in the same spots as an H card, and the traces come out to the edge to be hooked to the serial interface circuit, which is hooked to the serial port). Now, in the smart card reader is inserted the H card.
But what does this "emulator" software do? I have heard everything from it acting as some kind of "digital" filter - so that it doesn't all certain writes to occur (to blow away the H card functions), to that it does actual emulation of everything, and that the card handles the encryption, to other things as well...
This is a DMCA related issue - is the encryption being "cracked"? Or is the PC emulator system simply being used as a "go between" - and the smart card does the decryption?
Like I said - I am ignorant of most of this stuff (though no doubt I obviously know enough that with a little work I could set up a cracked system - problem is getting that damn H card) - does anyone know the answers to my questions?
However, I doubt a box set will ever appear - and I bet you won't see it running on FX for any real length of time, unlike X-Files.
There are also shows that I wish I could watch again, if just for the laugh factor - two that I would love to watch again are "Whiz Kids" (now I know that one is syndicated on some channel - not sure which, though), and "Automan" (cheesy, cheesy, cheesy). There was another one I wouldn't mind watching (called "Lost World" or something, about a family that wanders through parallel universes, going through these warping devices shaped like pyramids I believe - and no, it isn't "Land of the Lost" I am thinking about - it was like a family of four or five people).
Anyhow - these devices could cause the prevention of any such watching of this nature...
Slashdot Mirror
One thing I wonder about (and I am not the first, and certainly not the last, to wonder about it) is the idea of intelligence, possibly even conciousness and sentience - arising out of the interaction of many non (or low) intelligence "parts".
Our brain, composed of billions (trillions?) of neurons - each of which "knows" nothing - yet together, the entire mass "thinks", to the extreme point of being able to question itself.
Other examples - of a lower order though - include such entities as corporations (essentially any large bureaucracy - like a government or controlling body). Many corporations act as a single entity, though it is composed of multiple humans as smaller "parts". For some reason, corporations tend to drift toward "evilness" the larger the corp is. There seems to be a "break" point at which the corporation becomes an entity unto itself, and typically that entity does bad things - even to the ultimate detriment of the parts of which it is built - the people within the corporation. We say Microsoft is "evil" - but does anyone here honestly believe Bill Gates or anyone at Microsoft stays up late at night cackling to themselves about the takeover of the world? Or are they just wanting to make a better product, and thus gain more money - even when that product isn't better? Is the pursuit of money by the parts what makes the corporate entity become "evil"?
These kind of entities might be called "hive minds" (one other poster made mention of "swarm intelligence") - the curious thing about these entities is the fact that it is hard to know what they are "thinking" - even the parts that make them up are unable to see this.
I tend to wonder - since these "entities" seem to arise out of a lot of people or parts working together, sometimes in harmony, sometimes at odds - but that it takes a lot of parts for these entities to begin to "think" - is what we know of as the Internet really a hive mind, of such complexity and vastness, that is ever expanding - that we have little to no hope of understanding what it is "thinking"? Could any of the events we see taking place concerning laws, WIPO, DVDs, MPAA, RIAA, MP3s, 2600, etc - be coming about due to this "hive mind"?
Comments...?
Twenty to thirty dollars will get you a nice boxed copy (maybe less online). I definitely recommend this, based on what I witnessed a few weeks ago.
I was at a Fry's, picking up some RAM (another ugly story), when I met a friend I hadn't seen in about a year or so. I got to talking to him, and he mentioned wanting to try Linux again, after trying something like RedHat 4.2 or something a long time ago, and giving up when the installer didn't work for him (text mode, needed a lot of nudging on what vid card, etc he hard, etc). I told him to give SuSE 7.2 Personal a try (because I had recently updated my 6.3 version using 7.2 personal, and it went very smooth for me, less problems than I thought I would have). He has a new computer repair shop here in Phoenix, and wanted something to put on people's machines (for the few new ones he builds), rather than buying Windows licenses up the wazoo. He left the store about a half hour before me.
