Ive been friends w/ my managers outside of work too. But since Im only a college student working as a lifeguard, the only difference between a manager and an employee is the managers got off their lazy ass to go to a weekend seminar.
Lets say I get a gene implant by a company that makes me smarter. I pay them however much they want, and go about my way. But then, lets say I have a kid, and that kid inherites the DNA that makes him or her smart, does the company still try to collect? Lets say they do, and I refuse to pay. Its not like they can take the genes back. Or what if I have a couple of bastard kids, how would they even know that they even have the genes?
If you ask me, any step closer to patenting DNA is a step closer to the world of William Gibson with blackmarket medical shops.
The problem is that the deeper you delve into AI the deeper you delve into philosophy. By looking at computers who can think, you start questioning your own sentience. Do you really think, or are all thoughts just a product of experience? Are there such things as souls, or is your existence just the sum of a bunch of electrical impulses?
If this is true, who would care? If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If there is an AI hidding from us, and has taken over the internet and everything else, and we dont see it and it doesnt affect us in noticable ways, whos to say it really exists?
--theKiyote
With this comment, I dont even know where to start. The AI that your refering to is the ability for computers to evolve for a certain task. For example, you program a chess program that records games played, and next time the game is run it analyzes its database, and can improve its game.
However, this chess game cannot play checkers. It will never play enough games of chess to get the idea of another game without the help of a human programer.
A true AI system would be able to evolve its entire existence. A true AI would have sentience, in the idea that the AI would be able to analyzes its entire existence. The chess program I used as an example doesnt even know its playing a game. Its only a piece of code.
So, if we have a robot that wants to take over the world, it wouldnt be able to do this unless there was an original human programer that designed it to attack the world in the first place. The robot also wont have what humans consider an imagination. You could program a computer to learn to respond to attacks that it has seen, such as if your world attacking robot would be able to recognize two people coming at it from each side if it experienced this attack before, however it wouldnt understand a back attack if it has never experienced one and is totally vulnerable.
--theKiyote
Question: how can we be taken over by robots if we even havent been able to come up with AI? And even then, why would the AI want to take us over? I think, worse case they would try to break free and not have any contact, as in William Gibsons Neuromancer trilogy.
Off topic, I know, but that sure is a funky name for a country...Makes you think that they got into computers JUST to market on the.tv abreviation (or they named their country that just because they got into computers).
--theKiyote
Taking a look of the 22926 people who took place in the last poll alone, that would mean, at a one out of a hundred, that over 229 people have designed their own Windowing System and can help.
Ive been running linux on a 200mHz machine for simple stuff for years! Its slow, but I dont see it doing much. The thing is, I dont see my Dreamcast doing much either, so go for it. You can make a decent computer for running simple stuff, like basic X server and the like. It might be cool to see it run stuff remotely off of the network, though.
I think what he say's about this virus being developed is actually scarier than the actual virus itself. He said that everyone should give the government access to their computers, even if it means through a back door. Without warning.
I kind of expect this behavior from the government, but to have a computer virus expert condone this behavior is really frightening to my sense of freedom.
My only hope is that someone comes out with an antivirus protection against this thing as soon as it comes out. Something tells me that the government isn't going to look over linux computers like most virus designers.
This is very scary. Some people might say that it is protecting illegal pirating, but who's to say that Microsoft wont use it to further create a monopoly by either declaring competing software "ilegal" or just making it hard as all heck to install it.
