Peer to peer tech aside, we regulate far simpler actions every day, or at least attempt to. We have laws against shoplifting, far simpler than writing a 9 to 15 line program. We have laws against pedophiles seducing little boys on the internet. That, I assume, is less complicated than writing a 9 line program. These laws don't catch everyone, but they do serve as a deterrent.
Why wouldn't laws against P2P apps be effective? I think that the recent crackdowns on file sharing HAS had a significant impact, and I personally am careful about what I download now, because my cable company (Cablevision) sends me a fat envelope with network monitoring logs showing what I downloaded that they think is copyrighted.
Even if it does, a lot of people are too scared of being called a "nerd" or a "geek" and thereby having their social status for the rest of the four years ruined to show that excitement.
I think the programming fair was a great idea, however.
Umm, it's been quite some time since high school, but I do remember what the word "contradiction" means. If you want to be sensitive to social status, and perhaps open a few eyes, do things that interest the guys who normally wouldn't be caught dead with a physics book. A computer animation of a football player... some might want to be able to create one of their own. This is an opportunity to start the kid off slow, and soon he's learning inverse kinematics! Or.. a composition of a pop song that gets the prom queen-to-be excited. Give a small explanation of what some of the sheet music means. If she gets interested, that's the doorway to a strong background in mathematics and technology as well. And perhaps even an exhibition of photography, where you can take pictures of say... soldiers in combat, using different camera techniques, and explain why each technique does what it does to those interested. Some of these might not work, but I bet you see what I'm getting at.
I know this is outlandish, but I wonder if there'll be a drug that enhances the temporal cortex (I know it's a huge generalization for neuroscience), which according to this article is related to familiarity of the subject being observed. It might one day be a treatment for racism. People generalize and say "All people look the same" but if we were more easily able to recognize the individual instead of merely the racial traits, it could be one more evil that humanity can overcome through science.
I would think it's unethical for the government to force someone accused of a hate crime to take such a drug, but like a rapist might choose castration, perhaps a racist criminal can get a lighter sentence by choosing such a pill:)
When it comes to video, a $2,000 Mac still doesn't have the same capabilities as an SGI machine.
I thought Macs are known for their media handling capability. The fact that you can get one of those 10+ year old SGI machines for dirt cheap now and get better video editing is a bit shocking. Then again, the quote includes the word "capabilities", so perhaps that does not necessarily reflect performance/processing speed.
Using SecureID or another similar solution is the "no-brainer" solution that todays users need. This way they don't have to remember anything other than a simple pin - which, luckily, is just about the limit of most peoples' powers in this arena.
Biometric identification is the way to go. No passwords. The only time you need administrative support is if you've been in a horrible accident and lost your eyes/fingers/vocal cords/etc.
Re:The ABCs of Google Complete
on
Google Suggest
·
· Score: 1
P is for Paris Hilton (wtf?!)
The fact that Paris Hilton is #1 for P does tell you that the suggestions are the most popular at the present, rather than just cumulatively popular over time. Paris Hilton beating out the #2 choice, PC World, might seem unfathomable to the/. community, but rest assured this Paris Hilton fad will end.
By joining up, the malware author does exactly the opposite of what he needs to do to stay anonymous. It is easier to catch someone who communicates with colleagues about the very thing which he needs to keep private. By conversing about virii/trojans/etc, it is far easier for law-enforcers to monitor and hunt down these cybermischiefs and bring them to justice, Bill Gates's feet, a/. horde, etc.
They're providing a limited version of Windows CE for this $185 PC that's even beyond your average crippleware. It has a MAX of 800x600 resolution (shouldn't that be left up to the video card?) AND you can open a maximum of *3* Windows.
Not to mention, the cost of this crappy OS is $36. For something so crippled, 20% of the cost seems pretty steep. These emerging markets can pay $149 per computer if they had a very powerful and free Linux on it. And can these emerging markets afford other applications? Are they going to buy $36 versions of MS Word that only lets you type in Scribble font and save one document per fortnight?
