Electronics need to be designed for recycling
on
Japan's War On E-Waste
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Electronics need to be designed for recycling. I'm sure that when a chip manufacturer is designing a new chip, recycling isn't even a consideration in the design. There are several elements that are ever increasing in the American economy faster than elsewhere in the world: energy prices, property taxes, health care expenses, living expenses, and entertainment. We are headed for the "Artificial Intelligence" future where we have to be mindful of the total cost of manufacturing something and looking at the value we get from that product. Is "X" product really that useful for society? How will it affect the environment (land fill or otherwise) after its usefulness is gone? Are there other uses for the material in that product? Are those materials easily disassembled or dismantled into component parts? This type of thinking will eventually persist in the USA one day, but not anytime in the near future. Let's face it, human existence is starting to get expensive. Why the hell do you think all those manufacturing and white collar computer science and science (chemistry, biology, etc...) jobs are moving to overseas markets?
You are truly evil. You IMPLY that Slashdot is running on Borg Technology. Bad form ambisinistral, bad form. That would crush the hearts of all geeks alike. Hell, that would cause mass rioting.
To Redmond we go! Every one click:
http://www.microsoft.com/
C'mon geeks, nerds, and dweebs UNITE. We can Slashdot the Borg and overtake the monopolistic opression we are so tired of battling.
You too can get plenty of exercise by following a strict modern office regimen workout. Start the blood flowing in your arms by moving your hands, preferably while opening boxes of Ho Hos, King Dongs, and Twinkies. This exercise includes removing the plastic wrappers from these food items known to have an infinite shelf life. Flex those biceps by reaching down to the desk, grabbing onto that lucious loaf of sugar and grease-filled sponge cake. Quickly hork down the food in one gulp. We wouldn't want to reveal our secrets for keeping our cute BIG BIRTHA beached-whale-ish figure, would we? An added bonus to this exercise routine is that you ingest a considerable amount of preservatives, which will reduce the cost of emballming after you die from coronary heart disease that was facilitated by all the saturated and trans fatty acids that hardened and eventually clogged your arteries. If you are one of those fortunate people who work in one of America's great malls all day long, you can concievably get a fairly good cardiovascular workout walking briskly or running to the other end of the mall to fulfill your entire day's caloric intake. In the morning, just before opening shop, rush to the in-mall McDonalds to get your Greased McMuffin Sandwich, complete with HOT grease-saturated potatoes (Note: Republicans (like Dan Quayle) typically spell "potato" with an "e" at the end; I'm not republican, but I would want any to feel "left out" of the discussion). Note also that this first meal will satisfy your daily caloric intake, but this is America, where we do things BIG, so we have to do this again and add more to our caloric intake at lunch and dinner. And with the economy doing so poorly now-a-days, it's better to have a little fat to burn when one could possibly lose his/her job; this will give your some "cushion", no pun intended, until you find further employment to sustain your lavish lifestyle. If a McDonalds is not available, you will have to locate another court-food substitute that is equally tasty and nutritious.
Could this be a government conspiracy to rid the world of people with low self-esteem who have unhealthy eating habits? Or is the conspiracy really to rid the world of unmotivated underachievers?
Before anyone gets upset, surely I jest, no kidding, really, this is FUN.
Are you making the argument that everything a person does, says, believes in, etc are stored in their DNA? You think we could just clone Einstein, keep him in a lab for 20 years, then we'd have a physics genius who likes to ride bikes all over again. Sorry, but environment plays a *huge* role in a person's actions. It could be some obscure childhood experience that caused Einstein to *want* to solve physics problems, not a "make profound theories" gene.
Absolutely not! I know that everything a person does is not stored in their nuclear DNA, duh, my education is in Biochemistry. But I do know that certain personality types gravitate towards certain career types, and the personality traits to which I'm referring are GENETIC. For instance, some people may have schizoid personality features or the full-blown disorder. Environment plays absolutely NO PART in determining how this individual's personal career preferences will be. People with schizoid personality features prefer working alone, independently, like working with abstract ideas, often do not marry (lack of social skills), and many times prefer mathematical challenges. Careers that fit this personality type tend to be SCIENCE-oriented. While an Albert Einstein clone may not work in physics again, he may choose another branch of science and possibly make an equally significant contribution to science and humanity.
I know there have been studies with twins raised by different adoptive parents, and even though they were raised in different environments, studies have shown that certain behaviors in the twins are identical or nearly the same AFTER they are away from their adoptive family environments. Hence, genetics plays a fairly large role in how one lives his or her life. Can environment direct us in ways that influence our lives significantly? Sure, but we are still following a set of very complicated rules set in stone by our genetics. Our brains are like very complicated machines, given a certain stimulus, it will produce a consistent response most of the time. In fact, recent studies have indicated that the human population has relatively large differences in DNA. Scientists used to say we all were 99.9999% the same; we are actually about 90% the same, which is evidenced in behaviors, abilities whether they are sports jocks, science geeks, business leaders, etc...