I left the store, intending to check out his new shop - find out where it was (so I could go back later - I figured he went home, being it was 6pm on a Sunday - he shouldn't have been open). Lo and behold, the door to the shop is open - I hollered "Hello" - and there he is in the back. He invited me back, telling me he just couldn't wait to get home to try the installer of SuSE 7.2.
When I got to the back, it was done and installed - he said it was the smoothest thing he had ever tried - as smooth or smoother than Windows. I stayed a little while longer (it was having a bit of trouble with the on-board sound and an external modem), but we got it ironed out mostly. I deemed it a success. He was very pleased (and this guy is a big Windows fan, BTW) with it, and was going to play with it more (he didn't like Netscape, but I told him about Konquerer, and others), wanted to try out StarOffice, etc.
Give it a shot - you will be pleased...
No...
/. article) about getting eggs to split sans sperm - and how that whole possibility opens up another can'o'worms, simply because most of society wants to think there is something "magical" about life. While I will admit we don't know it all, none of it is magic...
I was simply trying to point out that the egg, sans sperm - is alive and a lifeform - it is a single (albeit very large) cell.
A fertilized egg is alive (and a lifeform) as well. I am merely trying to point out that while it may be a lifeform, and alive - it isn't necessarily a human - it only has the _potential_ to be such.
And no, I am not trying to say the research is about eggs sans sperm - I was merely trying to point out about research mentioned (heck, I think in a past
I can't count the number of times when patches have been applied to NT-based servers, only to have other server software (generally third-party) die after the patch is put into place.
Certainly, applying the patch is a necessary thing - but when you look at it from a business perspective, which is worse:
1. Apply the patch, have our other server stuff stop working (say, our lovely ASP stuff), and lose money - but save the rest of the internet.
2. Don't apply the patch - we keep making money - and screw everybody else - we will wait.
Suddenly, it all makes sense...
For the "undernets" - this will be no problem - we are already seeing the beginning of them in many major cities - I am certain there are more in other cities, just unannounced at this point, for whatever reason.
For the "common man", though - highly unlikely, simply because they take more "technical" knowledge than the "common man" is willing to ante up to learning about.
Think of the cable companies - now, really - how hard would it be to set up a cheap, multi-channel, cable system in a neighborhood - a few cheap satellite dishes, some descramblers (heck, make 'em legal even), distribution amps, coax, etc - and a lot of labor, but it could be done. In fact, that is how cable companies originally got started - a bunch of neighbors got together to install a large antenna so they could all share it (instead of having individual, and less receptive, antennas on their roofs). Eventually, some of these "co-ops" got bought out, and the ball started rolling.
However, this was all at a time when people cared about "do-it-yourself" - the vast majority today would love an ass-wiping machine, if one existed - the lazy fucks.
Finally - insofar as wireless networking is concerned - the use of 802.11 is flawed. Sure, the frequency spectrum right now is unregulated, but it probably won't stay that way. Once the corps get wind that these undernets are either a) eating into profits (unlikely) or b) causeing other economic, social, or political problems - they will lobby to have the frequencies licensed, or in some way severely regulated.
These homebrew systems should be looking into some alternative form - light, or something else (because I wouldn't doubt that "they" will try to regulate light as a communications medium) - and move away from radio systems...
Where does life begin ?
Unfortunately, this is the wrong question. Life doesn't "begin" - hasn't for a long time - in fact, I am not absolutely certain if we know when life began. We "know" in a way how amino acids are created (I think that is right - biology is not my strong suit - I am talking about the whole "simulate" conditions of early earth/primordial "soup"), but when, and how they went from that to DNA/RNA (?) to actual cells (bacteria), on up - well, that is still a question, I believe.
