While there is no expectation of privacy in public, there is a huge practical difference between automated tracking systems and manpower surveillance. A few well placed cameras could track as many cars as thousands of people could.
Besides the law enforcement slippery slope, what about the commercial privacy concerns? It's not a stretch that such a system could be used to track how long you spend at the mall and where you went, especially if it were combined with a facial recognition system inside the mall. I know some of this is already possible just by tracking credit card purchases, but opening up yet another more invasive avenue for data collection is not something I welcome.
The marginal cost of texting is next to nothing. Texts get sent over the control channel. Regardless of texting, the control channel is needed for making calls, and it's mostly wasted bandwidth the rest of the time. Text messaging rates are highway robbery. That they cost anything is a product of our lovely cellular service industry.
But don't worry, once AT&T and T-Mobile merge, they won't waste so much money on redundant overhead, so they'll be able to make texting free with the savings. Right? Right?
Yes, the same Apple that is behind Darwin, WebKit, Bonjour, and countless other open source projects. Don't get me wrong, their iOS devices are a nightmare in this aspect, but OS X is a very open platform.
As a counterpoint, I'm doing my Masters in CS right now and work as a software developer. Jobs in my field are plentiful even if you're just moderately competent, and there are great options if you're above average. Of all the STEM fields, CS has some of the best job prospects, and it's no coincidence that I find most people in my program are happy with their situation. So yes, I could totally see how Bio majors are miserable when they compare their brutal race for tenure to CS grad students who come out of school with six figure jobs.
It's easy to be nonchalant about it when you don't like in Seoul. If war breaks out, Seoul will get hit by North Korean artillery nonstop. The other major concern is that China would get involved, and nobody wants to see the US and China going at it, either directly or via proxy. If it weren't for those two reasons, Kim Jong-il and co. would have been wiped out a long time ago. The only thing that could make those risks bearable would be if the alternative is an aggressive, uncontrollable nuclear state, and that's exactly what North Korea is becoming.
It's not tech related, but everyone should read up on her Didden v Port Chester case. I used to think Kelo v New London was the most disgusting eminent domain ruling, but Didden puts it to shame.
But imagine being able to grow a grape in Sonoma or some cigar tobacco in Honduras and have them taste just as if they had come from France or Cuba respectively by genetically engineering a strain.
Why would you want to take excellent Californian wine and make it taste like French wine?
Berkeley isn't the university where the wealthy kids go. It's actually fairly affordable (at the in-state rate), especially considering the education you get there.
Mathematical mental masturbation does not constitute a scientific theory. I need to see hypotheses and tests before I will even consider giving these models the honor of being called a theory.
And you wonder why so many people believe ID proponents when they say that Darwinian evolution is "only" a theory.
While I agree that this is pretty asinine all around, I think the EFF is stretching a bit when they say that taking his cell phone and iPod wasn't warranted. An iPod is still a hard drive, and many cell phones are web-enabled now. While the search warrant never should have been issued in the first place, it would be foolish for the people executing it to not take devices that could have been used to send the email.
Whether the employer violated a confidentiality law/contract is irrelevant to any libel tort. Suing this company for libel is like charing Lori Drew under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Hmmm... how about kicking California out of the Union? that would fix any number of problems!
Yeah, for starters, it would immediately fix our budget problem in California. The rest of you, aka the federal government, takes $47 billion more in taxes from us than we receive in spending, and I'm sure we could do a lot with that money.
His livelihood is most certainly not on the line. He already has millions, and is either a graduate of or close to a degree at Michigan. Even if he quit swimming and dropped all his endorsements, starting a "normal" life at 23 with that backing you up is a recipe to live *extremely* well.
I'm not sure if I think this bill is a good idea or not, but there is sound economic reasoning in creating tax breaks. Giving tax breaks does not necessarily lower the overall amount of tax collected. If the lower tax rate drives more video game developers to Oklahoma, then the state may collect more total money than they would have with a higher rate. To pull numbers out of my ass, taking 15% of a $100 million business is much better than taking 20% of a $50 million business. Yes, this does take tax money away from other states, but how is that Oklahoma's concern?
