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User: hayh

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  1. Re:This is what Apple zealots fail to recognize... on Apple Antitrust Case Gets Green Light · · Score: 1

    I think the gp was referring to the issue of locking out competitors. But you knew that.

  2. Re:Bad news on Spider-Man 3 Villains: Sandman & Venom · · Score: 1
    Uh, in Spider Man 2 they had Green Goblin II and Doc Ock.

    "Green Goblin II" was only alluded to in the end; he wasn't really in the movie per se. Which does raise the question, though, why isn't he in Spiderman-3?

  3. Re:Jon Stewarts "The Daily Show"... on MS Gets $7 Million From Spammer · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Obligatory karma whoring...

    clicky

  4. Me too! on Pentagon Wants Screenplays From Scientists · · Score: 1

    I agree, and I must add that not only is "can't teach creativity" untrue, it's also destructive. It takes a lot of training and education to produce a creative work of any value. The misconception that you need a degree for science but anyone off the street can be a(n) actor/singer/dancer/etc is precisely what leads to the sort of drivel that passes for entertainment nowadays.

    People aren't scientists because they are inherently incapable of being screenwriters or vice versa. Maybe what we ought to do (rather than teach scientists screenwriting or teach screenwriters science) is create some sort of specialization for people who want to do both. So you can go get your Masters degree in something like Science Fiction Writing for Screen.

  5. Re:Here we go again... on Equal Time For Creationism · · Score: 1
    How do you go about "choosing" whether to believe something or not?

    I'm going to get myself in trouble for this, but here goes...

    I follow my own branch (similar to agnosticisim) which I (and a few other people) call relativism, whereby I choose my beliefs subjectively. My best explanation of how that works is that it's like wave/particle duality of light. Sometimes it's best to think of light as a wave pattern. Sometimes it's best to think of a stream of photons. You subjectively choose which theory to apply based on circumstance.

  6. Re:Department of Redundancy Department on South Korean Scientists Clone Dog · · Score: 1
    Actually, the full sentence reads The research purpose of the research is ostensibly to produce research animals and not for commercial purposes. (emphasis mine)

    Not to kill your joke, but I think the submitter was intentionally using the word research 3 times in one sentence to stress non-commercial. Which is, in itself, pretty damn funny :)

  7. Re:Broken Link, Naming Contest. on Planet X Larger Than Pluto? · · Score: 1

    On that note how about Aurora? We can build a new society there using our incredibly lifelike robots ;)

  8. Isn't that kind of backwards...? on Rate Your IM Popularity · · Score: 2, Interesting
    A, who has three people on her buddy list, doesn't add much to your score...Your friend A is clearly not as well-connected as your friend B

    It seems to me that A should add more to my score than B does, because A is more selective as to whom she considers her friend.

    It's like being A-listed (pun intended).

  9. Rote learning vs Curiosity on Improving Education? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I had my primary and secondary education outside of the US, so I can't speak for the "poster's country"... :) My own experience, however, is that much of basic education relies overly on rote learning.

    I cannot but echo Feynman's concerns (when he visited Brazil - IANAB, but many cultures have the same problem) that students are not encouraged to be curious, but rather to accept whatever the book or the teacher tells them as fact. At the schools I attended our textbooks were treated almost as gospels and scientific findings were considered immutable facts discovered by others far more brilliant than ourselves.

  10. Re:Days are numbered? on Guitarists, your Days are Numbered · · Score: 1
    Maybe if it was written in code thats stuck in the 80s it could play faster?

    You mean like in Fortran?

  11. Re:Human computer license? on When Computers Were Human · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure the human brain is closed-source. Of course, we're trying to reverse-engineer it :)

  12. Re:Wow! What a question to ask on Slashdot... on Hackers, Spelling, and Grammar? · · Score: 1

    I'm a native english speaker and I was taught the same thing: contractions like "it's," "I'm," "isn't" etc... were ok for informal speech but not for more formal writing (letters, essays, etc). I don't think many people adhere to this in practice, however.

  13. Re:well... on U.S. Scientists Create Zombie Dogs · · Score: 1
    I'm more interested in knowing who the hell is going to volunteer for this procedure...

    I'm more interested in knowing: if I volunteer, can I collect life insurance as well?

  14. Re:iRobot huh? on Service Robots in Service by 2010 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Asimov himself actually admits to having stolen the title "I, Robot" from a previously published sci-fi story. So whoever *originally* used it is rolling over in his/her grave.

