Soon after breaking away from Earth, the inhabitants of the moon base discovered a new form of space drive, powered by pompous acting, cheesy special effects and script continuity errors. They now roam the galaxy at will!
I don't doubt that many people share your view. Your post reminded me of the conclusion of "Candide", where after suffering a bewildering array of misfortunes, the protagonist is reunited with his friends and settles down to tend their homestead:
Pangloss used now and then to say to Candide:
"There is a concatenation of all events in the best of possible worlds; for, in short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle for the love of Miss Cunegund; had you not been put into the Inquisition; had you not traveled over America on foot; had you not run the Baron through the body; and had you not lost all your sheep, which you brought from the good country of El Dorado, you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts."
"Excellently observed," answered Candide; "but let us cultivate our garden."
meaning that the world is too big a place for us to concern ourselves with its entirety, and that we each should take care of our corner of it. But the world is shrinking - events occuring halfway around the globe affect us nearly as much as those occurring next door. The future of the human race, perhaps of the whole planet, depends on the choices we make today. If we think only in terms of satisfying our current desires and needs, what will become of those who come after us?
Actually it's probably better to e-mail one of the RIAA member companies. The RIAA itself is likely to just toss out your e-mail, while a company that makes its money from selling music, as opposed to filing lawsuits, might actually read it.
Fair enough -- if making stupid people laugh is considered more important by society than fundamental mathematical discoveries, then it should be more highly compensated. It is. What's your problem with that?
Simply put, I believe that society is wrong. It is wrong to value the contribution of Adam Sandler as greater than that of Grigori Perelman
One day, probably many years from now, Adam Sandler will be a footnote in some obsolete database, and Perelman will be famous for his contribution to human knowledge. At that point, the relative values of the contributions of Sandler and Perelmen will be clear.
When you take the long view, the opinions of masses of people are worthless. Our social and economic system does not compensate for that failing. It prices things in terms of what people think now. Well most people are wrong, most of the time.
Sir, I'd like to thank you for expressing your desire for more Soylent Green. Many people are not aware of the benefits of eating Soylent Green: it has zero trans fat, comes in several attractive shades (have you tried Key Lime?), and is both recycled AND recyclable.
That was an excellent, well written post. I see your point, and I can hardly disagree with it.
But I still hate to see the phrase "begs the question" in place of the equally good and "traditionally correct" phrase "raises the question." When I see the former phrase in print, it is as if someone has trodden on my head and poured ground up glass and assorted tacks and nails into my ears, and screamed into them with the sound of a hundred military jets all taking off at once. It's Freddie Krueger dragging steel claws across a blackboard - it's a million shrieking toddlers demanding an ice cream RIGHT NOW. It's the sound of a dentist drilling out your molar, just before he hits the nerve.
Go find one of those stories about a big warezer bust. Follow it through to the indictment; they're all freely available online in the US since 1998..2001, depending on what state you're in. Then, look at what crime the warezers are being convicted of.
I Googled "warez indictment" and found a number of press releases from the federal government. This one, about the RISCISO bust, is typical:
All 19 defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, and 15 of the 19 were charged with one additional count each of copyright infringement.
Doesn't say anything about theft. True, I didn't look up the actual indictment, so if you want to prove me wrong, knock yourself out.
Which is not to say that the Feds don't use the word "theft" in their public statements - they do it all the time. But I don't think anyone is being charged with that particular crime. Not when they can put someone in prison for 46 months for "conspiracy to commit copyright infringment."
Do you think that airplanes will evolve to keeps snakes off of them?
If biology is any guide, snakes and planes will develop a symbiotic relationship. Snakes that only attack whiny, demanding customers who sue the airline for serving them the wrong kind of peanuts will help promote the survival of planes, as will snakes that develop the ability to gently massage the feet of high-paying first-class customers, improving service and providing a competitive advantage. When the symbiosis has progressed sufficiently, snakes and planes will be regarded as parts of a single organism.
RIAA/MPAA: Do you believe in intellectual property? If you do, clap your hands! C'mon, people... if you don't clap, the idea of perpetual ownership of an abstract intangibility will die!
