My question is this: what is the behavior of a door with that kind of technology in total failure mode?
You know, my initial reaction to this idea of a RFID door is "that's pretty cool, and would make a couple of my jobs a lot easier." I've been working at some form of a locked psychiatric facility, on and off again for a couple of years now, and locks and keys are a BIG DEAL. If security gets comprimised, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace all the locks in an institution. An RFID signal would be much harder for someone on the inside to replicate (although someone on the outside could, I imagine they'd look pretty darn conspicuous with the equipment they'd need). Also, for the staff members who have to move quickly in an emergency, this could save a few moments while fumbling with keys and a lock.
But then I thought along the lines of your post - if people can't MacGuyver themselves a key (and believe me, I've seen a couple of pretty creative key-substitutes), then they're going to just try and trash the door. And if those doors can get damaged in any significant way that prevents them from working like "normal", then they become a safety hazard.
Until I see otherwise, I don't think I'd like to see these doors in a "life or death" situation. They'd be fine for some situations, but I can't imagine them replacing doors in a high-security area.
Mandriva Linux 2006 [...] will be publicly available on October 13.
Funny, that's also Ubuntu's 5.10 (Breezy Badger) final release date. I wonder - does "Ubuntu vs. Mandriva" sound like a knock-off of a Japanese monster movie to anyone else? Or is this a "friendly" competition between linux distros?
Another poster had the same thought as you, and even linked to a wikipedia article. You both missed the line, 3 paragraph from the bottom: "Pluto was named after the planet Pluto which was discovered in 1930, the same year that the character was launched."
The character was named after the planet, not the other way around.
Very clever there, Zaphod, posting under an assumed name. But hell if I'm taking any hearing/audio advice from someone who enjoys Hot Black Dessiatu's music.:)
Thanks for the excellent summary of the history of New Orleans. While I'm throwing in a "me too!" response, I'd also add that the people on slashdot who are suggesting that we bulldoze New Orleans are failing to realize how important that infrastructure was to the economy as a whole, let alone the value of the human life that lived in that city. They were a major part of the country's agriculture and gas/oil distrobution network - something that just simply can't be packed up and rebuilt somewhere else.
While I'm ranting, I'd love to see a point-by-point comparison between the president's handling of this hurricane with the previous major hurricane in Florida last year. It still seems like a tremendous mismanagement of the situation when previously it seemed like the country could handle it.
Read the whole transcript - it's pretty funny from the start:
MS. SANTANGELO: I really don't know where to start. I wasn't sure, because I had just gotten served last week, that -- I haven't had a chance to -- they say here to get an attorney.
THE COURT: Well, it would be a good idea if you did.
MS. SANTANGELO: I really wasn't able to at this time. I have made phone calls to try to find an attorney.
THE COURT: Okay.
MS. SANTANGELO: The reason why, when they called and they wanted to make a settlement, I no longer have that computer that the IP address was on, that they say the music was downloaded onto, because it had developed a major -- a lot of major viruses, apparently, and was wiped out and taken by my ex-husband. He was going to try to get it fixed. And I guess he has it down in North Carolina right now. So, at the time, I have nothing in front of me to say, okay, this is what happened. And I have five children, so I wasn't real sure how it had happened, to be honest.
THE COURT: I have some guesses.
MS. SANTANGELO: I realized when I looked at this that the downloads, I guess they call it Exhibit B, the screen name that this Kazaa was under doesn't belong to anyone in my family. And that's most likely why I was never notified by AOL or any of my -- the companies that I have online service with that my children had downloaded anything. Apparently, it belongs to a friend of my son, who is now 14.
THE COURT: I see.
MS. SANTANGELO: And I didn't know about it. And I really don't know where to go from here. And so I'm a little dumbfounded by the whole thing.
THE COURT: Yes, I know. I keep saying I live in -- although I've read the riot act to my own kids a hundred times --
MS. SANTANGELO: Oh, yeah, now I have.
THE COURT: -- I live in perpetual fear that something I don't know my kids are doing is going to come back and bite me in the butt. And the difference between you and me, Ms. Santangelo, if it happens to me, it will be in the headlines of the New York Post.
