Actually "OS X" does make sense: The previous OS from Apple had version number 9. The obvious next to version 9 is version 10. Now X is the roman numeral for 10.
I'm not sure if that was really the thinking at Apple, but IMHO that way it does make sense.
This solution reminds me of a Panopticon, mentioned in a recent Slashdot article about the Great Firewall of China. Kinda interesting that what seems draconian in one context seems simple and effective in another... Indeed. I'd be pissed if the government told me at which time I shall go to bed. However few people would question the parent's right to do so for their children (and those who do question it mostly are those children:-)).
Indeed, a repeat of the WGA server event could do much harm with this deactivation feature even if later the legitimacy is accepted again: Assume you try to do an update on critical infrastructure computers in your business and due to a WGA failure your Windows copies are considered invalid. Now, if the problem isn't fixed within an hour, then your whole company's network might go offline, potentially resulting in large economic losses. Moreover, since the Windows machines are not working any more, you cannot simply re-try your validation with the WGA server once it's working correctly again. Even if the problem gets eventually corrected, and your genuine copy status is recovered, after such an event you'd think twice before ever again selecting a Microsoft solution. Moreover, large economic losses would result in big lawsuites.
If that new policy had been in effect when the WGA breakdown happened, I guess MS would already be in very big trouble now.
So I'm compiling a top ten list of reasons to stop making 7 Wonders of the world lists
1. Wasted bandwidth 2. They're only for pageview whores 3. Most of the items are only 'wondrous' because people wonder why the hell its on the list. 4. If anything really is that wondrous, humans will probably destroy it. 5. Google will sell the #1 spot to someone else. 6. I.T. is moving so fast that in a few months, most will be obsolete.
thats as far as I got. Ok, I'll finish it for you:
7. It will suffer from the Slashdot effect. 8. Most Slashdot posters won't read it anyway. 9. ??? 10. Profit!
Would you consider the digit sequence of pi to be a random sequence? AFAIK up to now it has passed every normality test thrown to it. Yet I'm not willing to consider that sequence as random. After all, you can calculate any digit you want (it may take some time and computing power, though). So there's absolutely nothing unpredictable about them.
If GWB died, and TV brought a special feature about it, you'd probably complain about that too, because just that someone dies doesn't justify a special feature. After all, how many people die every day?
If you think what your $5 calculator does is math, you're very mistaken. Your calculator cannot do math any more than your spell checker can write novels.
You empathize with others because they are like yourself, if you do not place value on the life or actions of another being that is similar to yourself then you are at the same time devaluing the characteristic you have in common.
Sociopaths can be quite intelligent, but are not able to empathize.
I don't see any reason why it should not be possible to build a sociopathic AI.
A question: If something truly smarter than human intelligence existed, would we be able to understand it? If the answer is "yes", then it isn't "smarter" than human intelligence. If the answer is "no" then how would we recognize it as being smarter?
What exactly do you mean by "understanding it"? That word isn't as clear-cut as think. Do you really understand your computer? If your dog understands you (i.e. is able to follow your commands), does that mean you're not "smarter" than your dog?
A superiour intelligence would certainly be able to "dumb down" its communication with us to our level.
And there's also the fact that it's much easier to recognize intelligent solutions to problems than too come up with them.
It took a supercomputer to simulate a mouse brain, and that just comes across as highly inefficient to me, and hardly something we'll easier take much further in the future.
Remember, not too long ago there was a time where the computing power under your desk was considered a supercomputer.
The modern world isn't purely Darwinist, but more and more "designed". Look at roads. They cover the world and at first glance would appear to be a very successful species. But they don't even reproduce! That's what they tell you.:-)
I'm still not sure why people would actually listen to that. I mean... why would anyone just download a random program from a website without looking up said program in, say, google to see what it actually does? That's easy to solve. Just add a helpful comment to the mail saying:
If you are not sure if you should install this program, get more information at http://www.evil.org/malware/installer.exe!
Hrm... I knew they sort-of successfully cloned humans, but this is really the next step... I don't know what to think of it.. I mean, there is quite a lot on this planet already that we don't know a lot about. why create a new lifeform?...probably because "it's possible"... To prove that it is possible.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually "OS X" does make sense: The previous OS from Apple had version number 9. The obvious next to version 9 is version 10. Now X is the roman numeral for 10.
I'm not sure if that was really the thinking at Apple, but IMHO that way it does make sense.
The "lock on case" is trivial to defeat. Worst case scenario - drill out a few rivets.
The "password-protect the bios" ... a 5-minute trip to the web with the motherboard brand, and you can reset the master password.
Locking parent out of computer - priceless.
You don't really think the parents wouldn't notice that, do you?Indeed, a repeat of the WGA server event could do much harm with this deactivation feature even if later the legitimacy is accepted again: Assume you try to do an update on critical infrastructure computers in your business and due to a WGA failure your Windows copies are considered invalid. Now, if the problem isn't fixed within an hour, then your whole company's network might go offline, potentially resulting in large economic losses. Moreover, since the Windows machines are not working any more, you cannot simply re-try your validation with the WGA server once it's working correctly again. Even if the problem gets eventually corrected, and your genuine copy status is recovered, after such an event you'd think twice before ever again selecting a Microsoft solution. Moreover, large economic losses would result in big lawsuites.
If that new policy had been in effect when the WGA breakdown happened, I guess MS would already be in very big trouble now.
So I'm compiling a top ten list of reasons to stop making 7 Wonders of the world lists
1. Wasted bandwidth
2. They're only for pageview whores
3. Most of the items are only 'wondrous' because people wonder why the hell its on the list.
4. If anything really is that wondrous, humans will probably destroy it.
5. Google will sell the #1 spot to someone else.
6. I.T. is moving so fast that in a few months, most will be obsolete.
thats as far as I got. Ok, I'll finish it for you:
7. It will suffer from the Slashdot effect.
8. Most Slashdot posters won't read it anyway.
9. ???
10. Profit!
GNAT, the GNU Ada Compiler, is free and part of GCC.
That's why I read Slashdot only at night.
Would you consider the digit sequence of pi to be a random sequence? AFAIK up to now it has passed every normality test thrown to it. Yet I'm not willing to consider that sequence as random. After all, you can calculate any digit you want (it may take some time and computing power, though). So there's absolutely nothing unpredictable about them.
A dead parrot?
If GWB died, and TV brought a special feature about it, you'd probably complain about that too, because just that someone dies doesn't justify a special feature. After all, how many people die every day?
Actually I've heared the parrot was killed by Schrödinger's cat.
Clearly he knew too much.
If you think what your $5 calculator does is math, you're very mistaken. Your calculator cannot do math any more than your spell checker can write novels.
I'm surprised, too, because it has been mentioned several times:
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=29188
Half of them even have "Flatland" in the comment title.
Sociopaths can be quite intelligent, but are not able to empathize.
I don't see any reason why it should not be possible to build a sociopathic AI.
What exactly do you mean by "understanding it"? That word isn't as clear-cut as think. Do you really understand your computer? If your dog understands you (i.e. is able to follow your commands), does that mean you're not "smarter" than your dog?
A superiour intelligence would certainly be able to "dumb down" its communication with us to our level.
And there's also the fact that it's much easier to recognize intelligent solutions to problems than too come up with them.
Remember, not too long ago there was a time where the computing power under your desk was considered a supercomputer.
Which means we should implant those machines a passionate love of humans.
If you are not sure if you should install this program, get more information at http://www.evil.org/malware/installer.exe!
Well, both are true :-)
I think you mean Steven Weinberg.
"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
~ Carl Sagan That's not true. You just have to type: See? No make universe needed.