FYI: Permanent memories ARE STORED in RNA and float around in our neurons. I read about that back in 1996 in a scientific journal. I was also pleasantly shocked when an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation mentioned this in relation to how our favorite android, Data, stores permanent memories compared to humans.
From the movie "Lost In Space" there was a scene where the spider-like creatures body part/DNA was analyzed by the computer where the computer reconstructed the spider-like creater in a hologram where virtual tests could be run, including how it lives in the vaccum of space and how it metabolizes food, neuroprocesses, etc... While I believe that someday humans may possess this computational power, we are a very long way from that. Also, in the distant future, I think that people will be given the option of preserving their DNA so they can live again. Of course that life will be lead by your clone, but you (your DNA) still gets to live again. Kinda nice if that person turns out to be someone who makes significant changes in the quality of human life, world preservation, etc... a reward for those of extraordinary genetics that can save the population in needy times.
What this really indicates is that information in and of itself can be pretty useless, but when some raw brute-force intelligence is applied to it, making associations with the information, then it can become a national security issue. I think he should go ahead with his thesis with the condition that someone or some body (of the US Government) should start implementing plans to defend the businesses, institutions, and utilities within and working with the infrastructure.
Of course the US Government doesn't want him to publish the work, THAT would create a lot of work for the US Government to protect and prevent attacks on the infrastructure. In the end, if this guy doesn't publish his work, someone else will follow in his footsteps and do the same work but keep the information/results obtained from it private or possibly sell it to the highest terrorist network. Isn't capitalism fun? And since much of the work on this project is done, is the PROJECT secure? Is it on a laptop? Is it on a web server? Is it in an email? Is it on a burned CD lying in the open for the taking? It will be discovered sooner on later.
This is Adobe's way of punishing Apple for trouncing on their business. It also shows that Adobe will try to reclaim that lost Macintosh business on the Windows side of computing, by forcing those Mac users to purchase a Wintel PC to continue using Premiere. This stratedy has a two edged attack: 1. Adobe still keeps its business and 2. Adobe attempts to hinder Apple's hardware sales by forcing Mac users to the Dark Side into being assimilated as BORG DRONES.
Our government just keeps SPENDING and SPENDING and SPENDING. You'd think that with ALL the fricking PC's they purchase, The Borg would give a significant discount for bulk licenses. Well, it looks like we're back to the REPUBLICAN days of buying $400 hammers and toilet seats. I'd like to know where the money is REALLY going.
IIRC, the NSA or CIA or someone developed a really secure version of Linux somewhere. Oh, wait, slap me in the head, it doesn't run OFFICE (BACK ORIFICE, remember that?). It's NOT COMPATIBLE. The only thing most military personnel need from OFFICE is a word processor and spreadsheet, two items that are FREELY available in OpenOffice.
I can see this happening in the future:
Congressional hearing: George dubya, did you participate in illegal money transfers?
George dubya: I don't understand the question.
Congressional hearing: George dubya, since the Coalition Forces didn't find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, did you pay the Saddam Hussein loyalists money using extra money set aside from an inflated Microsoft software purchase (a bribe) to hand over the nuclear weapons program the Iraqi scientists were working on?
George dubya: I don't remember.
George dubya later FAKES a diagnosis of alzheimer's disease are retires on a private ranch in Tixis (Hillbilly phonetics) and slips away from public scutiny and prosecution.
Yup, uhuh, this is how it will happen. And I'm sure George dubya will get his little kick back too from the Borg leader.
Re:Processor design needs to change.
on
P4 3.2GHz Reviews
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· Score: 1
My point in mentioning a more parallel processing scheme is taken from experience using the PowerPC G4 processor's AltiVec unit. The AltiVec unit processes data in 128-bit chunks. Also, my Hewlett Packard HP48GX calculator (with HP LISP programming language) can processing data/numbers in parallel.
Example (Looking at the HP display):
2: {10 20 30 40}
1: 2
Press "/" key:
1: {5 10 15 20}
While this is only useful for doing the same operation on groups of numbers or data, it seems that given the current trend of media processing (audio/video, high-end Roll Playing Games, i.e. signal processing), a more parallel organized way of manipulating/processing data is a better solution.
I've also had considerable experience using MATLAB and processing data in nice big chunks is very efficient. Don't have enough data to fill the 128-bit vector? Fill the unused space with zeros.
I'm not saying that IBM PowerPC or Intel is better than the other (though PowerPC is more efficient than Intel), I'm just saying that since computation on data are changing, processor design should too.
Processor design needs to change.
on
P4 3.2GHz Reviews
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· Score: 2, Informative
Processor design needs to change. Just to put things to rest, I'm a Macintosh zealot. Intel keeps pushing the clock rates higher, which places more demand on power requirements (the chip itself and cooling), hence most windows users (secretaries, cublicle workers) in an business office environment never need to have space heaters under their desks to keep their legs warm in the winter time. The PowerPC RISC processors are going in the right direction, but let's take a look at the graphics card processor chips. These chips run at lower clock rates, use less electricity, and move MASSIVE amounts data and calculate a metric ass-load of computations. Processors need wide (128-bit or more) and shallow pipelines to get *the best* performance. Looking at the graphs from the article (yawn), well, they look pretty linear. Ramping up the clock rates with a 800 megahurts FSB (PPC 970 has 1GHz FSB) is eventually going to lead to a starved processor (i.e. Motorola PowerPC G4). Well, enough ranting. Intel marketing (girls dancing, chip technicians in space suits doing the disco) prevails.