At the end of it all, it sounds like Ms. Santangelo has an ex-husband, more-internet-savy-than-her kids, her kids' friends, ISPs, unknown-to-her screen names, and a computer that she doesn't currently have physical access to, and no attorney to blame for her being sued by the RIAA. Sounds like she's taking this whole thing pretty seriously!;)
Ah well. At least it appears that she has a judge that understands a few of those arguments.
I don't see why mods keep modding this asshole up.
Maybe because most of the time, they think he's right?It's not the "herd mentality" of the "slashbots" when they say "OMG, the Earth, it's ROUND!" and it's certainly not herd mentality when this many people complain that the editors aren't doing a good job (for which they're supposedly financially compensated for).
What does it matter if it was a white dude or an Indian dude who named the team?
Technically, it shouldn't - it's offensive either way. But it's the same difference between a white person saying to a black person, "'Sup, nigga?" and a black person saying the same thing to another black person. It's about who is perceived to have power in the situation.
And if it's such a minor issue to worry about, why not just change the mascots of the sports teams? There is a lot of racial identity that's rolled up in those charicatures that is unfortunately demeaning to Native American people; we can't start taking care of a lot of our issues until we develop an amount of pride and a sense of self-respect, and when the over-arching culture paints Native people in that light, it's very difficult to get those things going.
(gotta add you to the "Friends" list for the thought-provoking conversation)
Anyone can see that top athletes are hugely over represented by dark faces. I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is that we aren't allowed to talk about it, or ponder reasonably about WHY that is the case.
Well, I think people are on the whole very open to talking about race issues, but people have a hard time knowing when they've reached the limit of their knowledge. Then, when people try and overextend beyond their knowledge (for whatever reason), other people with different or more experience stand up and freak out a little.;)
Perhaps there is no physical reason for black people excelling in Bball, but maybe there is a genetically physical reason.
That statement seems condradictory to me.
You took the position that, to make any assumption/deduction that there might be some genetic trait that helps in doing the "basketball" task, which runs in higher percentages in black people, is in your words "lame-brained". I pointed out, in my own sarcastic way, that there is some pretty good evidence to suggest that idea might not be so "lame-brained", based on the makeup of the NBA (and for our purposes we can throw in the NCAA) compared to the makeup of the general population.
(I think it was a great-grandparent poster who made the comment about "lame-brained", but whatever.) I certainly hope that you're not trying to make inferences about the genetics of a general population based on such a small subset of the population. There are what, around 400 NBA players? If the US. has a pop. of 250M, and 12.7% are black, and let's say 10% are between 18-40 years old, 1/2 are male, then there are about 1.7M people. ANY assumptions about ANY skills based on the genetics of.0001% of the population are going to be wrong.
While I can certainly appreciate that genetics plays a role in physical ability, I still have to say that learning, experiences, and opportunities do more to define a person's skills and character (more "nuture" than "nature", if you will). Excuse me while I reference myself. Dr. Naismith (creator of basketball) suggested that non-white athletes perform better because they have a greater incentive to win, not because of physiology.
Back to Yao Ming for a moment - both of his parents were outstanding basketball players for China. Now, is the reason he's good because he's got the genetics, or because he had opportunities to learn from his parents? Of course, the answer is "both!" - but on some level, Yao Ming would be an excellent basketball player at 5'6" as well as at 7'6". That's why I'm discounting genetics as a serious factor in athletic ability.
Why is it so absurd a possibility that genetics may play a role in height, strength, intelligence (gasp!), or any other human trait that may not be immediately observable.
Genetics certainly play a role on human traits. All things being equal, I think genetics set some the lower limits of human traits - but not the upper limits. Diet and exercise. Education. Opportunity. Socio-economic status. Desire. All of those things can exert a force greater than genetics; you have problems with being able to grow/learn/work if you're struggling with hunger/poverty/racism.
But of all "poor" people in the country, I wonder what percentage are black. I would bet my last dollar, that percentage is still a lot lower than the percentage of black people that make up NBA/NCAA basketball players. If true, that would mean there is some reason OTHER than economic reasons (being poor). We're running out of possiblities.
The hardcopy version lasts years. The electronic copy is 2/3 the price and only usable for 5 months.
