you can't educate someone on the "proper" considerations in a news story as this is a subjective, not an objective determination, depending upon how involved you are already with a subject matter. a news story can only gloss over ANY story, and a news story about a science issue, as read by a scientist, as read by a scientist knowledgable and involved with the subject matter, can only, as a rule, invite a feeling that something is missing from the story
if a detective of a major criminal case were to read the average piece of journalism concerning his case, he would be shocked at what was misconstrued, miscommunicated, the huge gaps, what is plain wrong, etc. its completely unavoidable: he is deeply involved in the subject matter, and the journalist, never mind the intended audience, is only remotely tuned in and interested, and most importantly, doesn't necessarily WANT to know much more
so many scientists poopoo science journalism as if it is supposed to get the facts right and be as involved as if it were a rigorous journal, and as if it is supposed to instill a sense of wonder or reverence for the subject matter. no. its a bit of fluff, a blurb. you aren't reading "cosmos" by carl sagan. get over yourself and your ridiculous standards, it's just journalism, it isn't a university masters education. you expect a piece of science journalism to adhere to extensive and rigorous investigation and education for the reader? why do you have such ridiculous expectations on the journalist? why do you have such ridiculous expectations of what the average reader wants out of the story?
your complaint is utterly without merit. the real problem here is your ridiculous standards and expectations for what science jourmalism can and should do
then there is sitting in a holding cell, still protecting your turf... from the guys you are supposed to be protecting it for
the guy is over the deep end, he is criminally culpable for denying access to the people he built the network for
at best, he can probably use an insanity defense, like paranoid schizophrenia, because his actions are on the extreme paranoid end if this latest revelation about his motives and actions ring true
he's certainly mentally fragile. he shouldn't have that much exclusive control over such an important government network, that's for sure
1. there really IS child porn all over alt.binaries.erotica. completely mislabeled and miscategorized
2. furthermore, nntp is a dying protocol. there is no way they could get away with this with smtp or hhtp. but to the average joe, nntp is utterly obscure
conclusion: they are going to get away with it, and they are going to put a stake through the heart of nntp
the potential for exploitation as a bomb is silly because countries, like india, outside the usa are already using breeder reactors. the cats already out of the bag
if we spent 1/1,000th of the money we spend occupying iraq (another type of energy security: securing our oil) we would have rock solid security against any plutonium being siphoned off to bombs
and "presenting things in an approachable fashion but still being quite rigorous" strikes me as facetious
so you are saying discover and popular science are unrigorous?
rigorous? that means they can't lie? they can't do stories on pop subjects?
its a pop science magazine you dweeb! always has been!
you're trying to draw meaning out of a change in STYLE
and, all you have to do is look at sciam's own 50/100 year ago page to note that, gee, style has changed quite remarkably over time! how can you expect it NOT to
pop science is important. it is a gateway to serious science for many youngsters and average joes
you are dismayed it does not feature serious science
ok, so go read something else
why the hate for a magazine of pop science?
it serves a valuable function. are you angry that some obscure technical journal is not popular? so why are you angry that a piece of pop science is doing what a piece of pop science must do?
if it is serious science, it is relegated to obscurity, as a rule. because it needs to be digested for the masses, where anything popular takes place
breeder reactors use 10x the amount of fuel of regular reactors, produce 10x the amount of power, produce 1/10th the amount of waste, and what waste that is has a half life of only a century or two
so how come we don't use breeder reactors?
because they can be used to make plutonium
however, given the choice between dramatic fuel and power reduction, dramatic waste increase and massive half life increase, i'd rather just deal with a little extra plutonium
somebody in power ha sdecided otherwise
i don't agree with them
plus, we can thorium as a fuwel source in addition to uranium, like the indians do
its not like this isn't being done outside the united states
there was a good chance you'd get naked 7 year olds instead of articles about video games, the magazine industry would be dying, and the government wouldn't be what was killing it
download a smattering of pictures, labelled as if they were something completely unrelated to child porn
please, go ahead oh great genius
now. try to write what you just wrote above again
asshole
NO ONE WANTS TO USE THE PLACE ANYMORE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES
THE GOVERNMENT DIDNT SHUT DOWN THE BINARIES, CHILD PORNOGRAPHERS DID
no one wants to use this place anymore, because no regular user wants to unwittingly download child porn
get it
using your OWN examples, would you like to take a picture of your wife and look at the preview and see a naked 6 year old?
would you like to buy and open a magazine called "wired" and find a naked 8 year old?
what would happen to the magazine industry?
