... a cousin of mine just submitted and got approved for a article on leukemia research in Nature and I don't think he regrets the fact that is behind a pay wall: it's success.
. screen of 1024 * 800, e-ink and LCD combined
. 1GB memory
. 64GB flash
. 1GHz+ Atom CPU
. wlan 802.11n
. battery life 16 hours
. no multi-touch capacitive touchscreen as it uses a stylus for input
. onscreen keyboard input as well as handwriting recognition
. easy note sharing across multiple tablets (wireless, compare iphone bumping)
. speech synthesis built-in
. multimedia capabilities limited
. color grey
Let's see how right I was...
As with all the replies I have seen to my post, many indicate that "this is not technology to draw a line", and simply accept it. But let me ask you: do you draw a line *anywhere* ? Basic human rights can only exist if at some point if time you speak up and say: until here and no further. Besides, if they do suspect a person, they (already have...) the right to strip search a person. Why extend this to *everyone* without question ? Basic human rights are the last line of reasonable defense against abuse of power and they define the limits with which we can enjoy our earned freedoms. By saying "we have nothing to hide" or "this is not a violation of human rights, but a luxury problem", you are saying that just because we live in the "free west" we have no rights whatsoever, or you say that those rights are marginally defined by positive comparison to 'lesser' countries. If we continue down that path, these 'lesser' countries start to become more free by our standards as they *do not* virtually strip search people without grounds of suspicion!
...I would go a bit further: I don't want my naked image to be seen by anyone. Unless I was a porn star, which I'm not (and not intending to be one through this technology).
It's indecent, and I am principally against it. It's attacking the integrity of the human body, and a number of other basic human rights. In The Netherlands, some person from the PvdA political party called it totally acceptable to introduce body scanners as flying is "voluntarily", and thus you would not be able to refuse it once you bought a ticket and boarding the plane. That person probably has no idea that a significant number of flying-hours is made by business travelers who are not doing that voluntarily, and cannot refuse (lest be fired). A lot of stupid arguments are floating around in these days why the body scanners are OK, but every one of them can be refuted by a simple - but basic (like human rights) - counter argument... Let's hope the political process works and we can indeed always opt for a pat down (or more, if suspicion arises *after* the pat down and normal security screening - that failed for Schiphol), or we have hundreds of thousands of people added to a virtual "no-fly list" as per arguments above...
Can only imagine the job interview you hoped for so long at Google: So erm, what do you think of me. I scored all the tests perfectly, I really would like to know if I am hired (so I can end my 2 year period of unemployment)
(Google interviewer)Well, erm.., see we think Google needs the best of the best. And you are certainly just that. We want to hire you, because of your pure brilliance. We think you really fit the company and would offer you a contract right away. Except,... we won't. You are simply too brilliant, and hiring you would mean hundreds of small companies could not reap the benefits of having you as an employee ! That's why we want you to go out there and help those other companies with your genius ! Yes, this is the best decision we ever made at Google: not hiring brilliant people because they would do so much better at other companies!
So erm... this is a good thing - you not hiring me ? Wow thanks !...goes home...
Hi honey, how did the job interview go ? Hope you were finally hired, we are shit out of cash ! Oh, I got some really good news!
(Yes ! He got the job, finally I can buy shit again !) I wasn't hired ! Isn't that great ? I can go on and be unemployed so other companies can hire my brilliant mind ! That's what the Google interviewers said to me, isn't that great ? Err... honey... why are you packing your suitcase and leaving me ? Don't you love this great news ? Honey.... ?
Suffice to say, brilliant minds can also flourish at the basements of their parents...
...famous case here is that of Teun van der Keuken, who turned himself in in the Netherlands for eating chocolate of which he knew and could proof it was produced by ('modern') slaves in Africa. The prosecutor refused to prosecute, and he had to invoke a special law to sue the prosecutor to force him to sue. In the end even that was turned down, however. The judge did express his sympathy with the cause (abandon the sale of slavery supported chocolate in Dutch super markets). He decided to start his own chocolate company to make things better - which does sell slave-free chocolate -, and it is getting results now... Perhaps the Dane should consider starting his own big movie studio and sell things while actually encouraging copying:)
...our 4100N here at the office is using the same toner cartridge since 2005 ; it complained it was almost empty since... 2005. But it's still running, and running strong.