[sarcasm ON]I know that this *possibly* couldn't happen - making a footnote for some academic paper on a controversial subject, and then having the substance of that footnote "disappear" in later editions of the elctronic version. They'd *always* have a backup of the original in case it was needed. [sarcasm OFF]
In reality, I think that's what worries me the most - the fact that a hardcopy version can't just be changed at a whim of the publisher, but an electronic copy can.
The fact that you would use the ONE Chinese person in the NBA as proof of the opposite is not only retarded, but should be clear evidence that your argument is based entirely on what is politically correct rather than "what is".
Apparently you aren't aware of the evidence either. While I do attempt to be non-offensive and non-judgmental, my argument isn't based on being "politically correct" it's based on actual knowledge. Okay, currently Yao Ming is an anomoly. Between him and Wang Zhizhi (I think he was last seen playing for the Miami Heat?), China is probably not as well represented in the NBA. (ooooo, now I'm up to TWO! Chinese players in the NBA!) But before I finish breaking up the myth that "black people are just naturally better at basketball," let me state two facts - 1. Basketball has been a popular sport in this country (the USA) for decades, but is only becoming relatively popular in China now. 2. Chinese players are not allowed to declare themselves eligable for the NBA draft until they turn 22. Both of these things can account for why there are fewer Chinese players in the NBA - although the talent pool is there, it's not accessible and the people are interested in other opportunities at this time.
To a lesser extent, the same holds true internationally as well. Given the number of international players is increasing in the NBA, I think you'll begin to see more and more of a parity of race in the NBA. I'd happily take an all-star team of Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Paul Gasol, Peja Stoyackovic, Carlos Arroyo, Hedo Turkoglu and Vladimir Radmanovic. So stop already with the myth that black people are better at basketball, there are plenty of non-black people who are excellent too.
Dr. James Naismith (inventor of basketball) was once asked by one of his physiology students at Kansas U. about what he thought about Jesse Owens and how he won a Gold Medal at the 1936 Olympics.
He said "Look at the the previous two winners. [I beleive Eddie Tolan, the previous winner, was also black, but I could be wrong] It can't be the physique. It must be in the mind. You have people who've been put down, so they have more incentive, because they don't want to be discriminated against."
Another white student asked "So when will we catch up?" Doc replied, "The day everyone is treated equal. Then everyone has a chance to be first."
I think the same holds true today, and this still speaks volumes about how people in positions of power treat others. And you're right - none of those effect whether you're a good game developer or not.;)
Arguably the best player in basketball is white. I heard that there is even a good Chinese basketball player.
I think it's pretty ignorant to even joke about "black people are predisposed to being better athletes." It's all about opportunities to compete - and since black people aren't given as many opportunties to compete on equal ground with other groups (outside the areas of sports competition) is it any wonder there isn't reasonable representation in other industries?
Although your comment isn't the most articulate thing I ever read, I do agree that I didn't make an effort to list the more than 500 nations. So here is a short list.
I think it is possible (and it makes for interesting characters in movies/video games, etc.) when a character can walk through different cultures equally - why does it have to be an either/or situation? can't a person exhibit traits of both?
I find myself agreeing with you about the prevalence of double standards in how we portray members of different ethnic groups, especially when we belong to those ethnic groups. It can be okay for "us" to make fun of ourselves, but as soon as another group does it, be prepared for an argument (at least!)
Since you mentioned NCAA college athletics, I just want to say that (as a very pale-skinned Native American) I'm glad that the NCAA has stepped up to eliminate names that demean American Indian culture. However, the argument I hear from some of my friends is "Why are you so upset over some name like the Braves? I mean, we have the Fighting Irish and Vikings - surely that's equivalent." It's not the same - Irish Catholics at the University of Notre Dame chose to represent themselves as "The Fighting Irish" and they can control the image they present (to some extent); some white guy decided to call the team "the Redskins", and the image that the team presents conflicts with the true image of the people, and they don't have the control to stop it. The original intentions, honorable or harmful, doesn't matter.
I see a similar thing in video games and other media (tv, movies, whatever). Characters in video games or movies aren't truly representative of people in real life, and they're often shallowly stereotyped. Unfortunately, I don't think enough of us know about where the creators are coming from to make a decision about whether the game creators are poorly informed/rushed/sloppy, or just racist. And I don't think that TFA is really going to help us figure that out.
