These reports use bad logic to prove their point. If a person owns a dog and wears a red shirt, and you can find a number of people who own dogs that wear red shirts, it DOES NOT logically follow that anyone who wears a red shirt must own a dog.
Here is their typical logic:
1) Determine a person is a sociopath - usually by some anti-social behavior.
2) Find their sources of entertainment which mimic the anti-social behavior.
3) Repeat with a number of proven sociopaths.
4) Provide this as conclusive evidence that anyone who enjoys that particular source of entertainment must be a sociopath.
The missing step that they don't want anyone to remember is:
Find anyone who enjoys this game. Review their life and behavior. Determine what percentage of gamers who enjoy it are actually potential or known sociopaths. Compare that percentage with the percentage of the general population who are potential or known sociopaths.
IOW, if every one of those millions of gamers who bought GTA3 was a sociopath eager to steal cars, beat up pedestrians, etc. we would have a massive epidemic of such behavior. Instead, we have a relative minority of sociopaths who are attracted to the game for their own reasons, while the majority just find it fun.
Don't stop taking Ritalin unless closely monitored
on
Working with ADHD?
·
· Score: 1
I don't have ADHD, nor would I willingly take any drug (medicinal or otherwise). However, I do know some things about it because I have children and had a teacher who considered any active child a candidate for ADHD diagnosis.
The VERY important thing to know about Ritalin and other psycho-tropic (mind) drugs: side effects of not taking your regular dose can include suicidal behavior and depression and other mental disorders -- not just a return of the originally diagnosed trouble. Often the original trouble is often worse after getting back off the medication.
For those who scoff, ADHD or ADD are real problems. They aren't as simple as distraction or being easily sidetracked. No matter how much effort an affected person puts into focusing, their attention drifts away.
It is worse for each individual cell-phone user because their is a clearly identifiable cost involved. That call costs the recipient money.
It is not worse because legislation already exists related to unsolicited phone calls. Emails have been evading that because the technology didn't even exist until the last decade.
Locomotives / freight trains are still used regularly. They serve a need that cannot be met with automobiles or even 18-wheelers. For Joe Sixpack and his family, an automobile is definitely a more efficient way to cross the country. For ABC Florist who relies on fresh cuttings, locomotives take too long - trucks are better. But for XYZ Furniture ordering fifty sofas, twenty-five coffee tables, one thousand various lamps, etc., it would take a large number of trucks (each having a driver to pay) vs. twelve cars in a freight train (one driver to pay).
There is a use for mainframes in particular industries - personal computers and servers aren't the be-all end-all answer to every computing need.
is the notion that the robot is not as much of a drag on CPU as one might suspect
The largest requirement for a robot able to recognize objects would be memory/storage. Kind of like those 20 questions programs, it is very simple processing to compare input with a matrix of possibilities. As the closest match in one matrix is found, it can now compare the input to the next matrix. The storage space for the matrices would be immense as the robot became more sophisticated, but higher processing power would simply speed up the time to "recognize" an object.
About the only way this is a coup for OSS is that most Americans could care less if some other country they can't find on a map makes a decision to go open source. (Seeing as how many can't find Canada on a map, let alone a state they don't live in, this makes sense.)
Conversion would be rejected.
on
Making Change
·
· Score: 1
People like what is familiar and avoid change as much as possible. I'm old enough to remember the failed attempts to convert us Americans to the metric system.
Also, this works very neatly in mathematics, but nowhere near as neat in reality. An 18-cent coin is so uneven in our decimal mindset. Imagine having to add up the change in your pocket. Pull out a quarter, two 18-cent coins, three nickels, and eight pennies -- er, um 25+18? does anyone have paper handy - okay 43. now add 18 again........ oh, hell.
The big thing that has been forgotten with these optimized coins is that we like to have our coinage in denominations that can add up to an even dollar. 18x5=90 and 18x6=108. 29*3=72 and 29*4=116. Converting spare change to bills would be a major hassle.
