When you think about it, Slashdot is a blog representing the lives of the members of its community. In its own strange way, good ole/. is actually journalising the entire geek/nerd civilization.
Certainly, the public is always wary of change and new technology - and for good reason. Inadequate testing, military desperacy, carelessness lead to big mistakes. We learn, but we learn the hard way. Nuclear technology has earned the bad rap the public has given it - The birth of the nuclear bomb, Chernobyl are both perfectly good excuses to act cautious about anything to do with nuclear energy.
That is fact - and nothing you or I do can change the fact people's past views on the matter. What we can do (and are doing) is to encourage exposure of the modern, safe approach to nuclear energy - pebble bed reactors for instance.
Another certainty is that throwing up your hands and giving up in disgust, assuming all new nuclear technology will be boycotted by every living person on the planet will never resolve anything.
I'm not sure there's any point trying to prove a signature is authentic -> How many of us actually have formal signatures that we can replicate perfectly? I know sure as hell that my signature is different every time and, sequence of pen stroke or no, I'd fail a test for my own signature every time.
I'd instead be working on a way to place an electronic signature - some kind of stamp or something, that acts like a GUID for a person how needs to sign something.
Porn is simply a means to an end. It is true that even teenagers need to find a way to that end, but the trouble with porn is that in many cases, to teenagers, it's also inadvertantly a source of education.
The true problem isn't teenagers using porn, since sexual activity is in general healthy, but having their moral and sexual ideology sculpted by a source that is disntictly devoid of such wisdom.
Some people would argue what the difference between a love scene in a movie and porn is - but the answer is, as always, emotional intent. If it's a *love* scene, then the message behind it is emotional expression, not hardcore f*%$*%$. Of course this pertains to artistic decency.
It is with this difference that porn misleads many youths, who have not developed a a strong moral maturity, or sexual responsibility.
Sure it does... A human can identify with the thought processes of another human. Or at least can think he can. But with a computer it's a completely alien entity - there's no other way around it.
Why do you think the average person usually roots for the human player in human vs computer games? (keep in mind : *average* person, not ur average slashdotter:P)
Could it possibly be that games designers are finally starting to realize that games must be more than simply a world with missions to capture the player's imagination?
This is also the problem with MMORPGs -> Most aren't built to tell a story, rather they're there to help you scratch your head and think what to do somewhere else than everyday life.
Somewhere along the line games developers must realise that if players play these games to escape, to be entertained - then they don't want to have to find ways within the game to entertain themselves. Games that implement these engaging story arcs are almost always extremely successful - even if only on a small cult level.
It's also the reason why James Cameron movies are always 10x better than any others.
"According to a New Scientist article, and prompted by data from NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), it's suggested the universe could be shaped like a soccer ball"
What -- Round?? Yeah... I'd say that's a pretty good bet:P
Interestingly enough, not only does this move practically enrich the forum's discussions, but also hides the vast amounts of dissatisfaction floating around in the community. It's precisely a marketing move, imho.
Being selected for one of the first 100 beta phase 1 participants, I can tell you I watched the game build up from get go to gold - and not much built up. The problem was that the Devs underestimated the dark side of the force, see...
When I compare what the devs invisaged at the start of beta with what's in it now you see how much more they bit off than they could chew -> Player politics, proper PA systems, criminal factions, proper bounty hunting systems, custom missions, proper smuggling, proper vehicles (not just the single seat stuff they want to implement now) espionage, *interesting* combat and PvP concepts... Well you see my point. Beta was one long nerf-slide, watching a MUD get built on top of a graphics engine.
They simply didn't have time to do things properly. Musicians can't write their own music, Chefs can't make their own recipes, Dancers can't bust their own moves, Doctors have a boring at best system to work with etc...
However, I'm pretty sure the rest of lack of depth in SWG right now has to do with lack of space due to their strong relationship - what's a smuggler without a ship? Whats a bounty hunter without a ship? Who cares about being in the rebellion if you don't get to walk around on a Mon Cal Cruiser?