I am really confused as to whether everybody is still overcharging. Considering everyone has an endless queue list that seem to be sending things out of order again and again. There is still a real supply problem.
I should probably not give away a secret this good, especially on slashdot, but I've been renting newly released DVD movies from my local library for $1.50. Same length of time from the video store (About 3 days) and significantly cheaper than any of the local area chain video stores. Documentaries and TV series are free to rent, and you can keep some of those up to 3 weeks. Sometimes there is a wait on the TV series, but overall it's worked beautifully for me.
I just love seeing the double-standards on this site.
Well, surprise surprise - people can have complex and nuanced opinions about finding the middle ground between Parental Responsibility and Censorship. It's not about a double-standard, it's about not seeing the issue as clearly black or clearly white.
Also FYI, I will be attending the Slashdot BOF session on Wednesday and answering questions. I'm hoping to be able to show people a good demo of Slashdot in CSS!
Isn't it enough that we bitch and moan about how slashdot works now? Are you sure you want to be trolled in person?;)
So when a teacher wants opinions on topics that people tend to shy away from like sex, religion, and politics, the question can be asked and the students can answer anonymously via the clicker.
Just think how useful, informative, and accurate they'll be...
Heh - Saw your score reading "+5, Troll". Good job!:)
I don't think bigtallmofo is making the connection - Scientists, funded by the Bush administration, are writing screenplays to help inform others about science, particularly in schools. Meanwhile, GWB argues for an un-scientific "Intelligent Design" program in schools. So why would discussing both be off-topic or trolling?
By the way, how were you beating up on Microsoft? I didn't see how you were doing that.
Slashdot Mirror
Googley woogley woo!
"Quagmire, since when did you work for Google?"
"Since I found the porn cache on their servers. Googley-Googley-Googley-Googley!!!"
My question is this: what is the behavior of a door with that kind of technology in total failure mode?
You know, my initial reaction to this idea of a RFID door is "that's pretty cool, and would make a couple of my jobs a lot easier." I've been working at some form of a locked psychiatric facility, on and off again for a couple of years now, and locks and keys are a BIG DEAL. If security gets comprimised, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace all the locks in an institution. An RFID signal would be much harder for someone on the inside to replicate (although someone on the outside could, I imagine they'd look pretty darn conspicuous with the equipment they'd need). Also, for the staff members who have to move quickly in an emergency, this could save a few moments while fumbling with keys and a lock.
But then I thought along the lines of your post - if people can't MacGuyver themselves a key (and believe me, I've seen a couple of pretty creative key-substitutes), then they're going to just try and trash the door. And if those doors can get damaged in any significant way that prevents them from working like "normal", then they become a safety hazard.
Until I see otherwise, I don't think I'd like to see these doors in a "life or death" situation. They'd be fine for some situations, but I can't imagine them replacing doors in a high-security area.
Will VHS vs. Betamax turn out differently this time?"
Not unless you can travel back in time. =P
Mandriva Linux 2006 [...] will be publicly available on October 13.
Funny, that's also Ubuntu's 5.10 (Breezy Badger) final release date. I wonder - does "Ubuntu vs. Mandriva" sound like a knock-off of a Japanese monster movie to anyone else? Or is this a "friendly" competition between linux distros?
Another poster had the same thought as you, and even linked to a wikipedia article. You both missed the line, 3 paragraph from the bottom: "Pluto was named after the planet Pluto which was discovered in 1930, the same year that the character was launched."
The character was named after the planet, not the other way around.
so what do you call a moon with no planet?
:) Nerds!
I don't know, but I've got a lot of names to call scientists who want to name a planet and moon after tv characters.
On the third hand [...]
:)
Very clever there, Zaphod, posting under an assumed name. But hell if I'm taking any hearing/audio advice from someone who enjoys Hot Black Dessiatu's music.
Thanks for the excellent summary of the history of New Orleans. While I'm throwing in a "me too!" response, I'd also add that the people on slashdot who are suggesting that we bulldoze New Orleans are failing to realize how important that infrastructure was to the economy as a whole, let alone the value of the human life that lived in that city. They were a major part of the country's agriculture and gas/oil distrobution network - something that just simply can't be packed up and rebuilt somewhere else.
