(I`m not privy to any private correspondance between you and Sokal; then again, i`m only talking about the `public spectacle`).
I thought the quotes were just that - carefully checked references. I`ll admit i didnt check them myself, but then i`m not publishing anything, otherwise i`d probably have some form of peer-review. If thats not their style, then fair enough.
But i seem to remember (i`ve not read this for about a year now) that a lot of people got into a flap about it, defended the people he was `attacking` (thereby missing the point entirely).
I`ll be honest - i dont generally read the sort of wordy crap which he is taking the piss out of. It doesnt interest me. They seem to be using long scary words to hide the fact that they are talking shit. Far too retro. What problems does it set out to solve? Has it succeeded? Then again, i`m not a French Marxist - perhaps that makes all the difference.
So i`m not qualified to say that the whole field is bollocks. I`m not even sure what the field is called. But i`ve seen similar `stuff` when i`ve browsed books in art galleries, and i have a book about Frank Zappa (by Ben Watson) which sounds like its in the same peculiar basket, and they`ve only satisfied my irony glands - like checking out conceptual art pieces (installations, video art and the like), and not my heart or my brain.
"Unfortunately it is not as good if you happen to know about quantum theory and hermeneutics."
I`m sorry, but it IS bollocks - total bollocks. Yes, he cut and pasted stuff to make it look plausible, but it means nothing!
And he doesnt claim to rubbish philosophers - he rubbished a magazine for uncritically accepting something which looked like it made sense, without checking it. He goes out of his way, in many of his other articles, to make this clear.
Check out:
http://www.physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/
especially
http://www.physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/noretta .h tml
So... a shitty search engine pays to use Googles technology (which we can use for free), to become less shitty?
Can`t think why so many tech companies have been going bust!
In fact, you`d think the restaurants etc would pay to be on a decent map which people bother to read (as opposed to, say, the useless `Knowhere guide` pages on the net)
I admit it, i`m a moron. But theres no need for that sort of language.
Oh, and by the way, no-one i know who works in music (making it, not just wanking over oxygen free cables) gives a shit about all that hifi crap, so when you listen to music (you do listen to music, right?), you`re listening to music made by people on stuff which doesnt pass your `quality` tests.
I know exactly what you mean. I just go with what you use too. I used to think it looked wrong, but i`m going to leave it as it is from now on, seeing that you use it too! Looks ok to me - i just fear others wont `get it`!
Is this possible? Is there any reason why you couldnt encode tv signals with macrovision, to prevent copying? I`ve not heard of this, which makes me think its not possible, but why not?
"For example, HMV no longer takes back unopened CDs."
So...open them?
And don`t be put off by stores saying "Its not our policy to do X". Often it doesnt matter. Find out what you are actually entitled to, by law. In the UK some shops seem to think that their policy of not giving refunds on, for example, sale items, actually means something. It doesnt! So find out your rights. If you bought it to play on your pc, and it doesnt work, then under the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act, its not `fit for the purpose intended`, and you can get a refund.
(I`m not sure which label you start on is important.)
FZ started suing labels to gain control of his own music in the early 70`s, and won most, if not all, claims.
I`m also not sure what relevance UMRK/BP has here. They were his labels - he released his own music on them. I think he just used RYKO for distribution, and many (if not all) of the cd released through them reverted back to him after a few years, i believe.
I guess their argument is that they ARE helping union members - just not the members of their own particular union.
I`ll admit to not knowing how the unions work over there (i`m not exactly an expert on UK unions!). But surely theres some room for a vote on that sort of thing? Fly by the cheap airline but voluntarily donate some money to the other union, or have some reciprocal arrangement?
Q 19:If cds are supposed to be really cheap to make, why are you charging so much?
A: You arent paying for the medium, you are paying for the `software`.
Q 20:In that case, why did the price go up so much when CD`s were first released?
A: High initial production costs, R&D.
Q 21: So why are CD`s still expensive?
A: Shut up.
Q 22: So, i`m paying for the software, so i can have a copy on my walkperson, a copy on my pc, a copy in my car, right? I mean, as long as i`m the only one to use it, and i only use one at a time, thats ok, yeah?
A: Shut up.
Q 23: I dont use windows. How do i play the CD now?
you`re american, right? In Europe, Unions still have a pretty good name (better outside the UK though).