Today, on Earth (and possible elsewhere), life just "is" - it is everywhere. Cells don't just spontaneously "generate" - but split to form more - that is the basis of life. However, each and every one of those cells are alive.
No - that isn't the right question. The right question is hard to formulate. It actually is a series of questions:
Can cells feel?
Does a group of cells feel "more"?
What is "feeling"?
How many cells does it take for conciousness to arise?
There are undoubtedly more. I would say cells and cell groups can feel, and move away from "danger" - but I tend to doubt this is done in a "reasoning" fashion (and this word isn't good either - a newborn infant will move away from danger, most of the time - but it is unlikely to be "reasoning" in the common sense of the word). Maybe we don't have words or such to describe it (or maybe _I_ don't)...
Technically, a human "egg" cell is a potential human life, same as a sperm cell - and both cells are alive - each is an individual lifeform. Some would argue that masturbation is akin to abortion (and who knows what they think of menstration). Things are getting murkier with the experiments being undertaken with causing cell fission of an egg and development of an embryo (actually, not an embryo - I think it went to 8 divisions or something) without using a sperm...
I think the most unfortunate thing about all of this is that it seems the general population is against discussing this rationally, and honestly, to the point of really defining things. I think it has something to do with us as a species wanting to think we are special or something - and not just another animal.
Arrogant, to say the least...
Oh, I can attest to that - my SO recently (at the office she works at) brought home a box and T-shirt. Inside the box:
Some pins (western style - a boot, a horse, something else)
Some blue cord
Some red beads
At her job is red and blue paint (BTW, if you haven't guessed it, red and blue are - tada - company colors)
She damn near killed me when I asked her if that was her "flair" package...
Sad thing is, it was...
Correct me if I am wrong...
But hasn't there been a 64 bit version of Linux for a VERY long time - ie, for the Alpha?
What I find interesting (and it is just a personal conspiracy theory of mine, and probably holds zero water) is that it took "this much" time for Intel to release their 64 bit chip - how long have we been hearing about it now? At least 2 years...
Is it just a coincidence that Microsoft finally has a running platform for it just at the time this chip comes to market?
???
I actually saw one of these go up for sale on Ebay - the amazing thing was it was in "perfect" condition - the parts weren't even out of the plastic wrap. Let's just say it went for a bit more than $6.00...
On a side note - I have both of the "wired" computer Radio Shack used to sell in the day (you know, with the spring clips). One was just a wired computer, which when you flipped the switches, basically caused logic to light up lights under these plastic "window" things for answers. The other one you wired together, and programmed in assembler (using a hex keypad, with a single digit hex display and 8 leds - woohoo!). It apparently used some simple (4 bit?) microcontroller as the base CPU...
While the AC has a point, poster - I don't think he is thinking of the alternative that is springing up, and rapidly: wireless freenets
Oh yeah, one more - but they mostly are through a website and catalog ads (in Nuts and Volts, mostly), but they are based in Scottsdale:
Electronic Goldmine
No prob.
I definitely recommend going to ARE - just wear old clothes (and depending on what you are doing and when, heavy boots, jeans and gloves). Be prepared for a VERY dirty place (as in, you go in, and the dirt gravitates toward you - I mean your hands get dirty just by being there) - but it is worth it to find the funkier stuff (I recently found this small LCD panel and control buttons - didn't know if it was dot-matrix addressable, etc - started looking into the chip, a bit of documentation from a dude in Germany (no kidding!), and had it all traced out - turned out to be a multi segment display for a piece of med equipment - a little cleaning, maybe it will be useful). Sometimes they get REALLY cool stuff in (one time, an industrial robot arm, in crate, no controller - for $200.00 - you just had to figure out how to haul it away!). Also, be careful as you look - I have seen chemicals and biostuff (well, it was marked biohazard, and it had little vials of liquid in a small case - scary) laying out/around - but sometimes you can get good deals on the stuff (currently they are selling big tubes of heat sink grease for a buck or two, and they used to have a good stash of, get this, acetone markers - yeah, that's right - magic markers filled, not with ink, but with acetone! Great for removing inks - like on address labels - paint, or cleaning small areas on a circuit board. I am sure you could use them for other nefarious things, but you would have to be more of a psycho than a geek to go that far with em).