I can see this feature causing some accidents. A common consumer passenger vehicle should never intervene with control of the vehicle. People over react and this could cause more accidents. Many times people over react when anti-lock brakes engage. Sometimes they "abuse" them by assuming that they will always prevent a skid, and drive more aggresively. I know, I did it for a while with my Saturn SL2. Now that I have a Saab 9-3 turbo, and have aged and wised up a bit, I drive much more conservatively, mostly because I'm more conscientious about my mortality and I don't want my new toy damaged in an accident.
I bought my Saab for safety reasons, quality of the vehicle, and, for the money, it's a really good car. It's a good car with airbags all over the place, seat belt pretensioners, stability control, trackion control, anti-lock brakes, etc... I like the fact that I can look at the in-dash computer display every morning and get the outside temperature, date, and latest weather information from the weather band radio. Hell, the computer even tells WHICH headlight, tail light, turn signal, and fog lamp is burned out, it also tells me if the fuel filler cap is loose and needs to be tightened, as well as when the windshield washer fluid level is low, not out.
For more information on the really nice car, go here:
Try some Bossa Nova, perhaps Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Steve Cole is pretty good too.
If you're into vocals, check out Al Jarreau.
Marc Antoine is also a favorite as is Peter White.
All these artists with the exception of Jobim can be heard on most smooth jazz radio stations (WNWV FM 107.3 in Cleveland "The Wave"). If you have a Macintosh with iTunes, check out the internet radio stations listed under Jazz.
Saw this coming for a while now.
on
42-Volt Autos
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· Score: 1
One of my uncles who works for DaimlerChrysler casually mentioned this to me quite some time ago. The power requirements of today's cars are increasing very rapidly. The computers used for safety features and all the "power" toys, i.e. heated seats, heated outside mirrors, power windows, locks, OnStar, onboard navigation systems that require LCD screens, automatic climate control systems, super duper bright headlights (you know the ones, those with blue beams), daytime running lights, fog lamps, antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, power sunroof, etc... are really quite demanding for the electrical system when used simultaniously. Most moderately priced autos and luxury cars have these features (Saab, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Cadillac, Hummer, Lexus, etc... Maybe some high-end Saturn L-series and Pontiacs too).
If the enemy in a war (legal or otherwise) is not defeated on every front, it will come back to fight again in the future. This is an ingrained law in our survival instincts. It's all about obtain resources to ensure survival. It's also a component or the very seat of primate social dynamics and POLITICS. The Borg undefeated, will regroup and launch another attack in a DIFFERENT area. Has Star Trek taught us nothing? Defeating the Borg requires implanting a fractal virus in their neural net, like this hasn't been tried before and would not be difficult to do again with its rampant security holes. People, seriously, to beat M$ is going to require a coordinated strategy on multiple fronts from negative advertising, publishing the truth about its business tactics, translating legalese of the EULA into common laymen's terms, word of mouth, and absolute bias towards other alternatives (Linux, Lindows, Mac OS X, etc...). This requires pushing hard the alternatives showing clear examples (demos) that are more cost efficient than M$ bugware.
...slima...Would you be my [nuck]Dork?...February 7, 1990: that was a good week for chunky rotten milk...salt water got you down?
Oops, wrong "Alien" series.
...Leave her alone you BITCH!...[Alien head shot, mean pissed-off hissing sound]...
Oops, wrong "Alien" series again.
...Nanu Nanu...floating eggs delivering envelopes at the front door...
Wrong Again!
...Oh my, it's the BIG HEAD...
Ack, wrong!
I wish they would re-televise the Martian Chronicles. Now THAT was cool. At least there was a story, theme, and plot. This made for TV series stuff is really not that great. Star Trek is great. When will NBC come up with something that is TRULY original? At least most Nerds here on Slashdot have a book on Star Fleet Academy, and at least one book describing the history of events that happened in Star Trek, listing the episode, and people involved, well, at least I do.
Would the world be better off or not if it was illegal to overpromote the functionality or features of software?"
The world would be a much better (happier users) and safer (less security risks). The Borg would lose its monopoly if people really knew how badly engineered Microsoft software is put together. I'm not trying to be a troll, but everyone here on Slashdot knows that M$, for a while, was coming out with weekly security updates for Internet Explorer and Internet Information Server. Even the US government hinted that M$ better get its act together and repair its flawed products after 9/11, saying that our information infrastructure was at risk to attacks. Apple seems to do a better job of weeding out the bugs before the public en mass downloads any updates to Mac OS X. And Apple is certainly much faster at fixing known bugs in its software. Look at how fast it was in clearing up the iTunes internet sharing flaw - one week to get the update out, only to be thwarted again by the UNIX heads playing around with port numbers, etc... At least the music is "protected" from sharing not "in the know".
