I'd like to see Quark rebooted. Since were dragging up 70's sci-fi t.v.
Re:Why is this review on /. ?
on
Space Vulture
·
· Score: 1
Anyone can write and submit a review to Slashdot. I am a regular user here, just like you. The only difference between submitting a book review and any other submission is that when you choose "Book Reviews" for the section and hit preview- there will be new fields to fill in for author, isbn, etc.
There is the whole review guideline page linked above that gives information about the practical side of all this.
But I don't interact with the Slashdot editors about what books I'll be reviewing. Not all my review submissions are accepted either. I just read books I'm interested in, and write reviews when I feel like it. That's it. As to why they pick some and not others- if you've ever submitted anything here you know the official policy - no complaining.
I'm glad you liked the review. I'm not the best writer, but I do try to do a decent job - though this go around I really didn't proofread well. The cereal mistake is really bad - I wont forget that for a long time.
Re:Why is this review on /. ?
on
Space Vulture
·
· Score: 1
I don't know for sure, I don't watch the firehose close enough, but I'm going to guess more non-fiction reviews are submitted than fiction reviews. So when you say you wish slashdot would feature more SF - I'm thinking maybe they would if more SF reviews were submitted. Not all the non-fiction reviews I submit get posted to the front page - but the few fiction I've done were all accepted I think.
As for your book - have someone read it, write a review and submit it. I am way behind on reading right now - so it wont be me - but I would think you could find someone to do it.
There are now 2 things going on here, and to be honest I'm no longer that interested in one of them. The thing that matters is this; I don't need to prove some level of technical proficiency to earn the right to be shown common courtesy. I am not a "fake expert". I've made no claims to any special knowledge or expertise. What I have done is simply join a public discussion.
I didn't mod that post up. I'm sorry it put you in a bad mood that other people did that - but don't take out your emotional issues on me. I haven't done anything to you.
I am very interested in robotics, especially their application in a military setting. I read up on the topic when I can and just finished an excellent book on it. This thread offers an excellent opportunity for me to share some of what I've learned and to interact with others who can help me better understand the topic.
Whether I'm right or wrong is completely irrelevant, especially when the topic at hand is one where very little is clear. The term robot has no universally accepted definition. You appear to be confident that AI is a clear cut term, yet I'd be willing to bet I can find some very genuine AI experts that may not agree. I just watched a good video of Ray Kurzweil the other day where he talked about how the definition is always moving.
I've spent a lot of time on this reply because I'm hoping it might help you out. I'm trying to choose my words carefully because I have no interest in arguing. I shouldn't have let myself lose my temper in the first place. But with that I am finished. I have limited time and emotional energy - and I've given all I am going to give to this issue.
My primary mistake was not calling you on acting like an ass right from the start. I foolishly thought that letting it slide would be the better option.
I'm here to engage in discussion. You think it is o.k. to speak to me in a demeaning manner. I voice my displeasure, which you brush aside by chalking it up as a negative reaction to your "winning".
Yeah - I "gave up" in the sheer force of your superior intellect and the realization of my own stupidity. Please inform me of all my other shortcomings.
Let me return the favor of your admonition to not use words unless it's in a manner you approve. Don't interact with other humans unless you can learn to quit being an ass.
I definitely know what that means - but please feel free to continue telling me what I know and acting in a condescending, boorish manner.
Re:Why is this review on /. ?
on
Space Vulture
·
· Score: 3, Funny
Because you haven't submitted any others I guess.
As for slashvertisement - yes Tor payed me a ton to write a negative review of their book.
Of course that wouldn't even involve slashdot - so I guess what must have really happened is that Tor payed Slashdot to use mind control to get my friend to loan me his copy (He liked the book by the way, but I'm still letting him be my friend.) Then they took control of my mind so that I would read the book followed by writing and submitting a negative review. This upsets me greatly, not the mind control as much as the fact that I don't even get a cut of the money.
