First we should make sure it's not the Trump administration buying these. They might be mistaken for operating manuals.
We've heard Trump's inauguration speech with echoes of the villain Bane from the Dark Knight Rises, followed by the censorship of government agencies communicating actual science, and suffered through the administration's validation of "alternative facts." I think it is safe to say that the Trump's administration's use of 1984 as an operating manual is not a mistake, though the emotional maturity appears to be more in line with Lord of the Flies.
Dammit, I told all my little ETs to stay out of Chile for a while. Do they listen? Of course not. I understand you have the same trouble with your little Earthlings. I just hope they don't start another war. Those pyramids almost did us in last time.
Top 2016 read book: Songs of the Dying Earth--a collection of short stories written by a variety of talented sci fi writers in tribute to Jack Vance, edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois--quite a engrossing and mind-expanding journey.
A close second was The Political Writings of William Penn. He was a Christian Founding Grandfather (100+ years before the American Revolution) that would likely be appalled at current right-wing "Christian" politics.
If people get their news from a Twitter feed, then who cares if they're duped. They deserve it. Twitter is not a news service. It is a "Look, Ma, no hands," brain bleed.
Honestly, how stupid is Twitter's management? Here is one person who has helped Twitter actually eclipse the MSM, despite the fact that nobody want to buy them, and this is how they wanna treat him? Go right ahead, and he can dry up the Twitter swamp.
That's right. Greed = Smart; Decency = Stupid.
Now, exactly how did we get in this mess in the first place? I forget.
I'm not sure what Agent Smith has to do with satellite time lapse view or why a comment about mammals overpopulating can get modded up to an insightful 5. Mammals also defecate--now that is truly insightful or at least as insightful as the fact that they/we breed and if they/we do that a lot there will be too many of them/us.
Here's some truly deep insight for you: Some people can string words together and other people will think they make sense. (e.g. I am the eggman / They are the eggmen / I am the walrus / Goo goo g' joob). Put that in your pipe an smoke it.
I expect this comment to be quickly modded up to an insightful 5 as well as an informative 5 and a just plain silly 5.
Kuwaiti incubator babies
Saddam did 9/11
Nigerian yellowcake
Iraq's WMD
That's just one set of and endless series.
It's true that they and others got some major stories wrong. It is also true that they have gotten the vast majority of their stories right. Please let me know when you've found an outlet with a better track record.
A lot of Western hard left is basically in love with Putin (and Assad, and they also loved Gaddafi), on the basis that, since they all are in opposition to "Western imperialism", they're the good guys. So no surprise here.
By your definition, Republican President-elect Trump is "hard left" except for the Western imperialism bit (which you put in quotes as if it were not a real thing that's been going on for centuries). If this dream weren't strange enough, I'd almost think you just made that up.
Yes, elections are critical, but NO, DHS isn't the right people to try to make it any better.
Perhaps you are correct. DHS may not the right agency to take on this project. Who is? It is the nature of bureaucracy, governmental or not, to be inefficient, incompetent, and/or corrupt. There are many tools that we have which, if used, can potentially minimize the worst of it. That's the best we can hope for.
A big part of the problem is that the participation by the citizenry in the political process is too low to have significant impact where it matters (e.g. see NYT interactive graphic: http://www.nytimes.com/interac...). In other words, too many opt out of the process, so we end up with unpopular presidential candidates and too much apathy to properly hold our various agencies and officials accountable. Things deteriorate and then more people opt out. The cycle continues.
DHS might not be up to the task, but they are the logical ones to take jurisdiction. Give 'em the job, and if they fuck it up, give 'em hell. Unless the citizenry actually starts to care, however, it doesn't really matter.
Why? Do people need sidewalk IDs in order for us to provide sidewalk infrastructure? How about water, electricity, phones, &etc? Why does the end user need to be certified by the state as a legitimate citizen before having right of access?
Please don't muddy the discussion by confusing the almost non-existent problem of voter fraud with the very real, documented, and increasingly wide spread problem of hackers using their skills to influence elections.
My grandmother never used her good crystal because she was afraid that it would get chipped, cracked, or broken. She kept it on a shelf in a box. Then the shelves collapsed, and it turned into a box of shards. Protecting the infrastructure from the users is not the point. Of course there will be wear, tear, and even occasional abuse by the users. Protecting it from collapse and mass destruction is a separate matter.
For the record. I have no problem with hackers revealing corruption or Wikileaks or anyone else releasing boatloads of emails as long as they are for equal opportunity transparency. I do have a problem with the possibility of hackers (foreign or domestic) manipulating the actual voter rolls and/or outcomes. Given the apparent sad state of security of our digital infrastructure (especially on the local level where the voting actually happens), the sheer number of people with the skills to do the hacking, and the strong passions of so many who would rather shout than listen, it seems as if the environment is ripe for some major damage to be done.