(Read this 7 minutes into the video) Ah... ! What's happening?...it thought. Er, excuse me, who am I? Hello? Why am I here? What's my purpose in life? What do I mean by who am I? Calm down, get a grip now... oh! this is an interesting sensation, what is it? It's a sort of... yawning, tingling sensation in my... my... well I suppose I'd better start finding names for things if I want to make any headway in what for the sake of what I shall call an argument I shall call the world, so let's call it my stomach. Good. Ooooh, it's getting quite strong. And hey, what's about this whistling roaring sound going past what I'm suddenly going to call my head? Perhaps I can call that... wind! Is that a good name? It'll do... perhaps I can find a better name for it later when I've found out what it's for. It must be something very important because there certainly seems to be a hell of a lot of it. Hey! What's this thing? This... let's call it a tail - yeah, tail. Hey! I can can really thrash it about pretty good can't I? Wow! Wow! That feels great! Doesn't seem to achieve very much but I'll probably find out what it's for later on. Now - have I built up any coherent picture of things yet? No. Never mind, hey, this is really exciting, so much to find out about, so much to look forward to, I'm quite dizzy with anticipation... Or is it the wind? There really is a lot of that now isn't it? And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like... ow... ound... round... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me? And the rest, after a sudden wet thud, was silence. (Douglas Adams, Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy)
..and the guy controlling the camera was arrested, then why is the camera seeming to move whilst the Wii game is played ? Scroll to 2:10 in the raw video here and then back to the start ; I don't remember seeing the ceiling in the first frames, and it doesn't seem particularly zoomed in in those first frames, so why is the ceiling there at 2:10, unless the camera was moved ?
but here in The Netherlands, many "computer engineers" (I don't know how broad they take that term) working for a *contractor* drive a lease-car. When "we" have an accident, it is common practice to file the complete claim, because "we" don't have to pay a dime. I can imagine that *most* people with their own cars will scratch their heads once or twice before filing the claim, as doing so could deprive them from no-claim bonus of said insurance company.
The best inventions had to be done in this day and age by a company that saw it's own bankruptcy looming. I hope this 'Phoenix' will prove successful. On another note: I can choose a new car in 2010, make sure you market it in Europe too, lest I buy a Prius again;=)
... but Philips has the Net TV line range, and while not 'open' perse, it does allow you to browse all internet addresses, instead of just the Samsung/Panasonic/etc. addresses....
... it's "Phillips screw" (driver) not "Philips screw" (driver): "Phillips" being the American company, "Philips" being the Consumer Electronics company from The Netherlands.
... is that the device will also register a positive match if the driver used drugs (cocaine, notably) several days before the measurement. This is the current discussion("speekseltest"=saliva test) in The Netherlands, where chief police officers are in favor, but the most prominent drug advisory institute for the government, the Trimbos Institute, is speaking against it for this very reason. It is just not fair enough, and could lead to driver license revocations for no apparent reason.
...is the hard drive shredder, a machine that simply shreds complete hard drives to pieces. Apparently some large defense institutions showed interest at the time this invention was presented at "Dragon's Den" (a TV-show where people can request money from private investors).
...made by Nedap We returned to paper ballots in The Netherlands about a year and a half ago. As the computers are exactly the same, it's a logical (albeit late) decision.
...is not that good (I bought the exact same set in The Netherlands) - it's all made in China. The bits quite easily get damaged because the material is not as hard as it should be. Besides that, there are quite a few devices that have their "security screws" deep inside a narrow plastic cylinder, meaning that you can't get to them using these bits (as the socket is larger than the cylinder, mostly).
Apart from that: great set to have, and I can recommend it.
... the fact that "ice caps" are the least of our worries. Diseases, spread by insects, could become widespread as insects migrate to previously colder climate zones. Malaria, dengue fever, West Nile etc. That will probably be the quickest "experience" we have with global warming.
As we currently do not have correct antidotes against these diseases, I call your bluff.
...I am not signing up for a DNC list here in The Netherlands (called "Info Filter"). I have gotten a lot of issues with a local lottery ('National Zip Code Lottery'), and have written them numerous letters to leave me alone. Even the government insisted I put myself on the "Info Filter" list, but I objected citing the fact that the list is run by the spammers themselves. So I filed a complaint with the foundation that the spammers are in - "Commercial Code Commission" - which is obligated (by their own statute..) to correct mistakes in commercials. I put in my complaint that they (the lottery) got numerous letters from me that I didn't want on their mailing list, and have 100% proof they have read those letters. The case is accepted, and I am waiting for the lotterys' response, and will seriously consider the courts if they decide negatively.