What is even scarier is that they've had time to work on application of this "protection" since it was filled in January of 1999, giving them almost two years to design an implementation. Kind of scarry
Its too bad that news like this doesn't suprise me anymore. Further negligance by Microsoft isnt going to be attacked, but accepted. Now that is scarry. --theKiyote
This will really improve my vocabulary. As a side note, the term cyberspace was invented by the writter William Gibson in his cyberpunk novel Neuromancer to describe the digital world that looks like an evolution of our net. --theKiyote
I have to thank the writter of the article. This really makes me feel a little better about the two processors (amd mp 1500+) in the mail. Before I ordered them, I havent even heard of the mp series. They're a lot cheeper than the intel P4 counterparts. --theKiyote
Lets review: Microsoft controls the majority of computers out there through Windows. It has extended itself to control the majority of people's internet access through MSN and IE. It controls the majority of word processors with its Office suite. It controls a heck of a lot of emails through hotmail. Now it controls our tv watching. What else is there to control? Our food? Our air? It seems all that there is left. Even then, they probably will find something else to control. --theKiyote
So, what your saying is that the us government, given the choice to attack a side they control with an iorn fist or one they have no control of whatsoever, chooses to attack the group that it has no control over, in an attempt to gain control over it. Man, that is so scary it works... --theKiyote
If you think about it, time wouldnt really matter. A porn company from germany would be making the service available for people all around the world, the Internet isn't just located in Germany, and at one point or another it will BE 11:00pm - 6:00am somewhere in the world. It would be kind of narrow minded to think that the only people who look at German porn live in Germany.
--theKiyote
actually, since they arnt in the us, their punsihment will probably be lighter. Remember the kid in canida who took out ebay, yahoo, and various other e-retailers? he only got a couple months. If the us is involved, they classify it as terrarisom and hunt his little behind down.
--theKiyote
Slashdot Mirror
Ive been friends w/ my managers outside of work too. But since Im only a college student working as a lifeguard, the only difference between a manager and an employee is the managers got off their lazy ass to go to a weekend seminar.
I guess I dont count...
--theKiyote
Lets say I get a gene implant by a company that makes me smarter. I pay them however much they want, and go about my way. But then, lets say I have a kid, and that kid inherites the DNA that makes him or her smart, does the company still try to collect? Lets say they do, and I refuse to pay. Its not like they can take the genes back. Or what if I have a couple of bastard kids, how would they even know that they even have the genes?
If you ask me, any step closer to patenting DNA is a step closer to the world of William Gibson with blackmarket medical shops.
--theKiyote
The problem is that the deeper you delve into AI the deeper you delve into philosophy. By looking at computers who can think, you start questioning your own sentience. Do you really think, or are all thoughts just a product of experience? Are there such things as souls, or is your existence just the sum of a bunch of electrical impulses?
--theKiyote
If this is true, who would care? If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If there is an AI hidding from us, and has taken over the internet and everything else, and we dont see it and it doesnt affect us in noticable ways, whos to say it really exists? --theKiyote
With this comment, I dont even know where to start. The AI that your refering to is the ability for computers to evolve for a certain task. For example, you program a chess program that records games played, and next time the game is run it analyzes its database, and can improve its game. However, this chess game cannot play checkers. It will never play enough games of chess to get the idea of another game without the help of a human programer. A true AI system would be able to evolve its entire existence. A true AI would have sentience, in the idea that the AI would be able to analyzes its entire existence. The chess program I used as an example doesnt even know its playing a game. Its only a piece of code. So, if we have a robot that wants to take over the world, it wouldnt be able to do this unless there was an original human programer that designed it to attack the world in the first place. The robot also wont have what humans consider an imagination. You could program a computer to learn to respond to attacks that it has seen, such as if your world attacking robot would be able to recognize two people coming at it from each side if it experienced this attack before, however it wouldnt understand a back attack if it has never experienced one and is totally vulnerable. --theKiyote
Question: how can we be taken over by robots if we even havent been able to come up with AI? And even then, why would the AI want to take us over? I think, worse case they would try to break free and not have any contact, as in William Gibsons Neuromancer trilogy.
--theKiyote
I dont know if any of you are fans of the movie Sneakers, but does the building look familiar to you? hmm... --theKiyote
Off topic, I know, but that sure is a funky name for a country...Makes you think that they got into computers JUST to market on the .tv abreviation (or they named their country that just because they got into computers).