So they hit "record" at the end of five minutes. Later, when they are being charged, the tapes is reviewed and the recording starts with a guy in cuffs. The very fact that the process leading up to that was not recorded would make the entire recording suspect. In fact, not recording from the moment the suspect is pulled over or approached - i.e. as the cop gets out of the car - would be highly suspect.
Sure, a dirty cop could try scripting what goes on for those five minutes before he hits "record", but careful review of the recording is likely to show up inconsistencies. Besides, what suspect is going to spend five minutes re-enacting his arrest? Something like this: Cop takes cuffs off, walks back to the car, backs up several blocks and drives forward counting off five minutes before hitting "record" and getting out of the car. What suspect is going to stand around acting like the cop just drove up during this little five minute idiocy?
The only time I would need a computer environment that did not include open desk area, book shelves, CD/DVD racks, and filing drawers is when I game.
$7000 is just too damn expensive for a gaming rig; especially one I don't build the system myself. Screw that. A comfy La-Z-Boy recliner, surround sound system, and custom built desk I designed myself would cost me so much less I'd have $4000 left for my dream system. Hmmmmm...
The Linux kernel is merely a framework upon which a great variety of distros are built. SCO is making too broad an attack; essentially saying that the entirety of Linux is condemned by lines in a few files.
If SCO wants to be taken seriously, they need to say "don't distribute these files: xxx.xxx or yyy.yyy". Without that, they might as well be claiming everyone should tear down every single skyscraper because they have a patent on a bolt used in the lowest ladder of the fire escape. Very simple, and effective, to say the ladder is infringing and have every place replace the ladder. However, the problem with that method is that no one will buy the replacement ladder (with licensed bolts) from them.
SCO isn't going to be able to convince anyone to license or buy their intellectual property - so, as others have said, they have shot themselves in the foot.
All these CA companies who had good internet sales now charge 6-8% more than any other site. They'll lose a fair portion of those sales. Their overall profit now decreases, which means they do not have as much income. Now CA still does not collect much of the sales tax - but it also has killed off a portion of the corporate income tax. To top that off, already struggling companies will lay off more people since their profits are down. More people on unemployment and less individual state income tax. Instead of coming out ahead, CA has set itself up to create an even worse economic situation than it is already in.
This brings up another very good question about the testing techniques: why was only Red Hat compared? Is that the "most common" distro used on servers? Or just the one most likely to look bad when file transfer times are compared?
Microsoft afraid to be benchmarked on AMD chip?
on
What's Microsoft Up To?
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Okay, so it is rather redundant to say, but any benchmarking / testing paid for by a party is pretty much guaranteed to be biased in favor of that party.
Anyway, what is up with all the (ONLY 3?) testing systems being PIII Xeons? Where are the AMD chips for comparison? Sounds like Microsoft made sure the systems and benchmarks were very thoroughly optimized in their favor.
According the to article, "TI and Munsell ran the projectors continuously 24/7, replacing bulbs as needed. Each projector was stressed continuously for thousands of hours."
There really wasn't much information provided on the methodology in this article. Did they leave just the one image or did it shift thru? Were any of the projectors shut off at any point (besides changing bulbs)? What were the conditions of the room/area in which the projectors were stored - ventilation, sunlight, etc.?
How many purchasers of projectors are going to use them non-stop? Just imagine such a stress-test of your Intel or AMD processor - 8000 straight hours of 100% CPU activity. I'm sure that could burn out a processor that would survive 8000 hours of activity without a hitch. The longevity of the LCD monitors may be much better than this implies -- which could be better tested under "normal" conditions.
My last thought is that I don't completely trust a "scientific" test done by a company to show the advantages of their own system.
Why is it that we all argue the file-sharing news based on how we personally use it, rather than on how the accused used it? According to the article, the four accused students did more than one thing -- they set up a system to search their college network for song files, they made that search engine available to others outside the college, they downloaded song files they did not purchase, and they turned around and made those song files available to anyone who could find them, not to mention that they did this with hundreds of song files.