Equipment Exchange is cool just to browse around - they sell to the public, but most of the stuff they have is either too large to haul off (like conveyor baking ovens for wafer manufacturing), or most people wouldn't have a real use for it (they had an old Unimate industrial robot there last time I visited - big as a car). But it is fun to explore. It is situated inside a very old Phoenix warehouse, had two floors - ground level (with a 20 foot, at least, ceiling) and a basement level. The basement has all the small stuff (I found a cache of old Apple IIe software floppies there once - probably still there - included the staples, plus what looked like a complete version of Eamon). It is kinda spookie, since they don't get many walkins - just you, and the stuff. You go down into the basement, and all the windows are painted over - and it can be dark in areas. I went once near closing time - and I had to make sure to leave the basement before they closed, cause no doubt they would've locked and left without knowing I was down there.
Global Recycling sounds promising to me, and it is just down the way from my house (it is located off of Deer Valley Rd, west off of Cave Creek Rd). It's drawback is it is B2B only, so you need an EIN or business license (maybe your employer will let you use theirs if you are buying only), but they also sell part by part, or any quantity. However, they are open only 7am to 4pm, M-F - which makes it tough for me to check them out (I am going to have to take a vacation day sometime just to do this).
That if you don't scrounge, then, well... you are just a wannabe geek.
Here in Phoenix, AZ - I scrounge on everything (hell, just yesterday I managed to obtain a couple of old PCs from my work - nothing of great interest in them, but the cases are nice - they were headed for the trash, from what I understand). I have several sources - both in the "pay-as-little-as-you-can" to "free-for-the-taking":
1. My work (free old junk)
2. Apache Reclamation and Electronics (cheap small and LARGE junk)
3. Electronic Materials and Computers (E^3) also known as Elitech (sometimes get ripped off here)
4. Dave's Computers (still checking this place out - owned by a guy who got shafted at E^3)
5. Some place on 9th Ave and Madison (Westech or something - want to check this place out soon)
6. Global Recycling (still need to check this place out - they are only B2B, so need EIN or something)
7. Equipment Exchange (behind BOB on Grant or Lincoln - great place for strange and big manufacturing stuff)
8. There is also a metals company off of (Washington?) across from Greyhound Park that is cool
For everything else - late night Friday/Saturday runs through dumpsters! Behind Nortel, Honeywell, many business/industrial office parks - great fun. Just bring a flashlight, some gloves, and throw a few boxes in the truck (to tell security guards you are moving and looking for boxes - most of the time they will leave you alone, or at worst, ask you politely to leave - don't hassle 'em, don't stick around - just apologize, thank them, and LEAVE).
I remember one time near Metro Center finding a stash of old computer equipment, another time behind a Honeywell finding some old minicomputers and terminals, and a big winchester drive (all the stuff was too big to even THINK about lifting). One time over at a Nortel my friends and I found some kind of telephone equipment rack - we grabbed that real quick. Another time we found a bunch of Narcotics Monthly magazines (funny thing, this was in a business park - not sure WHY these were there, unless some PI had an office there).
For the rest, there is always online retailers of used/surplus junk (I have a ton of links, too many to list here). Of course, the final place to check is Ebay.
Great fun buying and finding used stuff...
Unlike other nations which can trace their heritage back many hundreds or thousands of years, America is an "invented" country, whose identity resides pretty much in the day to day consciousness of the people (ask somebody what being "American" means).
What you say is true today - but America does have a culture, and a history - one of the most colorful ones in the history of the world, as well as one of the most bloody.
But it isn't taught - and when and where it is taught, rarely is it in a way to excite people.