...big grain of salt needed. While TNO has been in the far past a research *company* with a respected name, nowadays they are more and more on the hand of whoever it is that pays them to do a study. When I saw this headline in Dutch papers, it clearly was that "more and more people are downloading without paying". Maybe somewhere in the appendix, it read that they would buy songs when downloading.
...we are already starting with the "EPD" (Electronic Patient Record) this year. Every citizen to which it applied got a letter in their home, from the government, asking if they wanted to object. For this they had to reply using the included form and a copy of their ID.
Until now, approximately 500.000 objections have been sent in.
Just last week, the government proposed hard actions against those who violate the "EPD", such as high penalties. Insurance companies are not allowed access to the EPD and doing so would give the patient an immediate right to go to a different insurance company.
Let's be frank - these 500.000 people understand the one and only true thing about EPD : once information is out in the open, you never going to get it back in.
Just a while ago I got my own medical file from my physician - I am in my 30s - which contained 6 pages of text... That's not a huge load of information, and makes it very easy to copy. Once out, anyone knows my complete medical record from my birth onwards. A penalty against misuse would thus not work, it would simply be used to blame any messengers that stand up and find flaws in the security.
One such flaw was already found last year: most hospitals (yes - publicly accessible hospitals) don't password protect their terminals. Argument ? In an emergency, they do not want to put up the physician with all those tough things like entering passwords.
I respect the ideas of your new president, but I think he should definitely think again when implementing this - information wants to be free.
Solutions ? Maybe give only the patient the private key to unlock the medical database. It was an argument here, but was quickly thrown away on grounds of "much too difficult" and "what in an emergency" etc. Until that solution is seriously looked upon, or at least until the security of it all is completely looked after, my vote against this would be a big fat "no way".
Slashdot Mirror
... a cousin of mine just submitted and got approved for a article on leukemia research in Nature and I don't think he regrets the fact that is behind a pay wall: it's success.
. screen of 1024 * 800, e-ink and LCD combined . 1GB memory . 64GB flash . 1GHz+ Atom CPU . wlan 802.11n . battery life 16 hours . no multi-touch capacitive touchscreen as it uses a stylus for input . onscreen keyboard input as well as handwriting recognition . easy note sharing across multiple tablets (wireless, compare iphone bumping) . speech synthesis built-in . multimedia capabilities limited . color grey Let's see how right I was...
Spirit lasted a long time, and now it is at its final destination. Instead of remorse, celebrate with some Champagne!
...before you know it you have 20 open-heart surgeons picketing outside your home: this patient performs his own open-heart surgery, boo!
As with all the replies I have seen to my post, many indicate that "this is not technology to draw a line", and simply accept it.
But let me ask you: do you draw a line *anywhere* ?
Basic human rights can only exist if at some point if time you speak up and say: until here and no further.
Besides, if they do suspect a person, they (already have...) the right to strip search a person. Why extend this to *everyone* without question ?
Basic human rights are the last line of reasonable defense against abuse of power and they define the limits with which we can enjoy our earned freedoms. By saying "we have nothing to hide" or "this is not a violation of human rights, but a luxury problem", you are saying that just because we live in the "free west" we have no rights whatsoever, or you say that those rights are marginally defined by positive comparison to 'lesser' countries.
If we continue down that path, these 'lesser' countries start to become more free by our standards as they *do not* virtually strip search people without grounds of suspicion!
...I would go a bit further: I don't want my naked image to be seen by anyone. Unless I was a porn star, which I'm not (and not intending to be one through this technology).
It's indecent, and I am principally against it. It's attacking the integrity of the human body, and a number of other basic human rights.
In The Netherlands, some person from the PvdA political party called it totally acceptable to introduce body scanners as flying is "voluntarily", and thus you would not be able to refuse it once you bought a ticket and boarding the plane. That person probably has no idea that a significant number of flying-hours is made by business travelers who are not doing that voluntarily, and cannot refuse (lest be fired).
A lot of stupid arguments are floating around in these days why the body scanners are OK, but every one of them can be refuted by a simple - but basic (like human rights) - counter argument...
Let's hope the political process works and we can indeed always opt for a pat down (or more, if suspicion arises *after* the pat down and normal security screening - that failed for Schiphol), or we have hundreds of thousands of people added to a virtual "no-fly list" as per arguments above...