Thank goodness you figured it out and I can finally be set free from my review inducing overlords.
Most of them are autonomous to one degree or another - they are all very complex. You just seem to be upset that they don't look or act like what you've seen portrayed in fiction.
I think that most of the currently deployed unmanned systems (at least in the case of the US military) do use some type of AI - though it is often working along side a human operator. Of course this is true even with manned systems now - especially in the case of aircraft.
I like the sense-think-act paradigm to decide what is and isnâ(TM)t a robot. I think any man made device that has sensors, some kind of AI that helps it to decide what to do and then a method of acting on its environment is a robot.
A machine that is missing any one of the three is not a robot.
Some people insist upon mobility but I donâ(TM)t think that makes sense. I think the robots on assembly lines are robots even if they canâ(TM)t move around.
Re:Hmm...
on
Space Vulture
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I can't speak for anyone else - but I can say that in my case my reviews are more positive than negative but it's not because of the reasons you seem to think.
I only write reviews when I want to - and usually I'm more inclined to do so with books that I'm interested in and think others may enjoy. If I really don't like a book I'm much less inclined to put in the time and effort of writing a review.
When I finish a really good book I immediately want to recommend it to others. When I read a book I'm not excited about I just move on to the next book. This was an exception because I was really excited about it until I read it. That doesn't happen too often.
Re:Heroin? What Kinda Book Reading Do You Do, JR?
on
Space Vulture
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Goodness - that's even worse - how embarrassing. I have that same feeling I get when I'm looking at code and think, "Who wrote this junk and why did they do it so poorly?" and then realize it was me.
Re:Heroin? What Kinda Book Reading Do You Do, JR?
on
Space Vulture
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Nice catch. Believe it or not I reread these a few times before I submit.
It's funny that you bring up the bathroom thing. My four bedroom townhouse has 3.5 bathrooms. (It was built in 2006) This is primarily due to the fact that the master and guest bedrooms have their own bathroom. That's 2 right there, the full 3rd is upstairs near the other 2 bedrooms and the half is downstairs. We wouldn't have planned it that way - just means more cleaning and such, but that's the way they built it.
That's because his blog post leaves out a the arrival of the police officer, pretty much all interaction with the police officer - and so the account is pretty much worthless. He tries to tie the photo to the arrest but leaves out almost everything the cop said to him.
And the atm guys don't wear bullet proof vests and carry side arms because they have inferiority issues. They do it because people in their line of work get killed in robbery attempts. It's dangerous work.
Yeah - you're probably right. Got a lot of that too here in FL. Seeing that comment cut away made me laugh because I guess from where I am right now Casa Grande is 'up there' but my lifelong orientation is thinking of it as south. Not on topic - but just struck me as funny.
You're right - it is all tied together. And it is an issue everywhere. I live in Florida now, after spending most of my life in Arizona. I've never seen so much water - and yet we have real issues because drinking water is short for a lot of the reasons you discuss.
The can of worms part was just my thinking about drifting off-topic of the train.
I think the poor planning in the West is because people just don't seem to think long term in a realistic fashion. I can think of a lot of reasons for the way things have turned out, but that seems almost irrelevant. The truth is it all doesn't seem too sustainable.
I think America in general is going to see a shift in the way people live. The general opulence that we take for granted is just not going to work unless we overcome current limits on energy and resources.
I had a conversation just the other day with my kids- my daughter had just been talking with a family friend that was visiting but lives in Indonesia. He told her that there the land area is roughly the same as Florida but the population is the same as the entire US. (This isn't exactly true but close enough for the purpose.)
She asked me, "How do they fit all the houses?" I had to explain to her that most people don't live in huge houses like Americans do. Our home isn't big by US standards, but it's still larger than most homes I've been in when I travel outside the US. And most people I know here aren't even aware of that.