More important, users can run only three programs or have three windows opened at once, a limitation that research company Gartner believes could frustrate users and drive them to buy bootleg copies of Windows XP instead.
Why can't Microsoft just sell the software for less, with the agreement that it can't be exported? I'm fine with that, and it'd spare Microsoft the annoyance of piracy, plus it'd spare the consumers in emerging markets both frustration, and humiliation.
Umm, Microsoft had to dig, but they managed to find the next step down. They're providing a limited version of Windows CE for this $185 PC that's even beyond your average crippleware. It has a MAX of 800x600 resolution (shouldn't that be left up to the video card?) AND you can open a maximum of *3* Windows. Why let them open 3? You can keep Windows pluralized with only 2!
Well, I agree and disagree. The FCC being part of the Federal government is ideally a representation of the people. Politics aside, that's democracy for you. When the FCC gets money, it's basically money for our government, and indirectly, us. As for whether they lease or sell, or how exactly the money is used, that's an issue which you can protest through voting and lobbying.
The greatest benefit for musicians is the consumer's ability to browse online and download one song at a time. Buying a $20 CD is an option when you're in high school with a summer job, after you've bought your computer and new clothes. It is not an option when you're paying for college, paying off your first new car, your wedding, your first home, your yearly vacations, etc.
A Tivo for the Internet is about as useful as the above. Use your browser cache, IM history, email storage options, etc.
Well, Tivo doesn't merely record TV shows. It also finds shows you might be interested in and takes the liberty to grab those. So what this Tivo for the internet could do is basically watch what sites you visit, and if you accidentally click on a kiddie porn link, it brands you as a pedophile and helps you get arrested. I, for one, would feel completely safe using it:)
Well, Scott Adams once predicted that the Holodeck will be the last invention that humanity ever creates. Wouldn't surprise me if he turned out to be right.
Who says it'll be humanity that invents the holodeck? It may just as likely be an artificially intelligent scientist grown from our genetic algorithms that invents it for us.
when I asked Google why this was via email, the response was "too difficult"... *boggle*
Since when do any tech companies with more than 10 employees let the developers answer any consumer inquiries? You no doubt got some fool just wanting to close a "trouble ticket". They made a whole competition out of it while I worked at Register.com. Never the developers, including me, helping with anything though. They kept busy whipping us, wanting more profit.
I wonder if the technology is similar to what observatory telescopes are using to warp mirrors for atmospheric correction. The difference offhand is the feedback mechanism that sensors provide the telescope to warp its mirror constantly, but it has to adjust very fast, and therefore I just pictured a liquid camera phone lens having a similar viscosity, controlled by similar technology. Now digital cameras with atmospheric correction built in, where you have heterogenous warping of the lens would be neat, so you can take clear pictures through fog and smoke.
Then why does it clearly say 1.2TB on the front of the case?
I'm sure you already knew this, but obviously they figured it looks the same as an older model of the same line, seen here:
http://www.iodata.jp/news/2004/12/hdz-ue.htm
You can also see how much you save by going for four 300MB drives (over $600 saved), or four 250MB drives (nearly $1900 saved) on that page.
The device is basically an external hardware RAID implementation. I'm just wondering what they do to help the reliability of the data. I also wonder if you can choose to change the RAID configuration of the device. For people that don't care too much about the preservation of data, 4 drives running in parallel, at 4 times the speed would be kinda neat:)
Pfft. Red eye? That's two flashes. With four flashes, you need to run the forked tail and horn remover, too.
Well, technically, red eye is avoided with two flashes. One flash surprises the eye and reflects light off it before the pupil has a chance to shrink. Red-eye removal basically takes a "pre-flash" to prepare onlookers for the real picture.
Joking aside, this 4 flash thing does make me think that it's not useable on any targets that are moving at all.
There's a bunch of problems with electric only cars which aren't obvious at first glance:
Charging. You need to let these cars sit for a period of time between use to let the batteries top up. Without that, it's just a very expensive paperweight (and not a very good one at that.)
