Wrong. I bet you did not really mean that, but you've been modded "interesting". I guess I'm arguing more with the mods than with you...
In fact, a mechanical copy of yourself would exist after your suicide. But YOU would not be there. YOU would be gone with your meatbag. You cannot escape your body and become a machine.
You may live the illusion of doing so, you may have a machine that replicates what you are, you may dream or believe in whatever you like to -- but in the end, you're just stuck in there, in that meatbag. And that conscious You will leave along with the pile of flesh that made it happen.
Or if you're patient and breed them by selecting only the more gentle, the more docile and the more intelligent, and if you do that for, oh, maybe 10 thousand years, then maybe, maybe the "wild" variety you end up with will do just as well as a domesticated dog.
Look at wolves or hybrids that are kept as pets. You don't and can't treat them like you would a domestic dog. They need to be properly managed and they will never act in the way you expect a dog to act. They're different animals -- they're not just Canis Lupus living in different environments.
"Who cares how smart a person they'd make? What matters is how smart a dog they are"
In fact, what really matters is if the owner can cope with that kind of dog.
The Border Collies are often glorified for their intelligence and abilities. However, there are very few people who would be able to keep one in a house. Intelligent dogs need to work (or play, or exercise, which is pretty much the same for a dog). And most of the time, intelligent dogs will end up with behavior problems and then in a shelter.
Trust me, owning a Collie or a Retriever can be a nightmare.
For some people, a "dumb" Pekignese is just what they need. It won't change a thing how smart they are.
But it's true that we can't exactly compare human intelligence to dog intelligence. Tests are designed for either, but not for both. Dogs are dogs. Are they've been bred to stick with us and act in a way that we like.
"I think you would have to keep one to appreciate the difference."
That is so true! I own seven dogs (they're pet dogs, I don't have a kennel -- yes, I'm crazy).
I've read a lot about the breeds I own (and about almost every breed, in fact). But you just don't know what the difference is between this and that breed until you live with them.
If you have only one dog or one breed of dog, you will most likely think of them in a positive way and find them far more intelligent and smart than other dogs you see on the street or at a friend's house.
However, when you own -- or have owned over the years -- more than one breed, you can see what we mean when we say that Border Collies are more intelligent, that Great Danes ar lazy, that Newfs are gentle, that Shih Tzus are... uhm... not as intelligent. Et cetera, et cetera.
Besides the dogs I live with (Border Collie, Dane, Newfoundlands, Berneses, Dobermann, St-Bernard), I also happen to work with dogs every day. I see different breeds and different owners all the time.
Yes, a Pekignese living with a nice person can look far more intelligent and pleasant than a Border Collie stuck in a cage for 20 hours every day. But still, you can see some attitudes, some behaviours that tend to show more in certain breeds.
And yes, I think it's fair to say that some breeds outperform other breeds in certain (or all) type of activities. And it is clear some breeds are more intelligent that other breeds, will learn faster, will learn more, will work harder, etc. However, these breeds REQUIRE work and activity. In the wrong hands, they will look just as dumb as any other dog...
It's just VERY hard to see and admit these differences when you own a single dog, or when you prefer a breed over an other.
What? People have been paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for naked cars with spartan interiors and little else for luxury than pure performance...
I, for one, would pay the price to drive an electric car, especially if it wouldn't be bundled with features I wouldn't use...
Has anyone every looked into vultures - after all, they eat dead carcasses, they must be exposed to quite astounding levels of bugs.
Not to mention other things that eat dead bodies - ants, for example.
You mean, like humans? I think we're already exposed to much more crap than other species. Bacteria, viruses, worms... that's bad for dogs. We created chemicals, medications, drugs, environments and other random stuff much worse than that, and we found a way to live. Somehow, we drink COW mil, and most of us feel OK with it. We eat dead animals daily and just cook them to get rid of the worst parts. Hey, we can even eat McDonald's and still breathe...
My point is: eventhough some animals may SEEM impressive for their tolerance to this or that, Humans proved to be far better already.
I bet alligators are trying to collect human intelligence to see how WE survive...