Lots of news stories about the "brick loophole" though, since the journalists are not geeks, they don't call it a loophole; they just call it a problem. Google it. I've seen way more stories about bricks/rocks/iceballs thrown off bridges by kids onto the cars below than about defeating auto-pilot sensors on cars.
Partial solution to breaking windshield: shatterproof them. There's been a steady improvement in the technology.
Partial solution to preventing bricks being thrown on cars from bridges: build cages enclosing the top of the bridge. Several of the bridges over interstate highways in our area have them.
The "brick loophole" can be eliminated entirely if stopped making the damn things--bricks/cars/kids.
Fingerprints don't take to bricks well. They especially don't take well to rocks. Around here the kids use iceballs with stones in them. There are no fingerprints. These kids rarely get caught.
My daughter seems to have a high fail rate in (not)seeing. Equipment cost (pre-failure, discounting cost of the actual car): $0. I don't want to discuss equipment costs post-failure.
If she rode in an auto-piloted car, she would have someone else to blame, and my lawyer would have someone else to sue.
For thus it is written: “"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." (Arthur C. Clarke)
Our Science's TECHNOLOGY is the most ADVANCED, BIGGEST, most BADASSinined, most INDISTINGUISHED that ever was, is, or will be.
Our PUBLICATIONS are infallible, our METHODS smoke, our LOGIC will bring tears to your eyes, our RATIONAL THOUGHT will leave your head spinning.
Our Science is all perceiving (unto even those pesky, tricksy, elusive, theoretical particles that CERN cannot find), all knowing (including that dark matter/energy/whatever stuff), and ever present (in all of the universe/multiverse—see note below).
Once we were slaves to your ethics. Now we are free to pursue our own rationalized agenda.
With Science on our side we will recreate the world in our superior image.
Beyond mere technology and magic, OUR SCIENCE IS SO KICKASS AWESOMELY ADVANCED THAT IT IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM RELIGION!
Put that in your frakin pipe and smoke it--for it makes more sense, and is a lot more fun, that way.
[note: universe/multiverse/schmultiverse—we accept all scientific disciplines, denominations, interpretations, interpolations, assumptions, presumptions, and resumptions. We are tolerantly nonexclusive—unless your beliefs offend us or we simply just don't like you.]
Slashdot Mirror
First we should make sure it's not the Trump administration buying these. They might be mistaken for operating manuals.
We've heard Trump's inauguration speech with echoes of the villain Bane from the Dark Knight Rises, followed by the censorship of government agencies communicating actual science, and suffered through the administration's validation of "alternative facts." I think it is safe to say that the Trump's administration's use of 1984 as an operating manual is not a mistake, though the emotional maturity appears to be more in line with Lord of the Flies.
Dammit, I told all my little ETs to stay out of Chile for a while. Do they listen? Of course not. I understand you have the same trouble with your little Earthlings. I just hope they don't start another war. Those pyramids almost did us in last time.
Top 2016 read book: Songs of the Dying Earth--a collection of short stories written by a variety of talented sci fi writers in tribute to Jack Vance, edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois--quite a engrossing and mind-expanding journey.
A close second was The Political Writings of William Penn. He was a Christian Founding Grandfather (100+ years before the American Revolution) that would likely be appalled at current right-wing "Christian" politics.
Perhaps /. should abandon this story about Wikipedia abandoning abandoned entries.
Obviously, telecom stocks will take a big hit, but Caterpillar's about to take off.
If people get their news from a Twitter feed, then who cares if they're duped. They deserve it. Twitter is not a news service. It is a "Look, Ma, no hands," brain bleed.
We're talking about banning speech based on someone taking offense ?
That's what you are talking about, but it appears that you are confused between government censure and private rights.
You can stand in the street and say whatever you want. That's your first amendment right.
You may not come in my house and do/say whatever you like. If I don't want you here, I can throw you out. That is my right.
Honestly, how stupid is Twitter's management? Here is one person who has helped Twitter actually eclipse the MSM, despite the fact that nobody want to buy them, and this is how they wanna treat him? Go right ahead, and he can dry up the Twitter swamp.
That's right. Greed = Smart; Decency = Stupid.
Now, exactly how did we get in this mess in the first place? I forget.
I'm not sure what Agent Smith has to do with satellite time lapse view or why a comment about mammals overpopulating can get modded up to an insightful 5. Mammals also defecate--now that is truly insightful or at least as insightful as the fact that they/we breed and if they/we do that a lot there will be too many of them/us.
Here's some truly deep insight for you: Some people can string words together and other people will think they make sense. (e.g. I am the eggman / They are the eggmen / I am the walrus / Goo goo g' joob). Put that in your pipe an smoke it.
I expect this comment to be quickly modded up to an insightful 5 as well as an informative 5 and a just plain silly 5.
Kuwaiti incubator babies Saddam did 9/11 Nigerian yellowcake Iraq's WMD That's just one set of and endless series.