I agree - and that's why I say the cost has to be lower. When I still lived in Phoenix a few years ago I was tired of driving my commute so I looked into public transit. It had the other costs you mention, plus it cost more monetarily. It just didn't make sense. For people to put up with the other issues they must either have no other choice, or it has to be cheaper.
That's a good point about the water. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of the people living in places like Las Vegas or Phoenix don't even realize that they live in an artificial environment. The day the water stops coming from up north, they either move or die. PBS did a great documentary based on Reisner's Cadillac Desert that does a great job highlighting some of these issues. That's a whole other can of worms.
But as of right now the growth between Phoenix and Tucson is unreal. My sister lives in Casa Grande now and last time I visited I was just stunned. When I was a kid there was nothing down there. Now, thousands of homes, the strip malls, all of it. It's bizarre to see. I'm not sure what all the people do down there. In Tucson there is the University, Raytheon and a few others. In between there's the prison and I don't know what else.
Whether or not this would fly will all come down to cost. I've made the drive from Tucson to Phoenix when it is bumper to bumper the entire way and going the speed limit is physically impossible. A half hour train ride sounds very nice in light of that. But the reality is the ride and the electric car rental on the other end have to be cheaper than driving down there in one's own car. Arizona cities are textbook cases of sprawl. It is almost impossible to get around in them without a vehicle, especially in the summer. It's unlikely too many people would want to just ride the train and not need a car on the other end.
Then there is that time thing. It's not making the trip in 30 minutes if it stops 5 times between the two cities. Maybe they are thinking of express trips interspersed with trips that stop? The article doesn't say. Of course the way things are going, eventually this would run right up the middle of one big metro area.
That's true - but I don't think preferential treatment for superstars is a huge problem and you have to weigh that against the number of people they draw. How many quit watching because Pippen gets breaks compared to how many would quit watching if he doesn't play? I don't know but my guess is the second number is much larger than the first.
This is true in all sports - and makes sense when you think about it. The primary function of the league is to generate income. Anything that gets in the way of that is counter to the reason they exist.
Slashdot Mirror
I'd like to see Quark rebooted. Since were dragging up 70's sci-fi t.v.
Anyone can write and submit a review to Slashdot. I am a regular user here, just like you. The only difference between submitting a book review and any other submission is that when you choose "Book Reviews" for the section and hit preview- there will be new fields to fill in for author, isbn, etc.
There is the whole review guideline page linked above that gives information about the practical side of all this.
But I don't interact with the Slashdot editors about what books I'll be reviewing. Not all my review submissions are accepted either. I just read books I'm interested in, and write reviews when I feel like it. That's it. As to why they pick some and not others- if you've ever submitted anything here you know the official policy - no complaining.
I'm glad you liked the review. I'm not the best writer, but I do try to do a decent job - though this go around I really didn't proofread well. The cereal mistake is really bad - I wont forget that for a long time.
I don't know for sure, I don't watch the firehose close enough, but I'm going to guess more non-fiction reviews are submitted than fiction reviews. So when you say you wish slashdot would feature more SF - I'm thinking maybe they would if more SF reviews were submitted. Not all the non-fiction reviews I submit get posted to the front page - but the few fiction I've done were all accepted I think.
As for your book - have someone read it, write a review and submit it. I am way behind on reading right now - so it wont be me - but I would think you could find someone to do it.
There are now 2 things going on here, and to be honest I'm no longer that interested in one of them. The thing that matters is this; I don't need to prove some level of technical proficiency to earn the right to be shown common courtesy. I am not a "fake expert". I've made no claims to any special knowledge or expertise. What I have done is simply join a public discussion.
I didn't mod that post up. I'm sorry it put you in a bad mood that other people did that - but don't take out your emotional issues on me. I haven't done anything to you.
I am very interested in robotics, especially their application in a military setting. I read up on the topic when I can and just finished an excellent book on it. This thread offers an excellent opportunity for me to share some of what I've learned and to interact with others who can help me better understand the topic.