I don't care about open source, just give me relatively open platform like OS X. I don't mind if the underlying OS is closed source so long as the dev tools, APIs, and application installation are all open. As long as I know that I can release my application to be installed on other iPhones without going through iTunes (or dev tools), that's all I'm really asking for. I think iTunes still provides a great way to sell and distribute applications, but there's no way I'm developing for a platform where a company can decide on a whim whether or not I can distribute my application.
The development and the iron-clad ties to AT&T are the two reasons I didn't get an iPhone, and this is coming from a huge Mac fanboy. The rest of my family got iPhones, and it's definitely a great phone.
So if you want to say some shop is dirty, bad, etc - then you better offer up some proof. Otherwise you can get sued. This is nothing new - it has been going on for many years - why should the Internet be a place for people to spread malicious information without suffering the penalty? It shouldn't.
No, if you want to say some shop is dirty, you just say it. If someone wants to sue you for libel, the burden of proof is on them, not you. For libel cases, the burden of proof is usually very high. Generally, you need to make a false statement, you need to know it was a false statement, and you need to intend harm with your false statement, and the plaintiff has to prove all of this. A shop owner would have an almost impossibly difficult task proving that his shop wasn't dirty, the patron knew it wasn't dirty, and the patron intended to harm his business.
There are a lot of people who ride scooters that can't top 50 mph. Obviously you can't go on the freeway, but they are plenty powerful for regular city streets. They are especially useful in urban areas.
Slashdot Mirror
While there is no expectation of privacy in public, there is a huge practical difference between automated tracking systems and manpower surveillance. A few well placed cameras could track as many cars as thousands of people could.
Besides the law enforcement slippery slope, what about the commercial privacy concerns? It's not a stretch that such a system could be used to track how long you spend at the mall and where you went, especially if it were combined with a facial recognition system inside the mall. I know some of this is already possible just by tracking credit card purchases, but opening up yet another more invasive avenue for data collection is not something I welcome.
The marginal cost of texting is next to nothing. Texts get sent over the control channel. Regardless of texting, the control channel is needed for making calls, and it's mostly wasted bandwidth the rest of the time. Text messaging rates are highway robbery. That they cost anything is a product of our lovely cellular service industry.
But don't worry, once AT&T and T-Mobile merge, they won't waste so much money on redundant overhead, so they'll be able to make texting free with the savings. Right? Right?
Yes, the same Apple that is behind Darwin, WebKit, Bonjour, and countless other open source projects. Don't get me wrong, their iOS devices are a nightmare in this aspect, but OS X is a very open platform.
As a counterpoint, I'm doing my Masters in CS right now and work as a software developer. Jobs in my field are plentiful even if you're just moderately competent, and there are great options if you're above average. Of all the STEM fields, CS has some of the best job prospects, and it's no coincidence that I find most people in my program are happy with their situation. So yes, I could totally see how Bio majors are miserable when they compare their brutal race for tenure to CS grad students who come out of school with six figure jobs.
It's easy to be nonchalant about it when you don't like in Seoul. If war breaks out, Seoul will get hit by North Korean artillery nonstop. The other major concern is that China would get involved, and nobody wants to see the US and China going at it, either directly or via proxy. If it weren't for those two reasons, Kim Jong-il and co. would have been wiped out a long time ago. The only thing that could make those risks bearable would be if the alternative is an aggressive, uncontrollable nuclear state, and that's exactly what North Korea is becoming.
Obligatory xkcd
There are a lot of other shows to complain about for their science instead of the one that gets it mostly (although far from perfectly) right.
It ran for a whole ten hours between crashes?
Get me that man's sysadmin to work on my tubes at once!
The star destroyer was neither a star nor a destroyer. Discuss.
Any sentence that requires an application of De Morgan's laws to parse the unending stream of negatives does not count as "plainly stated" English.