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DID
it would dry up. no one would want to buy magazines anymore if every time they opened a magazine they were playing russian roulette and might get a naked child instead of an article about video games
you simply don't know what the hell you are talking about
i've been to the various alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.* groups, and you're on something like alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.breasts, and the title of the post says "hot chick" and you click the link...and there's a naked 7 year old
so right then and there i'm disgusted, and right then and there i feel exposed: i just unwittingly downloaded child porn
it's gotten me really angry
i thought "how can this be cleaned up?" and it can't really. there's no alt.binaries headquarters with paid staff cleaning up links. there's no way to vouch for the posters. to be honest, it's been this way for years, and no one steps up to do a technical solution (because unlike email, nntp is very low priority), because no one is accountable. so the child pornographers have ruined these groups regardless of the isps or the attorney generals doing anything, because who wants to go and unwittingly download child porn regardless of what isps or the government does?
the problem with the posts in this thread is pretending it doesn't exist. child porn on alt.binaries.pictures.erotica DOES exist, posted ON PURPOSE, MISLABELED, in groups with entirely unrelated themes. and it is NOT rare
and it is wrong, and disgusting, and yes: something must be done about it
really
these guys are spreading pictures of naked girls- girls, preteen, no pubes. you don't think that is morally repugnant? you don't think there is a victim there? you don't think this venue for these slimebags to spread and enjoy this stuff must be dealt with? you don't think their activity poisons the alt.binaries for regular posters/ downloaders?
you guys are wonderful about standing on a soap box and crying out about censorship and secret agendas by the riaa
BUT YOU HAVEN'T SOLVED A REAL AND GENUINE PROBLEM
such that shutting down the entire alt.binaries is the only thing i can think of to stop the spread of child porn this way
if you disagree with me, make a proposal to filter out child porn submissions on all of the alt.binaries. not volunteering, huh? no idea how to do it, huh? don't deny it doesn't exist. don't deny there is a lot of child porn posted there. don't deny it is wrong and must be fought. don't deny shutting down the distribution channels is a valid means of fighting it. don't deny it is the child pornographers who are primarily ruining the alt.binaries (rather than the heavy handed tactics of the government and isps). don't deny that alt.binaries maintenance is very low priority and there is no one out there with the time and resources on their hands to clean this filth up
so then these guys come and fix the problem this way
now you're indignant. like you fricking cared about nntp before?
it's a dying protocol. don't act like you care, when its been this way for years, and there are no resources to deal with the problem like email has dealt with spam
if you send the signal out, over the air, or over the wire, it can be intercepted, decrypted, and recorded
its your hired hacks versus legions of technically astute, music hungry, and most importantly, POOR teenagers
go ahead media distributors, make your play
you lose before you start, because you simply don't understand the subject matter: what you can and can't control
you can't control this anymore. the means of distribution has passed into the hands of everyone. your economy of scarcity is now an economy of infinity. supply and demand: supply is infinite, price is therefore zero
please retake economics 101 and understand why media distribution is a dying business model, and get out with what little semblance of pride you have still intact
the guys on 9/11 did not think they were working for the common good
they thought they were working for the glory of god
duh;-P
but let's go further than that and say they DID think they were working for the common good
well, the thought processes of a nutjob does not validate their absolution
a nutjob could also believe that pontius pilate speaks to them in code through the chirping of birds out their window. a nutjob could believe many things. the thoughts of someone who is not mentally coherent does not validate or invalidate anything. the thought processes of a nutjob are not relevant. the thought processes of a sane coherent individual is the sole determinant of valid intent
there are discrepancies today in many professions that have to do with shallow perception of the promoters in the promotion process, rather than actual pure ability being the sole determinant (a true meritocracy)
whether severe or minor, the discrepancies are due to real historical reverse quotas: outright rejection of candiates based on sex or race, oftentimes with actual legal backing. while not continuing in legality, this process continues to this day in subtle prejudices, some of which might not even be immediately apparent to the individual with a prejudice due to unexamined thoughts and faulty lines of logic. it also continues to this day simply because it takes awhile for pure meritocracy to be reflected in actual career achievement
it takes awhile to reverse the damage, for history to fade away. if sexism and racism is abolished today, it will take decades for reality to catch up. why not speed up the process and prevent backsliding?
therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to set forth legal quotas with the aim of reversing a bad status quo, or speeding up the reversing of the status quo where otherwise change might be too slow
now people react to such laws as if the laws were:
1. permanent, that they will never be reversed. of course they will be reversed someday when equilibrium between ability and accomplishment is close to ideal, when all stratums of society have equal parts men and women, black and white (and all races) 2. the absolute truth. a law is not a reflection of truth. a law is social instrument for change: to fight crime, to advance justice, to promote social cohesion, law and order, and overall harmony
as if the statement of law is the determinant of truth, that minorities or women need help in order to succeed. of course laws are not the truth of the matter. society needs help in reversing historical status quos that are still with us today. a law is simply an instrument to do that, not a statement of permanent inadequacy. no one should take that as a take home message. if they do, they simply don't understand exactly the funciton of law in society
and yet you see so many people here, in their comments, even in this thread, starting with the assumption that if it is written in law, it is a statement of belief. no!
law: more women should fill the posts of chemist truth: women are equal to men in doing good chemistry
law!=truth
so why do people read the law above and think "women are not equal to men in doing chemistry"
it's not a statement of fact or reality, the law is an instrument for change away from an injust historical legacy
the common good is the common good is the common good
the common good has nothing to do with impressing invisible skymen
the common good has nothing to do with saving the earth mother
both of your examples are invalid
the people in your examples are NOT working for the common good. they are working for nebulous, imaginary or preposterous goals
the common good includes the welfare of the human beings and society according to any rational definition of what that comprises: 1. a reasonable expectation of human dignity, rights, and freedom 2. a reasonable definition of what society needs to function coherently
impressing the earth mother or invisible skymen is WAY off that map
Slashdot Mirror
yeah that will have a SLIGHT effect on ocean ecosystems /sarcasm
pH (cough) pH
in related news, looks like those guys who were going to seed dead zones with iron and create algal blooms to suck up co2 gave up the ghost:
http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0219-planktos.html
that you are being insulting by asserting your completely arbitrary and subjective standards of what constitutes being a geek as canon and law
but then it occured to me that it is entirely geeky to be so emotionally caustic on such a trivial and pointless matter
(like arguing about whether batman would beat superman or visa versa? hint hint, wink wink)
so carry on then, oh self-appointed geek adequacy arbiter. its very geeky of you
...in the realm of science
science journalism is not in the realm of science, it is attached to it
as such, your expectations of rigor are misplaced
got it?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/
you can't educate someone on the "proper" considerations in a news story as this is a subjective, not an objective determination, depending upon how involved you are already with a subject matter. a news story can only gloss over ANY story, and a news story about a science issue, as read by a scientist, as read by a scientist knowledgable and involved with the subject matter, can only, as a rule, invite a feeling that something is missing from the story
if a detective of a major criminal case were to read the average piece of journalism concerning his case, he would be shocked at what was misconstrued, miscommunicated, the huge gaps, what is plain wrong, etc. its completely unavoidable: he is deeply involved in the subject matter, and the journalist, never mind the intended audience, is only remotely tuned in and interested, and most importantly, doesn't necessarily WANT to know much more
so many scientists poopoo science journalism as if it is supposed to get the facts right and be as involved as if it were a rigorous journal, and as if it is supposed to instill a sense of wonder or reverence for the subject matter. no. its a bit of fluff, a blurb. you aren't reading "cosmos" by carl sagan. get over yourself and your ridiculous standards, it's just journalism, it isn't a university masters education. you expect a piece of science journalism to adhere to extensive and rigorous investigation and education for the reader? why do you have such ridiculous expectations on the journalist? why do you have such ridiculous expectations of what the average reader wants out of the story?
your complaint is utterly without merit. the real problem here is your ridiculous standards and expectations for what science jourmalism can and should do
as if a million grammar nazis cried out in torment and were silenced at once
is this the one that involves the men in black suits or the space aliens?
i seem to have hit a nerve with the paranoid schizophrenic establishment
i apologize for offending you with my need for plausability
i'm not sure if i am being trolled
are you lampooning how a paranoid schizophrenic thinks or are you actually also a paranoid schizophrenic?
then there is sitting in a holding cell, still protecting your turf... from the guys you are supposed to be protecting it for
the guy is over the deep end, he is criminally culpable for denying access to the people he built the network for
at best, he can probably use an insanity defense, like paranoid schizophrenia, because his actions are on the extreme paranoid end if this latest revelation about his motives and actions ring true
he's certainly mentally fragile. he shouldn't have that much exclusive control over such an important government network, that's for sure
1. there really IS child porn all over alt.binaries.erotica. completely mislabeled and miscategorized
2. furthermore, nntp is a dying protocol. there is no way they could get away with this with smtp or hhtp. but to the average joe, nntp is utterly obscure
conclusion: they are going to get away with it, and they are going to put a stake through the heart of nntp
i define it as a bunch of assholes who think they are better than other people out of weakness of character and insecurity
certainly not brighter than the average joe
to this extent, your definition of scientific american as rigorous is found wanting and shallow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_bed_reactor
uses helium, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide. no water. doesn't absorb any radioactive contaminants. doesn't absorb neutrons
the potential for exploitation as a bomb is silly because countries, like india, outside the usa are already using breeder reactors. the cats already out of the bag
if we spent 1/1,000th of the money we spend occupying iraq (another type of energy security: securing our oil) we would have rock solid security against any plutonium being siphoned off to bombs
and "presenting things in an approachable fashion but still being quite rigorous" strikes me as facetious
so you are saying discover and popular science are unrigorous?