I remember my senses and thoughts almost dulled to the point of exhaustion by American History. But today, as an adult - I have begun to see that how we were taught had a lot to do with my boredom of the subject. One thing I mean to do, and soon, is to study up on the history and people of the "Old West" - what I have learned so far, living in Arizona and visting surrounding "Old West" towns (as well as about Phoenix itself) has taught me about the hard and dangerous life that the expansion of the west was really about. Similarly, I am interested in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Even the Civil War era holds my interest. I have always been excited about the days I consider between the Civil War and oh, say Kitty Hawk (1903) - and the technical advances in steam transportation, electricity (and the whole Tesla vs. Edison debate), computing (Hollerith), and flight (Langly vs the Wrights) - all of which happened here in America (and yes, I know that much of steam and electricty were invented and developed in Europe, but many great advances in uses of electricity and distribution, as well as locomotive transportation, happened here). It is so colorful, so amazing - the things that have happened and transpired here in our country. As much as I would like to someday tour Europe and see the history and ideas of that continent firsthand, I dare say that it is more important to me as a citizen of this country, the United States of America, that I learn about it first.
Unfortunately, I wish other people of this country would realize this as well. I only touched upon the color that makes up this country - there is so much more - and what makes it amazing, is that the majority of it has happened in only the last 200 odd years...
Naaaah...
TCP/IP over 802.11 - community freenets!
I was looking at the Seattle Wireless/Freenet site yesterday - marveling over a directional antenna members had built for 802.11 communications that got 3db of gain - and was essentially constructed out of PVC pipe, threaded steel rod, and washers, with a reflector made from a candy tin!
They had an omni that was constructed in a similar "use-whatever-parts-you-can-buy-cheaply" manner.
I think we would see these things springing up rapidly, and to hell with the FCC. That, or wireless lasercomm solutions. Perhaps individual community nets would be tunneled across the new MSnet - at least until long distance interconnects could be built and put in place. Or perhaps connected in a FIDOnet type fashion over multiple long distance modem-to-modem connects.
Never thought I would see the day I would go back to BBSing...
Perhaps - but what if...
.2% of the population (read: geeks with any intelligence) screaming at the top of their lungs about everything from these stupid "viruses" (which aren't even well programmed - gawd! Remember the DOS ones? That was code!) to DMCA 1st amendment rights violations to MP3s to WTFKWE... IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER!!! I seriously think China could send a nuke into LA and all Amerika would do is cry that there is no more Hollywood - wah! Then flip the channel! Society (and Amerika in particular) is SEVERELY FUCKED UP!
What if you made individual parts of the virus, including it as an attachment on the email - and actually had it do something "useful" (or at least "useful" in the eyes of the common computer user). Part of the virus is inside of the new AnnaKorikov (however you spell it) email attachment - that actually shows you "the goods". Part of it is in a new "Comet Cursor". Maybe another part is in free web caching product. And another in a special "hamster dance" screen saver.
All these pieces lie dormant - doing benign things. You don't have the source to them, so there is no easy way to check their functionality - furthermore, you have no reason to supspect anything, because they aren't doing anything. Release each of them over time - say one every six months - stealthily, of course - but put on the email something along the line of "Here I send you this file - great b00bies! - send to your friends!" - and when you see it - WOW! GREAT BOOBS! and you _do_ send it to your friends, who continue the spread. IOW, it uses humans to really do the spreading...
Now, sure, this wouldn't spread to servers - but that doesn't matter, you see. Once all the parts are everywhere - you send a final piece - one that calls functions in the other parts - which, I dunno - turns every desktop into large scale virus spawning factories or something. Which start building, and pumping, and sending them out with emails - perhaps the viruses it creates lie dormant - or make "new" benign things - who knows?
This could happen - it would take a very patient virus writer - but it could oh-so-easily happen. It might be happening now.