Every time I see someone compare downloading a file to making a tape recording of a song off the radio, I wonder if the person really knows how apples-to-oranges that comparison is. First off, radio songs are notoriously difficult to get a good recording of - between DJs who talk through the beginning and end, abbreviated (even edited) versions, and signal noise. Second, recording a song off the radio was usually only done to get a copy of a few favorites for the listening pleasure of that individual and some known friends and family. In contrast, song files can be ripped at extremely high quality levels from the original media - giving a close to exact replica. Also, that song file is typically shared with a large number of unknown people through some network.
A very simple replacement for P2P networks - the older FTP and IRC methods. These take it back into the realm of known peers. Consider: Who would the RIAA be able to go after if I ripped the contents of a CD I bought, then burned 500 CDs which I set out with a sign "Free! Take One!"? With digital footprints (IP address, content scans, etc.) they can follow P2P network sharing, but simple hard copy sharing isn't quite the same.
I wonder how many of those 2 billion SPAMS that were stopped were directed to email accounts that do not exist. I know I usually pay more attention to the spam I get personally (very little because of my methodology), but I've seen spam get dumped into our main corporate email account where user1@company-name.com doesn't exist, but we "own" all @company-name.com email addresses. How much spam is sent to fabricated emails (the way those automatic dialers used to start at 111-1111 and work up to 999-9999)?
Voter apathy is not because of having to take time out of a single day to go to some location and make choices. It is not because there are so few decent choices. It is because our one single votes seems to be no more relevant than a drop of water in the ocean.
Let's say your country wants to spend $300 billion dollars to improve the roads. You don't want to pay more taxes, so you vote no. It passes with 66% of the vote. Consider the number of people who do vote, and how little difference your one vote made - with or without your vote, the spending is approved.
My most ardent hope is that enough people will get apathetic about voting to leave most of the decisions to me.:P
At issue here is what each person calls spam. To some people, anything that is not personal mail from a friend or family member is automatically spam. Not everyone is this stringent about considering any and all marketing to be spam.
What if, because of laws and technology to eliminate spam, you were unable to get nearly instant quotes for auto insurance or mortgate rates? What if, because of laws and technology to eliminate spam, you could not get price notification from a favorite vendor?
In reality, I would like the chance to opt in knowingly for certain things and be on the mailing list for information that is relevant to me. That doesn't mean I want registerng for a site to mean I am added to 5000 third-party mailing lists for everything from Viagra to vacations in the Carribean.
If you actually review what the referenced system would do, it may be a step in the right direction... without (sorry for the cliche') throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
This robot is supposed to be for a much older generation. We're talking about senior citizens old enough to have trouble getting out and around. What is a 60-year old familiar with when it comes to household robots? Not at all the same thing as a techno-geek.
(Also, seeing as technology is nowhere near giving us Chobits, Cyber-Dolls, and Seconds, any attempt to have a household robot look like that would fail dismally.)
This issue ties to prejudice and segregation, class distinctions, and the Haves vs. the Have-Nots. Presumably anyone who has been modified will be more capable in some way - making them the better choice for jobs, college, sports, whatever areas that improvement affects. This means you, or your children, or your grandchildren, could be denied opportunities because someone who wouldn't have appeared naturally would exist and be better in some way. These are the fears that drive bans of GM humans.
I think groups like the Olympic committee should be more hesitant about banning all GM humans outright. What if the modification was to remove a predisposition for epilepsy? The athletic ability would be completely unchanged, though the individual may not have been able to compete had the GM not taken place.
Also, I can think of less threatening forms of GM: ending male pattern baldness, removing recessive genes for diseases and deformities (like a cleft palate), completely aesthetic modifications (removal of genes for moles or excessive body hair).
So much of sci-fi is an expression of our fears of the worst that could be produced. What we should learn from Star Trek and Gattaca and others is not that we shouldn't try - but that we need to consider all the possible ramifications in advance instead of just hoping it will all work out.