  15. Mirror on Zalman Showcase Massive P4 Heatsink · · Score: 1
    I know I'm going to regret this when I get the bill for bandwidth usage...

    http://www.yafetica.com/heatsink/tfa.html

  16. Re:Only works for translating speeches on Coming Soon, The Google Translator · · Score: 0

    It would never work for a lot of /. posts, because it would assume that the original text's speeling and grammer are correct ;)

  17. Re:I recommend a workout a day on Keep Fit Program For The Brain · · Score: 1

    I've come across studies (yes, another vague "studies" reference) that show that certain people are naturally inclined to be active at different times of the day. It sucks that most of us are expected to conform to business hours that don't necessarily capitalise on our most productive times.

    For me, waking up at 6 am to exercise before work is impossible. I'm lucky to come out of zombie mode before lunch. However, when I used to have flexible hours, I could wake up at 9:30 or so, take an aerobics class, shower, eat and head to work full of energy (and more relaxed - I find that when I start out too tired, I carry a lot of tension in my body to compensate for the "floopiness" of being sleepy).

    Exercise definitely helps, no matter what time you start your day... and if you're not a morning person, you're probably better off (where possible) finding an occupation that won't force you to be one, so you have time for things like exercise and food :)

  18. There is a tendency to exaggerate... on Exporting Knowledge Via Students · · Score: 1

    ...the ease with which an F-1 becomes an H-1. It's really hard for foreign students to land US jobs upon graduation. Most (that I know - myself included after undergrad) end up leaving after a long hunt when their visas expire.

  19. Re:Microsoft's strategy. on Google Might Disappear in Five Years · · Score: 1

    Tcha... as if anyone can afford Google. Isn't it more expensive (per share) than the S&P 500?

  20. Books? on Why PHBs Fear Linux · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Are books even adequate? During my years as a student of Computer Science (high school and college) I always found that the information in textbooks was outdated, even if it had *ever* been accurate. Even now, every time I buy a programming book I find that a more recent version has been released with new functionality that is not covered in the book.

    IT moves so quickly that by the time the information makes it to print, new information is available elsewhere. Because of the static nature of books, they only get less informative over time. These professors should encourage their students to use online resources that are updated regularly, or journals that are published faster and more frequently than books, if they want to be on the cutting-edge.

  21. Infrastructure? on FCC Forum Divided on Future VoIP Regulation · · Score: 1

    I think the main reason VoIP isn't going to take over global telecom is the fact that in many places the infrastructure is lacking. In the Caribbean -for example-, a lot of people still prefer pots because voip on dialup results in... well, crap.

    Disclaimer: No, I actually have not rtfa.

  22. Not necessarily *forcing* them... on Vietnam Going Open Source · · Score: 1
    Read the article carefully. It says:

    And they would require all computers assembled in Vietnam to be sold with open-source products installed on them.

    It doesn't actually say only open source products. It may be possible to ship, for example, a Windows box with the Gimp installed (a la the GNUWin II project?). The only way to know for sure would be to examine the actual Vietnamese plan, though.

  23. Re:virus writers come hither... on Microsoft Voice Command Almost Here · · Score: 1
    what happens when it gets a really bad virus?

    Loading sneeze.wav ...

  24. cd life-spans on Sanyo Develops Corn-Based Biodegradeable CD · · Score: 1

    I'm not so sure about that... I have many cd's that are at least 5 years old, a few of which are over 10 years old, that work just fine. I am certainly not the most anal about storage conditions -- they've encountered high sunlight, dust, water, being used as a frisbee, and whatever dangers exist in the homes/offices of my friends.

    The plastic quite probably does outlive the data on the cds, but I doubt it does so by as large a margin as you are suggesting.

  25. Re:Degrees of Freedom? on Martial Arts Robots · · Score: 1

    The structure of the human foot has been known for some time -- anyone with the resources (and patience) could potentially mimic it with as many degrees of freedom as the real thing. Controlling it in an effective variety of ways is the issue, or more specifically, the current limiting factor.

    Consider a human child, who at birth (notwithstanding a lack of strength) has as much if not more range of motion in each joint, but cannot perform complex movements. A child will no doubt have difficulty with uneven ground, steep slopes and so on. However, the human brain possesses a level of sophistication that allows it (over time) to obtain a better control the body's capabilities.

    I agree that the specific challenges depend on the specific goals, but where the general goal is controlled movement, the general challenge is intelligence.