I`m not bothered if unions have people kicked out for being crap. Thats a bit of a late 20`th century idea - "ooh boss, lets plant drugs on this guy, or find out if he`s gay or a communist`. Such events have no bearing on whether or not such a person can perform his job.
"So get off your high horse and get over yourself"
That sounds like a reasonable response to a statement about `being careful with our own planet`. Whats the matter - were you exposed to one too many `You are atomic energy - partners in freedom` videos at school?
------
I think it *will* scare people (at least it
scares me!) to have a software company (Microsoft) making consumer electronics, home appliances, etc.
------
Things have changed a lot in 20 years. People (especially generally clued up types into geek culture) dont appreciate having other peoples opinions shoved down their throats.
If you missed it, the question it concerns itself with is `What is quality?`. Rather than the answer `Its subjective - whatever you think it is`, it waffles on for hundreds of pages about motor bikes, why man-made eyesores actually arent eyesores because they are functional, and ends up with the character who represents the author going mad (probably cos he just couldnt stuff himself any more full of shit).
If you`ve taken too much acid, or you`re going mad, or pissed off at the work, i`d suggest you miss this book and move onto something by the Dalai Lama, or just go for a walk. This book isnt going to help you.
If it feels dated,
on
True Names
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
its because its a 20 year old book about computing.
Oh, and that stuff about terrorists and horses - well, people have been going on about spooks and terrorists and civil rights for years, and they always will.
"Written before recent events"? Well, 1999 may be before September 11th, 2001, but what he`s describing (`Just a few really ghastly terrorist incidents would be enough to cause a sea change in public opinion`) is old news to anyone who`s been paying attention to how governments (around the world) get the laws they want.
Slashdot Mirror
(I`m not privy to any private correspondance between you and Sokal; then again, i`m only talking about the `public spectacle`).
I thought the quotes were just that - carefully checked references. I`ll admit i didnt check them myself, but then i`m not publishing anything, otherwise i`d probably have some form of peer-review. If thats not their style, then fair enough.
But i seem to remember (i`ve not read this for about a year now) that a lot of people got into a flap about it, defended the people he was `attacking` (thereby missing the point entirely).
I`ll be honest - i dont generally read the sort of wordy crap which he is taking the piss out of. It doesnt interest me. They seem to be using long scary words to hide the fact that they are talking shit. Far too retro. What problems does it set out to solve? Has it succeeded? Then again, i`m not a French Marxist - perhaps that makes all the difference.
So i`m not qualified to say that the whole field is bollocks. I`m not even sure what the field is called. But i`ve seen similar `stuff` when i`ve browsed books in art galleries, and i have a book about Frank Zappa (by Ben Watson) which sounds like its in the same peculiar basket, and they`ve only satisfied my irony glands - like checking out conceptual art pieces (installations, video art and the like), and not my heart or my brain.
"Unfortunately it is not as good if you happen to know about quantum theory and hermeneutics."
a .h tml
I`m sorry, but it IS bollocks - total bollocks. Yes, he cut and pasted stuff to make it look plausible, but it means nothing!
And he doesnt claim to rubbish philosophers - he rubbished a magazine for uncritically accepting something which looked like it made sense, without checking it. He goes out of his way, in many of his other articles, to make this clear.
Check out:
http://www.physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/
especially
http://www.physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/norett
So... a shitty search engine pays to use Googles technology (which we can use for free), to become less shitty?
Can`t think why so many tech companies have been going bust!
In fact, you`d think the restaurants etc would pay to be on a decent map which people bother to read (as opposed to, say, the useless `Knowhere guide` pages on the net)
What about the arms trade? Or is that still ok, and its just fictional representations of violence which are bad?
I admit it, i`m a moron. But theres no need for that sort of language.
Oh, and by the way, no-one i know who works in music (making it, not just wanking over oxygen free cables) gives a shit about all that hifi crap, so when you listen to music (you do listen to music, right?), you`re listening to music made by people on stuff which doesnt pass your `quality` tests.
Worked out which colour speaker cables sound best yet?
...you`ll be laughing at this in a few years!
`Check this one out! Check your email on the move!! Yeah, but wait until you get home before you can reply!`
Surely the future of communications is speech, not converting what you would normally have said into words, and then typing them in?
You let a guy who looks like George Bush (V2.0) into the white house, and you get the laws you deserve.