I am the OP, and I love the spin off discussion here ;=)
Can only imagine the job interview you hoped for so long at Google:
... we won't. You are simply too brilliant, and hiring you would mean hundreds of small companies could not reap the benefits of having you as an employee ! That's why we want you to go out there and help those other companies with your genius ! Yes, this is the best decision we ever made at Google: not hiring brilliant people because they would do so much better at other companies!
So erm, what do you think of me. I scored all the tests perfectly, I really would like to know if I am hired (so I can end my 2 year period of unemployment)
(Google interviewer)Well, erm.., see we think Google needs the best of the best. And you are certainly just that. We want to hire you, because of your pure brilliance. We think you really fit the company and would offer you a contract right away. Except,
So erm... this is a good thing - you not hiring me ? Wow thanks !...goes home...
Hi honey, how did the job interview go ? Hope you were finally hired, we are shit out of cash !
Oh, I got some really good news!
(Yes ! He got the job, finally I can buy shit again !)
I wasn't hired ! Isn't that great ? I can go on and be unemployed so other companies can hire my brilliant mind ! That's what the Google interviewers said to me, isn't that great ?
Err... honey... why are you packing your suitcase and leaving me ? Don't you love this great news ? Honey.... ?
Suffice to say, brilliant minds can also flourish at the basements of their parents...
...famous case here is that of Teun van der Keuken, who turned himself in in the Netherlands for eating chocolate of which he knew and could proof it was produced by ('modern') slaves in Africa. The prosecutor refused to prosecute, and he had to invoke a special law to sue the prosecutor to force him to sue. In the end even that was turned down, however. The judge did express his sympathy with the cause (abandon the sale of slavery supported chocolate in Dutch super markets). He decided to start his own chocolate company to make things better - which does sell slave-free chocolate -, and it is getting results now... Perhaps the Dane should consider starting his own big movie studio and sell things while actually encouraging copying :)
...our 4100N here at the office is using the same toner cartridge since 2005 ; it complained it was almost empty since... 2005. But it's still running, and running strong.
(Read this 7 minutes into the video) Ah ... ! What's happening? ...it thought. Er, excuse me, who am I? Hello? Why am I here? What's my purpose in life? What do I mean by who am I? Calm down, get a grip now ... oh! this is an interesting sensation, what is it? It's a sort of ... yawning, tingling sensation in my ... my ... well I suppose I'd better start finding names for things if I want to make any headway in what for the sake of what I shall call an argument I shall call the world, so let's call it my stomach. Good. Ooooh, it's getting quite strong. And hey, what's about this whistling roaring sound going past what I'm suddenly going to call my head? Perhaps I can call that ... wind! Is that a good name? It'll do ... perhaps I can find a better name for it later when I've found out what it's for. It must be something very important because there certainly seems to be a hell of a lot of it. Hey! What's this thing? This ... let's call it a tail - yeah, tail. Hey! I can can really thrash it about pretty good can't I? Wow! Wow! That feels great! Doesn't seem to achieve very much but I'll probably find out what it's for later on. Now - have I built up any coherent picture of things yet? No. Never mind, hey, this is really exciting, so much to find out about, so much to look forward to, I'm quite dizzy with anticipation ... Or is it the wind? There really is a lot of that now isn't it? And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like ... ow ... ound ... round ... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me? And the rest, after a sudden wet thud, was silence. (Douglas Adams, Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy)
..and the guy controlling the camera was arrested, then why is the camera seeming to move whilst the Wii game is played ? Scroll to 2:10 in the raw video here and then back to the start ; I don't remember seeing the ceiling in the first frames, and it doesn't seem particularly zoomed in in those first frames, so why is the ceiling there at 2:10, unless the camera was moved ?
Seems fishy to me.
but here in The Netherlands, many "computer engineers" (I don't know how broad they take that term) working for a *contractor* drive a lease-car. When "we" have an accident, it is common practice to file the complete claim, because "we" don't have to pay a dime.
I can imagine that *most* people with their own cars will scratch their heads once or twice before filing the claim, as doing so could deprive them from no-claim bonus of said insurance company.
The best inventions had to be done in this day and age by a company that saw it's own bankruptcy looming. I hope this 'Phoenix' will prove successful. ;=)
On another note: I can choose a new car in 2010, make sure you market it in Europe too, lest I buy a Prius again
... but Philips has the Net TV line range, and while not 'open' perse, it does allow you to browse all internet addresses, instead of just the Samsung/Panasonic/etc. addresses....