Whether I'm right or wrong is completely irrelevant, especially when the topic at hand is one where very little is clear. The term robot has no universally accepted definition. You appear to be confident that AI is a clear cut term, yet I'd be willing to bet I can find some very genuine AI experts that may not agree. I just watched a good video of Ray Kurzweil the other day where he talked about how the definition is always moving.
I've spent a lot of time on this reply because I'm hoping it might help you out. I'm trying to choose my words carefully because I have no interest in arguing. I shouldn't have let myself lose my temper in the first place. But with that I am finished. I have limited time and emotional energy - and I've given all I am going to give to this issue.
My primary mistake was not calling you on acting like an ass right from the start. I foolishly thought that letting it slide would be the better option.
I'm here to engage in discussion. You think it is o.k. to speak to me in a demeaning manner. I voice my displeasure, which you brush aside by chalking it up as a negative reaction to your "winning".
Yeah - I "gave up" in the sheer force of your superior intellect and the realization of my own stupidity. Please inform me of all my other shortcomings.
Let me return the favor of your admonition to not use words unless it's in a manner you approve. Don't interact with other humans unless you can learn to quit being an ass.
Predators make a lot of decisions on their own and can do a number of activities autonomously. The human operators just make the big decisions.
you are an ass.
I definitely know what that means - but please feel free to continue telling me what I know and acting in a condescending, boorish manner.
Because you haven't submitted any others I guess.
As for slashvertisement - yes Tor payed me a ton to write a negative review of their book.
Of course that wouldn't even involve slashdot - so I guess what must have really happened is that Tor payed Slashdot to use mind control to get my friend to loan me his copy (He liked the book by the way, but I'm still letting him be my friend.) Then they took control of my mind so that I would read the book followed by writing and submitting a negative review. This upsets me greatly, not the mind control as much as the fact that I don't even get a cut of the money.
Thank goodness you figured it out and I can finally be set free from my review inducing overlords.
the cell phone does not 'think'. I meant AI when I said it.
Most of them are autonomous to one degree or another - they are all very complex. You just seem to be upset that they don't look or act like what you've seen portrayed in fiction.
I think that most of the currently deployed unmanned systems (at least in the case of the US military) do use some type of AI - though it is often working along side a human operator. Of course this is true even with manned systems now - especially in the case of aircraft.
I like the sense-think-act paradigm to decide what is and isnâ(TM)t a robot. I think any man made device that has sensors, some kind of AI that helps it to decide what to do and then a method of acting on its environment is a robot.
A machine that is missing any one of the three is not a robot.
Some people insist upon mobility but I donâ(TM)t think that makes sense. I think the robots on assembly lines are robots even if they canâ(TM)t move around.
I can't speak for anyone else - but I can say that in my case my reviews are more positive than negative but it's not because of the reasons you seem to think.
I only write reviews when I want to - and usually I'm more inclined to do so with books that I'm interested in and think others may enjoy. If I really don't like a book I'm much less inclined to put in the time and effort of writing a review.
When I finish a really good book I immediately want to recommend it to others. When I read a book I'm not excited about I just move on to the next book. This was an exception because I was really excited about it until I read it. That doesn't happen too often.
Goodness - that's even worse - how embarrassing. I have that same feeling I get when I'm looking at code and think, "Who wrote this junk and why did they do it so poorly?" and then realize it was me.
Nice catch. Believe it or not I reread these a few times before I submit.
You're not just lookin' - you've found it.
It's funny that you bring up the bathroom thing. My four bedroom townhouse has 3.5 bathrooms. (It was built in 2006) This is primarily due to the fact that the master and guest bedrooms have their own bathroom. That's 2 right there, the full 3rd is upstairs near the other 2 bedrooms and the half is downstairs. We wouldn't have planned it that way - just means more cleaning and such, but that's the way they built it.
the whole ftfy thing is just one more way to be a total dick.
rewrite that however you would like too - you'll still be acting like an ass.
