Actually, this plea is along the same lines as whether or not satellites can be taxed as property. It's still a question of whether or not new technology can be thought of in the same manner. Nobody on the internet knows, or cares, where a website is stationed (and many times, it's not in just one location). People really start to see the internet as its own entity, separate from everything else. Same with the satellites. Kinda hard to put property taxes on something that is so far away from the earth's surface that it can't be seen.
I don't know how this will turn out any more than the rest of us (unless you're closely involved in the case and can tell how well their argument is being presented, or what kind of defense they're facing), but I wish them the best of luck.
Usually you would end up with something more like sqrt(pi)/4. The prof was more concerened about you understanding the problem, not working out what the square root of pi was......
That's why I really enjoy playing around with the TI-89's, they have the option to leave answers in sqrt(pi)/4, if it doesn't simplify down more. But, from what I hear, they're even more of a battery hog than the TI-85's. Maybe someday I'll get one.
Ever wonder why we can cram ever more computer power into smaller and smaller devices, but we're still (mostly) slaves to the almighty AA?
Another reason not touched by the article: compatibility. How many people here would replace all their AA-weilding devices if new batteries wouldn't work in them? Actually, knowing the slashdot crowd, all of them would. But hey, that's the whole point! There's a market for a newer, better battery.
I always hated my TI-85, fresh batteries at the start of a school year would run out just days before the final exam. My last calculus exam was a whole lot of squinting at the screen with the contrast turned up to 9:o).
I couldn't help but subscribe already. I realize PayPal has its problems, but I have a bit o' cash just sitting there in my count accruing interest from a recent sale. It's almost too convenient just to enter my e-mail address and password and hit "Pay." Voila, a few microseconds later, I have a slashdot home page minus ads. Awesome.
Can you imagine wearing glasses or goggles that, when looking at a person, a built-in display would tell you everything you wanted to know about that person?
What about the stuff you don't want to know? Here are some things I wouldn't like to know about someone I walk by in the local mall:
Bisexual, but won't admit it
Enjoys viewing squirrel porn scenes
Works for Microsoft
Has severe case of explosive diarrhea
Etc...
Most diseases are NOT cured, rather the 'vectors' that allow a disease into a population are eliminated (managed)
You are very right, on the scale of the entire species. I was referring to a single person. I get sick with strep throat. I go to the doctor. I take antibiotics. Strep throat gone. Had I not treated it, eventually it could have formed into a full-blown infection, causing a very high fever that would have the potential to kill me and ruin my chances for spreading my genetic information.
Point being: this disease is no longer a part of natural selection because of medical advances. Most diseases are.
Why not focus our genetic engineering efforts on something much less controversial and useful to those imperfect humans already born and find a cure for cancer, aids, etc?
I'm sure these things are being done as well, as we speak. Scientists don't just focus on one topic at a time, you know:o).
Who are we to say the one discarded wouldn't have been the next Beethoven, and the one kept won't grow up to be a drug dealer? I'd rather see such decisions left to nature and chance.
Do you really believe that selection for a disease will determine what kind of person you are as you grow up? That the gene that causes early-onset Alzheimer's Disease can make the difference between a Beethoven or a drug dealer? I don't. I think it has a lot more to do with the morals you are raised with, the opportunities you have in front of you, and the desire to reach your goals ingrained into you via your family and friends. I personally suffer from very premature baldness inherent in my father's side of the family, and I'm doing everything possible to make my life more successful. I'm the only one I know (personally) with an Associate's Degree at nineteen years old, and making $22 an hour as a network technician. Also, my fiance's brother is top-notch material. Born and raised for football, joined the Marines, and did great until his friends convinced him to get into drugs... let's just say he won't be out of prison for a while.
Helping prevent children from getting Alzheimer's Disease will prevent that gene from being passed on in your family. That little added bonus should give them a boost in life. Nothing else really should be affected.
Well, IMO, this goes against natural selection. Weaknesses are inherent in all forms of life. And in this case, the weakness is basically being forced out of the child
Two problems with these statements. First of all, all medical technology, safety equipment, processed foods, medical procedures, etc. (ad nauseum) goes against natural selection. In the human race, natural selection doesn't exist anymore. Also, Alzheimer's Disease isn't usually something that can be filtered out via natural selection, because it usually begins affecting a person long after (s)he has passed on their genetic information to the children.
