Biological evolution can be sen as a reall slow and sloppy way to practice the scientific method, so it seems reasonable to suspect that we can produce AI from our current programming driven slugs (cmputer) in less time the it took mother nature (say 1 million years).
I tend to favor the scientific approach too but evolution hardly proven its ability to form consciousness. The biggest gap in every evolution based argument is the outlandsish theory "sufficient complexity spontaneously creates consciousness". Thus it would be an error to assume that a quicker debug cycle is all that is required to beat mother nature at her own game.
Judge Elfving: At this point in the proceeding, the harm to the Defendants is truly minimal. They will simply have to remove the trade secret information from their websites... On the other hand, the current and prospective harm to the Plaintiff... will be irreperable
jammer: This is the part that really, really annoys me. What this says is that DVD CCA's right to have their ass covered by the law when they made a booboo and picked a weak encryption scheme, and god forbid it lets make fair use of a recording medium we purchases, is more imporant than our (I am a defendant) right to disseminate information freely.
Nonsense. This is a preliminary injunction! The case has not been decided. Elfving has simply recognized that the case is worth arguing and that if the ultimate argument goes in the favor of the Plaintiff, that unless the injunction is granted the time spent arguing in court works to harm the Plaintiff. In order for this to be a fair case, all parties must cease and desist in the interim. Yes, the DVD CCA does get to have its ass covered by the law until the law decides what is the right thing to do.
I know that feeling of simply creating to create something cool - but it is a feeling easily forgotten amidst pangs of hunger! Patents help to enable the "selflessness" of which you speak; they help to make paychecks real so many of us can aspire to these virtuous goals.
So how does open source fit into this equation? Companies ARE beginning to profit from Linux - but not because they change and keep their source, Linux simply enables the machines they sell to meet customers needs. Will Linux see a return on this profit? YES! Albeit indirectly.
What fuels Linux (besides hatred of Bill)? Developers who contribute ideas back to the open source base. How do these developers put food on their tables? The companies (some of them) work for gain value from the application of Linux to the company's specific markets. The ideas are free, the application of the ideas feeds the kids.
We are experiencing an ever stronger shift towards a service oriented economy. Software too is loosing its value as a an entity and becoming simply a method for getting a job done. It is in the service to others where we are consistently rewarded.
Patents and the USPTO can follow this trend by continuing to recognize significant application of ideas instead of the ideas themselves. I understand this has increasingly been their intent.
I can't quote the definitive studies but I'm betting computers are way lower than cell-phones in terms of the number of "electomagnetic watts" that are actually transmitted through the either. Sure power consumption is higher but computers try to shield to prevent transmission instead of deliberately trying to gain extended range.
Also, try a light colored text over a dark background on your tube and see how much the radiation drops! I don't know exactly what move started all the black-on-white graphics apps, but my eyes hate screens with the luminance near max over 90% of the screen. Maybe it was some "official study" that said black on white is easier on the eyes... Bull - I'll bet this study failed to consider an active source (monitor) vs. a reflective pasive source (paper). More than likely folks got disgusted with glare screens and found they didn't need them if their desktops primarily used light colors.
So go reverse, and drop the lights in the room, your eyes might appreciate it. But be prepared to compromise on style cause you would not believe how many programs *and* app development packages hard code one OR the other color making it very difficult to select a pleasant light-on-dark scheme with a decent amount of contrast. Everyone needs to test with a reverse color scheme.
Comment. Have you even noticed how hard it is to find a lot of (even popular) songs on CD-singles? or how expensive they've become?... I would probably have a lot more if (a) the right product (singles) was available and (b) the price was right. Right now the Music industry is failing badly on both counts. MP3's on the other hand, are delivering the goods in both departments.
I believe this is the cornerstone for all the controversy about mp3s. Of course the Labels are fighting tooth and nail to restrict digital recording - a huge chunk of their revenu stream comes from their ability to control the delivery format! Anyone remember the big tiff Springsteen got into with the Born in America album? (I think that was what it was called) He wanted to put lots of good tunes on one LP. The Label wanted him to spread them out over several LPs. Why? Money! By trickling out only a few "good" songs on each album, they make loads more cash. This is what digital recording and the Internet threatens to destroy: Label control over packaging.
And it's about damned time we consumers were given the opportunity to choose which songs we want on a CD! Personally I think songs should be priced individually and the packaging should happen at the store. I have no problem paying $2.99 or $3.99 for a great tune. And I have no problem paying $30-$40 for a CD full of them. There will be hard feelings (and some piracy) only so long as the Labels refuse to give us the goods we want. And that my friends is pure and simple Capitalism. Tell the lawyers to go home.
I have to laugh a bit at some of this "binary data can't be art" stuff. By the same token, how can a bunch of molecules on a canvase be art? Art is about communicating a mood or feeling or an experience - true art tends to trancends the medium on which it is recorded.