While I'm ranting, I'd love to see a point-by-point comparison between the president's handling of this hurricane with the previous major hurricane in Florida last year. It still seems like a tremendous mismanagement of the situation when previously it seemed like the country could handle it.
Read the whole transcript - it's pretty funny from the start:
;)
MS. SANTANGELO: I really don't know where to start. I wasn't sure, because I had just gotten served last week, that -- I haven't had a chance to -- they say here to get an attorney.
THE COURT: Well, it would be a good idea if you did.
MS. SANTANGELO: I really wasn't able to at this time. I have made phone calls to try to find an attorney.
THE COURT: Okay.
MS. SANTANGELO: The reason why, when they called and they wanted to make a settlement, I no longer have that computer that the IP address was on, that they say the music was downloaded onto, because it had developed a major -- a lot of major viruses, apparently, and was wiped out and taken by my ex-husband. He was going to try to get it fixed. And I guess he has it down in North Carolina right now. So, at the time, I have nothing in front of me to say, okay, this is what happened. And I have five children, so I wasn't real sure how it had happened, to be honest.
THE COURT: I have some guesses.
MS. SANTANGELO: I realized when I looked at this that the downloads, I guess they call it Exhibit B, the screen name that this Kazaa was under doesn't belong to anyone in my family. And that's most likely why I was never notified by AOL or any of my -- the companies that I have online service with that my children had downloaded anything. Apparently, it belongs to a friend of my son, who is now 14.
THE COURT: I see.
MS. SANTANGELO: And I didn't know about it. And I really don't know where to go from here. And so I'm a little dumbfounded by the whole thing.
THE COURT: Yes, I know. I keep saying I live in -- although I've read the riot act to my own kids a hundred times --
MS. SANTANGELO: Oh, yeah, now I have.
THE COURT: -- I live in perpetual fear that something I don't know my kids are doing is going to come back and bite me in the butt. And the difference between you and me, Ms. Santangelo, if it happens to me, it will be in the headlines of the New York Post.
At the end of it all, it sounds like Ms. Santangelo has an ex-husband, more-internet-savy-than-her kids, her kids' friends, ISPs, unknown-to-her screen names, and a computer that she doesn't currently have physical access to, and no attorney to blame for her being sued by the RIAA. Sounds like she's taking this whole thing pretty seriously!
Ah well. At least it appears that she has a judge that understands a few of those arguments.
I don't see why mods keep modding this asshole up.
Maybe because most of the time, they think he's right?It's not the "herd mentality" of the "slashbots" when they say "OMG, the Earth, it's ROUND!" and it's certainly not herd mentality when this many people complain that the editors aren't doing a good job (for which they're supposedly financially compensated for).
What does it matter if it was a white dude or an Indian dude who named the team?
Technically, it shouldn't - it's offensive either way. But it's the same difference between a white person saying to a black person, "'Sup, nigga?" and a black person saying the same thing to another black person. It's about who is perceived to have power in the situation.
And if it's such a minor issue to worry about, why not just change the mascots of the sports teams? There is a lot of racial identity that's rolled up in those charicatures that is unfortunately demeaning to Native American people; we can't start taking care of a lot of our issues until we develop an amount of pride and a sense of self-respect, and when the over-arching culture paints Native people in that light, it's very difficult to get those things going.
(gotta add you to the "Friends" list for the thought-provoking conversation)
;)
.0001% of the population are going to be wrong.
Anyone can see that top athletes are hugely over represented by dark faces. I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is that we aren't allowed to talk about it, or ponder reasonably about WHY that is the case.
Well, I think people are on the whole very open to talking about race issues, but people have a hard time knowing when they've reached the limit of their knowledge. Then, when people try and overextend beyond their knowledge (for whatever reason), other people with different or more experience stand up and freak out a little.
Perhaps there is no physical reason for black people excelling in Bball, but maybe there is a genetically physical reason.
That statement seems condradictory to me.
You took the position that, to make any assumption/deduction that there might be some genetic trait that helps in doing the "basketball" task, which runs in higher percentages in black people, is in your words "lame-brained". I pointed out, in my own sarcastic way, that there is some pretty good evidence to suggest that idea might not be so "lame-brained", based on the makeup of the NBA (and for our purposes we can throw in the NCAA) compared to the makeup of the general population.