There are valid issues that will come about if GM becomes feasible. First of all, the unknown quantity of side effects. Will we know until a couple generations later whether removing a recessive gene for male pattern baldness worked and whether it had any unexpected side effects - such as hairy feet? Second, the expense of such treatments. Either treatment is only available to those who can afford it (great mix to create civil unrest and revolution) or subsidized clinics would have to exist (raising our taxes). Third, there will be prejudice and irrational reactions in both directions - that is pretty much a given. There are many more issues, but at least we are considering them now rather than later.
(Random, completely OT thought - could GM be used to alter racial characteristics? Carking?)
Re:Nasty idea for a vengeance virus
on
The Virus Did It
·
· Score: 1
There are various ways of tracking when files were downloaded and what was running at the time. Given that and solid alibis (you could not have been at the computer at the time such activity took place), you could defend yourself.
Also, if this "virus" was spread in any way it would result in repeat occurrences with each email to the FBI being identical and the list of files/credit cards would match up. Too much coincidence even amongst just two people.
So, this would have to be a privately done vengeance. In that case, an investigation could reveal who 1) hated you that much and 2) had access to get all those sources and content and 3) had the skills to generate the script to do so. It would just be a matter of getting at least one investigator to believe that you are not guilty (I know, not an easy proposition).
One thing quite a few people seem to have missed, both in this Trojan case and in NGRI cases, is that simply making a claim is not sufficient. In an NGRI case, the prosecution must be convinced or a jury must be convinced by expert evidence (medical examinations, etc.) that the accused is actually suffering from more than a desire to avoid responsibility. Likewise, in this Trojan case, an outside expert determined that such a Trojan DID exist and DID download files -- and he proved it well enough that the prosecution accepted it.
What I have to wonder about is why it took so long to determine this. Did investigators simply decide he was guilty at the beginning and refuse to consider other possibilities?
Slashdot Mirror
These reports use bad logic to prove their point. If a person owns a dog and wears a red shirt, and you can find a number of people who own dogs that wear red shirts, it DOES NOT logically follow that anyone who wears a red shirt must own a dog.
Here is their typical logic:
1) Determine a person is a sociopath - usually by some anti-social behavior.
2) Find their sources of entertainment which mimic the anti-social behavior.
3) Repeat with a number of proven sociopaths.
4) Provide this as conclusive evidence that anyone who enjoys that particular source of entertainment must be a sociopath.
The missing step that they don't want anyone to remember is:
Find anyone who enjoys this game. Review their life and behavior. Determine what percentage of gamers who enjoy it are actually potential or known sociopaths. Compare that percentage with the percentage of the general population who are potential or known sociopaths.
IOW, if every one of those millions of gamers who bought GTA3 was a sociopath eager to steal cars, beat up pedestrians, etc. we would have a massive epidemic of such behavior. Instead, we have a relative minority of sociopaths who are attracted to the game for their own reasons, while the majority just find it fun.
I don't have ADHD, nor would I willingly take any drug (medicinal or otherwise). However, I do know some things about it because I have children and had a teacher who considered any active child a candidate for ADHD diagnosis.
The VERY important thing to know about Ritalin and other psycho-tropic (mind) drugs: side effects of not taking your regular dose can include suicidal behavior and depression and other mental disorders -- not just a return of the originally diagnosed trouble. Often the original trouble is often worse after getting back off the medication.
For those who scoff, ADHD or ADD are real problems. They aren't as simple as distraction or being easily sidetracked. No matter how much effort an affected person puts into focusing, their attention drifts away.
It is worse for each individual cell-phone user because their is a clearly identifiable cost involved. That call costs the recipient money.
It is not worse because legislation already exists related to unsolicited phone calls. Emails have been evading that because the technology didn't even exist until the last decade.