I don't play anymore, but seriously, a Troll Druid? Is nothing sacred anymore? I can only imagine what kind of piss-poor retcon that will involve.
The original Starcraft came out in 1998. I don't think an extra few months in 2009/2010 is a difference maker for a competitor.
It's not tech related, but everyone should read up on her Didden v Port Chester case. I used to think Kelo v New London was the most disgusting eminent domain ruling, but Didden puts it to shame.
But imagine being able to grow a grape in Sonoma or some cigar tobacco in Honduras and have them taste just as if they had come from France or Cuba respectively by genetically engineering a strain.
Why would you want to take excellent Californian wine and make it taste like French wine?
Berkeley isn't the university where the wealthy kids go. It's actually fairly affordable (at the in-state rate), especially considering the education you get there.
Just wait until all the Gauchos find out they're going to have to live in Watts instead of Isla Vista.
Mathematical mental masturbation does not constitute a scientific theory. I need to see hypotheses and tests before I will even consider giving these models the honor of being called a theory.
And you wonder why so many people believe ID proponents when they say that Darwinian evolution is "only" a theory.
While I agree that this is pretty asinine all around, I think the EFF is stretching a bit when they say that taking his cell phone and iPod wasn't warranted. An iPod is still a hard drive, and many cell phones are web-enabled now. While the search warrant never should have been issued in the first place, it would be foolish for the people executing it to not take devices that could have been used to send the email.
Whether the employer violated a confidentiality law/contract is irrelevant to any libel tort. Suing this company for libel is like charing Lori Drew under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Yeah, but you still get to walk away with all your money, and they aren't stupid enough to try and take you out back like it's still the 70's.
Hmmm... how about kicking California out of the Union? that would fix any number of problems!
Yeah, for starters, it would immediately fix our budget problem in California. The rest of you, aka the federal government, takes $47 billion more in taxes from us than we receive in spending, and I'm sure we could do a lot with that money.
His livelihood is most certainly not on the line. He already has millions, and is either a graduate of or close to a degree at Michigan. Even if he quit swimming and dropped all his endorsements, starting a "normal" life at 23 with that backing you up is a recipe to live *extremely* well.
I'm not sure if I think this bill is a good idea or not, but there is sound economic reasoning in creating tax breaks. Giving tax breaks does not necessarily lower the overall amount of tax collected. If the lower tax rate drives more video game developers to Oklahoma, then the state may collect more total money than they would have with a higher rate. To pull numbers out of my ass, taking 15% of a $100 million business is much better than taking 20% of a $50 million business. Yes, this does take tax money away from other states, but how is that Oklahoma's concern?
I don't care about open source, just give me relatively open platform like OS X. I don't mind if the underlying OS is closed source so long as the dev tools, APIs, and application installation are all open. As long as I know that I can release my application to be installed on other iPhones without going through iTunes (or dev tools), that's all I'm really asking for. I think iTunes still provides a great way to sell and distribute applications, but there's no way I'm developing for a platform where a company can decide on a whim whether or not I can distribute my application.
The development and the iron-clad ties to AT&T are the two reasons I didn't get an iPhone, and this is coming from a huge Mac fanboy. The rest of my family got iPhones, and it's definitely a great phone.
So if you want to say some shop is dirty, bad, etc - then you better offer up some proof. Otherwise you can get sued. This is nothing new - it has been going on for many years - why should the Internet be a place for people to spread malicious information without suffering the penalty? It shouldn't.
No, if you want to say some shop is dirty, you just say it. If someone wants to sue you for libel, the burden of proof is on them, not you. For libel cases, the burden of proof is usually very high. Generally, you need to make a false statement, you need to know it was a false statement, and you need to intend harm with your false statement, and the plaintiff has to prove all of this. A shop owner would have an almost impossibly difficult task proving that his shop wasn't dirty, the patron knew it wasn't dirty, and the patron intended to harm his business.
There are a lot of people who ride scooters that can't top 50 mph. Obviously you can't go on the freeway, but they are plenty powerful for regular city streets. They are especially useful in urban areas.