That would be a great prank. Send some kids through the neighbourhood selling chocolate chip cookies. If someone asks what the money is for, tell them it is so the school can afford to implant chips in all of the kids to keep them safe.
This reminds me of something that happened at a privacy workshop about 10 years ago. The inventor of the ActiveBadge was telling us how his invention (which allows tracking people as they move around a building) wasn't being used for unethical purposes.
"In my lab", he bragged, "we forbid keeping historical data on people's movements.". He went on to say that there was a written policy that you could be fired if you collected such data.
This was too much for one of the workshop attendee. She interrupted and pointed out that not only was this data gathered at her work, but it was used in her performance review. She was shown a list of other employees and how long she spent talking to them. Apparently, she was spending too much time with the wrong people and not enough time with the right people.
I always remember this when I hear an inventor dismiss the suggestion that their work could be used for unethical purposes.
One advantage of LCD displays is that the pixels have sharply defined edges. This reduces eye strain as compared to CRTs where the eye is always trying to bring the pixel into sharp focus.
The upside of fuzzy pixels is that it provides the equivalent of free anti-aliasing. The first time I saw a rendered image on a high end SGI flat-panel display I thought the monitor was defective. Turns out I was seeing defects in the rendering that weren't visible on a CRT. It's like getting a really good set of speakers and listening to your garage CD. If it sounds bad, don't blame the speakers, you may just be hearing what you really sound like for the first time.
My favourite game is "Interpersonal Human Relationships". Computers totally suck at that.
Once I met a woman in a bar who was dating an HP calculator. After talking to me for 30 seconds she ditched the calculator. Four years later, the calculator is still waiting for her to come back from the ladies room.
I'd be very interested in seeing a match between Kasparov using a computer and Deep Junior. This would allow him to access an opening move database, and end game database and do enough analysis to avoid blunders.
Kasparov suggested this after his match with Deep Blue. I predict that a computer augmented GM would hold out against a computer opponent for many years to come.
It's been pointed out that the big difference between humans and computers is their specialization. If the building catches fire during the match, Kasparov will flee the building but the computer will just sit there thinking about chess as it burns.
Right now, to beat the best humans you need to contrain the problem so much the result is an intelligent idiot. You'll notice that Deep Blue didn't get interviewed after beating Kasparov.
The successor to Roger Zelazny is Walter John Williams. He wrote Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind and Aristoi. He also wrote a sequel to "Elegy for Angels and Dogs" called "The Graveyard Heart".
I don't think any countries have extradition treaties for enforcing civil law. If it's a criminal offense in California then you may have a problem.
Also both countries must recognise the offense. So if the country you are in doesn't see writing software and allowing people to download it as a serious offense then you can't be legally extradited.
"An offense shall be an extraditable offense if it may be punished under the laws of both Contracting Parties by deprivation of liberty for a maximum period of more than one year or by any greater punishment." (quoted from here.)
This quote is from the US/Costa Rica agreement but I believe this is a standard clause.
I sometimes think that environmental conciousness will come not because of any actions by activists but because we will develop personal, portable and cheap pathogen detection technology. This would let people know just how much of each toxin was present in their environment. There would still be arguments about what amount constitutes a dangerous exposure, but if I only get 1 PPM of dioxin at home and 100 PPM at work, I'm going to start looking for another job.
Are there any more personal detection devices like this on the market?
Perhaps what we need is a site the provides plans and techniques for detecting various poisons. There could also be a section to rate your town. Of course it would probably become competitive. Imagine the headlines; Local chess club dumps toxic waste. "We wanted to make the toxic top ten" says club president at his arraignment.
Such a law would be struck down as unreasonable search and seizure. There is no good reason for the state to track the movement of all of its citizens.
I suspect such a law will one day be passed. Laws always become more restrictive rather than less and we have run out of new continents to which we can escape. But my optimistic side won't let me believe this is really happening.