But I understand wanting something tangeble to hold. I also like the liner notes, cover art, etc. But the reason I like it is because I first became attached to the music contained within. The liners improve my experience of the music and my feeling of connection with the artists.
I don't read liner notes while driving in the car. I do read them while relaxing at home or at a friend's. Surfing for liner notes is a reasonable substitute. Saving pictures and lyrics with the music is pretty easy. So in my opinion, as long as I can play the music where and when I want, the rest of the present day packaging can go.
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Nonsense. This is a preliminary injunction! The case has not been decided. Elfving has simply recognized that the case is worth arguing and that if the ultimate argument goes in the favor of the Plaintiff, that unless the injunction is granted the time spent arguing in court works to harm the Plaintiff. In order for this to be a fair case, all parties must cease and desist in the interim. Yes, the DVD CCA does get to have its ass covered by the law until the law decides what is the right thing to do.
I know that feeling of simply creating to create something cool - but it is a feeling easily forgotten amidst pangs of hunger! Patents help to enable the "selflessness" of which you speak; they help to make paychecks real so many of us can aspire to these virtuous goals.
So how does open source fit into this equation? Companies ARE beginning to profit from Linux - but not because they change and keep their source, Linux simply enables the machines they sell to meet customers needs. Will Linux see a return on this profit? YES! Albeit indirectly.
What fuels Linux (besides hatred of Bill)? Developers who contribute ideas back to the open source base. How do these developers put food on their tables? The companies (some of them) work for gain value from the application of Linux to the company's specific markets. The ideas are free, the application of the ideas feeds the kids.
We are experiencing an ever stronger shift towards a service oriented economy. Software too is loosing its value as a an entity and becoming simply a method for getting a job done. It is in the service to others where we are consistently rewarded.
Patents and the USPTO can follow this trend by continuing to recognize significant application of ideas instead of the ideas themselves. I understand this has increasingly been their intent.
Of course there is Coca-Cola et. al. too :)
I can't quote the definitive studies but I'm betting computers are way lower than cell-phones in terms of the number of "electomagnetic watts" that are actually transmitted through the either. Sure power consumption is higher but computers try to shield to prevent transmission instead of deliberately trying to gain extended range.
Also, try a light colored text over a dark background on your tube and see how much the radiation drops! I don't know exactly what move started all the black-on-white graphics apps, but my eyes hate screens with the luminance near max over 90% of the screen. Maybe it was some "official study" that said black on white is easier on the eyes... Bull - I'll bet this study failed to consider an active source (monitor) vs. a reflective pasive source (paper). More than likely folks got disgusted with glare screens and found they didn't need them if their desktops primarily used light colors.
So go reverse, and drop the lights in the room, your eyes might appreciate it. But be prepared to compromise on style cause you would not believe how many programs *and* app development packages hard code one OR the other color making it very difficult to select a pleasant light-on-dark scheme with a decent amount of contrast. Everyone needs to test with a reverse color scheme.
Comment. Have you even noticed how hard it is to find a lot of (even popular) songs on CD-singles? or how expensive they've become? ... I would probably have a lot more if (a) the right product (singles) was available and (b) the price was right. Right now the Music industry is failing badly on both counts. MP3's on the other hand, are delivering the goods in both departments.
I believe this is the cornerstone for all the controversy about mp3s. Of course the Labels are fighting tooth and nail to restrict digital recording - a huge chunk of their revenu stream comes from their ability to control the delivery format! Anyone remember the big tiff Springsteen got into with the Born in America album? (I think that was what it was called) He wanted to put lots of good tunes on one LP. The Label wanted him to spread them out over several LPs. Why? Money! By trickling out only a few "good" songs on each album, they make loads more cash. This is what digital recording and the Internet threatens to destroy: Label control over packaging.
And it's about damned time we consumers were given the opportunity to choose which songs we want on a CD! Personally I think songs should be priced individually and the packaging should happen at the store. I have no problem paying $2.99 or $3.99 for a great tune. And I have no problem paying $30-$40 for a CD full of them. There will be hard feelings (and some piracy) only so long as the Labels refuse to give us the goods we want. And that my friends is pure and simple Capitalism. Tell the lawyers to go home.
I have to laugh a bit at some of this "binary data can't be art" stuff. By the same token, how can a bunch of molecules on a canvase be art? Art is about communicating a mood or feeling or an experience - true art tends to trancends the medium on which it is recorded.
But I understand wanting something tangeble to hold. I also like the liner notes, cover art, etc. But the reason I like it is because I first became attached to the music contained within. The liners improve my experience of the music and my feeling of connection with the artists.
I don't read liner notes while driving in the car. I do read them while relaxing at home or at a friend's. Surfing for liner notes is a reasonable substitute. Saving pictures and lyrics with the music is pretty easy. So in my opinion, as long as I can play the music where and when I want, the rest of the present day packaging can go.