I would tell him he was wrong and proceed to explain why his lack of perspective on the differences between culture caused him to have such a skewed view of the other country. Then I would proceed to compare and contrast the cultures, showing the positives and negatives of both, but I wouldn't tell him to shut up.
By the way, I actually live in China, and this is not the first time I've seen a Chinese user tell others directly to not comment on something "they don't know anything about". This poster is obviously in support of the Chinese mainland, but the funny thing is the last poster who responded like this was actually against the mainland's policies. There you have it.
Let's not forget how most people got their news before the popularization of the internet. The average person had read a newspaper or two, had a subscription to a magazine or two, and watched mainstream news on a few television channels. The average person had little access to foreign media unless they put effort to find it. These mediums were all broadcast style, with virtually no feedback to the source. They were virtually all controlled by large corporations.
I submit that the condition of dialog in US and maybe the world would be MUCH worse than it is now if the internet didn't exist, and the advent of its popularization is grossly underrated in the effect it has had on society. We have a population that regularly and instantly interacts with foreign nationals, hears and expresses opinions opposing the standard line fed by mainstream media outlets, accesses articles and information in quantities and variation vastly beyond the past, and has the capability to organize efforts around issues that would have never been exposed by the powers that be. We might cowering under a state of martial law at this point if the critical mass of voices weren't heard opposing the current administration's policies.
While there is still a place for journalistic principles and rigorous training in the discipline, the majority of "journalism" that people were exposed to before the internet hardly made an attempt to meet that standard. Anyone can and should be a journalist, even if it simply means having a cell-phone camera at the right place and right time.
I find it interesting that many people who "know" about the situation in China tell those who "don't know" that they should not comment. If only people who knew everything about a situation were allowed to comment, then no one would talk about anything, including you. Dialog is part of the process education and finding truth, and you are acting as an oppressor when you tell people to shut up. No one knows everything about any situation.
That's the question though, is there a possibility of "no wikipedia" if they don't take on advertising? I don't believe this to be the case. They've got a lot of donations (including mine) before there was any concern. If a concern that they won't make enough funds to meet costs is publicized, I'm sure wallets would open up quickly. I agree that if there was no other way, then advertising would be an option, but if other means are possible, why not avoid them? Your initial list (impartiality, experience, purpose) are actually good reasons to avoid it if possible.
I don't know who you moderators are or when you got your nuts cut off but I've never felt more cognitive dissonance to a Slashdot post than this one. Every geek I've ever known is dying to get laid but just doesn't have the wherewithal to get it done. Or maybe you, parent poster, are a woman. Calling deadbeat husbands bastards and referring to casual sex as "sport"... hmmmm, I detect that someone may have gotten burned in her past.
On a related note, Jim Gray, the researcher behind the WorldWide Telescope, recently went missing on a sailing expedition. The search has already been suspended.
I'm not sure what camp you are in, but most Slashdotters don't believe in anything mystical, and that there is no soul, the brain is physical, etc, yet so many still fall into the mind-body dichotomy. You are also falling into that trap. When you DECIDE something, it's actually a chemical reaction that is occurring in your brain. It's not a separate event outside of your brain chemistry. Now that we have that established, let's move onto the next problem.
There are those who truly have brain chemistry problems, due to illness, genetic disorders, etc. For example the amount of some neurotransmitter may be too low or whatever. But then there are higher level structural problems that people have. While the brain is made up of matter, it is organized matter. Calling a structural problem a "chemical problem" is like calling a software fault a "silicon error". No, a single "buck up" or "snap out of it" will not restructure your mind, but repeated practice and perseverance and stepping out of your current situation to gain perspective may have effect.
There are innumerable opportunities for people to unconsciously take actions and adopt thought processes that negatively affect their mood and health, and there's a bias to opt for an easy road out of suffering, as it was easy to fall into the pit they fell into.
I suffered suicidal depression, so I'm speaking out of experience. It was a long road to crawl out of depression (several years). I had to change a lot of my habits, ideas, friends, and location. Getting older helps too, as hormones play a large role in affecting habits. There is no silver bullet here. If you expect to flip a switch and be cured, you will only be disappointed.
