I'm tired of hearing about Raspberry Pi. Really sick of it. It was of mild note when it was new, but now that it's on sale I'm being bombarded by a dozen stories on various news portals. Yes, it's a cute piece of hardware, yes it's cheap. No, it's not revolutionary or game-changing. We've had plenty of SBCs in the past that do pretty much what it can do.
And the stupid thing is, I'm a robotics researcher and an electronics hobbiest to boot - I'm the target demographic for this product. But it's not solving any problem I really have, and I'm so sick of hearing about it I'm not going to buy one out of interest. Even the feeding frenzy over kinect was better than this, in that it truly was new and innovative in the robotics space (or at least, was a whole lot cheaper than the swiss ranger). The internet is weird in the things it collectively decides to care about. It's the corollary of the power of the internet - sometimes the mediocre gets amazing airtime, and sometimes the revolutionary and important falls by the wayside.
Beat me to it! This program (although it has a slightly chunky editor), has been the standard for web-based circuit simulation for years. I have used it in a professional environment, and my peers went from "Web-based-what?" to "Omg, this is so useful!" in a heartbeat. Strongly recommend it.
Wow. I had the almost exactly the same system in 1997 - same processor and video card, even (but with a 15" monitor). I paid A$2015 for it. For years I'd been using my dad's computer, using it for games and school... but this one was finally mine. I loved it with all the care and affection that a 1960s teenager loved his car. It was my generation's hot-rod. I upgraded it and tweaked it until it purred; first a new 17 gb hard drive, then more ram, then a Voodoo 2, then a modem to play MW2:Mercs with. I borked the OS so many times and reinstalled Windows so many times I'd memorised the cd-key. I didn't really think about it when I upgraded the motherboard and then needed a bigger case - I just moved on. Now I think back to that first beige box and I realise I had some of the best times of my life stuck behind that clunky monitor.
I just put two points into riding straight up. If you choose your class right, you can get the "tamer" perk and you don't have to do the minigame each time.
I find that hard to believe, when you take into account that mosquitos were already resistant to DDT years before the substance was banned. In fact, the prohibitions on DDT explicitly included exemptions for malaria prevention. The book had nothing to do with the disuse of DDT against mosquitos.
So, the police have a legitimate reason for securing their network, and have discussed options accommodating other stake-holders who might be inconvenienced by improving their system's security. It sounds to me like the police are handling this sanely and fairly. What's the problem here?
Unfortunately, that is not true. There have been several. In fact, my father escaped being killed by the 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing only by sheer luck - he was a journalist covering the CHOGRM meeting, and he stepped outside for a break. He believes he may have actually sat on the rubbish bin in which the bomb was hidden... (or so he tells his kids).
Damn right. And until society learns to value real productivity and demand that its engineers be paid what they're worth to society, nothing will change.
I will also admit to bias - I'm also an engineering researcher (coincidentally, also specialising in aerial systems). And I love my job... but I think that might be part of the problem. If engineering wasn't as fun and creative and fulfilling, nobody would do it for what's being paid. It seems to me that perhaps if we weren't willling to do it for the love of it, maybe we would get paid more... but then someone else would just step right in. Again, I think that unless society is prepared to paid for less-stressed and more productive engineers, we're stuck.
You may have missed the "I" bit of SETI. They're not looking for just life - they're looking for intelligent life. Intelligence (including animal intelligence) has this way of using physical principles and resources around it to solve problem. Of such tools developed, radio has proven to be an extremely effective and useful tool.
It stands to reason that any sentient and even mildly industrious intelligence is going to stumble on it and put it to use. Yes, we only have a few data points for tool use, but the rationale behind the development of radio is very strong. The big factor is that there may be better forms of long-range communication out there that we haven't discovered yet because their physical principles are as-yet hidden to us. However, until we stumble on them, radio is what we have to work with.
If fewer people can afford products, it lowers the demand and so lowers the costs that can be demanded for them. That drives cheaper production methods (eg. robotics). The value of robotics and automated production methods is to make goods so affordable that even the 'poor' can afford them.
I dream of world where even the most impoverished person can own a cell-phone, can own a laptop, can afford nourishing food every day. And you know what? We're very nearly living in that world, thanks to improvements in agricultural and manufacturing technology.
Perhaps s/he simply means that people who enjoy simulated mayhem would 'be bad' in a videogame. I don't think there's necessarily anything judgemental about acknowledging that some people will revel in escapism. Perhaps some people really -do- like simulated murder; to my mind (yes, my judgement), so long as they don't try it in reality there's nothing inherently wrong about it in so much as it doesn't hurt others.
That said, the whole article has the scent of bullshit. TFA's title says "makes it impossible to lie" and yet the text says it simply tends to make people 'less moral'. The article is inflammatory nonsense hyping research that doesn't appear to make any such sweeping claims.
Slashdot Mirror
The Chalvey monkey story actually makes for weirdly interesting reading.
Well played, good sir/madam. Well played. :)
I'm tired of hearing about Raspberry Pi. Really sick of it. It was of mild note when it was new, but now that it's on sale I'm being bombarded by a dozen stories on various news portals. Yes, it's a cute piece of hardware, yes it's cheap. No, it's not revolutionary or game-changing. We've had plenty of SBCs in the past that do pretty much what it can do.