Locomotives / freight trains are still used regularly. They serve a need that cannot be met with automobiles or even 18-wheelers. For Joe Sixpack and his family, an automobile is definitely a more efficient way to cross the country. For ABC Florist who relies on fresh cuttings, locomotives take too long - trucks are better. But for XYZ Furniture ordering fifty sofas, twenty-five coffee tables, one thousand various lamps, etc., it would take a large number of trucks (each having a driver to pay) vs. twelve cars in a freight train (one driver to pay).
There is a use for mainframes in particular industries - personal computers and servers aren't the be-all end-all answer to every computing need.
The largest requirement for a robot able to recognize objects would be memory/storage. Kind of like those 20 questions programs, it is very simple processing to compare input with a matrix of possibilities. As the closest match in one matrix is found, it can now compare the input to the next matrix. The storage space for the matrices would be immense as the robot became more sophisticated, but higher processing power would simply speed up the time to "recognize" an object.
About the only way this is a coup for OSS is that most Americans could care less if some other country they can't find on a map makes a decision to go open source. (Seeing as how many can't find Canada on a map, let alone a state they don't live in, this makes sense.)
People like what is familiar and avoid change as much as possible. I'm old enough to remember the failed attempts to convert us Americans to the metric system.
Also, this works very neatly in mathematics, but nowhere near as neat in reality. An 18-cent coin is so uneven in our decimal mindset. Imagine having to add up the change in your pocket. Pull out a quarter, two 18-cent coins, three nickels, and eight pennies -- er, um 25+18? does anyone have paper handy - okay 43. now add 18 again ........ oh, hell.
The big thing that has been forgotten with these optimized coins is that we like to have our coinage in denominations that can add up to an even dollar. 18x5=90 and 18x6=108. 29*3=72 and 29*4=116. Converting spare change to bills would be a major hassle.
So they hit "record" at the end of five minutes. Later, when they are being charged, the tapes is reviewed and the recording starts with a guy in cuffs. The very fact that the process leading up to that was not recorded would make the entire recording suspect. In fact, not recording from the moment the suspect is pulled over or approached - i.e. as the cop gets out of the car - would be highly suspect.
Sure, a dirty cop could try scripting what goes on for those five minutes before he hits "record", but careful review of the recording is likely to show up inconsistencies. Besides, what suspect is going to spend five minutes re-enacting his arrest? Something like this: Cop takes cuffs off, walks back to the car, backs up several blocks and drives forward counting off five minutes before hitting "record" and getting out of the car. What suspect is going to stand around acting like the cop just drove up during this little five minute idiocy?
The only time I would need a computer environment that did not include open desk area, book shelves, CD/DVD racks, and filing drawers is when I game.
$7000 is just too damn expensive for a gaming rig; especially one I don't build the system myself. Screw that. A comfy La-Z-Boy recliner, surround sound system, and custom built desk I designed myself would cost me so much less I'd have $4000 left for my dream system. Hmmmmm...
The Linux kernel is merely a framework upon which a great variety of distros are built. SCO is making too broad an attack; essentially saying that the entirety of Linux is condemned by lines in a few files.
If SCO wants to be taken seriously, they need to say "don't distribute these files: xxx.xxx or yyy.yyy". Without that, they might as well be claiming everyone should tear down every single skyscraper because they have a patent on a bolt used in the lowest ladder of the fire escape. Very simple, and effective, to say the ladder is infringing and have every place replace the ladder. However, the problem with that method is that no one will buy the replacement ladder (with licensed bolts) from them.
SCO isn't going to be able to convince anyone to license or buy their intellectual property - so, as others have said, they have shot themselves in the foot.
Stupid, stupid move.
All these CA companies who had good internet sales now charge 6-8% more than any other site. They'll lose a fair portion of those sales. Their overall profit now decreases, which means they do not have as much income. Now CA still does not collect much of the sales tax - but it also has killed off a portion of the corporate income tax. To top that off, already struggling companies will lay off more people since their profits are down. More people on unemployment and less individual state income tax. Instead of coming out ahead, CA has set itself up to create an even worse economic situation than it is already in.
Again, I say, stupid, stupid move.