What tells you that it actually matters? Maybe the B2 isn't state-of-the-art anymore, and the US just doesn't care that much about the secrecy of this "archaic" plane?
Besides, even if you know how many B2's might be flying, there's no way you can tell where they are until it's too late. I've read they even have kamikaze units now...:P
while most of our long words come from Latin through French, the short words and the structure are derived from German
Being born in Quebec, my native language is French and I speak English too. And I learned German (and a few other languages), just for the fun of it.
My view of the English language is that it is German that has been "latinised" through French. French seems to be the other way around: Latin that has been germanised through English.
I put it simply, because I know there have been many other "transitional" languages in between, and that it's not been a quick thing. But it's really interesting to see all the relations French, English and German have in common. Sometimes, I hear or read a word and suddenly relate it to its origin in another language. It's amazing how complex a language can be, and how many similarities exist between European languages.
Also, once you speak French and English, it is extremely easy to get into Latin languages like Spanish, Italian and Latin itself; and also into Germanic languages, like German and most Scandinavian dialects.
I'm also having lots of fun trying to learn Russian and Scottish Gaelic. But they're really strange languages and I'm truly wondering if alcohol isn't somehow involved;)
Though I get your point and I agree war is ugly, I think you're being childish. It's cute and all to think that the world would be better without war and bloodshed. But it just can't be.
War is the reflection of Man's naturally competitive nature. We're made -- programmed -- to be this way. We are born with the physical and mental abilities that allow us to defend ourselves and to attack those who would hurt us.
Agreed, it has now become an industry. And sick people lie and find ways to profit from it. But still, war has always been and will always be.
Feelings aside, it has actually driven humanity forward. It has forced people to think harder and find better strategies. To work harder and become stronger. To study more and have better technologies...
I hate wars. And I hate the current American farce of a foreign policy. Yet, I still think that's the way we are. If it wouldn't be the US doing it, it'd be some other nation. War did not change the face of history. War made history.
We are competitive among each other. We're being hypocrite with some people. We have the ability to lie. We have fists to punch someone in the face. And we do just that on a greater scale when we wage a war.
Though many died as a consequence of war, we may each of us consider ourselves alive as a consequence of humanity's previous wars. The world is how it is today because of everything that happened before -- including war.
I'm sure a world without war would be a nice place. But there would be no human around to enjoy it.
I hope I'm not repeating what someone else already said, I didn't read the comments yet.
But I've found a few websites that were really useful when I had to design websites myself, or advertisements.
dafont.com -> Lots of free fonts, many of which you can use for graphics
sxc.hu -> royalty-free photographs
templatemonster.com -> Ideas. Lots of ideas.
your competitor's website -> see what they're doing, and do better.
Try to experiment with some software. Try stuff, play with effects, try saving your work under different formats and find out which one offers the best result and the smallest size, try to replicate things you see, read through the code of websites you like and try to find out how the graphics are displayed (tables, CSS, etc), build fake web pages and have people comment on your work...
There are also lots of tutorials available online (on the web and through BitTorrent or eDonkey). But I honestly believe that what you learn by yourself will not only be remembered longer but will also teach you creative ways to use tools and effects that are not taught elsewhere. Try whatever you like. I mean, you're not going to break anything...
Have a friend dress up as a police officer and ask them these questions at the time the store opens on D-Day. Then just go in and buy yours first while they're out trying to justify the 30 kilos of fesces left on the sidewalk.
Perhaps so, but the sun and the moon have nevertheless been considered respectively feminine and masculine in Norse religions. Gender is also often arbitrary in French (which is my native language) and we say "le soleil" and "la lune" (contrary to the Germans) and that still doesn't change the fact that the moon was masculine and the sun feminine in some old religions/cultures. And these religions actually inspired Tolkien.
Slashdot Mirror
Wrong. I bet you did not really mean that, but you've been modded "interesting". I guess I'm arguing more with the mods than with you...
In fact, a mechanical copy of yourself would exist after your suicide. But YOU would not be there. YOU would be gone with your meatbag. You cannot escape your body and become a machine.
You may live the illusion of doing so, you may have a machine that replicates what you are, you may dream or believe in whatever you like to -- but in the end, you're just stuck in there, in that meatbag. And that conscious You will leave along with the pile of flesh that made it happen.