Battery life. A typical Li-ion battery will lose twenty percent of its capacity every year, from the day that they are manufactured. With a pure electric vehicle, that means a 20% drop in range. Would you buy a car that ranges up to 200 km the first year; 160 km the second; 128 km the third; and 102 km the fourth? (ie: a 50% drop in range every three and a bit years.) Would you buy a new set of batteries (see next point) every three years, or even more often?
Cost. How much will those Li-ion batteries cost? (Hint: they're not cheap. My PowerBook needs a battery that costs $US130. And that's just a tiny fraction of what a car engine would need...)
Charge cycles. The more you use a Li-ion battery, the faster it degrades. (The above 20% is regardless of usage, btw -- so even if the car sits in the garage...)
Those are just off the top of my head. There's probably plenty more. Car manufacturers know damn well that with disadvantages like the above, consumers won't buy. That's why they're not interested. There's no conspiracy here, folks. Move along.
I wonder how heavy these batteries are. Don't you think it'd be pretty cheap to integrate a second 4 year old, 108km range battery into the car, giving you 216km range?
Is there a standard out there with prewritten legal blocks that can be referred to by reference number? I figure it'd be nifty if I can log onto a web site.. select a few clauses I want.. then fill in blanks Madlibs style. Then I can perhaps pay a fee for the service to check for loopholes.
But the real benefit would be the reverse translation for those reading the legal document such a service can provide. Each clause has a "simplification" that can be dynamically produced by my customer who is browsing over the agreement hosted.
With so many companies standardizing on the same agreements, I figure this is easy to do.
There's actually a website for the company that doesn't show what it looks like, but it shows the difference in color quality. Just click the "technology stimulation" link at the bottom.
Slashdot Mirror
..is that all the people listed have really fucked up names.
Peer to peer tech aside, we regulate far simpler actions every day, or at least attempt to. We have laws against shoplifting, far simpler than writing a 9 to 15 line program. We have laws against pedophiles seducing little boys on the internet. That, I assume, is less complicated than writing a 9 line program. These laws don't catch everyone, but they do serve as a deterrent.
Why wouldn't laws against P2P apps be effective? I think that the recent crackdowns on file sharing HAS had a significant impact, and I personally am careful about what I download now, because my cable company (Cablevision) sends me a fat envelope with network monitoring logs showing what I downloaded that they think is copyrighted.
Even if it does, a lot of people are too scared of being called a "nerd" or a "geek" and thereby having their social status for the rest of the four years ruined to show that excitement.
I think the programming fair was a great idea, however.
Umm, it's been quite some time since high school, but I do remember what the word "contradiction" means. If you want to be sensitive to social status, and perhaps open a few eyes, do things that interest the guys who normally wouldn't be caught dead with a physics book. A computer animation of a football player... some might want to be able to create one of their own. This is an opportunity to start the kid off slow, and soon he's learning inverse kinematics! Or.. a composition of a pop song that gets the prom queen-to-be excited. Give a small explanation of what some of the sheet music means. If she gets interested, that's the doorway to a strong background in mathematics and technology as well. And perhaps even an exhibition of photography, where you can take pictures of say... soldiers in combat, using different camera techniques, and explain why each technique does what it does to those interested. Some of these might not work, but I bet you see what I'm getting at.
I know this is outlandish, but I wonder if there'll be a drug that enhances the temporal cortex (I know it's a huge generalization for neuroscience), which according to this article is related to familiarity of the subject being observed. It might one day be a treatment for racism. People generalize and say "All people look the same" but if we were more easily able to recognize the individual instead of merely the racial traits, it could be one more evil that humanity can overcome through science.
:)
I would think it's unethical for the government to force someone accused of a hate crime to take such a drug, but like a rapist might choose castration, perhaps a racist criminal can get a lighter sentence by choosing such a pill
When it comes to video, a $2,000 Mac still doesn't have the same capabilities as an SGI machine.