And as for the uninformed - in case you missed it, it seems like {pulls figure out from ass} 99.8% of the world population is uninformed - and even with the remaining
Ok - huh, huh, huh - rant over. I don't mean this as an attack on you, I hope you accept my appology - I am just fed up...
Well, yeah - in a way: a "vaccine"...
Although not strictly "good" - because vaccines are typically (always? I am not a virologist) made from weakened or dead viruses, which basically give the immune system time to build up a resistance as it fights this lesser threat (and yeah, sometimes even a vaccine can cause the illness it tries to prevent).
But I am not sure it would be accurate to describe a virus-killing/patching virus a vaccine or not...
Besides, all the points you made are valid, and are things that really keep this kind of idea on a back burner...
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
Right! As others have said, wait for the BSA audit. What I can't understand is why all those machines even need modems? Throw some cheapo network cards in them, add a hub and put a good modem in one machine acting as a modem gateway (I tend to doubt each machine has it's own phone line, too)...
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
Damn sick...but funny in a twisted way :)
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
Hey! Drop the whole OpenRacer junk, get Tux off his belly, up onto his fins, and on a snowboard! Take the TuxRacer code and do it, or pull out and retweak the TTPAQFH code (which I think is where TuxRacer originally came from). Throw some cool sunglasses on our favorite friend - take it and run!
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
For stereo, that is...
I will be making a few assumptions (my bad), so bear with me.
Imagine that you have all 40 of the projectors set up, but instead of 4 x 5, it is now 8 x 5, like so:
RLRLRLRL
RLRLRLRL
RLRLRLRL
RLRLRLRL
Now, imagine that the R's are one set of projectors, aligned to project onto the screen as the system currently is set up (4 x 5), and the L's are set up the same (so that an adjacent R and L project onto the same area, overlapping perfectly). Throw a set of polarized filters in front of each (or, for that funky 70's effect, red/blue filters - or just tweak the colors), then wear the proper glasses.
The drivers (and the cluster) would have to be set up to throw the proper image to the proper sections - I don't know if you would have to divide the cluster in half, or what, to do this (maybe even need driver mods - ouch)...
Actually, it shouldn't be too hard to set up - other than requiring double the horizontal space (plus there might be distortion issues as well, due to space between the projectors, I would imagine). Besides, you already said:
We've got the other 20 projectors and plan to build another identical block next to the one we've already got.
Could this work?
The first is only marginally related to computers:
When I was in the 10th grade, we had a science fair project due a week after xmas/new year's vacation. We had several months notice to do it. But me, being my usual self, procrastinated until that last week...
Hmm - what should I do, what should I work on...
Quick! Decide what to do!
I had a computer - I had just read about Conway's Life program - there it is! - I will write a modified form of Life, compare it to regular Life (control group?), and chart performance vs. starting colony types for both versions of Life (slap a title of "Artificial Life" on the sucker)...
I quickly coded up both programs in BASIC on my TRS-80 Color Computer, dropped in the high speed pokes, turned the printer on, and let it churn. At the end of the week, with a nice presentation display completed, neatly printed pages and a report done in SCRIPTSIT - I was ready...
Not only did I get an A+ on the project, but I also won the "grand prize" and went on to display at the county science fair (not that I got very far there, mind you - though hind sight being 20/20 and all, I tend to wonder WTF happened to my brain there when the judges came around)...
The second demo I know about happenned to a friend of mine, for a final project report we had to give in American History class senior year...
The report had to cover anything up to 1900 in American History - and we had about a month to do it all. Fortunately for me, that period allowed me to speak of Herman Hollerith and the 1890 census (this time, I didn't procrastinate, and actually did the work). No problem, and my report went smoothly...
My friend, on the other hand - procrastinated until the morning of the day we had to give the reports - we had already picked out what we were to do at the beginning - he had chosen the "Building of the Railroads" - or something like that. That morning, he grabbed a piece of 2x4, some coat hanger wire, and a hammer (which no doubt today would be considered a weapon - ahem), and took them to school.