There are a few independent radio stations left that are quite popular and financially successful: FM 107.3 "The Wave" Smooth Jazz in the Cleveland area is quite popular and gives away daily two tickets to a tropical vacation.
But now, the Red Chinese are racing to have the first permanent Moonbase, and if you don't know how dire that is, reread Heinlein's "The Moon is A Harsh Mistress". Do we want to live in a world that's under the constant menace of Commie rocks from the Moon, cracking down on our religion, way of life and democracy? Do you want to live ina world where you can have only one child, and have to worship Confucius? Do you want to have you one child taken away to a creche, and be forced to live on a communal farm? Maybe this can spur more people into the hard sciences, and fewer into business and law.
People always think that we *NEED* more scientists. We don't! There are simply not enough jobs to go around for all the scientists now, that's why so many work in a lab for X number of years, see that there is no opportunity for advancement within the organization (to earn more $$$), and go on into business and law. Just because you're a pencil-necked geek doesn't mean you don't want the *American Dream* - a nice house, a playboy babe for a wife, and two above average children living in rural/suburbia America, driving a Saab, BMW, or C-Class Mercedes Benz. The problem with science at most universities is that they are not rigorous enough to produce the *Best* scientists. Often, but not always, the *Best* scientists come from the Ivy Leagues and second tier schools, not your average [Insert City Here] State University or University of [Insert City Here] school. Science in the laboratory is now highly automated; we don't need chemists any more, we need technicians that make $12 to $14/hour. The hard and cool stuff has been solved, now we have stream-lined laboratories that push out products and analyses. Many of these jobs are leaving the US economy and relocating over seas. I wish the situation were different, but this is the ugly truth about science in this day and age.
Apple tries to make it convenient for us to have our music where and when we want it. For the few who have abused that privaledge, some freedom is taken away. When are people going to learn NOT to abuse the nice things in life? Apple has resisted the scum and villany at the RIAA, innovated better software than the Borg, and generally has a pretty happy and loyal customer base. Please, idiots, pirates, and unix heads, don't ruin anymore of this great program Apple has GIVEN us. If you keep finding ways to circumvent Apple's safeguards to protect the artists and music industry as well as give is userbase FREEDOM to with their music as they please, there won't be an Apple Music Store for long.
Stop messing around with iTunes, port numbers, SSH, etc...
Reading through the responses to this post brings back fond memories of Dr. Wade's DiffEQ class back in 1996. I recall a homework assignment that required solving a differential equation, then plug-n-chug to get the numerical answer. I was the only non-math major in the class and the only student who had the correct answer. The reason I had the correct answer was that I was a chemistry major familiar with systems of measurement, and the problem specifically stated to find the MASS of the object in the English system. Everyone thinks the measurement of mass in the English system is the POUND, which is completely incorrect, the POUND is a FORCE unit. The mass unit of measure in the English system is the SLUG.
Re:Star Trek has been completed!
on
Mastering Light
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· Score: 4, Funny
I disagree with "Star Trek has been completed!"
Star Trek will NOT be complete until we have discovered how the Klingons and Romulans make their CLOAKING DEVICES. And while we're at it, I wish Zephram Cochran would hurry up and be born so he can invent the Warp Drive. You know, I thought we almost had the Warp Drive with Asymetical Capacitors, but others here on Slashdot have pointed out that they don't work in a vacuum. One more thing, we need Transporters to beam down to other planets from orbit. We're a long way from Star Trek.
The Internet is dying? Huh? What's that you say? Ya know, from the moment we are born we begin to die. Brain cells die by the thousands, everyday, tens of hundreds of muscle cells die in our bodies, every day, telomeres in our cells shorten with every cell division. My Gosh, the sky is full of stars. Will I fly among the stars when I die? What if science is wrong about atoms, and they lose energy and the electron orbits decay into the nucleus? What will happen then? Post on Slashdot that the UNIVERSE IS DYING!!??? OMG!! OMG!!! I can't bre...bre...breath!! [cough, ack, cough]. Please, someone please, I need a perin tablet (an aspirin with the "A" and the "S" scaped off), perhaps a Zoloft (TM) or a Prosac (TM). Someone please mode me down as -5 TROLL, OFFTOPIC and reply with self help links, so that others won't suffer this horrible affliction...the rest of this post will be available for viewing HERE ON SLASHDOT at 11:00 PM.
I seem to remember a long time ago about an incident where Bill Gates of Borg toured NASA and offered to GIVE AWAY PCs with M$ Windows on them so that NASA essentially ran on Windows. NASA supposedly did a long term study on Windows and determined that it was not stable enough to run the Space Shuttle and mission control equipment. There would be no way to recover the Space Shuttle during a launch in the event of a Blue Screen Of Death. This is supposedly the reason why Linux is so prevalent inside NASA. I may some facts wrong here, but this is pretty much what I heard through the grape vine.