I thought Macs are known for their media handling capability. The fact that you can get one of those 10+ year old SGI machines for dirt cheap now and get better video editing is a bit shocking. Then again, the quote includes the word "capabilities", so perhaps that does not necessarily reflect performance/processing speed.
Using SecureID or another similar solution is the "no-brainer" solution that todays users need. This way they don't have to remember anything other than a simple pin - which, luckily, is just about the limit of most peoples' powers in this arena.
Biometric identification is the way to go. No passwords. The only time you need administrative support is if you've been in a horrible accident and lost your eyes/fingers/vocal cords/etc.
P is for Paris Hilton (wtf?!)
The fact that Paris Hilton is #1 for P does tell you that the suggestions are the most popular at the present, rather than just cumulatively popular over time. Paris Hilton beating out the #2 choice, PC World, might seem unfathomable to the /. community, but rest assured this Paris Hilton fad will end.
By joining up, the malware author does exactly the opposite of what he needs to do to stay anonymous. It is easier to catch someone who communicates with colleagues about the very thing which he needs to keep private. By conversing about virii/trojans/etc, it is far easier for law-enforcers to monitor and hunt down these cybermischiefs and bring them to justice, Bill Gates's feet, a /. horde, etc.
Dr. Torvalds, I presume.
They're providing a limited version of Windows CE for this $185 PC that's even beyond your average crippleware. It has a MAX of 800x600 resolution (shouldn't that be left up to the video card?) AND you can open a maximum of *3* Windows.
Not to mention, the cost of this crappy OS is $36. For something so crippled, 20% of the cost seems pretty steep. These emerging markets can pay $149 per computer if they had a very powerful and free Linux on it. And can these emerging markets afford other applications? Are they going to buy $36 versions of MS Word that only lets you type in Scribble font and save one document per fortnight?
More important, users can run only three programs or have three windows opened at once, a limitation that research company Gartner believes could frustrate users and drive them to buy bootleg copies of Windows XP instead.
Why can't Microsoft just sell the software for less, with the agreement that it can't be exported? I'm fine with that, and it'd spare Microsoft the annoyance of piracy, plus it'd spare the consumers in emerging markets both frustration, and humiliation.
Umm, Microsoft had to dig, but they managed to find the next step down. They're providing a limited version of Windows CE for this $185 PC that's even beyond your average crippleware. It has a MAX of 800x600 resolution (shouldn't that be left up to the video card?) AND you can open a maximum of *3* Windows. Why let them open 3? You can keep Windows pluralized with only 2!
When I last looked at that project it only seemed to apply to Europe and maybe the U.K.
First the Brits get booted from the US, then from India, and now from Europe? Man, I am SO getting modded down for this :)
It isn't the FCC's property to sell.
Well, I agree and disagree. The FCC being part of the Federal government is ideally a representation of the people. Politics aside, that's democracy for you. When the FCC gets money, it's basically money for our government, and indirectly, us. As for whether they lease or sell, or how exactly the money is used, that's an issue which you can protest through voting and lobbying.
The greatest benefit for musicians is the consumer's ability to browse online and download one song at a time. Buying a $20 CD is an option when you're in high school with a summer job, after you've bought your computer and new clothes. It is not an option when you're paying for college, paying off your first new car, your wedding, your first home, your yearly vacations, etc.
A Tivo for the Internet is about as useful as the above. Use your browser cache, IM history, email storage options, etc.
Well, Tivo doesn't merely record TV shows. It also finds shows you might be interested in and takes the liberty to grab those. So what this Tivo for the internet could do is basically watch what sites you visit, and if you accidentally click on a kiddie porn link, it brands you as a pedophile and helps you get arrested. I, for one, would feel completely safe using it :)
Well, Scott Adams once predicted that the Holodeck will be the last invention that humanity ever creates. Wouldn't surprise me if he turned out to be right.