rigorous? that means they can't lie? they can't do stories on pop subjects?
its a pop science magazine you dweeb! always has been!
you're trying to draw meaning out of a change in STYLE
and, all you have to do is look at sciam's own 50/100 year ago page to note that, gee, style has changed quite remarkably over time! how can you expect it NOT to
pop science is important. it is a gateway to serious science for many youngsters and average joes
you are dismayed it does not feature serious science
ok, so go read something else
why the hate for a magazine of pop science?
it serves a valuable function. are you angry that some obscure technical journal is not popular? so why are you angry that a piece of pop science is doing what a piece of pop science must do?
if it is serious science, it is relegated to obscurity, as a rule. because it needs to be digested for the masses, where anything popular takes place
why don't you understand this?
breeder reactors use 10x the amount of fuel of regular reactors, produce 10x the amount of power, produce 1/10th the amount of waste, and what waste that is has a half life of only a century or two
so how come we don't use breeder reactors?
because they can be used to make plutonium
however, given the choice between dramatic fuel and power reduction, dramatic waste increase and massive half life increase, i'd rather just deal with a little extra plutonium
somebody in power ha sdecided otherwise
i don't agree with them
plus, we can thorium as a fuwel source in addition to uranium, like the indians do
its not like this isn't being done outside the united states
there was a good chance you'd get naked 7 year olds instead of articles about video games, the magazine industry would be dying, and the government wouldn't be what was killing it
that's what you are honestly trying to tell me?
what a stupid asshole
posted in a sexually frank way
is evil
because there is a VICTIM asshole
the NAKED CHILD DIDN'T CONSENT. because a seven year old IS NOT MENTALLY FORMED ENOUGH TO CONSENT. you are oding the child MENTAL HARM
do you deny any of that?
these guys are taking these pictures of these naked girls for THE SOLE PURPOSES OF SEXUAL TITILATION. not swimming in a pool!
this is a crime, one of the most heinous that there is of crimes, and you act like it is natural and acceptable
what the hell is wrong with you?
"a small percentage"
go to an alt.binaries.pictures.erotica group
go ahead
download a smattering of pictures, labelled as if they were something completely unrelated to child porn
please, go ahead oh great genius
now. try to write what you just wrote above again
asshole
NO ONE WANTS TO USE THE PLACE ANYMORE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES
THE GOVERNMENT DIDNT SHUT DOWN THE BINARIES, CHILD PORNOGRAPHERS DID
no one wants to use this place anymore, because no regular user wants to unwittingly download child porn
get it
using your OWN examples, would you like to take a picture of your wife and look at the preview and see a naked 6 year old?
would you like to buy and open a magazine called "wired" and find a naked 8 year old?
what would happen to the magazine industry?
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DID
it would dry up. no one would want to buy magazines anymore if every time they opened a magazine they were playing russian roulette and might get a naked child instead of an article about video games
you simply don't know what the hell you are talking about
i've been to the various alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.* groups, and you're on something like alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.breasts, and the title of the post says "hot chick" and you click the link ...and there's a naked 7 year old
so right then and there i'm disgusted, and right then and there i feel exposed: i just unwittingly downloaded child porn
it's gotten me really angry
i thought "how can this be cleaned up?" and it can't really. there's no alt.binaries headquarters with paid staff cleaning up links. there's no way to vouch for the posters. to be honest, it's been this way for years, and no one steps up to do a technical solution (because unlike email, nntp is very low priority), because no one is accountable. so the child pornographers have ruined these groups regardless of the isps or the attorney generals doing anything, because who wants to go and unwittingly download child porn regardless of what isps or the government does?
the problem with the posts in this thread is pretending it doesn't exist. child porn on alt.binaries.pictures.erotica DOES exist, posted ON PURPOSE, MISLABELED, in groups with entirely unrelated themes. and it is NOT rare
and it is wrong, and disgusting, and yes: something must be done about it
really
these guys are spreading pictures of naked girls- girls, preteen, no pubes. you don't think that is morally repugnant? you don't think there is a victim there? you don't think this venue for these slimebags to spread and enjoy this stuff must be dealt with? you don't think their activity poisons the alt.binaries for regular posters/ downloaders?