It's true that they and others got some major stories wrong. It is also true that they have gotten the vast majority of their stories right. Please let me know when you've found an outlet with a better track record.
A lot of Western hard left is basically in love with Putin (and Assad, and they also loved Gaddafi), on the basis that, since they all are in opposition to "Western imperialism", they're the good guys. So no surprise here.
By your definition, Republican President-elect Trump is "hard left" except for the Western imperialism bit (which you put in quotes as if it were not a real thing that's been going on for centuries). If this dream weren't strange enough, I'd almost think you just made that up.
Yes, elections are critical, but NO, DHS isn't the right people to try to make it any better.
Perhaps you are correct. DHS may not the right agency to take on this project. Who is? It is the nature of bureaucracy, governmental or not, to be inefficient, incompetent, and/or corrupt. There are many tools that we have which, if used, can potentially minimize the worst of it. That's the best we can hope for.
A big part of the problem is that the participation by the citizenry in the political process is too low to have significant impact where it matters (e.g. see NYT interactive graphic: http://www.nytimes.com/interac...). In other words, too many opt out of the process, so we end up with unpopular presidential candidates and too much apathy to properly hold our various agencies and officials accountable. Things deteriorate and then more people opt out. The cycle continues.
DHS might not be up to the task, but they are the logical ones to take jurisdiction. Give 'em the job, and if they fuck it up, give 'em hell. Unless the citizenry actually starts to care, however, it doesn't really matter.
Why? Do people need sidewalk IDs in order for us to provide sidewalk infrastructure? How about water, electricity, phones, &etc? Why does the end user need to be certified by the state as a legitimate citizen before having right of access?
Please don't muddy the discussion by confusing the almost non-existent problem of voter fraud with the very real, documented, and increasingly wide spread problem of hackers using their skills to influence elections.
My grandmother never used her good crystal because she was afraid that it would get chipped, cracked, or broken. She kept it on a shelf in a box. Then the shelves collapsed, and it turned into a box of shards. Protecting the infrastructure from the users is not the point. Of course there will be wear, tear, and even occasional abuse by the users. Protecting it from collapse and mass destruction is a separate matter.
For the record. I have no problem with hackers revealing corruption or Wikileaks or anyone else releasing boatloads of emails as long as they are for equal opportunity transparency. I do have a problem with the possibility of hackers (foreign or domestic) manipulating the actual voter rolls and/or outcomes. Given the apparent sad state of security of our digital infrastructure (especially on the local level where the voting actually happens), the sheer number of people with the skills to do the hacking, and the strong passions of so many who would rather shout than listen, it seems as if the environment is ripe for some major damage to be done.
Lots of news stories about the "brick loophole" though, since the journalists are not geeks, they don't call it a loophole; they just call it a problem. Google it. I've seen way more stories about bricks/rocks/iceballs thrown off bridges by kids onto the cars below than about defeating auto-pilot sensors on cars.
Partial solution to breaking windshield: shatterproof them. There's been a steady improvement in the technology.
Partial solution to preventing bricks being thrown on cars from bridges: build cages enclosing the top of the bridge. Several of the bridges over interstate highways in our area have them.
The "brick loophole" can be eliminated entirely if stopped making the damn things--bricks/cars/kids.
Fingerprints don't take to bricks well. They especially don't take well to rocks. Around here the kids use iceballs with stones in them. There are no fingerprints. These kids rarely get caught.
My daughter seems to have a high fail rate in (not)seeing. Equipment cost (pre-failure, discounting cost of the actual car): $0. I don't want to discuss equipment costs post-failure.
If she rode in an auto-piloted car, she would have someone else to blame, and my lawyer would have someone else to sue.
I'm all for the auto-pilot solution.
For thus it is written: “"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." (Arthur C. Clarke)
Our Science's TECHNOLOGY is the most ADVANCED, BIGGEST, most BADASSinined, most INDISTINGUISHED that ever was, is, or will be.
Our PUBLICATIONS are infallible, our METHODS smoke, our LOGIC will bring tears to your eyes, our RATIONAL THOUGHT will leave your head spinning.
Our Science is all perceiving (unto even those pesky, tricksy, elusive, theoretical particles that CERN cannot find), all knowing (including that dark matter/energy/whatever stuff), and ever present (in all of the universe/multiverse—see note below).
Once we were slaves to your ethics. Now we are free to pursue our own rationalized agenda.
With Science on our side we will recreate the world in our superior image.
Beyond mere technology and magic, OUR SCIENCE IS SO KICKASS AWESOMELY ADVANCED THAT IT IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM RELIGION!
Put that in your frakin pipe and smoke it--for it makes more sense, and is a lot more fun, that way.
[note: universe/multiverse/schmultiverse—we accept all scientific disciplines, denominations, interpretations, interpolations, assumptions, presumptions, and resumptions. We are tolerantly nonexclusive—unless your beliefs offend us or we simply just don't like you.]