Slashdot Mirror
Electronics need to be designed for recycling. I'm sure that when a chip manufacturer is designing a new chip, recycling isn't even a consideration in the design. There are several elements that are ever increasing in the American economy faster than elsewhere in the world: energy prices, property taxes, health care expenses, living expenses, and entertainment. We are headed for the "Artificial Intelligence" future where we have to be mindful of the total cost of manufacturing something and looking at the value we get from that product. Is "X" product really that useful for society? How will it affect the environment (land fill or otherwise) after its usefulness is gone? Are there other uses for the material in that product? Are those materials easily disassembled or dismantled into component parts? This type of thinking will eventually persist in the USA one day, but not anytime in the near future. Let's face it, human existence is starting to get expensive. Why the hell do you think all those manufacturing and white collar computer science and science (chemistry, biology, etc...) jobs are moving to overseas markets?
You are truly evil. You IMPLY that Slashdot is running on Borg Technology. Bad form ambisinistral, bad form. That would crush the hearts of all geeks alike. Hell, that would cause mass rioting.
To Redmond we go! Every one click:
http://www.microsoft.com/
C'mon geeks, nerds, and dweebs UNITE. We can Slashdot the Borg and overtake the monopolistic opression we are so tired of battling.
You too can get plenty of exercise by following a strict modern office regimen workout. Start the blood flowing in your arms by moving your hands, preferably while opening boxes of Ho Hos, King Dongs, and Twinkies. This exercise includes removing the plastic wrappers from these food items known to have an infinite shelf life. Flex those biceps by reaching down to the desk, grabbing onto that lucious loaf of sugar and grease-filled sponge cake. Quickly hork down the food in one gulp. We wouldn't want to reveal our secrets for keeping our cute BIG BIRTHA beached-whale-ish figure, would we? An added bonus to this exercise routine is that you ingest a considerable amount of preservatives, which will reduce the cost of emballming after you die from coronary heart disease that was facilitated by all the saturated and trans fatty acids that hardened and eventually clogged your arteries. If you are one of those fortunate people who work in one of America's great malls all day long, you can concievably get a fairly good cardiovascular workout walking briskly or running to the other end of the mall to fulfill your entire day's caloric intake. In the morning, just before opening shop, rush to the in-mall McDonalds to get your Greased McMuffin Sandwich, complete with HOT grease-saturated potatoes (Note: Republicans (like Dan Quayle) typically spell "potato" with an "e" at the end; I'm not republican, but I would want any to feel "left out" of the discussion). Note also that this first meal will satisfy your daily caloric intake, but this is America, where we do things BIG, so we have to do this again and add more to our caloric intake at lunch and dinner. And with the economy doing so poorly now-a-days, it's better to have a little fat to burn when one could possibly lose his/her job; this will give your some "cushion", no pun intended, until you find further employment to sustain your lavish lifestyle. If a McDonalds is not available, you will have to locate another court-food substitute that is equally tasty and nutritious.
Could this be a government conspiracy to rid the world of people with low self-esteem who have unhealthy eating habits? Or is the conspiracy really to rid the world of unmotivated underachievers?
Before anyone gets upset, surely I jest, no kidding, really, this is FUN.
Are you making the argument that everything a person does, says, believes in, etc are stored in their DNA? You think we could just clone Einstein, keep him in a lab for 20 years, then we'd have a physics genius who likes to ride bikes all over again. Sorry, but environment plays a *huge* role in a person's actions. It could be some obscure childhood experience that caused Einstein to *want* to solve physics problems, not a "make profound theories" gene.
Absolutely not! I know that everything a person does is not stored in their nuclear DNA, duh, my education is in Biochemistry. But I do know that certain personality types gravitate towards certain career types, and the personality traits to which I'm referring are GENETIC. For instance, some people may have schizoid personality features or the full-blown disorder. Environment plays absolutely NO PART in determining how this individual's personal career preferences will be. People with schizoid personality features prefer working alone, independently, like working with abstract ideas, often do not marry (lack of social skills), and many times prefer mathematical challenges. Careers that fit this personality type tend to be SCIENCE-oriented. While an Albert Einstein clone may not work in physics again, he may choose another branch of science and possibly make an equally significant contribution to science and humanity.
I know there have been studies with twins raised by different adoptive parents, and even though they were raised in different environments, studies have shown that certain behaviors in the twins are identical or nearly the same AFTER they are away from their adoptive family environments. Hence, genetics plays a fairly large role in how one lives his or her life. Can environment direct us in ways that influence our lives significantly? Sure, but we are still following a set of very complicated rules set in stone by our genetics. Our brains are like very complicated machines, given a certain stimulus, it will produce a consistent response most of the time. In fact, recent studies have indicated that the human population has relatively large differences in DNA. Scientists used to say we all were 99.9999% the same; we are actually about 90% the same, which is evidenced in behaviors, abilities whether they are sports jocks, science geeks, business leaders, etc...