I never liked the bowling ball on the mattress analogy because actual gravity is needed to make the bowling ball move, so the analogy is muddled. Is there another analogy that would work without the use of actual gravity?
I guess these researchers don't consider the possibility that there may be advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Perhaps they should say the KNOWN universe
Sounds like you are proposing a simcard sleeve - a simcard inserted into a simple and small package that adds a rugged connector and some flash memory that can easily be switched from phone to phone. It's actually a great idea and likely hasn't already been developed because of current vendor lock-in policies.
You're failure in logic: The same "big government" that would supposedly check these corrupt corporations is the same "big government" that lays down unbalanced regulation and back-slapping that the corrupt corporations to grow and commit their evil deeds. Small government, when implemented across the board, can only be a good thing.
To make it clear: I haven't seen a single nod of support on ANY technical board or from any engineers/scientists since Huckabee came on the scene. I don't live in the bible belt though, so they could exist, but I'd hazard a guess that most technical and scientific people are NOT for Huckabee.
A friend of mine in SF started a company a few years back called Palamida that provides a very similar service. I don't think their code is GPLed though.
I'll come visit you at the remedial reading comprehension class, idiot!
Do you know anything about McCarthyism? He basically labeled anyone who opposed his beliefs a communist. If you read the parent's post carefully, you'd see that he actually speaks for productivity, trade, and competition - hardly communist ideals.
I know several developers who work for Microsoft, and they are invariably intelligent - the way a cop is intelligent. They have a certain type of intelligence, but not a general intelligence that informs them at a greater level about the scheme of things. Just like cops, they also think that they are doing a great thing for the world and are helping out the misguided unwashed masses by unleashing their work upon the world. They are deluded pompous bastards, make no mistake. I can't imagine what their lawyers and marketing people must be like. good grief
You, AC, are a douchebag. I was not talking about future possible technology or predictions at all, only the current state of affairs. In fact I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment that it is likely possible to create a machine that can match human ability in any field. I took computer science for my bachelors, and am quite familiar with Turing!! I guess that's why you posted anonymously though, you may have subconsciously recognized your emotionally charged post to be quite douchey. If you want to live in science fiction fantasy world that's fine with me but don't start imposing it on my reality.
There is more to live human music that just being impressed. With math, the result should be exactly the same every time. But with music, each live cut is different. The mood and physical state of a performer affect his playing. While the structure is the same, the overall feel of a piece can vary drastically from cut to cut and player to player. There is also the interaction and feedback with the crowd in live music. The music can change in response with the crowd, and the crowd also reads the band's visual cues. There is so much going on with live music that computers can not match. A perfect simulation that sounds the same every time can not do this.
These "photos" don't look real - they may be ray-traced. The perspective appears to be skewed in all the shots. Look at the metal columns near the door in the third photo. The light gray chairs in the front of the fourth photo appear to have a strange gradient. Overall the lighting and feel of these shots is ray-traced. Someone please prove me wrong.
I hear what you are saying - I also believe that anything is possible given enough time and hard work. Yet I think you are VASTLY underestimating the task of creating a human-like intelligence. Faster and more powerful != More Intelligent. Flight and chess are child's play compared to the human mind. It's also a false assumption to believe that a Turing architecture machine will be able to simulate the human brain with whatever specious equivalence used to compare human and computer processing power. The brain is NOT a computer. Computers themselves are simple expressions of a mere slice of how we understand our own mental processes to work. Do you know anyone who understands how any mind works, let alone their own, whether they be computer scientists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, or neuro-biologists? To put it simply, in order to expect a human-like intelligence in 20 years requires two things we do not yet have: An understanding of human intelligence, and a hardware architecture that is able to implement it.
Slashdot Mirror
In this article when the term "money" is used, it is referring to physical bills and coins. In this context the article makes perfect sense.
LS
I would tell him he was wrong and proceed to explain why his lack of perspective on the differences between culture caused him to have such a skewed view of the other country. Then I would proceed to compare and contrast the cultures, showing the positives and negatives of both, but I wouldn't tell him to shut up.