(I think it was a great-grandparent poster who made the comment about "lame-brained", but whatever.) I certainly hope that you're not trying to make inferences about the genetics of a general population based on such a small subset of the population. There are what, around 400 NBA players? If the US. has a pop. of 250M, and 12.7% are black, and let's say 10% are between 18-40 years old, 1/2 are male, then there are about 1.7M people. ANY assumptions about ANY skills based on the genetics of
While I can certainly appreciate that genetics plays a role in physical ability, I still have to say that learning, experiences, and opportunities do more to define a person's skills and character (more "nuture" than "nature", if you will). Excuse me while I reference myself. Dr. Naismith (creator of basketball) suggested that non-white athletes perform better because they have a greater incentive to win, not because of physiology.
Back to Yao Ming for a moment - both of his parents were outstanding basketball players for China. Now, is the reason he's good because he's got the genetics, or because he had opportunities to learn from his parents? Of course, the answer is "both!" - but on some level, Yao Ming would be an excellent basketball player at 5'6" as well as at 7'6". That's why I'm discounting genetics as a serious factor in athletic ability.
Why is it so absurd a possibility that genetics may play a role in height, strength, intelligence (gasp!), or any other human trait that may not be immediately observable.
Genetics certainly play a role on human traits. All things being equal, I think genetics set some the lower limits of human traits - but not the upper limits. Diet and exercise. Education. Opportunity. Socio-economic status. Desire. All of those things can exert a force greater than genetics; you have problems with being able to grow/learn/work if you're struggling with hunger/poverty/racism.
But of all "poor" people in the country, I wonder what percentage are black. I would bet my last dollar, that percentage is still a lot lower than the percentage of black people that make up NBA/NCAA basketball players. If true, that would mean there is some reason OTHER than economic reasons (being poor). We're running out of possiblities.
About 25% of black people live below the poverty line. According to the NCAA,
The hardcopy version lasts years. The electronic copy is 2/3 the price and only usable for 5 months.
[sarcasm ON]I know that this *possibly* couldn't happen - making a footnote for some academic paper on a controversial subject, and then having the substance of that footnote "disappear" in later editions of the elctronic version. They'd *always* have a backup of the original in case it was needed. [sarcasm OFF]
In reality, I think that's what worries me the most - the fact that a hardcopy version can't just be changed at a whim of the publisher, but an electronic copy can.
The fact that you would use the ONE Chinese person in the NBA as proof of the opposite is not only retarded, but should be clear evidence that your argument is based entirely on what is politically correct rather than "what is".
Apparently you aren't aware of the evidence either. While I do attempt to be non-offensive and non-judgmental, my argument isn't based on being "politically correct" it's based on actual knowledge. Okay, currently Yao Ming is an anomoly. Between him and Wang Zhizhi (I think he was last seen playing for the Miami Heat?), China is probably not as well represented in the NBA. (ooooo, now I'm up to TWO! Chinese players in the NBA!) But before I finish breaking up the myth that "black people are just naturally better at basketball," let me state two facts - 1. Basketball has been a popular sport in this country (the USA) for decades, but is only becoming relatively popular in China now. 2. Chinese players are not allowed to declare themselves eligable for the NBA draft until they turn 22. Both of these things can account for why there are fewer Chinese players in the NBA - although the talent pool is there, it's not accessible and the people are interested in other opportunities at this time.
To a lesser extent, the same holds true internationally as well. Given the number of international players is increasing in the NBA, I think you'll begin to see more and more of a parity of race in the NBA. I'd happily take an all-star team of Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Paul Gasol, Peja Stoyackovic, Carlos Arroyo, Hedo Turkoglu and Vladimir Radmanovic. So stop already with the myth that black people are better at basketball, there are plenty of non-black people who are excellent too.
Dr. James Naismith (inventor of basketball) was once asked by one of his physiology students at Kansas U. about what he thought about Jesse Owens and how he won a Gold Medal at the 1936 Olympics.
