You seem to have missed the point I was trying to make. One of the best things about open source software is that the really experienced coders, some of the best in the field, are the ones making the software. Sure there's all the crap out there as well, but people tend to be able to spot which is good and bad.
The benefit is that for people who know next to nothing about coding, or don't want to code, are able to use the software completely free of charge and be able to modify it to suit their needs.
This is the benefit I was pushing for Open Source Biotech.
If biotech becomes really easy for consumers to use/create, similar to the manner of open source software, I think something like this could put a lot of power into the hands of the people.
Which is probably why something like this will never be allowed to happen now that people have seen how successful open source is.
I realize that there should be no expectation of privacy on the streets, but that in no way justifies the government being able to monitor/track your every move. Technology has outpaced the expectations people had in mind when they created the privacy laws.
Anybody else notice how more and more of the US is becoming like London in regards to the cameras? Downtown Chicago has them now...and frankly its scary.
Yeah, I have to admit that while I'm visiting here in London right now, it makes me feel safer that there are cameras there. But guess what, last night I saw a kid chasing two black guys down a well-lit street who had stolen his bag.
So the cameras do nothing, but give the impression of protection, all the while invading our privacy.
Ok, I'm sick of reading about them testing this junk on chimps and people in labs.
When can I buy a biofeedback/thought controlled game for my computer or PS2? I would buy it even if the controller was as expensive as the one for Steel Battalion, at least it would be really unique and a new way to play.
To any who may have missed the joke, this was a reference to the old movie Firefox where an American has to bring a high tech jet back from Russia to the States. Unfortunately for him, the controls which use thought input are in Russian, and there is a scene in which he can't get his rear weapons to fire because he can't remember the Russian for it.
Good classic movie, I'll need to rent it again soon.
We've got a lot of competent business-savvy geeks here.
We also know exactly what is wrong with the cell phone industry.
What would it take for someone to start up their own cell phone provider network and compete with the big boys? Can you lease their towers from them?
I really have no idea how their networks work or how they start up, but I do know marketing and business, and I know that a service that offered good customer service, and DIDN'T screw you over on fees would be EXTREMELY profitable simply because the amount of customers you would have beating down the doors to use the service would more than make up for the lost revenues from the hidden fees and good customer service.
This has already gotten some media exposure...a story about it popped up on Fark the other day. Not sure what the outcome was, but I believe they made them pay anyways.
Honestly, I don't give a flying fuck what the work conditions are. That's their job, and its their problem. If they don't like it they CAN quit. It's called collecting unemployment or finding another industry to work in.
When I have a product from a company and they offer tech support, I am expecting SUPPORT, not some halfmumbled garbage full of lies designed to get me off the phone as quick as possible without fixing my problem.
There is NO excuse for shoddy service, NONE.
Sorry, but I'm a firm believer in the "customer is always right" mindset.
Oh, and if these places are havens for drugs and sex I might actually consider working there....
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard and I can't say I'm shocked you got modded up.
People, do NOT follow this advice. When the FBI raids you, they keep your equipment (all of it) for as long as they damn well please. If you give them a reason to keep it even longer, such as having to search through hundreds of dead drives...well, you're being a moron because they will just keep your equipment until they're done.
I download music, I don't try to justify it by that argument, I know it is illegal. However, this is exactly why the difference between theft and copyright infringement are so important.
You see, this is a LEGAL matter, and legal matters use terms in different ways that carry very different meanings. In legal terms, theft is a criminal offence while copyright infringement is a civil one.
I don't DON'T want someone calling me a thief because legally, they would be wrong, and when it comes down to it, its a legal argument.
If I ever go to prison for whatever reason, I wonder if they'd accept a request to be put immediately into solitary confinement. I can deal with that much easier than I could deal with being ass raped.
I would hope you would also have a copy of your masters thesis saved on your harddrive. Unless of course you were referring to having it available on the web for everyone to view and not just for online storage.
Yes, my point is that before there was a reasonable balance of power....there were only so many cops to look out for speeders, and even then they'd be lenient and use their judgement.
With this system, you could get billed every time you go even 1 MPH over the speed limit, even my accident while coasting down a hill, or when you needed to speed up to avoid something, and there would be no human judgement involved.
Do you really think it would be that difficult/expensive for the government to do this? I just saw something on the BBC about how the Stazi (sp?) kept DETAILED records (we're talking minute by minute here) of EVERYBODY. This was in paper and required about 5 miles worth of storage space if I remember correctly.
With modern day computers, this is really not that difficult/expensive to do when you think about it.
I think basic dance simulations are useable, but compare someone who learned to dance using one of these versus someone who learned to dance by going to clubs/raves a lot and you'll see the difference easily.