... it's "Phillips screw" (driver) not "Philips screw" (driver): "Phillips" being the American company, "Philips" being the Consumer Electronics company from The Netherlands.
... is that the device will also register a positive match if the driver used drugs (cocaine, notably) several days before the measurement.
This is the current discussion("speekseltest"=saliva test) in The Netherlands, where chief police officers are in favor, but the most prominent drug advisory institute for the government, the Trimbos Institute, is speaking against it for this very reason.
It is just not fair enough, and could lead to driver license revocations for no apparent reason.
...is the hard drive shredder, a machine that simply shreds complete hard drives to pieces. Apparently some large defense institutions showed interest at the time this invention was presented at "Dragon's Den" (a TV-show where people can request money from private investors).
...made by Nedap
We returned to paper ballots in The Netherlands about a year and a half ago. As the computers are exactly the same, it's a logical (albeit late) decision.
...is not that good (I bought the exact same set in The Netherlands) - it's all made in China.
The bits quite easily get damaged because the material is not as hard as it should be.
Besides that, there are quite a few devices that have their "security screws" deep inside a narrow plastic cylinder, meaning that you can't get to them using these bits (as the socket is larger than the cylinder, mostly).
Apart from that: great set to have, and I can recommend it.
...I hope they bring back the Commodore 64 board computer ;=)
... the fact that "ice caps" are the least of our worries. Diseases, spread by insects, could become widespread as insects migrate to previously colder climate zones. Malaria, dengue fever, West Nile etc. That will probably be the quickest "experience" we have with global warming.
As we currently do not have correct antidotes against these diseases, I call your bluff.
...I am not signing up for a DNC list here in The Netherlands (called "Info Filter").
I have gotten a lot of issues with a local lottery ('National Zip Code Lottery'), and have written them numerous letters to leave me alone. Even the government insisted I put myself on the "Info Filter" list, but I objected citing the fact that the list is run by the spammers themselves.
So I filed a complaint with the foundation that the spammers are in - "Commercial Code Commission" - which is obligated (by their own statute..) to correct mistakes in commercials.
I put in my complaint that they (the lottery) got numerous letters from me that I didn't want on their mailing list, and have 100% proof they have read those letters. The case is accepted, and I am waiting for the lotterys' response, and will seriously consider the courts if they decide negatively.
...big grain of salt needed.
While TNO has been in the far past a research *company* with a respected name, nowadays they are more and more on the hand of whoever it is that pays them to do a study.
When I saw this headline in Dutch papers, it clearly was that "more and more people are downloading without paying". Maybe somewhere in the appendix, it read that they would buy songs when downloading.
TNO was the same agency that approved our voting computers multiple times in a row - the same ones that are forbidden right now.
TNO also researched the chip used for the public transport system in The Netherlands, and approved its security multiple times.
...we are already starting with the "EPD" (Electronic Patient Record) this year.
Every citizen to which it applied got a letter in their home, from the government, asking if they wanted to object. For this they had to reply using the included form and a copy of their ID.
Until now, approximately 500.000 objections have been sent in.
Just last week, the government proposed hard actions against those who violate the "EPD", such as high penalties. Insurance companies are not allowed access to the EPD and doing so would give the patient an immediate right to go to a different insurance company.
Let's be frank - these 500.000 people understand the one and only true thing about EPD : once information is out in the open, you never going to get it back in.
Just a while ago I got my own medical file from my physician - I am in my 30s - which contained 6 pages of text...
That's not a huge load of information, and makes it very easy to copy. Once out, anyone knows my complete medical record from my birth onwards. A penalty against misuse would thus not work, it would simply be used to blame any messengers that stand up and find flaws in the security.
One such flaw was already found last year: most hospitals (yes - publicly accessible hospitals) don't password protect their terminals.
Argument ? In an emergency, they do not want to put up the physician with all those tough things like entering passwords.
I respect the ideas of your new president, but I think he should definitely think again when implementing this - information wants to be free.
Solutions ? Maybe give only the patient the private key to unlock the medical database. It was an argument here, but was quickly thrown away on grounds of "much too difficult" and "what in an emergency" etc. Until that solution is seriously looked upon, or at least until the security of it all is completely looked after, my vote against this would be a big fat "no way".