Now, you got to understand - our history teacher was a man who never smiled, never joked - a very stern individual, so we all thought...
My friend was called, and so got up to do his report - no note cards, nothing - winging it all the way. He regurgitated what info he could remember from our history book, plus a little bullshit he no doubt made up. All the while trying to nail coat hanger wire onto a 2x4, in order to "demonstrate" the building of the railroad...
Let's just say things didn't go that smoothly - nails flew everywhere, the hammer hit his fingers - you know the bit. The whole class was laughing at the antics...
...including our history teacher....
In the entire year we were there, we had never seen this man so much as crack a smile - but there it was. My friend concluded his report (which was actually accurate on the "report" part, if not the demo piece), and sat down.
My friend later learned he had gotten a B+ for that report and demonstration - and was told by our teacher that his report was by far the most entertaining example he had ever seen.
There are two main methods used for gaining "illegal" DTV access:
1. Cracked H card.
2. Emulator system.
A cracked H card is just that - back in the beginning of DTV, the smart cards used for access had an "H" designation or some such (am I showing my ignorance of the subject yet?) - these cards, when inserted into a legal DTV system, get programmed based on data in the video stream and data from the phone line. Due to various reasons, certain ones of these cards were never programmed, and as hacking them became more widespread, some were held back as blanks (as it was seen that they would soon be valuable). For the hacking scene, these "virgin" H-cards could be programmed to allow for all channels - so, buy or program a virgin card, pop it in, and get all the channels, for nothing.
Hughes et al. knew this, and developed ways to "destroy" these cards (ie, reprogram them - including the last "famous" Super Bowl hack of this past year) remotely. Sometimes the cards could be reprogrammed. But there is something about a "virgin" H card still - and they are tough or impossible to find cheap.
Now, there are emulators - but not a lot of people use them. Basically, an emulator is a piece of software running on a DOS PC (the software is well known - runs in DOS). Two serial ports are required on the PC - one is hooked up to a smart card reading device - and the other goes to a special "smart card" (actually, a custom PCB shaped like a smart card with pads and traces etched to put the pads in the same spots as an H card, and the traces come out to the edge to be hooked to the serial interface circuit, which is hooked to the serial port). Now, in the smart card reader is inserted the H card.
But what does this "emulator" software do? I have heard everything from it acting as some kind of "digital" filter - so that it doesn't all certain writes to occur (to blow away the H card functions), to that it does actual emulation of everything, and that the card handles the encryption, to other things as well...
This is a DMCA related issue - is the encryption being "cracked"? Or is the PC emulator system simply being used as a "go between" - and the smart card does the decryption?
Like I said - I am ignorant of most of this stuff (though no doubt I obviously know enough that with a little work I could set up a cracked system - problem is getting that damn H card) - does anyone know the answers to my questions?
However, I doubt a box set will ever appear - and I bet you won't see it running on FX for any real length of time, unlike X-Files.
There are also shows that I wish I could watch again, if just for the laugh factor - two that I would love to watch again are "Whiz Kids" (now I know that one is syndicated on some channel - not sure which, though), and "Automan" (cheesy, cheesy, cheesy). There was another one I wouldn't mind watching (called "Lost World" or something, about a family that wanders through parallel universes, going through these warping devices shaped like pyramids I believe - and no, it isn't "Land of the Lost" I am thinking about - it was like a family of four or five people).
Anyhow - these devices could cause the prevention of any such watching of this nature...
Worldcom - Generation Duh!
I looked up Klatt, like the AC mentioned - here are some links for the rest of us...
/soundapps to download gzipped code
GPL'd Klatt Synth Source
RSynth Speech Synthesizer - Klatt based synth - go to
KPE80 - A Klatt Synthesiser and Parameter Editor
Worldcom - Generation Duh!