No they wouldn't.
Or if you're patient and breed them by selecting only the more gentle, the more docile and the more intelligent, and if you do that for, oh, maybe 10 thousand years, then maybe, maybe the "wild" variety you end up with will do just as well as a domesticated dog.
Look at wolves or hybrids that are kept as pets. You don't and can't treat them like you would a domestic dog. They need to be properly managed and they will never act in the way you expect a dog to act. They're different animals -- they're not just Canis Lupus living in different environments.
"Who cares how smart a person they'd make? What matters is how smart a dog they are"
In fact, what really matters is if the owner can cope with that kind of dog.
The Border Collies are often glorified for their intelligence and abilities. However, there are very few people who would be able to keep one in a house. Intelligent dogs need to work (or play, or exercise, which is pretty much the same for a dog). And most of the time, intelligent dogs will end up with behavior problems and then in a shelter.
Trust me, owning a Collie or a Retriever can be a nightmare.
For some people, a "dumb" Pekignese is just what they need. It won't change a thing how smart they are.
But it's true that we can't exactly compare human intelligence to dog intelligence. Tests are designed for either, but not for both. Dogs are dogs. Are they've been bred to stick with us and act in a way that we like.
"I think you would have to keep one to appreciate the difference."
... uhm... not as intelligent. Et cetera, et cetera.
That is so true! I own seven dogs (they're pet dogs, I don't have a kennel -- yes, I'm crazy).
I've read a lot about the breeds I own (and about almost every breed, in fact). But you just don't know what the difference is between this and that breed until you live with them.
If you have only one dog or one breed of dog, you will most likely think of them in a positive way and find them far more intelligent and smart than other dogs you see on the street or at a friend's house.
However, when you own -- or have owned over the years -- more than one breed, you can see what we mean when we say that Border Collies are more intelligent, that Great Danes ar lazy, that Newfs are gentle, that Shih Tzus are
Besides the dogs I live with (Border Collie, Dane, Newfoundlands, Berneses, Dobermann, St-Bernard), I also happen to work with dogs every day. I see different breeds and different owners all the time.
Yes, a Pekignese living with a nice person can look far more intelligent and pleasant than a Border Collie stuck in a cage for 20 hours every day. But still, you can see some attitudes, some behaviours that tend to show more in certain breeds.
And yes, I think it's fair to say that some breeds outperform other breeds in certain (or all) type of activities. And it is clear some breeds are more intelligent that other breeds, will learn faster, will learn more, will work harder, etc. However, these breeds REQUIRE work and activity. In the wrong hands, they will look just as dumb as any other dog...
It's just VERY hard to see and admit these differences when you own a single dog, or when you prefer a breed over an other.
It simply sounds wrong.
In fact, it doesn't. It just show that whatever we did, whatever we accomplished, whatever we believe in, we will all end up dead.
Memento mori...
What? People have been paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for naked cars with spartan interiors and little else for luxury than pure performance...
I, for one, would pay the price to drive an electric car, especially if it wouldn't be bundled with features I wouldn't use...
Has anyone every looked into vultures - after all, they eat dead carcasses, they must be exposed to quite astounding levels of bugs. Not to mention other things that eat dead bodies - ants, for example.
You mean, like humans? I think we're already exposed to much more crap than other species. Bacteria, viruses, worms... that's bad for dogs. We created chemicals, medications, drugs, environments and other random stuff much worse than that, and we found a way to live. Somehow, we drink COW mil, and most of us feel OK with it. We eat dead animals daily and just cook them to get rid of the worst parts. Hey, we can even eat McDonald's and still breathe...
My point is: eventhough some animals may SEEM impressive for their tolerance to this or that, Humans proved to be far better already.
I bet alligators are trying to collect human intelligence to see how WE survive...
Al Gore?
Don't complain. It's not like someone here expected you to read it here... :P
some helpful people
.50 bullets, they don't like that.
Don't antropomorphise
"Read where? Citation or retraction, please."
Hold on, I think you dropped something. Looks like your sense of humor. Here. Try not to lose it again, you might need it around here.