I plan to check out SWG in about 2 years time... after the Space Expansion is released, and has had time to settle in. The Devs ARE working. Hard. Except they finally realised that SWG is roughly 4x as much work as they originally thought it'd be.
Someday the game will be great, and maybe then they can open the boards, because all public dissatisfaction does now is give the game a bad reputation for when it actually achieves its long term design goals.
"...no matter how greedily and possibly self-centeredly he goes about it he [George Lucas] is special."
I'm sure his mother told him he was special too... Right after she entered convulsions after experiencing, "Mesa Jar Jar Binks sah!"
It is a rare opportunity when the cards of this greedy, posessive and paranoid world fall your way. This is a perfect example of the kind of dream come true for those of us with enough ambition to allow ourselves to reach beyond common conceptual life.
But the question remains - Star Wars, for all its intellectual property ownership, is a universe built by community and, somewhat, by faith. Each and every Star Wars fan has their own unique perspective on the universe and what they gain, in each case, is a very personal thing. Keeping the Star Wars universe alive is as much the responsibility of the fan as is the producer. Why then, is a fan threatened with legalities the moment they try to genuinely and honestly contribute to the universe a community upholds. How else is 'Jedi' something of an official, registered religion nowdays (or so I've heard)?
Personally, I can tell you that many times I have had the drive to write a Star Wars story, create a Star Wars data source or write a Star Wars game - but every time I have been defeated by the ever looming cloud that is 'lawsuit'. I think it's a shame Star Wars isn't available more readily to the teaming masses ready to dabble their fingertips into the realm of Star Wars, especially considering the glaring lack of quality in the genre recently (taking Star Wars Galaxies as a prime example).
I'm not a thief or a criminal - all I want is to help enrich the fan's Star Wars experience, why then should my second Uncle's cousin's daughter be sister to Lucasart's CEO?
We can only dream - and to those whose dreams punch through, give them our support and envy.
In response to the Teleportation vs Recreation Issue. I think the issue does not lie in wether we are transported or recreated. For inanimate objects the topic is moot at best. However for anything with a conceptual 'soul' a conciousness, all of a sudden the heebie-jeebies make a lunge from the dark again.
The question is will my conciousness be transported with me? Or will my conciousness cease and a seperate conciousness belonging to the replica take over - consisting of all memories involved. Where's the connection? Where's the continuity?
I have a short analogy to describe why this, in all contextual terms can and will teleport a human being in all conciousness (assuming that the relevant technology is developed to allow entire atoms to teleport).
Imagine that you are frozen. This is akin to placing one under anaesthetic sleep also. So when u wake up are you still there? Whole? Yes... I'd say so.
Now consider that while you are frozen, a few atoms in your right toe are replaced with identical, but differing, atoms. When you wake up are you still there? Whole? Yes, I still think so.
There's no massive desynchronization involved here. So where's the threshold? a foot? a leg? a body? What about the brain? that is after all, only material composition as well.
Consider this: While you are frozen all the atoms in your body are one by one replaced by identical atoms. You wake up. What has changed? Nothing. You have a fresh set of atoms but that's about it.
Now Finally : While you are frozen your atoms are replaced one by one. But they are replaced by atoms in a different location. When you wake up everything is the same, however you have adopted the new location.
Note that conciousness is analogous to your physical body in this manner. So long as the instance of yourself doesn't simply blink out of existance at any one point in time, it is safe to assume neither does your conciousness. Subsequently, your conciousness would be transported also.
The difference between teleportation and recreation in THIS sense is that if firstly something ceases to exist completely, then a copy is made afterwards - that is recreation. Otherwise teleportation applies with all its perky bonuses.
Slashdot Mirror
Is there any particular reason you include a mailto link to Billy Boy, or are you just making a good thing better? :P
When you think about it, Slashdot is a blog representing the lives of the members of its community. In its own strange way, good ole /. is actually journalising the entire geek/nerd civilization.