Years ago, SGI ran an add campaign where they showed some cool vehicle (say an F-18) and underneath an SGI machine. The caption read, "This is the F-18, and this is the box it came in". When SGI got their knuckles rapped for selling supercomputers to China, someone made a poster: "This is a Chinese nuclear weapons test, and this is the box it came in".
It's good to live by the creed, "If you are the smartest person in the room, it's time to leave". However, if you want to move from programming to some position with more influence, you need to stick around for a while. Why keep moving if it means you are always working for idiots. Look at the more senior people in the company and ask yourself:
1. Could I do a better job? 2. Would my doing that job make my life and the lives of my fellow programmers better.
If the answers to those questions is yes, consider hanging around for a while.
There have been many events that signalled SGI's death but the biggest one was the production of the PlayStation. The SGI team that built the Reality Engine ($250,000 graphics workstation) then built a highend graphics chip for a $250 consumer box. This was such a shock that 10 of their top hardware guys walked out the door and joined Nvidia rather than ride the SGI ship to the bottom of the ocean (about 25 cents a share).
Linux is actually a boon for SGI since they can't get MS to add the kernel mods they need to build a true high throughput workstation and they can't compete with MS in the OS space.
Fertility issues? For most of the world, fertility issues involves trying not to conceive!
Cloning as a way to reproduce won't be the main application. Growing organs for transplant, now that's compelling. You think drug dependancy related crime is bad. Wait until you get mugged by a guy who needs a heart! Gives the phrase "We're off to see the wizard" a much darker meaning.
Slashdot Mirror
My favourite part of this whole thing is that the prior art that invalidated this patent is over 2000 years old.
It was invented by Tiro, who was a slave of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-65 BC).
Checkout The History of Shorthand
It is (so far) virus proof.
It downloads and displays TV listings.
I have to fix something about once every 3 years. It is safe and it works.
I highly recommend it.
The one downside it doesn't follow the media viewing trends of the web. No video, no pdf, no application download.
Nothing causes public outrage faster than surreptitiously video taping children without their parent's permission.
That would be a great prank. Send some kids through the neighbourhood selling chocolate chip cookies. If someone asks what the money is for, tell them it is so the school can afford to implant chips in all of the kids to keep them safe.
This reminds me of something that happened at a privacy workshop about 10 years ago. The inventor of the ActiveBadge was telling us how his invention (which allows tracking people as they move around a building) wasn't being used for unethical purposes.
"In my lab", he bragged, "we forbid keeping historical data on people's movements.". He went on to say that there was a written policy that you could be fired if you collected such data.
This was too much for one of the workshop attendee. She interrupted and pointed out that not only was this data gathered at her work, but it was used in her performance review. She was shown a list of other employees and how long she spent talking to them. Apparently, she was spending too much time with the wrong people and not enough time with the right people.
I always remember this when I hear an inventor dismiss the suggestion that their work could be used for unethical purposes.
I wonder where they plan to implant the chip? This might give the phrase "Get your ass to school" a whole new meaning.
One advantage of LCD displays is that the pixels have sharply defined edges. This reduces eye strain as compared to CRTs where the eye is always trying to bring the pixel into sharp focus.
The upside of fuzzy pixels is that it provides the equivalent of free anti-aliasing. The first time I saw a rendered image on a high end SGI flat-panel display I thought the monitor was defective. Turns out I was seeing defects in the rendering that weren't visible on a CRT. It's like getting a really good set of speakers and listening to your garage CD. If it sounds bad, don't blame the speakers, you may just be hearing what you really sound like for the first time.
For reducing eye strain, LCD is a good choice.
My favourite game is "Interpersonal Human Relationships". Computers totally suck at that.
Once I met a woman in a bar who was dating an HP calculator. After talking to me for 30 seconds she ditched the calculator. Four years later, the calculator is still waiting for her to come back from the ladies room.