This brings up another very good question about the testing techniques: why was only Red Hat compared? Is that the "most common" distro used on servers? Or just the one most likely to look bad when file transfer times are compared?
Okay, so it is rather redundant to say, but any benchmarking / testing paid for by a party is pretty much guaranteed to be biased in favor of that party.
Anyway, what is up with all the (ONLY 3?) testing systems being PIII Xeons? Where are the AMD chips for comparison? Sounds like Microsoft made sure the systems and benchmarks were very thoroughly optimized in their favor.
Look at the people who are funding these projects - toy makers and game makers. People who are imaginative and playful.
Look at the people who are part of the entertainment industry. Rerun, rehashes and sequels. Beyond Jim Carrey, dreadfully serious.
I, for one, would not want space travel controlled by someone who had a contract with an RIAA or MPAA memb
According the to article, "TI and Munsell ran the projectors continuously 24/7, replacing bulbs as needed. Each projector was stressed continuously for thousands of hours."
There really wasn't much information provided on the methodology in this article. Did they leave just the one image or did it shift thru? Were any of the projectors shut off at any point (besides changing bulbs)? What were the conditions of the room/area in which the projectors were stored - ventilation, sunlight, etc.?
How many purchasers of projectors are going to use them non-stop? Just imagine such a stress-test of your Intel or AMD processor - 8000 straight hours of 100% CPU activity. I'm sure that could burn out a processor that would survive 8000 hours of activity without a hitch. The longevity of the LCD monitors may be much better than this implies -- which could be better tested under "normal" conditions.
My last thought is that I don't completely trust a "scientific" test done by a company to show the advantages of their own system.
Why is it that we all argue the file-sharing news based on how we personally use it, rather than on how the accused used it? According to the article, the four accused students did more than one thing -- they set up a system to search their college network for song files, they made that search engine available to others outside the college, they downloaded song files they did not purchase, and they turned around and made those song files available to anyone who could find them, not to mention that they did this with hundreds of song files.
Every time I see someone compare downloading a file to making a tape recording of a song off the radio, I wonder if the person really knows how apples-to-oranges that comparison is. First off, radio songs are notoriously difficult to get a good recording of - between DJs who talk through the beginning and end, abbreviated (even edited) versions, and signal noise. Second, recording a song off the radio was usually only done to get a copy of a few favorites for the listening pleasure of that individual and some known friends and family. In contrast, song files can be ripped at extremely high quality levels from the original media - giving a close to exact replica. Also, that song file is typically shared with a large number of unknown people through some network.
A very simple replacement for P2P networks - the older FTP and IRC methods. These take it back into the realm of known peers. Consider: Who would the RIAA be able to go after if I ripped the contents of a CD I bought, then burned 500 CDs which I set out with a sign "Free! Take One!"? With digital footprints (IP address, content scans, etc.) they can follow P2P network sharing, but simple hard copy sharing isn't quite the same.
I wonder how many of those 2 billion SPAMS that were stopped were directed to email accounts that do not exist. I know I usually pay more attention to the spam I get personally (very little because of my methodology), but I've seen spam get dumped into our main corporate email account where user1@company-name.com doesn't exist, but we "own" all @company-name.com email addresses. How much spam is sent to fabricated emails (the way those automatic dialers used to start at 111-1111 and work up to 999-9999)?
Voter apathy is not because of having to take time out of a single day to go to some location and make choices. It is not because there are so few decent choices. It is because our one single votes seems to be no more relevant than a drop of water in the ocean.
Let's say your country wants to spend $300 billion dollars to improve the roads. You don't want to pay more taxes, so you vote no. It passes with 66% of the vote. Consider the number of people who do vote, and how little difference your one vote made - with or without your vote, the spending is approved.
My most ardent hope is that enough people will get apathetic about voting to leave most of the decisions to me. :P
At issue here is what each person calls spam. To some people, anything that is not personal mail from a friend or family member is automatically spam. Not everyone is this stringent about considering any and all marketing to be spam.