By the way, I actually live in China, and this is not the first time I've seen a Chinese user tell others directly to not comment on something "they don't know anything about". This poster is obviously in support of the Chinese mainland, but the funny thing is the last poster who responded like this was actually against the mainland's policies. There you have it.
LS
Let's not forget how most people got their news before the popularization of the internet. The average person had read a newspaper or two, had a subscription to a magazine or two, and watched mainstream news on a few television channels. The average person had little access to foreign media unless they put effort to find it. These mediums were all broadcast style, with virtually no feedback to the source. They were virtually all controlled by large corporations.
I submit that the condition of dialog in US and maybe the world would be MUCH worse than it is now if the internet didn't exist, and the advent of its popularization is grossly underrated in the effect it has had on society. We have a population that regularly and instantly interacts with foreign nationals, hears and expresses opinions opposing the standard line fed by mainstream media outlets, accesses articles and information in quantities and variation vastly beyond the past, and has the capability to organize efforts around issues that would have never been exposed by the powers that be. We might cowering under a state of martial law at this point if the critical mass of voices weren't heard opposing the current administration's policies.
While there is still a place for journalistic principles and rigorous training in the discipline, the majority of "journalism" that people were exposed to before the internet hardly made an attempt to meet that standard. Anyone can and should be a journalist, even if it simply means having a cell-phone camera at the right place and right time.
LS
I find it interesting that many people who "know" about the situation in China tell those who "don't know" that they should not comment. If only people who knew everything about a situation were allowed to comment, then no one would talk about anything, including you. Dialog is part of the process education and finding truth, and you are acting as an oppressor when you tell people to shut up. No one knows everything about any situation.
LS
That's the question though, is there a possibility of "no wikipedia" if they don't take on advertising? I don't believe this to be the case. They've got a lot of donations (including mine) before there was any concern. If a concern that they won't make enough funds to meet costs is publicized, I'm sure wallets would open up quickly. I agree that if there was no other way, then advertising would be an option, but if other means are possible, why not avoid them? Your initial list (impartiality, experience, purpose) are actually good reasons to avoid it if possible.
LS
I don't know who you moderators are or when you got your nuts cut off but I've never felt more cognitive dissonance to a Slashdot post than this one. Every geek I've ever known is dying to get laid but just doesn't have the wherewithal to get it done. Or maybe you, parent poster, are a woman. Calling deadbeat husbands bastards and referring to casual sex as "sport"... hmmmm, I detect that someone may have gotten burned in her past.
Funny that you mention SCO, as Microsoft was responsible for $50 million infusion to keep them alive. Choose your analogies carefully...
LS
On a related note, Jim Gray, the researcher behind the WorldWide Telescope, recently went missing on a sailing expedition. The search has already been suspended.
LS
I'm not sure what camp you are in, but most Slashdotters don't believe in anything mystical, and that there is no soul, the brain is physical, etc, yet so many still fall into the mind-body dichotomy. You are also falling into that trap. When you DECIDE something, it's actually a chemical reaction that is occurring in your brain. It's not a separate event outside of your brain chemistry. Now that we have that established, let's move onto the next problem.
There are those who truly have brain chemistry problems, due to illness, genetic disorders, etc. For example the amount of some neurotransmitter may be too low or whatever. But then there are higher level structural problems that people have. While the brain is made up of matter, it is organized matter. Calling a structural problem a "chemical problem" is like calling a software fault a "silicon error". No, a single "buck up" or "snap out of it" will not restructure your mind, but repeated practice and perseverance and stepping out of your current situation to gain perspective may have effect.
There are innumerable opportunities for people to unconsciously take actions and adopt thought processes that negatively affect their mood and health, and there's a bias to opt for an easy road out of suffering, as it was easy to fall into the pit they fell into.
I suffered suicidal depression, so I'm speaking out of experience. It was a long road to crawl out of depression (several years). I had to change a lot of my habits, ideas, friends, and location. Getting older helps too, as hormones play a large role in affecting habits. There is no silver bullet here. If you expect to flip a switch and be cured, you will only be disappointed.