FYI: Permanent memories ARE STORED in RNA and float around in our neurons. I read about that back in 1996 in a scientific journal. I was also pleasantly shocked when an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation mentioned this in relation to how our favorite android, Data, stores permanent memories compared to humans.
From the movie "Lost In Space" there was a scene where the spider-like creatures body part/DNA was analyzed by the computer where the computer reconstructed the spider-like creater in a hologram where virtual tests could be run, including how it lives in the vaccum of space and how it metabolizes food, neuroprocesses, etc... While I believe that someday humans may possess this computational power, we are a very long way from that. Also, in the distant future, I think that people will be given the option of preserving their DNA so they can live again. Of course that life will be lead by your clone, but you (your DNA) still gets to live again. Kinda nice if that person turns out to be someone who makes significant changes in the quality of human life, world preservation, etc... a reward for those of extraordinary genetics that can save the population in needy times.
What this really indicates is that information in and of itself can be pretty useless, but when some raw brute-force intelligence is applied to it, making associations with the information, then it can become a national security issue. I think he should go ahead with his thesis with the condition that someone or some body (of the US Government) should start implementing plans to defend the businesses, institutions, and utilities within and working with the infrastructure.
Of course the US Government doesn't want him to publish the work, THAT would create a lot of work for the US Government to protect and prevent attacks on the infrastructure. In the end, if this guy doesn't publish his work, someone else will follow in his footsteps and do the same work but keep the information/results obtained from it private or possibly sell it to the highest terrorist network. Isn't capitalism fun? And since much of the work on this project is done, is the PROJECT secure? Is it on a laptop? Is it on a web server? Is it in an email? Is it on a burned CD lying in the open for the taking? It will be discovered sooner on later.
This is Adobe's way of punishing Apple for trouncing on their business. It also shows that Adobe will try to reclaim that lost Macintosh business on the Windows side of computing, by forcing those Mac users to purchase a Wintel PC to continue using Premiere. This stratedy has a two edged attack: 1. Adobe still keeps its business and 2. Adobe attempts to hinder Apple's hardware sales by forcing Mac users to the Dark Side into being assimilated as BORG DRONES.
Our government just keeps SPENDING and SPENDING and SPENDING. You'd think that with ALL the fricking PC's they purchase, The Borg would give a significant discount for bulk licenses. Well, it looks like we're back to the REPUBLICAN days of buying $400 hammers and toilet seats. I'd like to know where the money is REALLY going.
IIRC, the NSA or CIA or someone developed a really secure version of Linux somewhere. Oh, wait, slap me in the head, it doesn't run OFFICE (BACK ORIFICE, remember that?). It's NOT COMPATIBLE. The only thing most military personnel need from OFFICE is a word processor and spreadsheet, two items that are FREELY available in OpenOffice.
I can see this happening in the future:
Congressional hearing: George dubya, did you participate in illegal money transfers?
George dubya: I don't understand the question.
Congressional hearing: George dubya, since the Coalition Forces didn't find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, did you pay the Saddam Hussein loyalists money using extra money set aside from an inflated Microsoft software purchase (a bribe) to hand over the nuclear weapons program the Iraqi scientists were working on?
George dubya: I don't remember.
George dubya later FAKES a diagnosis of alzheimer's disease are retires on a private ranch in Tixis (Hillbilly phonetics) and slips away from public scutiny and prosecution.
Yup, uhuh, this is how it will happen. And I'm sure George dubya will get his little kick back too from the Borg leader.
My point in mentioning a more parallel processing scheme is taken from experience using the PowerPC G4 processor's AltiVec unit. The AltiVec unit processes data in 128-bit chunks. Also, my Hewlett Packard HP48GX calculator (with HP LISP programming language) can processing data/numbers in parallel.
Example (Looking at the HP display):
2: {10 20 30 40}
1: 2
Press "/" key:
1: {5 10 15 20}
While this is only useful for doing the same operation on groups of numbers or data, it seems that given the current trend of media processing (audio/video, high-end Roll Playing Games, i.e. signal processing), a more parallel organized way of manipulating/processing data is a better solution.
I've also had considerable experience using MATLAB and processing data in nice big chunks is very efficient. Don't have enough data to fill the 128-bit vector? Fill the unused space with zeros.
I'm not saying that IBM PowerPC or Intel is better than the other (though PowerPC is more efficient than Intel), I'm just saying that since computation on data are changing, processor design should too.
Processor design needs to change. Just to put things to rest, I'm a Macintosh zealot. Intel keeps pushing the clock rates higher, which places more demand on power requirements (the chip itself and cooling), hence most windows users (secretaries, cublicle workers) in an business office environment never need to have space heaters under their desks to keep their legs warm in the winter time. The PowerPC RISC processors are going in the right direction, but let's take a look at the graphics card processor chips. These chips run at lower clock rates, use less electricity, and move MASSIVE amounts data and calculate a metric ass-load of computations. Processors need wide (128-bit or more) and shallow pipelines to get *the best* performance. Looking at the graphs from the article (yawn), well, they look pretty linear. Ramping up the clock rates with a 800 megahurts FSB (PPC 970 has 1GHz FSB) is eventually going to lead to a starved processor (i.e. Motorola PowerPC G4). Well, enough ranting. Intel marketing (girls dancing, chip technicians in space suits doing the disco) prevails.