I know exactly what you mean. I just go with what you use too. I used to think it looked wrong, but i`m going to leave it as it is from now on, seeing that you use it too! Looks ok to me - i just fear others wont `get it`!
Is this possible? Is there any reason why you couldnt encode tv signals with macrovision, to prevent copying? I`ve not heard of this, which makes me think its not possible, but why not?
"For example, HMV no longer takes back unopened CDs."
So...open them?
And don`t be put off by stores saying "Its not our policy to do X". Often it doesnt matter. Find out what you are actually entitled to, by law. In the UK some shops seem to think that their policy of not giving refunds on, for example, sale items, actually means something. It doesnt! So find out your rights. If you bought it to play on your pc, and it doesnt work, then under the 1979 Sale Of Goods Act, its not `fit for the purpose intended`, and you can get a refund.
(I`m not sure which label you start on is important.)
FZ started suing labels to gain control of his own music in the early 70`s, and won most, if not all, claims.
I`m also not sure what relevance UMRK/BP has here. They were his labels - he released his own music on them. I think he just used RYKO for distribution, and many (if not all) of the cd released through them reverted back to him after a few years, i believe.
"The only money that was lost was by the store"
Well, who do you think gets most of the money you hand over for a CD? Sounds like poetic justice to me...
I guess their argument is that they ARE helping union members - just not the members of their own particular union.
I`ll admit to not knowing how the unions work over there (i`m not exactly an expert on UK unions!). But surely theres some room for a vote on that sort of thing? Fly by the cheap airline but voluntarily donate some money to the other union, or have some reciprocal arrangement?
They left off a few:-
Q 19:If cds are supposed to be really cheap to make, why are you charging so much?
A: You arent paying for the medium, you are paying for the `software`.
Q 20:In that case, why did the price go up so much when CD`s were first released?
A: High initial production costs, R&D.
Q 21: So why are CD`s still expensive?
A: Shut up.
Q 22: So, i`m paying for the software, so i can have a copy on my walkperson, a copy on my pc, a copy in my car, right? I mean, as long as i`m the only one to use it, and i only use one at a time, thats ok, yeah?
A: Shut up.
Q 23: I dont use windows. How do i play the CD now?
A: Shut up.
etc etc.
you`re american, right? In Europe, Unions still have a pretty good name (better outside the UK though).
I`m not bothered if unions have people kicked out for being crap. Thats a bit of a late 20`th century idea - "ooh boss, lets plant drugs on this guy, or find out if he`s gay or a communist`. Such events have no bearing on whether or not such a person can perform his job.
corporations exist to make profit
unions exist to help people
i think there is a difference.
"So get off your high horse and get over yourself"
That sounds like a reasonable response to a statement about `being careful with our own planet`. Whats the matter - were you exposed to one too many `You are atomic energy - partners in freedom` videos at school?
------
I think it *will* scare people (at least it
scares me!) to have a software company (Microsoft) making consumer electronics, home appliances, etc.
------
Yeah, Psion was pretty scary!
Things have changed a lot in 20 years. People (especially generally clued up types into geek culture) dont appreciate having other peoples opinions shoved down their throats.
>Ahh the things I wont miss,
>
>burnt hands
>bad odor
>ciruits that just didn't etch correctly.
What is this - Ted Kaczynski`s prison diary?
Havent seen this link posted in a while, and its sort of relevant...
h tm l
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy_pr.
"Zen and the art..." was a very poor book.
If you missed it, the question it concerns itself with is `What is quality?`. Rather than the answer `Its subjective - whatever you think it is`, it waffles on for hundreds of pages about motor bikes, why man-made eyesores actually arent eyesores because they are functional, and ends up with the character who represents the author going mad (probably cos he just couldnt stuff himself any more full of shit).
If you`ve taken too much acid, or you`re going mad, or pissed off at the work, i`d suggest you miss this book and move onto something by the Dalai Lama, or just go for a walk. This book isnt going to help you.
its because its a 20 year old book about computing.
n tc hiefs_010501.html
Oh, and that stuff about terrorists and horses - well, people have been going on about spooks and terrorists and civil rights for years, and they always will.
"Written before recent events"? Well, 1999 may be before September 11th, 2001, but what he`s describing (`Just a few really ghastly terrorist incidents would be enough to cause a sea change in public opinion`) is old news to anyone who`s been paying attention to how governments (around the world) get the laws they want.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/joi