Large animals are relatively easy to hunt to extinction. (The disappearance of woolly mammoths and saber tooth tigers, among others, corresponds clearly with the "rise" of humans). However, genes are nearly impossible to get rid of... the genes of extinct animals live on in their relatives.
I would argue that "selective pressure" is a competition designed to get rid of "less fit" genes, not to encourage them. However, as in the case of large animals, even "unfit" genes have a way of hanging around forever as a small reservoir of "inactive" or "junk" DNA that lies in wait for external conditions to favor its return... kind of like a government in exile.
This is an example of why I don't worry about man-made genetically modified organisms. It you have studied biology, you realize that nature is constantly shuffling DNA from one organism to another across species, genera, phyla and here across kingdoms.
Nature is constantly performing billions of genetic engineering experiments, most of which don't work out. Sometimes there is a small evolutionary advantage. I don't worry about the "frankenfoods" taking over the world. Nature is constantly performing these experiments and the result is the the current highly optimized system we call "life on earth". Anything man creates just goes into the universal gene pool and has to compete with an already highly evolved system.
So, Gizmodo could claim that they didn't know who the phone belonged to so they published details of this unique phone hoping that the true owner would contact them (which they did) so they could return it (which they did).
I took the opposite path. I ordered a Nexus One a full price and plan on getting the T-Mobile data only plan ($39/month). No phone service at all. I can then use VOIP for phone calls and have data services too.
Yes, you're right. Google should have done something like partner with a carrier such as T-Mobile to offer a subsidized phone for $179 along with a two year contract at a high enough price to recoup the subsidy for the phone... oh wait!... you mean that they did do this?
I never said Linux is absolutely secure. I said that Linux is theoretically, potentially insecure. The fact is that there are no real Linux malware threats in the wild and that means that I don't worry about malware. If something comes up, I'm sure I will hear it trumpeted here on Slashdot and then I will be cautious (until the patch is posted... usually very quickly for real threats).
I know that Linux is theoretically vulnerable to malware but I haven't heard of any real malware in the wild. Do you know of someplace that describes actual malware in the wild that will infect my Linux system?
I just did a quick Google search and it didn't come up with any real Linux malware... just articles about either potential (not real) threats and articles stating that there are no threats.
I click on spam occasionally when it has be obfuscated enough for me to believe that it might be a real message. I have even found a few real messages that looked like spam.
However, I run Linux so I don't worry about viruses, trojans, pedophiles and other malware.
I have three different Canon digital cameras (point and shoot... all recent vintage). Each of them has a lithium rechargeable battery. All of the batteries are about the same size (within a millimeter or two) but they are all different and not interchangeable and each has a different charger. Drives me crazy.
It should be obvious to most people that the chargers should be standard. After all, we have standards for tires, batteries, fuel filling openings, etc.
It would be a big help to everyone researching this problem if Toyota would give full access to the contents of the data recorders in their cars. They are playing games and denying access to all of the information that is collected before a crash. They supposedly only have one computer in the US that is capable of reading the data recorders. They are giving accident investigators reports with many columns of data blank. This is nonsense.
If everyone had access to all of the data on their own cars, this problem could be solved much faster (... I seem to remember something that someone once said that "with many eyes all bugs are shallow"...)
So you think that when you have a corrupt government of kleptocrats that it is the people's fault, not those who have captured power (military, political, financial, elections). This seems like blaming the victim.
The problem is that when you are not in power, you, by definition, don't have the power to throw the bums out since the bums have all the cards. They control all the money, elections, military, etc.
Why do you think that it is so hard for the US to pass legislation regulating the financial industry? Everyone knows the problem and knows what needs to be done but the financial industry has all the money and has purchased all of the politicians who are suddenly very dumb about passing legislation.
I think the key term here is "monopoly rents". If there was a free market, there would be competition, lower prices, less profit for Carlos, and the poor would get to keep more money to grow and invest in their own economy. Instead, the excess monopoly rents go to Carlos who uses it to go into banking, for example, another area where he can bilk the poor (as our own developed country bankers have shown the way so clearly).
And I guess that this is a good place to point out that Carlo Slim, the worlds richest man, made his money by having monopoly control of telecoms in Mexico (a poor country) and cell phones in 11 countries in Latin America (all poor). He is getting rich by collecting monopoly rents from the poor. Isn't crony capitalism wonderful?
Just think what good could come if he was not sucking all of that money out of all of those poor economies. They might even be able to save and invest and grow their economies. Instead, Carlos uses the money to expand into banking and other areas to make even more money for himself.
The FDA does actually have an exemption for the situation you describe where people who are facing certain death can be approved to take experimental drugs that have passed basic safety trials.
Good luck.
For situations where there is a less clear cut risk/benefit, I'd just as soon wait for proof of safety and effectiveness.
So it sounds like outsourcing to the private sector (Northrup Grumman) was a disaster. So much for private sector efficiency. Hard to blame Kundra for that unless he was micromanaging NG and it looks like NG was in far over its head.
The emergence of antibiotic resistance on farms where livestock are routinely treated with antimicrobials has been well documented, but whether it poses a human health threat has been controversial. Now, a growing body of evidence suggests these "superbugs" of animal origin are being transmitted to humans. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/298/18/2125
Less than a minute with Google gives lots of references. These bugs come from farms and end up in people.
I guess it would be best to characterize your attitude as naive. You are targeting proteins. This is what changes easily when bugs develop resistance. You will be playing a constant game of whack a mole to avoid bacterial resistance.
You are also incredibly naive about costs. Almost all drugs are incredibly cheap to produce but still ending up costing patients "whatever the market will bear" (how much is your life worth). It's not just regulatory approval. It's just greed by the pharma companies. You definitely do want drugs to pass regulation. You don't want untested drugs released.