"Otherwise, I'm not worried about them tracking my moves. Who wants to track me? And how can they track me and everyone else at the same time and keep records of this. The states don't have that kind of money"
And here we have the classic straw man argument. "Why should I care if I don't have anything to hide..." All resource issues aside (because if they don't have the ability to do it now, they will certainly be able to in the near future), there are many of us who value our privacy, and this is one more invasion of it. Just because you don't care about people knowing intimate details of your life, don't ruin it for the rest of us by propogating this argument.
Unless the government is suspecting me of being a criminal, there should be no reason for them to be able to track my every move. Period. And god have mercy on our souls if they decide to use this for ticketing.
I know you meant this as a joke, but the big difference is now they can tell not only who has a car, but where exactly they are driving, how long it took, schedules, and of course, automatic ticketing if you go even one mph over the speed limit.
"No matter how hard they try, they can never make a 16 year old school girl with blue hair that can handle a 300 foot robot come over as realistic."
But thats assuming that the girl has to be done in CG. We've come quite a long way in terms of integrating CG with live action to create fairly "realistic" looking scenes, like The Matrix for example. I mean, its not exactly hard to have an actress dye her hair blue.
On the other hand, when input technology advances significantly (I'm talking true immersive virtual reality with tactile feedback), just think of how useful it would be to be able to practice something in a simulator and be able to improve your real life skills by doing it.
You can already do that now with flight sims and driving sims etc, but certain things just can't used like that because the input device technology is not sufficient.
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The benefit is that for people who know next to nothing about coding, or don't want to code, are able to use the software completely free of charge and be able to modify it to suit their needs.
This is the benefit I was pushing for Open Source Biotech.
Which is probably why something like this will never be allowed to happen now that people have seen how successful open source is.
Yeah, I have to admit that while I'm visiting here in London right now, it makes me feel safer that there are cameras there. But guess what, last night I saw a kid chasing two black guys down a well-lit street who had stolen his bag.
So the cameras do nothing, but give the impression of protection, all the while invading our privacy.
When can I buy a biofeedback/thought controlled game for my computer or PS2? I would buy it even if the controller was as expensive as the one for Steel Battalion, at least it would be really unique and a new way to play.
Good classic movie, I'll need to rent it again soon.
We also know exactly what is wrong with the cell phone industry.
What would it take for someone to start up their own cell phone provider network and compete with the big boys? Can you lease their towers from them?
I really have no idea how their networks work or how they start up, but I do know marketing and business, and I know that a service that offered good customer service, and DIDN'T screw you over on fees would be EXTREMELY profitable simply because the amount of customers you would have beating down the doors to use the service would more than make up for the lost revenues from the hidden fees and good customer service.
This is a serious question. What would it take?
Japan has a reputation as being an extremely polite, service oriented society and this apparently shows in their customer service.
At least companies there understand that their customer service reflects back on the company, a basic lesson that companies in the US could learn.
Gives me yet another reason to move to Japan.
When I have a product from a company and they offer tech support, I am expecting SUPPORT, not some halfmumbled garbage full of lies designed to get me off the phone as quick as possible without fixing my problem.
There is NO excuse for shoddy service, NONE.
Sorry, but I'm a firm believer in the "customer is always right" mindset.
Oh, and if these places are havens for drugs and sex I might actually consider working there....
People, do NOT follow this advice. When the FBI raids you, they keep your equipment (all of it) for as long as they damn well please. If you give them a reason to keep it even longer, such as having to search through hundreds of dead drives...well, you're being a moron because they will just keep your equipment until they're done.
You see, this is a LEGAL matter, and legal matters use terms in different ways that carry very different meanings. In legal terms, theft is a criminal offence while copyright infringement is a civil one.
I don't DON'T want someone calling me a thief because legally, they would be wrong, and when it comes down to it, its a legal argument.
With this system, you could get billed every time you go even 1 MPH over the speed limit, even my accident while coasting down a hill, or when you needed to speed up to avoid something, and there would be no human judgement involved.
With modern day computers, this is really not that difficult/expensive to do when you think about it.
And here we have the classic straw man argument. "Why should I care if I don't have anything to hide..." All resource issues aside (because if they don't have the ability to do it now, they will certainly be able to in the near future), there are many of us who value our privacy, and this is one more invasion of it. Just because you don't care about people knowing intimate details of your life, don't ruin it for the rest of us by propogating this argument.
Unless the government is suspecting me of being a criminal, there should be no reason for them to be able to track my every move. Period. And god have mercy on our souls if they decide to use this for ticketing.
But thats assuming that the girl has to be done in CG. We've come quite a long way in terms of integrating CG with live action to create fairly "realistic" looking scenes, like The Matrix for example. I mean, its not exactly hard to have an actress dye her hair blue.
You can already do that now with flight sims and driving sims etc, but certain things just can't used like that because the input device technology is not sufficient.
Duh.