Natural selection being what it is, any aliens that we meet will have already gone through the relentless-resource-strip stage that we are going through now, and will have either solved it or will have found ways to supply the inevitable exponential resource hunger that every developing species has.
So either they will know how to help us solve our problem, or they will treat us as rivals for the same resources and wipe us out.
What they will not do is wipe us out "for the good of the galaxy", because (assuming that there is other intelligent life out there) we're not that unusual. We are inevitable, every planet's dominant intelligent life form will be just like us.
It may well be that the Neanderthals were a peaceful, harmonious species that lived within their means and didn't just strip the local resources bare and move on. If that is the case, then my conclusion is that they got wiped out by our ancestors who were relentless resource strippers.
If Microsoft did this, they would probably be taken to court by the Department of Justice.
I have a 286 running Windows 3.1, can I take MS to court for not releasing security updates any more? That's an extreme example, all manufacturers have to end-of-line their older systems at some point, but I agree that it's a bit soon to do that for the iPhone 3G.
I thought it meant BitTorrent. Well, no I didn't, I'm British so I knew what it meant. And it doesn't mean British Telecom any more, in the same way that BP does not mean British Petroleum. It's just BT, and BP, those are the official registered names now (and BP is ~50% US-owned).
There would be no point in banning links to a site that is blocked at the ISP level. And it's a stretch to say that google is "linking to it", you search for newzbin and they tell you where newzbin is. You search for "harry potter torrent" and it shows you pages that contain that phrase, including this Slashdot discussion soon. What it does not show you are a checked and rated list of links to harry potter torrents. It could be a news site about harry potter torrents being shut down.
Would they maintain it properly? Would they keep it safe from debris collisions, and make sure no bits fall off it to become more debris? Sure, NASA didn't have a 100% track record but I understand that tool bag they lost eventually fell out of orbit. The ISS is a very dangerous place.
The iPhone5 is, for me, the first model that I have very little interest in. I got a 3GS when it was fairly new, and I was lusting over the iPhone4 and agonizing over whether to get one or wait for the Android platform to sort itself out when I genuinely accidentally dropped it and smashed it, so I got an iPhone4. But the iPhone4 has everything... fast, high-res screen, decent camera (for a phone, I know they will never be as good as a proper camera), HD video... what else is there that I need? I don't want a 3D screen, near-field doesn't seem particularly interesting (and I think the audio version is a better idea), really I can't see what must-have features the iPhone5 can add.
We have extradition treaties with our allies. So if you commit a crime against the US, the UK will extradite you. We have no such treaties with our enemies.
Is it irresponsible to allow people to drive cars, knowing that no matter how careful you are, innocents will be killed by accident? With any national or global policy decision there will be winners and losers, and there will be deaths. Is war always irresponsible? Not in my opinion, I think there have been legitimate reasons for war in the past even though innocents died. Is bombing always irresponsible? No, because bombing is a necessary component of any modern war, and nowadays results in fewer lives lost than most of the other means. Is the Afghan war irresponsible? I'm not sure. If I could read a history book written 50 years from now, then I could answer that question.
Give people what they want: digital content, at a reasonable price, that they can own (like an 8-track, vinyl or wax cylinder) and listen to whenever they want on any of their devices (gramaphone, victrolla, car 8-track, etc).
That's some crazy advanced technology, that allows you to own a copy and not just pay for a licence! Are you sure any of it is possible?
At the moment, I can log in to a single web site at the library and know that if the library machine has evil spyware on it then only that account will be compromised. It seems to me that with this scheme, I have to put all my the login credentials into the library browser in order to do anything.
10Mbps was huge at the time. It was much faster (proportional to need) than any of the other components in a computer system. So it's not really surprising that it hasn't quite kept pace. Many home networks are still 10Mbps, and that's plenty for two or three computers.
Well, you'd have to use multiple profiles. This would require the browser writers to make profile switching much easier than it currently is. The browser would basically take over the "login" function, it decrypts your private key when you launch the browser and throws the key away when you close it or log out of your profile. A good browser would have an option to share bookmarks across profiles, for families that want to bookmark things for each other.
Yes, I'm looking forward to the last of the "Last" articles now. I'm gutted that the shuttle era is over, especially as it won't be visible from the UK in its orbit (I was secretly hoping for a delay so I could see it go overhead one last time).
With a bit of luck, David Cameron is on TV right now saying that this move is to be blocked and The News of the World must be sold off to reduce the power of News Corporation. Oh well, I can dream.
Uhh, no duh. What do you think heat capacity is? It is exactly that.
You're saying that heat capacity is related to absorbtion and re-emission of certain specific wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation? The greenhouse effect is to do with incoming radiation passing right through it and outgoing radiation being scattered back.
Slashdot Mirror
Natural selection being what it is, any aliens that we meet will have already gone through the relentless-resource-strip stage that we are going through now, and will have either solved it or will have found ways to supply the inevitable exponential resource hunger that every developing species has.
So either they will know how to help us solve our problem, or they will treat us as rivals for the same resources and wipe us out.
What they will not do is wipe us out "for the good of the galaxy", because (assuming that there is other intelligent life out there) we're not that unusual. We are inevitable, every planet's dominant intelligent life form will be just like us.