Certainly, the public is always wary of change and new technology - and for good reason. Inadequate testing, military desperacy, carelessness lead to big mistakes. We learn, but we learn the hard way. Nuclear technology has earned the bad rap the public has given it - The birth of the nuclear bomb, Chernobyl are both perfectly good excuses to act cautious about anything to do with nuclear energy. That is fact - and nothing you or I do can change the fact people's past views on the matter. What we can do (and are doing) is to encourage exposure of the modern, safe approach to nuclear energy - pebble bed reactors for instance. Another certainty is that throwing up your hands and giving up in disgust, assuming all new nuclear technology will be boycotted by every living person on the planet will never resolve anything.
I'm not sure there's any point trying to prove a signature is authentic -> How many of us actually have formal signatures that we can replicate perfectly? I know sure as hell that my signature is different every time and, sequence of pen stroke or no, I'd fail a test for my own signature every time. I'd instead be working on a way to place an electronic signature - some kind of stamp or something, that acts like a GUID for a person how needs to sign something.
Porn is simply a means to an end. It is true that even teenagers need to find a way to that end, but the trouble with porn is that in many cases, to teenagers, it's also inadvertantly a source of education. The true problem isn't teenagers using porn, since sexual activity is in general healthy, but having their moral and sexual ideology sculpted by a source that is disntictly devoid of such wisdom. Some people would argue what the difference between a love scene in a movie and porn is - but the answer is, as always, emotional intent. If it's a *love* scene, then the message behind it is emotional expression, not hardcore f*%$*%$. Of course this pertains to artistic decency. It is with this difference that porn misleads many youths, who have not developed a a strong moral maturity, or sexual responsibility.
- Five feet tall
- 3 arms
- a variety of sensors
- mounted on a segway base
Oh and let's throw in a human-like head so that people can feel at home with it rolling around...
Innovation I tells ya!
Sure it does... A human can identify with the thought processes of another human. Or at least can think he can. But with a computer it's a completely alien entity - there's no other way around it. Why do you think the average person usually roots for the human player in human vs computer games? (keep in mind : *average* person, not ur average slashdotter :P)
Amen to FF7.
Could it possibly be that games designers are finally starting to realize that games must be more than simply a world with missions to capture the player's imagination?
This is also the problem with MMORPGs -> Most aren't built to tell a story, rather they're there to help you scratch your head and think what to do somewhere else than everyday life.
Somewhere along the line games developers must realise that if players play these games to escape, to be entertained - then they don't want to have to find ways within the game to entertain themselves. Games that implement these engaging story arcs are almost always extremely successful - even if only on a small cult level.
It's also the reason why James Cameron movies are always 10x better than any others.
Step 1 : Write an article for CNN, providing URL details then /. it...
Step 2 : Hang your head in shame!
"According to a New Scientist article, and prompted by data from NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), it's suggested the universe could be shaped like a soccer ball" What -- Round?? Yeah... I'd say that's a pretty good bet :P
Interestingly enough, not only does this move practically enrich the forum's discussions, but also hides the vast amounts of dissatisfaction floating around in the community. It's precisely a marketing move, imho. Being selected for one of the first 100 beta phase 1 participants, I can tell you I watched the game build up from get go to gold - and not much built up. The problem was that the Devs underestimated the dark side of the force, see... When I compare what the devs invisaged at the start of beta with what's in it now you see how much more they bit off than they could chew -> Player politics, proper PA systems, criminal factions, proper bounty hunting systems, custom missions, proper smuggling, proper vehicles (not just the single seat stuff they want to implement now) espionage, *interesting* combat and PvP concepts... Well you see my point. Beta was one long nerf-slide, watching a MUD get built on top of a graphics engine. They simply didn't have time to do things properly. Musicians can't write their own music, Chefs can't make their own recipes, Dancers can't bust their own moves, Doctors have a boring at best system to work with etc... However, I'm pretty sure the rest of lack of depth in SWG right now has to do with lack of space due to their strong relationship - what's a smuggler without a ship? Whats a bounty hunter without a ship? Who cares about being in the rebellion if you don't get to walk around on a Mon Cal Cruiser? I plan to check out SWG in about 2 years time... after the Space Expansion is released, and has had time to settle in. The Devs ARE working. Hard. Except they finally realised that SWG is roughly 4x as much work as they originally thought it'd be. Someday the game will be great, and maybe then they can open the boards, because all public dissatisfaction does now is give the game a bad reputation for when it actually achieves its long term design goals.