I can see this feature causing some accidents. A common consumer passenger vehicle should never intervene with control of the vehicle. People over react and this could cause more accidents. Many times people over react when anti-lock brakes engage. Sometimes they "abuse" them by assuming that they will always prevent a skid, and drive more aggresively. I know, I did it for a while with my Saturn SL2. Now that I have a Saab 9-3 turbo, and have aged and wised up a bit, I drive much more conservatively, mostly because I'm more conscientious about my mortality and I don't want my new toy damaged in an accident.
I bought my Saab for safety reasons, quality of the vehicle, and, for the money, it's a really good car. It's a good car with airbags all over the place, seat belt pretensioners, stability control, trackion control, anti-lock brakes, etc... I like the fact that I can look at the in-dash computer display every morning and get the outside temperature, date, and latest weather information from the weather band radio. Hell, the computer even tells WHICH headlight, tail light, turn signal, and fog lamp is burned out, it also tells me if the fuel filler cap is loose and needs to be tightened, as well as when the windshield washer fluid level is low, not out.
For more information on the really nice car, go here:
http://www.saabusa.com/
Any CD from the group Fourplay.
Try some Bossa Nova, perhaps Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Steve Cole is pretty good too.
If you're into vocals, check out Al Jarreau.
Marc Antoine is also a favorite as is Peter White.
All these artists with the exception of Jobim can be heard on most smooth jazz radio stations (WNWV FM 107.3 in Cleveland "The Wave"). If you have a Macintosh with iTunes, check out the internet radio stations listed under Jazz.
One of my uncles who works for DaimlerChrysler casually mentioned this to me quite some time ago. The power requirements of today's cars are increasing very rapidly. The computers used for safety features and all the "power" toys, i.e. heated seats, heated outside mirrors, power windows, locks, OnStar, onboard navigation systems that require LCD screens, automatic climate control systems, super duper bright headlights (you know the ones, those with blue beams), daytime running lights, fog lamps, antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, power sunroof, etc... are really quite demanding for the electrical system when used simultaniously. Most moderately priced autos and luxury cars have these features (Saab, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Cadillac, Hummer, Lexus, etc... Maybe some high-end Saturn L-series and Pontiacs too).
If the enemy in a war (legal or otherwise) is not defeated on every front, it will come back to fight again in the future. This is an ingrained law in our survival instincts. It's all about obtain resources to ensure survival. It's also a component or the very seat of primate social dynamics and POLITICS. The Borg undefeated, will regroup and launch another attack in a DIFFERENT area. Has Star Trek taught us nothing? Defeating the Borg requires implanting a fractal virus in their neural net, like this hasn't been tried before and would not be difficult to do again with its rampant security holes. People, seriously, to beat M$ is going to require a coordinated strategy on multiple fronts from negative advertising, publishing the truth about its business tactics, translating legalese of the EULA into common laymen's terms, word of mouth, and absolute bias towards other alternatives (Linux, Lindows, Mac OS X, etc...). This requires pushing hard the alternatives showing clear examples (demos) that are more cost efficient than M$ bugware.
...slima...Would you be my [nuck]Dork?...February 7, 1990: that was a good week for chunky rotten milk...salt water got you down?
...Leave her alone you BITCH!...[Alien head shot, mean pissed-off hissing sound]...
...Nanu Nanu...floating eggs delivering envelopes at the front door...
...Oh my, it's the BIG HEAD...
Oops, wrong "Alien" series.
Oops, wrong "Alien" series again.
Wrong Again!
Ack, wrong!
I wish they would re-televise the Martian Chronicles. Now THAT was cool. At least there was a story, theme, and plot. This made for TV series stuff is really not that great. Star Trek is great. When will NBC come up with something that is TRULY original? At least most Nerds here on Slashdot have a book on Star Fleet Academy, and at least one book describing the history of events that happened in Star Trek, listing the episode, and people involved, well, at least I do.
Would the world be better off or not if it was illegal to overpromote the functionality or features of software?"
The world would be a much better (happier users) and safer (less security risks). The Borg would lose its monopoly if people really knew how badly engineered Microsoft software is put together. I'm not trying to be a troll, but everyone here on Slashdot knows that M$, for a while, was coming out with weekly security updates for Internet Explorer and Internet Information Server. Even the US government hinted that M$ better get its act together and repair its flawed products after 9/11, saying that our information infrastructure was at risk to attacks. Apple seems to do a better job of weeding out the bugs before the public en mass downloads any updates to Mac OS X. And Apple is certainly much faster at fixing known bugs in its software. Look at how fast it was in clearing up the iTunes internet sharing flaw - one week to get the update out, only to be thwarted again by the UNIX heads playing around with port numbers, etc... At least the music is "protected" from sharing not "in the know".