It may well be that the Neanderthals were a peaceful, harmonious species that lived within their means and didn't just strip the local resources bare and move on. If that is the case, then my conclusion is that they got wiped out by our ancestors who were relentless resource strippers.
http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/08/01
They have infringed on whoever created the .yy source files that are missing, I guess.
Not simple. The manufacturer may not own all the source code, or the libraries, or the "anything else" that the product uses.
If Microsoft did this, they would probably be taken to court by the Department of Justice.
I have a 286 running Windows 3.1, can I take MS to court for not releasing security updates any more? That's an extreme example, all manufacturers have to end-of-line their older systems at some point, but I agree that it's a bit soon to do that for the iPhone 3G.
I thought it meant BitTorrent. Well, no I didn't, I'm British so I knew what it meant. And it doesn't mean British Telecom any more, in the same way that BP does not mean British Petroleum. It's just BT, and BP, those are the official registered names now (and BP is ~50% US-owned).
There would be no point in banning links to a site that is blocked at the ISP level. And it's a stretch to say that google is "linking to it", you search for newzbin and they tell you where newzbin is. You search for "harry potter torrent" and it shows you pages that contain that phrase, including this Slashdot discussion soon. What it does not show you are a checked and rated list of links to harry potter torrents. It could be a news site about harry potter torrents being shut down.
I'm hoping for more wacky comedies about law enforcement officers and their pets.
Would they maintain it properly? Would they keep it safe from debris collisions, and make sure no bits fall off it to become more debris? Sure, NASA didn't have a 100% track record but I understand that tool bag they lost eventually fell out of orbit. The ISS is a very dangerous place.
The iPhone5 is, for me, the first model that I have very little interest in. I got a 3GS when it was fairly new, and I was lusting over the iPhone4 and agonizing over whether to get one or wait for the Android platform to sort itself out when I genuinely accidentally dropped it and smashed it, so I got an iPhone4. But the iPhone4 has everything... fast, high-res screen, decent camera (for a phone, I know they will never be as good as a proper camera), HD video... what else is there that I need? I don't want a 3D screen, near-field doesn't seem particularly interesting (and I think the audio version is a better idea), really I can't see what must-have features the iPhone5 can add.
We have extradition treaties with our allies. So if you commit a crime against the US, the UK will extradite you. We have no such treaties with our enemies.
I'm surprised to see Wikipedia listed as "social media".
Why would a hacker in New Jersey or Finland care about the penalties for violating Chinese state security?
Is it irresponsible to allow people to drive cars, knowing that no matter how careful you are, innocents will be killed by accident? With any national or global policy decision there will be winners and losers, and there will be deaths. Is war always irresponsible? Not in my opinion, I think there have been legitimate reasons for war in the past even though innocents died. Is bombing always irresponsible? No, because bombing is a necessary component of any modern war, and nowadays results in fewer lives lost than most of the other means. Is the Afghan war irresponsible? I'm not sure. If I could read a history book written 50 years from now, then I could answer that question.
There might only be one person who did the hack and has the documents. Maybe that one person has a conscience.
Give people what they want: digital content, at a reasonable price, that they can own (like an 8-track, vinyl or wax cylinder) and listen to whenever they want on any of their devices (gramaphone, victrolla, car 8-track, etc).
That's some crazy advanced technology, that allows you to own a copy and not just pay for a licence! Are you sure any of it is possible?
"Burger King, you must not serve those customers because they are villains. Macdonalds, you are free to continue taking their custom."
At the moment, I can log in to a single web site at the library and know that if the library machine has evil spyware on it then only that account will be compromised. It seems to me that with this scheme, I have to put all my the login credentials into the library browser in order to do anything.
10Mbps was huge at the time. It was much faster (proportional to need) than any of the other components in a computer system. So it's not really surprising that it hasn't quite kept pace. Many home networks are still 10Mbps, and that's plenty for two or three computers.
Also, what do I do when I want to use an internet cafe to log into a BrowserID site?
Well, you'd have to use multiple profiles. This would require the browser writers to make profile switching much easier than it currently is. The browser would basically take over the "login" function, it decrypts your private key when you launch the browser and throws the key away when you close it or log out of your profile. A good browser would have an option to share bookmarks across profiles, for families that want to bookmark things for each other.
Yes, I'm looking forward to the last of the "Last" articles now. I'm gutted that the shuttle era is over, especially as it won't be visible from the UK in its orbit (I was secretly hoping for a delay so I could see it go overhead one last time).
With a bit of luck, David Cameron is on TV right now saying that this move is to be blocked and The News of the World must be sold off to reduce the power of News Corporation. Oh well, I can dream.
... when even the tabloid itself probably frowned on what one individual did.
"The tabloid" doesn't frown, it just fucks people up and rakes in the proceeds. There's no way the high-ups didn't know this was going on.
Uhh, no duh. What do you think heat capacity is? It is exactly that.
You're saying that heat capacity is related to absorbtion and re-emission of certain specific wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation? The greenhouse effect is to do with incoming radiation passing right through it and outgoing radiation being scattered back.