"...no matter how greedily and possibly self-centeredly he goes about it he [George Lucas] is special." I'm sure his mother told him he was special too... Right after she entered convulsions after experiencing, "Mesa Jar Jar Binks sah!"
It is a rare opportunity when the cards of this greedy, posessive and paranoid world fall your way. This is a perfect example of the kind of dream come true for those of us with enough ambition to allow ourselves to reach beyond common conceptual life.
But the question remains - Star Wars, for all its intellectual property ownership, is a universe built by community and, somewhat, by faith. Each and every Star Wars fan has their own unique perspective on the universe and what they gain, in each case, is a very personal thing. Keeping the Star Wars universe alive is as much the responsibility of the fan as is the producer. Why then, is a fan threatened with legalities the moment they try to genuinely and honestly contribute to the universe a community upholds. How else is 'Jedi' something of an official, registered religion nowdays (or so I've heard)?
Personally, I can tell you that many times I have had the drive to write a Star Wars story, create a Star Wars data source or write a Star Wars game - but every time I have been defeated by the ever looming cloud that is 'lawsuit'. I think it's a shame Star Wars isn't available more readily to the teaming masses ready to dabble their fingertips into the realm of Star Wars, especially considering the glaring lack of quality in the genre recently (taking Star Wars Galaxies as a prime example).
I'm not a thief or a criminal - all I want is to help enrich the fan's Star Wars experience, why then should my second Uncle's cousin's daughter be sister to Lucasart's CEO?
We can only dream - and to those whose dreams punch through, give them our support and envy.
In response to the Teleportation vs Recreation Issue.
:
I think the issue does not lie in wether we are transported or recreated. For inanimate objects the topic is moot at best. However for anything with a conceptual 'soul' a conciousness, all of a sudden the heebie-jeebies make a lunge from the dark again.
The question is will my conciousness be transported with me? Or will my conciousness cease and a seperate conciousness belonging to the replica take over - consisting of all memories involved. Where's the connection? Where's the continuity?
I have a short analogy to describe why this, in all contextual terms can and will teleport a human being in all conciousness (assuming that the relevant technology is developed to allow entire atoms to teleport).
Imagine that you are frozen. This is akin to placing one under anaesthetic sleep also. So when u wake up are you still there? Whole? Yes... I'd say so.
Now consider that while you are frozen, a few atoms in your right toe are replaced with identical, but differing, atoms. When you wake up are you still there? Whole? Yes, I still think so.
There's no massive desynchronization involved here. So where's the threshold? a foot? a leg? a body? What about the brain? that is after all, only material composition as well.
Consider this
While you are frozen all the atoms in your body are one by one replaced by identical atoms. You wake up. What has changed? Nothing. You have a fresh set of atoms but that's about it.
Now Finally :
While you are frozen your atoms are replaced one by one. But they are replaced by atoms in a different location. When you wake up everything is the same, however you have adopted the new location.
Note that conciousness is analogous to your physical body in this manner.
So long as the instance of yourself doesn't simply blink out of existance at any one point in time, it is safe to assume neither does your conciousness. Subsequently, your conciousness would be transported also.
The difference between teleportation and recreation in THIS sense is that if firstly something ceases to exist completely, then a copy is made afterwards - that is recreation. Otherwise teleportation applies with all its perky bonuses.
Sure... they're not in the world...
When 900 years old YOU reach, bounce as good YOU will not!
eep wrong thread...
When 900 years old YOU reach bounce as good YOU will not!