"If you wrote C code like the Acid test, you wouldn't expect it to compile."
But I would expect a test suite for my C compiler to include error handling, both for fatal errors and errors causing compiler warnings.
People often seem to miss the really interesting consequence of Descartes "I think, therefore I am".
Since we think, we must be in some form. But we have no guarantee that what we sense as the world around us is in fact real. We could be a brain in a tank somewhere, living in a simulated world. Apart from an attempted philosophical proof of Gods existence - which no one holds in particularly high regard today - Descartes' really interesting point is, that no matter whether what we sense and feel is real or true, we can deduct or create some truths, that will hold on to their truth value independently on our senses. A square will have four sides, no matter whether we are a brain in a tank or a human being in a real world. 2 + 2 will equal 4, and so on. A mathematical proof stays true independently on our senses or feelings, as do the rules of geometry.
This is central to Cartesian thinking: that we cannot rely on intuition, sensing or feelings, but that we have to base our thinking on ideal truths, which do not base their truth-value on the sensed world. Thus the reasoning behind the famous "I think, therefore I am" is that we can in thinking reach some ideal truths which are not subjective, not based on our particular sensing of the world or on whether I feel they are true or not, but on logical reasoning. Therefore there is an "I", thinking and being, and something not "I", something objective and ideal, outside the "I".
Because of this the parents statement that "everything else in the whole universe could be a lie, but there has to be something being lied to," is not the same as Descartes' position, since he would say that even if our senses were being lied to, we would be able to reach some truths about the "universe" through logical reasoning, thus proving that a true universe exists independently of our senses and perceptions, and independently on our "I".
The earth has most likely already been hit by an impacting object far bigger than the moon. The most accepted theory about the formation of the moon, is that it was formed by a Mars sized planet colliding with the earth.
I don't know, and I wish there was one too, but:
I think people generally misunderstand the sheer amount of work put into those professional operating systems. It's not something where you can throw a few bucks at some garage coders and turn out the same thing. These are done by large teams of highly payed developers (I think 100 developers is the right order of magnitude, plus or minus), working for years. It takes *serious* amounts of money to fund that sort of development staff, and it's not something you and me and a few other likeminded folks are going to be able to fund.
Can you get *some* working operating system for a lot less money? Of course. But you can't get what the proprietary operating systems do, in terms of performance and functionality, on the cheap.
Just tryin' to inject some reality into the picture here;)
According to Plato (or Socrates rather - who never wrote) writing itself was a threat to wisdom, because it made writers dependent on an external memory and weakened their own memory. So replace centuries with millennia. Heres a bit of Plato's Phaedrus, where Socrates speaks about writing:
It would take a long time to repeat all that Thamus said to Theuth in praise or blame of the various arts [technai]. But when they came to letters [grammata], Theuth said, "This invention, O King, will make the Egyptians wiser and give them better memories; I have discovered a remedy [pharmakon: potion, medicine, drug] both for the memory and for wisdom." Thamus replied: "O most ingenious [technikotate] Theuth, the parent or inventor of an art is not always the best judge of the utility or inutility of his own inventions to the users of them. And in this instance, you who are the father of letters, from a paternal love of your own children have been led to attribute to them a power opposite to that which they in fact possess. For this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it; they will not exercise their memories, but, trusting in external, foreign marks [graphes], they will not bring things to remembrance from within themselves. You have discovered a remedy [pharmakon] not for memory, but for reminding. You offer your students the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom. They will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.
Why would it surprise anybody that journalists who gives lots of positive coverage to Apple use Macs themselves?
Wouldn't it be far more surprising - even suspect - if they were writing one warm recommendation of Apple products after another, while still just sticking to using a Windows box?
But it sure seems like some people at Microsoft thinks that, since when I go to search.msn.com from my computer here in Denmark, I'm automatically redirected to their seach page in german.
It's not like it's currently impossible for someone to grab a book in the library, scan it in as a pdf file and distribute it amongst other students - actually I have books in pdf files I got from university teachers in this way, because the books was needed in their courses but not curently available in print.
I really don't see how it would be any harder for students to distribute books this way. Actually I think that writing a program that manages to extract all pages of a book from amazon and requiring 5 or so different credit card numbers for it, seems like a lot more trouble than just scanning the book into a pdf...
What was most important: figuring out that the world was round or figuring out the vacine for smallpox?
The comparison is not one that really makes sense, and its the same with discovering extraterestial life versus discovering a cure for cancer.