I think you are missing the point. The problem is not a lack of new fancy antibiotics. The problem is the overuse and misuse of the antibiotics that we already have.
Antibiotic resistance develops when you have widespread use of antibiotics. Currently antibiotics are used widely by corporate farms (chickens are commonly fed antibiotics, etc.). This creates resistant bacteria. Basic evolution. (You can also reverse this by stopping the use of antibiotics and the bacteria will usually lose their resistance.) Antibiotics are also overprescribed for viral respiratory infections where they have no effect.
Fix these problems and we won't need your expensive designer antibiotics (which will become useless in a few years anyway).
I run Linux and Mac and people keep telling me that I am missing out on all this great software... so I want to know if I can run these neat new "Rogue PDFs".
Well, I guess global warming would be in question if the earth was actually getting cooler. However, since the ocean temperatures and air temperatures continue to increase, we still have global warming.
Slashdot Mirror
... and nobody would ruin a perfectly good car by attaching an iPad to it.
I would argue that "selective pressure" is a competition designed to get rid of "less fit" genes, not to encourage them. However, as in the case of large animals, even "unfit" genes have a way of hanging around forever as a small reservoir of "inactive" or "junk" DNA that lies in wait for external conditions to favor its return... kind of like a government in exile.
Nature is constantly performing billions of genetic engineering experiments, most of which don't work out. Sometimes there is a small evolutionary advantage. I don't worry about the "frankenfoods" taking over the world. Nature is constantly performing these experiments and the result is the the current highly optimized system we call "life on earth". Anything man creates just goes into the universal gene pool and has to compete with an already highly evolved system.
So, Gizmodo could claim that they didn't know who the phone belonged to so they published details of this unique phone hoping that the true owner would contact them (which they did) so they could return it (which they did).
I took the opposite path. I ordered a Nexus One a full price and plan on getting the T-Mobile data only plan ($39/month). No phone service at all. I can then use VOIP for phone calls and have data services too.
Yes, you're right. Google should have done something like partner with a carrier such as T-Mobile to offer a subsidized phone for $179 along with a two year contract at a high enough price to recoup the subsidy for the phone... oh wait!... you mean that they did do this?
I never said Linux is absolutely secure. I said that Linux is theoretically, potentially insecure. The fact is that there are no real Linux malware threats in the wild and that means that I don't worry about malware. If something comes up, I'm sure I will hear it trumpeted here on Slashdot and then I will be cautious (until the patch is posted... usually very quickly for real threats).
"The viruses listed below pose a potential, although minimal, threat to Linux systems."... I can't get excited about this...
I just did a quick Google search and it didn't come up with any real Linux malware... just articles about either potential (not real) threats and articles stating that there are no threats.
There aren't any malware exploits for Linux in the wild so I don't have to worry.
However, I run Linux so I don't worry about viruses, trojans, pedophiles and other malware.
It should be obvious to most people that the chargers should be standard. After all, we have standards for tires, batteries, fuel filling openings, etc.
Nokia has had a few RFID phones since 2006. This is not a new invention.
If everyone had access to all of the data on their own cars, this problem could be solved much faster (... I seem to remember something that someone once said that "with many eyes all bugs are shallow"...)
The problem is that when you are not in power, you, by definition, don't have the power to throw the bums out since the bums have all the cards. They control all the money, elections, military, etc.
Why do you think that it is so hard for the US to pass legislation regulating the financial industry? Everyone knows the problem and knows what needs to be done but the financial industry has all the money and has purchased all of the politicians who are suddenly very dumb about passing legislation.
I think the key term here is "monopoly rents". If there was a free market, there would be competition, lower prices, less profit for Carlos, and the poor would get to keep more money to grow and invest in their own economy. Instead, the excess monopoly rents go to Carlos who uses it to go into banking, for example, another area where he can bilk the poor (as our own developed country bankers have shown the way so clearly).
Just think what good could come if he was not sucking all of that money out of all of those poor economies. They might even be able to save and invest and grow their economies. Instead, Carlos uses the money to expand into banking and other areas to make even more money for himself.
Purple and orange have been the FedEx colors since the beginning... but then their market is not the professional business types... oh, wait.
The FDA does actually have an exemption for the situation you describe where people who are facing certain death can be approved to take experimental drugs that have passed basic safety trials.
Good luck.
For situations where there is a less clear cut risk/benefit, I'd just as soon wait for proof of safety and effectiveness.
So it sounds like outsourcing to the private sector (Northrup Grumman) was a disaster. So much for private sector efficiency. Hard to blame Kundra for that unless he was micromanaging NG and it looks like NG was in far over its head.
Less than a minute with Google gives lots of references. These bugs come from farms and end up in people.
You are also incredibly naive about costs. Almost all drugs are incredibly cheap to produce but still ending up costing patients "whatever the market will bear" (how much is your life worth). It's not just regulatory approval. It's just greed by the pharma companies. You definitely do want drugs to pass regulation. You don't want untested drugs released.
Antibiotic resistance develops when you have widespread use of antibiotics. Currently antibiotics are used widely by corporate farms (chickens are commonly fed antibiotics, etc.). This creates resistant bacteria. Basic evolution. (You can also reverse this by stopping the use of antibiotics and the bacteria will usually lose their resistance.) Antibiotics are also overprescribed for viral respiratory infections where they have no effect.
Fix these problems and we won't need your expensive designer antibiotics (which will become useless in a few years anyway).
I run Linux and Mac and people keep telling me that I am missing out on all this great software... so I want to know if I can run these neat new "Rogue PDFs".
Well, I guess global warming would be in question if the earth was actually getting cooler. However, since the ocean temperatures and air temperatures continue to increase, we still have global warming.