Second, nobody's forcing weaknesses out of anyone in this experiment. They are preventing a child from being born with a disease, not creating a bunch of children and killing off those with the disease, or creating one child and modifying their DNA after they're born (virtually impossible, since it must be changed in every single cell) to remove the gene.
Unfortunately, natural selection is no longer capable of weeding out medical weaknesses on a large scale needed to make evolutionary progress. Most diseases are cured, instead of killing the patient, which would remove the defective genes from the gene pool (sorry that sounds so cruel, but it's true). I think this application of science is a very good thing, because it plays with disease prevention. No human being is harmed in the process, and the result is a healthier baby, and improved genetic quality in the species as a whole. Who can argue?
What amazes me is how stupid most publishers are. How hard would it be to take Ultima Underworld I and II, Shadowcaster, update the code to a Win32/OSX/Linux base, then sell the CD for $20 and say "Hey, folks - the great games you loved? Come pay us $20 for it!"
Not all game makers don't get this. Some do, and occasionally don't even make profit from it. Why? Many factors; low profit margins, no advertisement, only people who love the game will buy it, and it's so outdated, that the passersby at the store who pick it up will be disgusted when they get it home to play it.
Unfortunately, all of those do happen! For instance, Microprose (before they were bought by Hasbro, then by Infogrames) released a five-CD pack of all their classics; X-Com: UFO Defense, X-Com: Knee Deep in the Dead, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, and a demo CD. I picked it up for $20, because I love XUD, MoM, and MoO, but when I showed it off to my friends, they were appalled that I would spend that kind of money for that "junk." Keep in mind that these weren't updated for DirectX or anything (like Warcraft II: Battle.net), so they still ran in DOS and had Conventional Memory problems, etc. and the same EGA graphics.
The fact is, only a small percentage of the consumer market would be interested in things like this, like collectors and big-time fans. And many expect the programmers to put something in really special, or make huge modifications to the code upon re-release.
Few games can make profit like this, but there are exceptions. Such as the Oregon Trail series, which is now up to version five and runs in Win32, as opposed to the Commodore (correct me if I'm wrong here) and Apple IIe platforms it was designed on. But that's educational, too.
My suggestion? Make the game/application/operating system (maybe) public domain, and sell CDs or downloads of the source code to anyone who asks, for a small fee to cover the costs of the transaction for the company. This will let the real enthusiasts get a new collectors item without the makers having to publish anything, plus it can now be ported to new operating systems without the makers having to program anything (a la Quake 2).
Like the article says, though, this is "gray area" which is perfect for the developers, because it keeps the games in people's minds, and it will probably stay that way.
Oh, this is too easy. It's CmdrTaco, of course. He thinks the outrageous cost of the trip to Disney World is justified, because it's a wedding present. Plus, he gets a Segway for free!
Think for a minute how long we've been using 32-bit processors. If (and when) 64-bit becomes mainstream, I imagine it will be around for a LONG time, as it becomes standardized and slowly takes over a majority of the market. Also, we'll have the other contenders butting in with equivalent and cheaper options, like Cyrix (tried) and AMD (did).
Just because Intel will pave the way for mainstream 64-bit processors using the Itanium doesn't mean it will monopolize the market until it comes out with a 128-bit processor. No matter what, it will probably be years from now before we have to worry.
Digital-Logic AG, a Swiss company, sells two rather cool BX-based mini PCs...
Both fully equipped with such powerful swiss inventions as a built in nail filer, toothpick, three different sized knives with replacement blades, tweezers, scissors, hair brush, cooking stove, VCR, TV, AM/FM radio, penguin food dispenser...
Slashdot Mirror
Not sure when they are actually appearing
April 1st. I've already got a dealer set up to deliver one of the Athlon boards upon release.
Link to the Google cache of this page.
The movie rocked and validated my wasted life ever since the purchase of Street Fighter 2 Japanese for SNES.
:o)
I don't think my girlfriend (or any non-geek) would agree
...comes the title of the article:
"Open Source Intelligence"
Actually, this plea is along the same lines as whether or not satellites can be taxed as property. It's still a question of whether or not new technology can be thought of in the same manner. Nobody on the internet knows, or cares, where a website is stationed (and many times, it's not in just one location). People really start to see the internet as its own entity, separate from everything else. Same with the satellites. Kinda hard to put property taxes on something that is so far away from the earth's surface that it can't be seen.