LS
I never liked the bowling ball on the mattress analogy because actual gravity is needed to make the bowling ball move, so the analogy is muddled. Is there another analogy that would work without the use of actual gravity?
LS
I guess these researchers don't consider the possibility that there may be advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Perhaps they should say the KNOWN universe
LS
Of course he's hypcritical - the guy's a skilled troll and everyone is biting. Please ignore him.
Sounds like you are proposing a simcard sleeve - a simcard inserted into a simple and small package that adds a rugged connector and some flash memory that can easily be switched from phone to phone. It's actually a great idea and likely hasn't already been developed because of current vendor lock-in policies.
LS
You're failure in logic: The same "big government" that would supposedly check these corrupt corporations is the same "big government" that lays down unbalanced regulation and back-slapping that the corrupt corporations to grow and commit their evil deeds. Small government, when implemented across the board, can only be a good thing.
LS
To make it clear: I haven't seen a single nod of support on ANY technical board or from any engineers/scientists since Huckabee came on the scene. I don't live in the bible belt though, so they could exist, but I'd hazard a guess that most technical and scientific people are NOT for Huckabee.
LS
A friend of mine in SF started a company a few years back called Palamida that provides a very similar service. I don't think their code is GPLed though.
LS
I'll come visit you at the remedial reading comprehension class, idiot!
Do you know anything about McCarthyism? He basically labeled anyone who opposed his beliefs a communist. If you read the parent's post carefully, you'd see that he actually speaks for productivity, trade, and competition - hardly communist ideals.
There's no problem with running gags as long as no one brings race into it.
I know several developers who work for Microsoft, and they are invariably intelligent - the way a cop is intelligent. They have a certain type of intelligence, but not a general intelligence that informs them at a greater level about the scheme of things. Just like cops, they also think that they are doing a great thing for the world and are helping out the misguided unwashed masses by unleashing their work upon the world. They are deluded pompous bastards, make no mistake. I can't imagine what their lawyers and marketing people must be like. good grief
You, AC, are a douchebag. I was not talking about future possible technology or predictions at all, only the current state of affairs. In fact I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment that it is likely possible to create a machine that can match human ability in any field. I took computer science for my bachelors, and am quite familiar with Turing!! I guess that's why you posted anonymously though, you may have subconsciously recognized your emotionally charged post to be quite douchey. If you want to live in science fiction fantasy world that's fine with me but don't start imposing it on my reality.
There is more to live human music that just being impressed. With math, the result should be exactly the same every time. But with music, each live cut is different. The mood and physical state of a performer affect his playing. While the structure is the same, the overall feel of a piece can vary drastically from cut to cut and player to player. There is also the interaction and feedback with the crowd in live music. The music can change in response with the crowd, and the crowd also reads the band's visual cues. There is so much going on with live music that computers can not match. A perfect simulation that sounds the same every time can not do this.
LS
come on man, it's simple: a more restrictive license
These "photos" don't look real - they may be ray-traced. The perspective appears to be skewed in all the shots. Look at the metal columns near the door in the third photo. The light gray chairs in the front of the fourth photo appear to have a strange gradient. Overall the lighting and feel of these shots is ray-traced. Someone please prove me wrong.
LS
How about 256 bytes for a 3D rotating parallax tunnel fly-through !!!
LS
I hear what you are saying - I also believe that anything is possible given enough time and hard work. Yet I think you are VASTLY underestimating the task of creating a human-like intelligence. Faster and more powerful != More Intelligent. Flight and chess are child's play compared to the human mind. It's also a false assumption to believe that a Turing architecture machine will be able to simulate the human brain with whatever specious equivalence used to compare human and computer processing power. The brain is NOT a computer. Computers themselves are simple expressions of a mere slice of how we understand our own mental processes to work. Do you know anyone who understands how any mind works, let alone their own, whether they be computer scientists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, or neuro-biologists? To put it simply, in order to expect a human-like intelligence in 20 years requires two things we do not yet have: An understanding of human intelligence, and a hardware architecture that is able to implement it.
LS