And the stupid thing is, I'm a robotics researcher and an electronics hobbiest to boot - I'm the target demographic for this product. But it's not solving any problem I really have, and I'm so sick of hearing about it I'm not going to buy one out of interest. Even the feeding frenzy over kinect was better than this, in that it truly was new and innovative in the robotics space (or at least, was a whole lot cheaper than the swiss ranger). The internet is weird in the things it collectively decides to care about. It's the corollary of the power of the internet - sometimes the mediocre gets amazing airtime, and sometimes the revolutionary and important falls by the wayside.
Beat me to it! This program (although it has a slightly chunky editor), has been the standard for web-based circuit simulation for years. I have used it in a professional environment, and my peers went from "Web-based-what?" to "Omg, this is so useful!" in a heartbeat. Strongly recommend it.
One of these proceedures can be easily undone. One of them cannot. I'll let you figure out which is which.
This is also how manoeuvering thruster fuel tanks work, so that engines in microgravity get a continuous flow of fuel without need for ullage motors.
Wow. I had the almost exactly the same system in 1997 - same processor and video card, even (but with a 15" monitor). I paid A$2015 for it. For years I'd been using my dad's computer, using it for games and school... but this one was finally mine. I loved it with all the care and affection that a 1960s teenager loved his car. It was my generation's hot-rod. I upgraded it and tweaked it until it purred; first a new 17 gb hard drive, then more ram, then a Voodoo 2, then a modem to play MW2:Mercs with. I borked the OS so many times and reinstalled Windows so many times I'd memorised the cd-key. I didn't really think about it when I upgraded the motherboard and then needed a bigger case - I just moved on. Now I think back to that first beige box and I realise I had some of the best times of my life stuck behind that clunky monitor.
Salut, old friend, whereever your bits may be.
Any number of terrible, terrible CRPGs.
I just put two points into riding straight up. If you choose your class right, you can get the "tamer" perk and you don't have to do the minigame each time.
Imagine CPUs that run at 1.1V... you could power them with a potato!
I tried to jail brake my phone once, but it slowed it right down.
I find that hard to believe, when you take into account that mosquitos were already resistant to DDT years before the substance was banned. In fact, the prohibitions on DDT explicitly included exemptions for malaria prevention. The book had nothing to do with the disuse of DDT against mosquitos.
The word you're looking for is 'ageism'
So, the police have a legitimate reason for securing their network, and have discussed options accommodating other stake-holders who might be inconvenienced by improving their system's security. It sounds to me like the police are handling this sanely and fairly. What's the problem here?
Unfortunately, that is not true. There have been several. In fact, my father escaped being killed by the 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing only by sheer luck - he was a journalist covering the CHOGRM meeting, and he stepped outside for a break. He believes he may have actually sat on the rubbish bin in which the bomb was hidden... (or so he tells his kids).
Which is why paranoid reactionaries are setting the world aflame.
Damn right. And until society learns to value real productivity and demand that its engineers be paid what they're worth to society, nothing will change.
I will also admit to bias - I'm also an engineering researcher (coincidentally, also specialising in aerial systems). And I love my job... but I think that might be part of the problem. If engineering wasn't as fun and creative and fulfilling, nobody would do it for what's being paid. It seems to me that perhaps if we weren't willling to do it for the love of it, maybe we would get paid more... but then someone else would just step right in. Again, I think that unless society is prepared to paid for less-stressed and more productive engineers, we're stuck.
You may have missed the "I" bit of SETI. They're not looking for just life - they're looking for intelligent life. Intelligence (including animal intelligence) has this way of using physical principles and resources around it to solve problem. Of such tools developed, radio has proven to be an extremely effective and useful tool.
It stands to reason that any sentient and even mildly industrious intelligence is going to stumble on it and put it to use. Yes, we only have a few data points for tool use, but the rationale behind the development of radio is very strong. The big factor is that there may be better forms of long-range communication out there that we haven't discovered yet because their physical principles are as-yet hidden to us. However, until we stumble on them, radio is what we have to work with.
Actually, GP means 'general practitioner'... but close enough. :)
If fewer people can afford products, it lowers the demand and so lowers the costs that can be demanded for them. That drives cheaper production methods (eg. robotics). The value of robotics and automated production methods is to make goods so affordable that even the 'poor' can afford them.
I dream of world where even the most impoverished person can own a cell-phone, can own a laptop, can afford nourishing food every day. And you know what? We're very nearly living in that world, thanks to improvements in agricultural and manufacturing technology.
Perhaps s/he simply means that people who enjoy simulated mayhem would 'be bad' in a videogame. I don't think there's necessarily anything judgemental about acknowledging that some people will revel in escapism. Perhaps some people really -do- like simulated murder; to my mind (yes, my judgement), so long as they don't try it in reality there's nothing inherently wrong about it in so much as it doesn't hurt others.
It is relentless: it will stop at nothing until it empathises with us.
WHAT? Speak up!
That's what happens when you flip the stock market over and attack its weak spot!
It makes you lie, not gives you Tourette's.
That said, the whole article has the scent of bullshit. TFA's title says "makes it impossible to lie" and yet the text says it simply tends to make people 'less moral'. The article is inflammatory nonsense hyping research that doesn't appear to make any such sweeping claims.