I don't know how this will turn out any more than the rest of us (unless you're closely involved in the case and can tell how well their argument is being presented, or what kind of defense they're facing), but I wish them the best of luck.
Usually you would end up with something more like sqrt(pi)/4. The prof was more concerened about you understanding the problem, not working out what the square root of pi was......
That's why I really enjoy playing around with the TI-89's, they have the option to leave answers in sqrt(pi)/4, if it doesn't simplify down more. But, from what I hear, they're even more of a battery hog than the TI-85's. Maybe someday I'll get one.
Ever wonder why we can cram ever more computer power into smaller and smaller devices, but we're still (mostly) slaves to the almighty AA?
:o).
Another reason not touched by the article: compatibility. How many people here would replace all their AA-weilding devices if new batteries wouldn't work in them? Actually, knowing the slashdot crowd, all of them would. But hey, that's the whole point! There's a market for a newer, better battery.
I always hated my TI-85, fresh batteries at the start of a school year would run out just days before the final exam. My last calculus exam was a whole lot of squinting at the screen with the contrast turned up to 9
You think booting up your computer takes forever now, just wait until you have to download all the .dll's over a 28k line!
.NET rip-off, and that it works out alright.
Eh, enough trolling. I seriously hope this isn't some pathetic
I couldn't help but subscribe already. I realize PayPal has its problems, but I have a bit o' cash just sitting there in my count accruing interest from a recent sale. It's almost too convenient just to enter my e-mail address and password and hit "Pay." Voila, a few microseconds later, I have a slashdot home page minus ads. Awesome.
Not the wedding, the wedding present.
Currently, the cheapest Segway up on the Amazon.com auction block is 102,300.00.
At $5 a month for a third of a million readers, that should pay off his and his wife's Segways in around two weeks!
Can you imagine wearing glasses or goggles that, when looking at a person, a built-in display would tell you everything you wanted to know about that person?
What about the stuff you don't want to know? Here are some things I wouldn't like to know about someone I walk by in the local mall:
Bisexual, but won't admit it
Enjoys viewing squirrel porn scenes
Works for Microsoft
Has severe case of explosive diarrhea
Etc...
But you can have 192.168.0.4
:o)
And 127.0.0.1
Even better yet, population control for the geeks.
Sure, we may have trouble reproducing, but we sure can emulate it well!
Ack! My first post mistake! Correction: "Most diseases are." = "Most diseases aren't."
Most diseases are NOT cured, rather the 'vectors' that allow a disease into a population are eliminated (managed)
You are very right, on the scale of the entire species. I was referring to a single person. I get sick with strep throat. I go to the doctor. I take antibiotics. Strep throat gone. Had I not treated it, eventually it could have formed into a full-blown infection, causing a very high fever that would have the potential to kill me and ruin my chances for spreading my genetic information.
Point being: this disease is no longer a part of natural selection because of medical advances. Most diseases are.
Why not focus our genetic engineering efforts on something much less controversial and useful to those imperfect humans already born and find a cure for cancer, aids, etc?
:o).
I'm sure these things are being done as well, as we speak. Scientists don't just focus on one topic at a time, you know
Who are we to say the one discarded wouldn't have been the next Beethoven, and the one kept won't grow up to be a drug dealer? I'd rather see such decisions left to nature and chance.
Do you really believe that selection for a disease will determine what kind of person you are as you grow up? That the gene that causes early-onset Alzheimer's Disease can make the difference between a Beethoven or a drug dealer? I don't. I think it has a lot more to do with the morals you are raised with, the opportunities you have in front of you, and the desire to reach your goals ingrained into you via your family and friends. I personally suffer from very premature baldness inherent in my father's side of the family, and I'm doing everything possible to make my life more successful. I'm the only one I know (personally) with an Associate's Degree at nineteen years old, and making $22 an hour as a network technician. Also, my fiance's brother is top-notch material. Born and raised for football, joined the Marines, and did great until his friends convinced him to get into drugs... let's just say he won't be out of prison for a while.
Helping prevent children from getting Alzheimer's Disease will prevent that gene from being passed on in your family. That little added bonus should give them a boost in life. Nothing else really should be affected.
Well, IMO, this goes against natural selection. Weaknesses are inherent in all forms of life. And in this case, the weakness is basically being forced out of the child
Two problems with these statements. First of all, all medical technology, safety equipment, processed foods, medical procedures, etc. (ad nauseum) goes against natural selection. In the human race, natural selection doesn't exist anymore. Also, Alzheimer's Disease isn't usually something that can be filtered out via natural selection, because it usually begins affecting a person long after (s)he has passed on their genetic information to the children.