What if, because of laws and technology to eliminate spam, you were unable to get nearly instant quotes for auto insurance or mortgate rates? What if, because of laws and technology to eliminate spam, you could not get price notification from a favorite vendor?
In reality, I would like the chance to opt in knowingly for certain things and be on the mailing list for information that is relevant to me. That doesn't mean I want registerng for a site to mean I am added to 5000 third-party mailing lists for everything from Viagra to vacations in the Carribean.
If you actually review what the referenced system would do, it may be a step in the right direction ... without (sorry for the cliche') throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Two things:
This is Japan. Compact living spaces - not sprawling two-story and three-story homes.
This is for home-bound elderly. Someone who can't climb stairs in their own home is not going to live in a home with stairs.
This robot is supposed to be for a much older generation. We're talking about senior citizens old enough to have trouble getting out and around. What is a 60-year old familiar with when it comes to household robots? Not at all the same thing as a techno-geek.
(Also, seeing as technology is nowhere near giving us Chobits, Cyber-Dolls, and Seconds, any attempt to have a household robot look like that would fail dismally.)
This issue ties to prejudice and segregation, class distinctions, and the Haves vs. the Have-Nots. Presumably anyone who has been modified will be more capable in some way - making them the better choice for jobs, college, sports, whatever areas that improvement affects. This means you, or your children, or your grandchildren, could be denied opportunities because someone who wouldn't have appeared naturally would exist and be better in some way. These are the fears that drive bans of GM humans.
I think groups like the Olympic committee should be more hesitant about banning all GM humans outright. What if the modification was to remove a predisposition for epilepsy? The athletic ability would be completely unchanged, though the individual may not have been able to compete had the GM not taken place.
Also, I can think of less threatening forms of GM: ending male pattern baldness, removing recessive genes for diseases and deformities (like a cleft palate), completely aesthetic modifications (removal of genes for moles or excessive body hair).
So much of sci-fi is an expression of our fears of the worst that could be produced. What we should learn from Star Trek and Gattaca and others is not that we shouldn't try - but that we need to consider all the possible ramifications in advance instead of just hoping it will all work out.
There are valid issues that will come about if GM becomes feasible. First of all, the unknown quantity of side effects. Will we know until a couple generations later whether removing a recessive gene for male pattern baldness worked and whether it had any unexpected side effects - such as hairy feet? Second, the expense of such treatments. Either treatment is only available to those who can afford it (great mix to create civil unrest and revolution) or subsidized clinics would have to exist (raising our taxes). Third, there will be prejudice and irrational reactions in both directions - that is pretty much a given. There are many more issues, but at least we are considering them now rather than later.
(Random, completely OT thought - could GM be used to alter racial characteristics? Carking?)
There are various ways of tracking when files were downloaded and what was running at the time. Given that and solid alibis (you could not have been at the computer at the time such activity took place), you could defend yourself.
Also, if this "virus" was spread in any way it would result in repeat occurrences with each email to the FBI being identical and the list of files/credit cards would match up. Too much coincidence even amongst just two people.
So, this would have to be a privately done vengeance. In that case, an investigation could reveal who 1) hated you that much and 2) had access to get all those sources and content and 3) had the skills to generate the script to do so. It would just be a matter of getting at least one investigator to believe that you are not guilty (I know, not an easy proposition).
One thing quite a few people seem to have missed, both in this Trojan case and in NGRI cases, is that simply making a claim is not sufficient. In an NGRI case, the prosecution must be convinced or a jury must be convinced by expert evidence (medical examinations, etc.) that the accused is actually suffering from more than a desire to avoid responsibility. Likewise, in this Trojan case, an outside expert determined that such a Trojan DID exist and DID download files -- and he proved it well enough that the prosecution accepted it.
What I have to wonder about is why it took so long to determine this. Did investigators simply decide he was guilty at the beginning and refuse to consider other possibilities?
Why are only Sony and Toshiba reported? Does IBM not plan to produce and Cell chips or do they already have fab facilities?