They'd blame it on the Chinese, anyway.
What tells you they do actually have 21 bombers?
:P
What tells you that it actually matters? Maybe the B2 isn't state-of-the-art anymore, and the US just doesn't care that much about the secrecy of this "archaic" plane?
Besides, even if you know how many B2's might be flying, there's no way you can tell where they are until it's too late. I've read they even have kamikaze units now...
And don't forget to cite "kdawson, from Slashdot", as a reference. :)
while most of our long words come from Latin through French, the short words and the structure are derived from German
;)
Being born in Quebec, my native language is French and I speak English too. And I learned German (and a few other languages), just for the fun of it.
My view of the English language is that it is German that has been "latinised" through French. French seems to be the other way around: Latin that has been germanised through English.
I put it simply, because I know there have been many other "transitional" languages in between, and that it's not been a quick thing. But it's really interesting to see all the relations French, English and German have in common. Sometimes, I hear or read a word and suddenly relate it to its origin in another language. It's amazing how complex a language can be, and how many similarities exist between European languages.
Also, once you speak French and English, it is extremely easy to get into Latin languages like Spanish, Italian and Latin itself; and also into Germanic languages, like German and most Scandinavian dialects.
I'm also having lots of fun trying to learn Russian and Scottish Gaelic. But they're really strange languages and I'm truly wondering if alcohol isn't somehow involved
War is the reflection of Man's naturally competitive nature. We're made -- programmed -- to be this way. We are born with the physical and mental abilities that allow us to defend ourselves and to attack those who would hurt us.
Agreed, it has now become an industry. And sick people lie and find ways to profit from it. But still, war has always been and will always be.
Feelings aside, it has actually driven humanity forward. It has forced people to think harder and find better strategies. To work harder and become stronger. To study more and have better technologies...
I hate wars. And I hate the current American farce of a foreign policy. Yet, I still think that's the way we are. If it wouldn't be the US doing it, it'd be some other nation. War did not change the face of history. War made history.
We are competitive among each other. We're being hypocrite with some people. We have the ability to lie. We have fists to punch someone in the face. And we do just that on a greater scale when we wage a war.
Though many died as a consequence of war, we may each of us consider ourselves alive as a consequence of humanity's previous wars. The world is how it is today because of everything that happened before -- including war.
I'm sure a world without war would be a nice place. But there would be no human around to enjoy it.
We are war.
But I've found a few websites that were really useful when I had to design websites myself, or advertisements.
dafont.com -> Lots of free fonts, many of which you can use for graphics
sxc.hu -> royalty-free photographs
templatemonster.com -> Ideas. Lots of ideas.
your competitor's website -> see what they're doing, and do better.
In Soviet Russia, jokes mod YOU down.
Try to experiment with some software. Try stuff, play with effects, try saving your work under different formats and find out which one offers the best result and the smallest size, try to replicate things you see, read through the code of websites you like and try to find out how the graphics are displayed (tables, CSS, etc), build fake web pages and have people comment on your work ...
There are also lots of tutorials available online (on the web and through BitTorrent or eDonkey). But I honestly believe that what you learn by yourself will not only be remembered longer but will also teach you creative ways to use tools and effects that are not taught elsewhere. Try whatever you like. I mean, you're not going to break anything...
Actually, this is the lowest the CDN dollar has been since June 2005 (if I remember correctly). It was worth more than $0,90 US a few months ago.
;P
But our beer's still better
financed buy advertising
Now, that was a great lapsus.
Have a friend dress up as a police officer and ask them these questions at the time the store opens on D-Day. Then just go in and buy yours first while they're out trying to justify the 30 kilos of fesces left on the sidewalk.
Hey ... maybe we'll finally have a Boobies section on /. :P
First meme!
Perhaps so, but the sun and the moon have nevertheless been considered respectively feminine and masculine in Norse religions. Gender is also often arbitrary in French (which is my native language) and we say "le soleil" and "la lune" (contrary to the Germans) and that still doesn't change the fact that the moon was masculine and the sun feminine in some old religions/cultures. And these religions actually inspired Tolkien.