One is basic medical progress alowing us to live longer - the other is scientific insight that redefines our view of our place in the universe.
Slashdot Mirror
"If you wrote C code like the Acid test, you wouldn't expect it to compile." But I would expect a test suite for my C compiler to include error handling, both for fatal errors and errors causing compiler warnings.
A bit off topic, but here goes:
People often seem to miss the really interesting consequence of Descartes "I think, therefore I am".
Since we think, we must be in some form. But we have no guarantee that what we sense as the world around us is in fact real. We could be a brain in a tank somewhere, living in a simulated world. Apart from an attempted philosophical proof of Gods existence - which no one holds in particularly high regard today - Descartes' really interesting point is, that no matter whether what we sense and feel is real or true, we can deduct or create some truths, that will hold on to their truth value independently on our senses. A square will have four sides, no matter whether we are a brain in a tank or a human being in a real world. 2 + 2 will equal 4, and so on. A mathematical proof stays true independently on our senses or feelings, as do the rules of geometry.
This is central to Cartesian thinking: that we cannot rely on intuition, sensing or feelings, but that we have to base our thinking on ideal truths, which do not base their truth-value on the sensed world. Thus the reasoning behind the famous "I think, therefore I am" is that we can in thinking reach some ideal truths which are not subjective, not based on our particular sensing of the world or on whether I feel they are true or not, but on logical reasoning. Therefore there is an "I", thinking and being, and something not "I", something objective and ideal, outside the "I".
Because of this the parents statement that "everything else in the whole universe could be a lie, but there has to be something being lied to," is not the same as Descartes' position, since he would say that even if our senses were being lied to, we would be able to reach some truths about the "universe" through logical reasoning, thus proving that a true universe exists independently of our senses and perceptions, and independently on our "I".
The earth has most likely already been hit by an impacting object far bigger than the moon. The most accepted theory about the formation of the moon, is that it was formed by a Mars sized planet colliding with the earth.
I don't know, and I wish there was one too, but: I think people generally misunderstand the sheer amount of work put into those professional operating systems. It's not something where you can throw a few bucks at some garage coders and turn out the same thing. These are done by large teams of highly payed developers (I think 100 developers is the right order of magnitude, plus or minus), working for years. It takes *serious* amounts of money to fund that sort of development staff, and it's not something you and me and a few other likeminded folks are going to be able to fund. Can you get *some* working operating system for a lot less money? Of course. But you can't get what the proprietary operating systems do, in terms of performance and functionality, on the cheap. Just tryin' to inject some reality into the picture here ;)
Why would it surprise anybody that journalists who gives lots of positive coverage to Apple use Macs themselves? Wouldn't it be far more surprising - even suspect - if they were writing one warm recommendation of Apple products after another, while still just sticking to using a Windows box?
But it sure seems like some people at Microsoft thinks that, since when I go to search.msn.com from my computer here in Denmark, I'm automatically redirected to their seach page in german.
Don't forget insane amounts of food!
Got this spam mail a while back, no attached file, no javascript or anything and no ad, just this text:
austins the name spammins mAh game
you mess wit da 47 man, pshh you aint g0t n0 plan
step t0 mah elite mailin skillz, joo best head to da hillzzzzz
when 47 gets j00 ya best call up yah crew, or imma come rat -ta -tat tat
0n y0 punk azzz with MAH GAT!
The many cellphone users in Denmark are not really causing a skew in polls though, since Gallup in Denmark do call cellphones...
It's not like it's currently impossible for someone to grab a book in the library, scan it in as a pdf file and distribute it amongst other students - actually I have books in pdf files I got from university teachers in this way, because the books was needed in their courses but not curently available in print. I really don't see how it would be any harder for students to distribute books this way. Actually I think that writing a program that manages to extract all pages of a book from amazon and requiring 5 or so different credit card numbers for it, seems like a lot more trouble than just scanning the book into a pdf...
When asked "what is Litterature" Roland Barthes simply replied "Litterature is what gets taught..."
I bet they will discover that death, carnage and violence is some of the very few truly universal human values. I bet it'll sell well...
Now the poor astronauts as ISS will also have to be bothered with white powder letters!
What was most important: figuring out that the world was round or figuring out the vacine for smallpox? The comparison is not one that really makes sense, and its the same with discovering extraterestial life versus discovering a cure for cancer. One is basic medical progress alowing us to live longer - the other is scientific insight that redefines our view of our place in the universe.