Sure would be nice if this ran fluently on other platforms.
There are a few independent radio stations left that are quite popular and financially successful: FM 107.3 "The Wave" Smooth Jazz in the Cleveland area is quite popular and gives away daily two tickets to a tropical vacation.
But now, the Red Chinese are racing to have the first permanent Moonbase, and if you don't know how dire that is, reread Heinlein's "The Moon is A Harsh Mistress". Do we want to live in a world that's under the constant menace of Commie rocks from the Moon, cracking down on our religion, way of life and democracy? Do you want to live ina world where you can have only one child, and have to worship Confucius? Do you want to have you one child taken away to a creche, and be forced to live on a communal farm? Maybe this can spur more people into the hard sciences, and fewer into business and law.
People always think that we *NEED* more scientists. We don't! There are simply not enough jobs to go around for all the scientists now, that's why so many work in a lab for X number of years, see that there is no opportunity for advancement within the organization (to earn more $$$), and go on into business and law. Just because you're a pencil-necked geek doesn't mean you don't want the *American Dream* - a nice house, a playboy babe for a wife, and two above average children living in rural/suburbia America, driving a Saab, BMW, or C-Class Mercedes Benz. The problem with science at most universities is that they are not rigorous enough to produce the *Best* scientists. Often, but not always, the *Best* scientists come from the Ivy Leagues and second tier schools, not your average [Insert City Here] State University or University of [Insert City Here] school. Science in the laboratory is now highly automated; we don't need chemists any more, we need technicians that make $12 to $14/hour. The hard and cool stuff has been solved, now we have stream-lined laboratories that push out products and analyses. Many of these jobs are leaving the US economy and relocating over seas. I wish the situation were different, but this is the ugly truth about science in this day and age.
Apple tries to make it convenient for us to have our music where and when we want it. For the few who have abused that privaledge, some freedom is taken away. When are people going to learn NOT to abuse the nice things in life? Apple has resisted the scum and villany at the RIAA, innovated better software than the Borg, and generally has a pretty happy and loyal customer base. Please, idiots, pirates, and unix heads, don't ruin anymore of this great program Apple has GIVEN us. If you keep finding ways to circumvent Apple's safeguards to protect the artists and music industry as well as give is userbase FREEDOM to with their music as they please, there won't be an Apple Music Store for long.
Stop messing around with iTunes, port numbers, SSH, etc...
Reading through the responses to this post brings back fond memories of Dr. Wade's DiffEQ class back in 1996. I recall a homework assignment that required solving a differential equation, then plug-n-chug to get the numerical answer. I was the only non-math major in the class and the only student who had the correct answer. The reason I had the correct answer was that I was a chemistry major familiar with systems of measurement, and the problem specifically stated to find the MASS of the object in the English system. Everyone thinks the measurement of mass in the English system is the POUND, which is completely incorrect, the POUND is a FORCE unit. The mass unit of measure in the English system is the SLUG.
I disagree with "Star Trek has been completed!"
Star Trek will NOT be complete until we have discovered how the Klingons and Romulans make their CLOAKING DEVICES. And while we're at it, I wish Zephram Cochran would hurry up and be born so he can invent the Warp Drive. You know, I thought we almost had the Warp Drive with Asymetical Capacitors, but others here on Slashdot have pointed out that they don't work in a vacuum. One more thing, we need Transporters to beam down to other planets from orbit. We're a long way from Star Trek.
When did we reach/pass e (2.718281828459045235...)?
The Internet is dying? Huh? What's that you say? Ya know, from the moment we are born we begin to die. Brain cells die by the thousands, everyday, tens of hundreds of muscle cells die in our bodies, every day, telomeres in our cells shorten with every cell division. My Gosh, the sky is full of stars. Will I fly among the stars when I die? What if science is wrong about atoms, and they lose energy and the electron orbits decay into the nucleus? What will happen then? Post on Slashdot that the UNIVERSE IS DYING!!??? OMG!! OMG!!! I can't bre...bre...breath!! [cough, ack, cough]. Please, someone please, I need a perin tablet (an aspirin with the "A" and the "S" scaped off), perhaps a Zoloft (TM) or a Prosac (TM). Someone please mode me down as -5 TROLL, OFFTOPIC and reply with self help links, so that others won't suffer this horrible affliction...the rest of this post will be available for viewing HERE ON SLASHDOT at 11:00 PM.
I seem to remember a long time ago about an incident where Bill Gates of Borg toured NASA and offered to GIVE AWAY PCs with M$ Windows on them so that NASA essentially ran on Windows. NASA supposedly did a long term study on Windows and determined that it was not stable enough to run the Space Shuttle and mission control equipment. There would be no way to recover the Space Shuttle during a launch in the event of a Blue Screen Of Death. This is supposedly the reason why Linux is so prevalent inside NASA. I may some facts wrong here, but this is pretty much what I heard through the grape vine.