;)
He said "Look at the the previous two winners. [I beleive Eddie Tolan, the previous winner, was also black, but I could be wrong] It can't be the physique. It must be in the mind. You have people who've been put down, so they have more incentive, because they don't want to be discriminated against."
Another white student asked "So when will we catch up?" Doc replied, "The day everyone is treated equal. Then everyone has a chance to be first."
I think the same holds true today, and this still speaks volumes about how people in positions of power treat others. And you're right - none of those effect whether you're a good game developer or not.
Um..hello? Have you watched a basketball game in the last 50 years?
Um..hello? Have you?
Arguably the best player in basketball is white. I heard that there is even a good Chinese basketball player.
I think it's pretty ignorant to even joke about "black people are predisposed to being better athletes." It's all about opportunities to compete - and since black people aren't given as many opportunties to compete on equal ground with other groups (outside the areas of sports competition) is it any wonder there isn't reasonable representation in other industries?
The word "reparations" means something else. If you preferred to hire someone based on race, given equal talent, you could call that discriminatory.
Although your comment isn't the most articulate thing I ever read, I do agree that I didn't make an effort to list the more than 500 nations. So here is a short list.
I think it is possible (and it makes for interesting characters in movies/video games, etc.) when a character can walk through different cultures equally - why does it have to be an either/or situation? can't a person exhibit traits of both?
I find myself agreeing with you about the prevalence of double standards in how we portray members of different ethnic groups, especially when we belong to those ethnic groups. It can be okay for "us" to make fun of ourselves, but as soon as another group does it, be prepared for an argument (at least!)
Since you mentioned NCAA college athletics, I just want to say that (as a very pale-skinned Native American) I'm glad that the NCAA has stepped up to eliminate names that demean American Indian culture. However, the argument I hear from some of my friends is "Why are you so upset over some name like the Braves? I mean, we have the Fighting Irish and Vikings - surely that's equivalent." It's not the same - Irish Catholics at the University of Notre Dame chose to represent themselves as "The Fighting Irish" and they can control the image they present (to some extent); some white guy decided to call the team "the Redskins", and the image that the team presents conflicts with the true image of the people, and they don't have the control to stop it. The original intentions, honorable or harmful, doesn't matter.
I see a similar thing in video games and other media (tv, movies, whatever). Characters in video games or movies aren't truly representative of people in real life, and they're often shallowly stereotyped. Unfortunately, I don't think enough of us know about where the creators are coming from to make a decision about whether the game creators are poorly informed/rushed/sloppy, or just racist. And I don't think that TFA is really going to help us figure that out.
I am really confused as to whether everybody is still overcharging. Considering everyone has an endless queue list that seem to be sending things out of order again and again. There is still a real supply problem.
I should probably not give away a secret this good, especially on slashdot, but I've been renting newly released DVD movies from my local library for $1.50. Same length of time from the video store (About 3 days) and significantly cheaper than any of the local area chain video stores. Documentaries and TV series are free to rent, and you can keep some of those up to 3 weeks. Sometimes there is a wait on the TV series, but overall it's worked beautifully for me.
I just love seeing the double-standards on this site.
Well, surprise surprise - people can have complex and nuanced opinions about finding the middle ground between Parental Responsibility and Censorship. It's not about a double-standard, it's about not seeing the issue as clearly black or clearly white.
Also FYI, I will be attending the Slashdot BOF session on Wednesday and answering questions. I'm hoping to be able to show people a good demo of Slashdot in CSS!
;)
Isn't it enough that we bitch and moan about how slashdot works now? Are you sure you want to be trolled in person?
So when a teacher wants opinions on topics that people tend to shy away from like sex, religion, and politics, the question can be asked and the students can answer anonymously via the clicker.
...
Just think how useful, informative, and accurate they'll be
... just like the slashdot polls!
Heh - Saw your score reading "+5, Troll". Good job! :)
I don't think bigtallmofo is making the connection - Scientists, funded by the Bush administration, are writing screenplays to help inform others about science, particularly in schools. Meanwhile, GWB argues for an un-scientific "Intelligent Design" program in schools. So why would discussing both be off-topic or trolling?
By the way, how were you beating up on Microsoft? I didn't see how you were doing that.
I just want to say, some of those ideas sound really damn cool. :) I'd love to see that incorporated into a game.