That's because his blog post leaves out a the arrival of the police officer, pretty much all interaction with the police officer - and so the account is pretty much worthless. He tries to tie the photo to the arrest but leaves out almost everything the cop said to him.
And the atm guys don't wear bullet proof vests and carry side arms because they have inferiority issues. They do it because people in their line of work get killed in robbery attempts. It's dangerous work.
Yeah - you're probably right. Got a lot of that too here in FL. Seeing that comment cut away made me laugh because I guess from where I am right now Casa Grande is 'up there' but my lifelong orientation is thinking of it as south. Not on topic - but just struck me as funny.
You're right - it is all tied together. And it is an issue everywhere. I live in Florida now, after spending most of my life in Arizona. I've never seen so much water - and yet we have real issues because drinking water is short for a lot of the reasons you discuss.
The can of worms part was just my thinking about drifting off-topic of the train.
I think the poor planning in the West is because people just don't seem to think long term in a realistic fashion. I can think of a lot of reasons for the way things have turned out, but that seems almost irrelevant. The truth is it all doesn't seem too sustainable.
I think America in general is going to see a shift in the way people live. The general opulence that we take for granted is just not going to work unless we overcome current limits on energy and resources.
I had a conversation just the other day with my kids- my daughter had just been talking with a family friend that was visiting but lives in Indonesia. He told her that there the land area is roughly the same as Florida but the population is the same as the entire US. (This isn't exactly true but close enough for the purpose.)
She asked me, "How do they fit all the houses?" I had to explain to her that most people don't live in huge houses like Americans do. Our home isn't big by US standards, but it's still larger than most homes I've been in when I travel outside the US. And most people I know here aren't even aware of that.
A train to San Diego or LA would be interesting purely from an engineering perspective as I'm guessing it would mean some rather large tunnels.
I agree - and that's why I say the cost has to be lower. When I still lived in Phoenix a few years ago I was tired of driving my commute so I looked into public transit. It had the other costs you mention, plus it cost more monetarily. It just didn't make sense. For people to put up with the other issues they must either have no other choice, or it has to be cheaper.
That's a good point about the water. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of the people living in places like Las Vegas or Phoenix don't even realize that they live in an artificial environment. The day the water stops coming from up north, they either move or die. PBS did a great documentary based on Reisner's Cadillac Desert that does a great job highlighting some of these issues. That's a whole other can of worms.
But as of right now the growth between Phoenix and Tucson is unreal. My sister lives in Casa Grande now and last time I visited I was just stunned. When I was a kid there was nothing down there. Now, thousands of homes, the strip malls, all of it. It's bizarre to see. I'm not sure what all the people do down there. In Tucson there is the University, Raytheon and a few others. In between there's the prison and I don't know what else.
Whether or not this would fly will all come down to cost. I've made the drive from Tucson to Phoenix when it is bumper to bumper the entire way and going the speed limit is physically impossible. A half hour train ride sounds very nice in light of that. But the reality is the ride and the electric car rental on the other end have to be cheaper than driving down there in one's own car. Arizona cities are textbook cases of sprawl. It is almost impossible to get around in them without a vehicle, especially in the summer. It's unlikely too many people would want to just ride the train and not need a car on the other end.
Then there is that time thing. It's not making the trip in 30 minutes if it stops 5 times between the two cities. Maybe they are thinking of express trips interspersed with trips that stop? The article doesn't say. Of course the way things are going, eventually this would run right up the middle of one big metro area.
That's true - but I don't think preferential treatment for superstars is a huge problem and you have to weigh that against the number of people they draw. How many quit watching because Pippen gets breaks compared to how many would quit watching if he doesn't play? I don't know but my guess is the second number is much larger than the first.
This is true in all sports - and makes sense when you think about it. The primary function of the league is to generate income. Anything that gets in the way of that is counter to the reason they exist.