Second, nobody's forcing weaknesses out of anyone in this experiment. They are preventing a child from being born with a disease, not creating a bunch of children and killing off those with the disease, or creating one child and modifying their DNA after they're born (virtually impossible, since it must be changed in every single cell) to remove the gene.
I don't see anything wrong with this morally.
Unfortunately, natural selection is no longer capable of weeding out medical weaknesses on a large scale needed to make evolutionary progress. Most diseases are cured, instead of killing the patient, which would remove the defective genes from the gene pool (sorry that sounds so cruel, but it's true). I think this application of science is a very good thing, because it plays with disease prevention. No human being is harmed in the process, and the result is a healthier baby, and improved genetic quality in the species as a whole. Who can argue?
What amazes me is how stupid most publishers are. How hard would it be to take Ultima Underworld I and II, Shadowcaster, update the code to a Win32/OSX/Linux base, then sell the CD for $20 and say "Hey, folks - the great games you loved? Come pay us $20 for it!"
Not all game makers don't get this. Some do, and occasionally don't even make profit from it. Why? Many factors; low profit margins, no advertisement, only people who love the game will buy it, and it's so outdated, that the passersby at the store who pick it up will be disgusted when they get it home to play it.
Unfortunately, all of those do happen! For instance, Microprose (before they were bought by Hasbro, then by Infogrames) released a five-CD pack of all their classics; X-Com: UFO Defense, X-Com: Knee Deep in the Dead, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, and a demo CD. I picked it up for $20, because I love XUD, MoM, and MoO, but when I showed it off to my friends, they were appalled that I would spend that kind of money for that "junk." Keep in mind that these weren't updated for DirectX or anything (like Warcraft II: Battle.net), so they still ran in DOS and had Conventional Memory problems, etc. and the same EGA graphics.
The fact is, only a small percentage of the consumer market would be interested in things like this, like collectors and big-time fans. And many expect the programmers to put something in really special, or make huge modifications to the code upon re-release.
Few games can make profit like this, but there are exceptions. Such as the Oregon Trail series, which is now up to version five and runs in Win32, as opposed to the Commodore (correct me if I'm wrong here) and Apple IIe platforms it was designed on. But that's educational, too.
My suggestion? Make the game/application/operating system (maybe) public domain, and sell CDs or downloads of the source code to anyone who asks, for a small fee to cover the costs of the transaction for the company. This will let the real enthusiasts get a new collectors item without the makers having to publish anything, plus it can now be ported to new operating systems without the makers having to program anything (a la Quake 2).
Like the article says, though, this is "gray area" which is perfect for the developers, because it keeps the games in people's minds, and it will probably stay that way.
Has anyone ever had any kind of constructive conversation with one of these ISPs to see why they are unable or unwilling to do anything?
I tried, but couldn't understand them. So I just sent Godzilla over to take care of the problem.
I give up. Who's number 3?
Oh, this is too easy. It's CmdrTaco, of course. He thinks the outrageous cost of the trip to Disney World is justified, because it's a wedding present. Plus, he gets a Segway for free!
Oh, and they're going for near $30k already!
I'd actually considered writing something like this in perl but been hampered by the fact that I don't own a computer...
Since when has this been a hampering situation? See the above post, compute in your head!
Think for a minute how long we've been using 32-bit processors. If (and when) 64-bit becomes mainstream, I imagine it will be around for a LONG time, as it becomes standardized and slowly takes over a majority of the market. Also, we'll have the other contenders butting in with equivalent and cheaper options, like Cyrix (tried) and AMD (did).
Just because Intel will pave the way for mainstream 64-bit processors using the Itanium doesn't mean it will monopolize the market until it comes out with a 128-bit processor. No matter what, it will probably be years from now before we have to worry.
Imagine a Beowulf... ::head rings as he his slapped collectively by hundreds::
By the way, what is the difference in cost on these machines without the Microsoft Tax?
Digital-Logic AG, a Swiss company, sells two rather cool BX-based mini PCs...
Both fully equipped with such powerful swiss inventions as a built in nail filer, toothpick, three different sized knives with replacement blades, tweezers, scissors, hair brush, cooking stove, VCR, TV, AM/FM radio, penguin food dispenser...