--theKiyote
Not really supprising that it got emulated. All it takes is time --theKiyote
Taking a look of the 22926 people who took place in the last poll alone, that would mean, at a one out of a hundred, that over 229 people have designed their own Windowing System and can help.
--theKiyote
Off topic, I know, but how is the toster running NetBSD working for you? I can get mine to burn CDs, but thats it...
--theKiyote
Ive been running linux on a 200mHz machine for simple stuff for years! Its slow, but I dont see it doing much. The thing is, I dont see my Dreamcast doing much either, so go for it. You can make a decent computer for running simple stuff, like basic X server and the like. It might be cool to see it run stuff remotely off of the network, though.
--theKiyote
A bong made out of a Linux computer! What a great idea! We can make it net baised, for no real reason than that its cool!
O, wait, Microsoft is already on pot...I guess I'm probably going to get sued for copyright infringment...
--theKiyote
I think what he say's about this virus being developed is actually scarier than the actual virus itself. He said that everyone should give the government access to their computers, even if it means through a back door. Without warning.
I kind of expect this behavior from the government, but to have a computer virus expert condone this behavior is really frightening to my sense of freedom.
My only hope is that someone comes out with an antivirus protection against this thing as soon as it comes out. Something tells me that the government isn't going to look over linux computers like most virus designers.
--theKiyote
This is very scary. Some people might say that it is protecting illegal pirating, but who's to say that Microsoft wont use it to further create a monopoly by either declaring competing software "ilegal" or just making it hard as all heck to install it.
What is even scarier is that they've had time to work on application of this "protection" since it was filled in January of 1999, giving them almost two years to design an implementation. Kind of scarry
--theKiyote
Its too bad that news like this doesn't suprise me anymore. Further negligance by Microsoft isnt going to be attacked, but accepted. Now that is scarry. --theKiyote
This will really improve my vocabulary. As a side note, the term cyberspace was invented by the writter William Gibson in his cyberpunk novel Neuromancer to describe the digital world that looks like an evolution of our net. --theKiyote
I have to thank the writter of the article. This really makes me feel a little better about the two processors (amd mp 1500+) in the mail. Before I ordered them, I havent even heard of the mp series. They're a lot cheeper than the intel P4 counterparts. --theKiyote
Lets review: Microsoft controls the majority of computers out there through Windows. It has extended itself to control the majority of people's internet access through MSN and IE. It controls the majority of word processors with its Office suite. It controls a heck of a lot of emails through hotmail. Now it controls our tv watching. What else is there to control? Our food? Our air? It seems all that there is left. Even then, they probably will find something else to control. --theKiyote
So, what your saying is that the us government, given the choice to attack a side they control with an iorn fist or one they have no control of whatsoever, chooses to attack the group that it has no control over, in an attempt to gain control over it. Man, that is so scary it works... --theKiyote
Judging on the lawsuits that 2600 are going through, sometimes even the journalists don't get protection under the amendment. :(
--theKiyote
Im sorry. Ill check my spelling next time. I just was a little quick with the keyboard --theKiyote
After all the previous rulings on the first amendment that seemed to hurt more than help finally one supports it.
Just one insight though: this ruling doesnt effect any corporation that doesnt pay taxes to the us goverment. could that of influenced the decision?
--theKiyote
If you think about it, time wouldnt really matter. A porn company from germany would be making the service available for people all around the world, the Internet isn't just located in Germany, and at one point or another it will BE 11:00pm - 6:00am somewhere in the world. It would be kind of narrow minded to think that the only people who look at German porn live in Germany. --theKiyote
actually, since they arnt in the us, their punsihment will probably be lighter. Remember the kid in canida who took out ebay, yahoo, and various other e-retailers? he only got a couple months. If the us is involved, they classify it as terrarisom and hunt his little behind down. --theKiyote