I'd be very interested in seeing a match between Kasparov using a computer and Deep Junior. This would allow him to access an opening move database, and end game database and do enough analysis to avoid blunders.
Kasparov suggested this after his match with Deep Blue. I predict that a computer augmented GM would hold out against a computer opponent for many years to come.
It's been pointed out that the big difference between humans and computers is their specialization. If the building catches fire during the match, Kasparov will flee the building but the computer will just sit there thinking about chess as it burns.
Right now, to beat the best humans you need to contrain the problem so much the result is an intelligent idiot. You'll notice that Deep Blue didn't get interviewed after beating Kasparov.
The successor to Roger Zelazny is Walter John Williams. He wrote Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind and Aristoi. He also wrote a sequel to "Elegy for Angels and Dogs" called "The Graveyard Heart".
Of course the US has something of a history of invading foreign nations to execute arrest warrants.
I don't think any countries have extradition treaties for enforcing civil law. If it's a criminal offense in California then you may have a problem.
Also both countries must recognise the offense. So if the country you are in doesn't see writing software and allowing people to download it as a serious offense then you can't be legally extradited.
"An offense shall be an extraditable offense if it may be punished under the laws of both Contracting Parties by deprivation of liberty for a maximum period of more than one year or by any greater punishment." (quoted from here.)
This quote is from the US/Costa Rica agreement but I believe this is a standard clause.
I sometimes think that environmental conciousness will come not because of any actions by activists but because we will develop personal, portable and cheap pathogen detection technology. This would let people know just how much of each toxin was present in their environment. There would still be arguments about what amount constitutes a dangerous exposure, but if I only get 1 PPM of dioxin at home and 100 PPM at work, I'm going to start looking for another job.
Are there any more personal detection devices like this on the market?
Perhaps what we need is a site the provides plans and techniques for detecting various poisons. There could also be a section to rate your town. Of course it would probably become competitive. Imagine the headlines; Local chess club dumps toxic waste. "We wanted to make the toxic top ten" says club president at his arraignment.
This is certainly a hoax.
Such a law would be struck down as unreasonable search and seizure. There is no good reason for the state to track the movement of all of its citizens.
I suspect such a law will one day be passed. Laws always become more restrictive rather than less and we have run out of new continents to which we can escape. But my optimistic side won't let me believe this is really happening.
Years ago, SGI ran an add campaign where they showed some cool vehicle (say an F-18) and underneath an SGI machine. The caption read, "This is the F-18, and this is the box it came in". When SGI got their knuckles rapped for selling supercomputers to China, someone made a poster: "This is a Chinese nuclear weapons test, and this is the box it came in".
What a great sig. But shouldn't it read.
Programming is like sex. One premature release and you're supporting it for the rest of your life.
It's good to live by the creed, "If you are the smartest person in the room, it's time to leave". However, if you want to move from programming to some position with more influence, you need to stick around for a while. Why keep moving if it means you are always working for idiots. Look at the more senior people in the company and ask yourself:
1. Could I do a better job?
2. Would my doing that job make my life and the lives of my fellow programmers better.
If the answers to those questions is yes, consider hanging around for a while.
There have been many events that signalled SGI's death but the biggest one was the production of the PlayStation. The SGI team that built the Reality Engine ($250,000 graphics workstation) then built a highend graphics chip for a $250 consumer box. This was such a shock that 10 of their top hardware guys walked out the door and joined Nvidia rather than ride the SGI ship to the bottom of the ocean (about 25 cents a share). Linux is actually a boon for SGI since they can't get MS to add the kernel mods they need to build a true high throughput workstation and they can't compete with MS in the OS space.
Fertility issues? For most of the world, fertility issues involves trying not to conceive!
Cloning as a way to reproduce won't be the main application. Growing organs for transplant, now that's compelling. You think drug dependancy related crime is bad. Wait until you get mugged by a guy who needs a heart! Gives the phrase "We're off to see the wizard" a much darker meaning.