you guys are wonderful about standing on a soap box and crying out about censorship and secret agendas by the riaa
BUT YOU HAVEN'T SOLVED A REAL AND GENUINE PROBLEM
such that shutting down the entire alt.binaries is the only thing i can think of to stop the spread of child porn this way
if you disagree with me, make a proposal to filter out child porn submissions on all of the alt.binaries. not volunteering, huh? no idea how to do it, huh? don't deny it doesn't exist. don't deny there is a lot of child porn posted there. don't deny it is wrong and must be fought. don't deny shutting down the distribution channels is a valid means of fighting it. don't deny it is the child pornographers who are primarily ruining the alt.binaries (rather than the heavy handed tactics of the government and isps). don't deny that alt.binaries maintenance is very low priority and there is no one out there with the time and resources on their hands to clean this filth up
so then these guys come and fix the problem this way
now you're indignant. like you fricking cared about nntp before?
it's a dying protocol. don't act like you care, when its been this way for years, and there are no resources to deal with the problem like email has dealt with spam
rip nntp
if you send the signal out, over the air, or over the wire, it can be intercepted, decrypted, and recorded
its your hired hacks versus legions of technically astute, music hungry, and most importantly, POOR teenagers
go ahead media distributors, make your play
you lose before you start, because you simply don't understand the subject matter: what you can and can't control
you can't control this anymore. the means of distribution has passed into the hands of everyone. your economy of scarcity is now an economy of infinity. supply and demand: supply is infinite, price is therefore zero
please retake economics 101 and understand why media distribution is a dying business model, and get out with what little semblance of pride you have still intact
the guys on 9/11 did not think they were working for the common good
they thought they were working for the glory of god
duh ;-P
but let's go further than that and say they DID think they were working for the common good
well, the thought processes of a nutjob does not validate their absolution
a nutjob could also believe that pontius pilate speaks to them in code through the chirping of birds out their window. a nutjob could believe many things. the thoughts of someone who is not mentally coherent does not validate or invalidate anything. the thought processes of a nutjob are not relevant. the thought processes of a sane coherent individual is the sole determinant of valid intent
there are discrepancies today in many professions that have to do with shallow perception of the promoters in the promotion process, rather than actual pure ability being the sole determinant (a true meritocracy)
whether severe or minor, the discrepancies are due to real historical reverse quotas: outright rejection of candiates based on sex or race, oftentimes with actual legal backing. while not continuing in legality, this process continues to this day in subtle prejudices, some of which might not even be immediately apparent to the individual with a prejudice due to unexamined thoughts and faulty lines of logic. it also continues to this day simply because it takes awhile for pure meritocracy to be reflected in actual career achievement
it takes awhile to reverse the damage, for history to fade away. if sexism and racism is abolished today, it will take decades for reality to catch up. why not speed up the process and prevent backsliding?
therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to set forth legal quotas with the aim of reversing a bad status quo, or speeding up the reversing of the status quo where otherwise change might be too slow
now people react to such laws as if the laws were:
1. permanent, that they will never be reversed. of course they will be reversed someday when equilibrium between ability and accomplishment is close to ideal, when all stratums of society have equal parts men and women, black and white (and all races)
2. the absolute truth. a law is not a reflection of truth. a law is social instrument for change: to fight crime, to advance justice, to promote social cohesion, law and order, and overall harmony
as if the statement of law is the determinant of truth, that minorities or women need help in order to succeed. of course laws are not the truth of the matter. society needs help in reversing historical status quos that are still with us today. a law is simply an instrument to do that, not a statement of permanent inadequacy. no one should take that as a take home message. if they do, they simply don't understand exactly the funciton of law in society
and yet you see so many people here, in their comments, even in this thread, starting with the assumption that if it is written in law, it is a statement of belief. no!
law: more women should fill the posts of chemist
truth: women are equal to men in doing good chemistry
law!=truth
so why do people read the law above and think "women are not equal to men in doing chemistry"
it's not a statement of fact or reality, the law is an instrument for change away from an injust historical legacy
the common good is the common good is the common good
the common good has nothing to do with impressing invisible skymen
the common good has nothing to do with saving the earth mother
both of your examples are invalid
the people in your examples are NOT working for the common good. they are working for nebulous, imaginary or preposterous goals
the common good includes the welfare of the human beings and society according to any rational definition of what that comprises:
1. a reasonable expectation of human dignity, rights, and freedom
2. a reasonable definition of what society needs to function coherently
impressing the earth mother or invisible skymen is WAY off that map