Who says it'll be humanity that invents the holodeck? It may just as likely be an artificially intelligent scientist grown from our genetic algorithms that invents it for us.
when I asked Google why this was via email, the response was "too difficult"... *boggle*
Since when do any tech companies with more than 10 employees let the developers answer any consumer inquiries? You no doubt got some fool just wanting to close a "trouble ticket". They made a whole competition out of it while I worked at Register.com. Never the developers, including me, helping with anything though. They kept busy whipping us, wanting more profit.
I wonder if the technology is similar to what observatory telescopes are using to warp mirrors for atmospheric correction. The difference offhand is the feedback mechanism that sensors provide the telescope to warp its mirror constantly, but it has to adjust very fast, and therefore I just pictured a liquid camera phone lens having a similar viscosity, controlled by similar technology. Now digital cameras with atmospheric correction built in, where you have heterogenous warping of the lens would be neat, so you can take clear pictures through fog and smoke.
Then why does it clearly say 1.2TB on the front of the case?
I'm sure you already knew this, but obviously they figured it looks the same as an older model of the same line, seen here: http://www.iodata.jp/news/2004/12/hdz-ue.htm You can also see how much you save by going for four 300MB drives (over $600 saved), or four 250MB drives (nearly $1900 saved) on that page.
The device is basically an external hardware RAID implementation. I'm just wondering what they do to help the reliability of the data. I also wonder if you can choose to change the RAID configuration of the device. For people that don't care too much about the preservation of data, 4 drives running in parallel, at 4 times the speed would be kinda neat :)
Pfft. Red eye? That's two flashes. With four flashes, you need to run the forked tail and horn remover, too.
Well, technically, red eye is avoided with two flashes. One flash surprises the eye and reflects light off it before the pupil has a chance to shrink. Red-eye removal basically takes a "pre-flash" to prepare onlookers for the real picture.
Joking aside, this 4 flash thing does make me think that it's not useable on any targets that are moving at all.
There's a bunch of problems with electric only cars which aren't obvious at first glance: Charging. You need to let these cars sit for a period of time between use to let the batteries top up. Without that, it's just a very expensive paperweight (and not a very good one at that.) Battery life. A typical Li-ion battery will lose twenty percent of its capacity every year, from the day that they are manufactured. With a pure electric vehicle, that means a 20% drop in range. Would you buy a car that ranges up to 200 km the first year; 160 km the second; 128 km the third; and 102 km the fourth? (ie: a 50% drop in range every three and a bit years.) Would you buy a new set of batteries (see next point) every three years, or even more often? Cost. How much will those Li-ion batteries cost? (Hint: they're not cheap. My PowerBook needs a battery that costs $US130. And that's just a tiny fraction of what a car engine would need...) Charge cycles. The more you use a Li-ion battery, the faster it degrades. (The above 20% is regardless of usage, btw -- so even if the car sits in the garage...) Those are just off the top of my head. There's probably plenty more. Car manufacturers know damn well that with disadvantages like the above, consumers won't buy. That's why they're not interested. There's no conspiracy here, folks. Move along.
I wonder how heavy these batteries are. Don't you think it'd be pretty cheap to integrate a second 4 year old, 108km range battery into the car, giving you 216km range?
Is there a standard out there with prewritten legal blocks that can be referred to by reference number? I figure it'd be nifty if I can log onto a web site.. select a few clauses I want.. then fill in blanks Madlibs style. Then I can perhaps pay a fee for the service to check for loopholes.
But the real benefit would be the reverse translation for those reading the legal document such a service can provide. Each clause has a "simplification" that can be dynamically produced by my customer who is browsing over the agreement hosted.
With so many companies standardizing on the same agreements, I figure this is easy to do.
Subject lines and to avoid sending the "phish" to any addresses containing the words admin, FBI, or abuse.
I wonder if you had an address like admin-fbi-abuse@somemailservice.com, how much less spam you'd get.
I want to see what it looks like.
There's actually a website for the company that doesn't show what it looks like, but it shows the difference in color quality. Just click the "technology stimulation" link at the bottom.