The only acceptable time for "trys" is when you're on the way to "tryst"
Very nice turn of phrase! I wonder, how many "trys" does it take to make a "tryst"? It never seems to work for me, no matter how many "trys":(
"Trys" does lead to one other seldom-used word: trysexual. From Wikipedia:
Trisexual (sometimes trysexual) is either an extension of, or a pun on bisexual. In its more serious usage, it indicates an interest in transgender persons in addition to cissexual men and women. In its more humorous usage, it refers to someone who will try any sexual experience.
Of course, we must take this definition with a grain of salt, given its source. Especially in light of the Wikipedia article for cisgender, which reads in part:
The first recorded Usenet post of cisgender was in the alt.transgendered usenet group in 1994 by Dana Leland Defosse. In April of 1996, Carl Buijs, a transsexual man from the Netherlands said in a usenet posting "As for the origin; I just made it up".
So...not really a word then, unless you are a transgendered grammar Nazi. Never mind, then...
The only ones winning with all of this are the lawyers, as usual.
Not quite. The more money the RIAA puts out to pay for lost cases like this one, the less they'll have available for paying their lawyers to file new ones. So, at least it's a good start. As the saying goes:
Q: What do you call a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
This article reminds me of a similar study done on Jackson Pollock's drip paintings, which exhibit the characteristics of fractals. Pollock painted in the '50s, before fractal geometry was developed. Works by other artists, who imitated Pollock's technique, do not have the same qualities. Both Van Gogh and Pollock seem to have been able to perceive the mathematical underpinnings of the natural world in an intuitive way, and could communicate that perception through their art.
Slashdot Mirror
Soon after breaking away from Earth, the inhabitants of the moon base discovered a new form of space drive, powered by pompous acting, cheesy special effects and script continuity errors. They now roam the galaxy at will!
I don't doubt that many people share your view. Your post reminded me of the conclusion of "Candide", where after suffering a bewildering array of misfortunes, the protagonist is reunited with his friends and settles down to tend their homestead:
meaning that the world is too big a place for us to concern ourselves with its entirety, and that we each should take care of our corner of it. But the world is shrinking - events occuring halfway around the globe affect us nearly as much as those occurring next door. The future of the human race, perhaps of the whole planet, depends on the choices we make today. If we think only in terms of satisfying our current desires and needs, what will become of those who come after us?
Actually it's probably better to e-mail one of the RIAA member companies. The RIAA itself is likely to just toss out your e-mail, while a company that makes its money from selling music, as opposed to filing lawsuits, might actually read it.
Fair enough -- if making stupid people laugh is considered more important by society than fundamental mathematical discoveries, then it should be more highly compensated. It is. What's your problem with that?
Simply put, I believe that society is wrong. It is wrong to value the contribution of Adam Sandler as greater than that of Grigori Perelman
One day, probably many years from now, Adam Sandler will be a footnote in some obsolete database, and Perelman will be famous for his contribution to human knowledge. At that point, the relative values of the contributions of Sandler and Perelmen will be clear.
When you take the long view, the opinions of masses of people are worthless. Our social and economic system does not compensate for that failing. It prices things in terms of what people think now. Well most people are wrong, most of the time.
Side note: the Millenium Prize is a cool million. Which is $24 million less than Adam Sandler makes per movie.
Hurray for the free market! The true value for a personal accomplishment has once again been properly determined and awarded!
Quite an interesting character, this Perelman, and his proof could turn out to be a real landmark for mathematics.
I liked this bit:
Whatever he's smoking, I want some!
I notice the first video in the list is titled, "Ballbot Balances Itself On One Ball"
Ouch!
Try the repaginator extension for Firefox
Out of the five words in the title of that article, four are acronyms, and the remaining word can be replaced with a common abbreviation:
USB EVDO MODEM W/O PCMCIA
Much better. As to what it means, I have no idea. But there is absolutely no fucking wasted space in that title! And that is something to be proud of.
Sir, I'd like to thank you for expressing your desire for more Soylent Green. Many people are not aware of the benefits of eating Soylent Green: it has zero trans fat, comes in several attractive shades (have you tried Key Lime?), and is both recycled AND recyclable.
but best of all, as we like to say...
After reading that, both I and my PC need to take a dump.
Kirk: Spock, why aren't you eating your cereal?
Spock: There is no spoon.
That was an excellent, well written post. I see your point, and I can hardly disagree with it.
But I still hate to see the phrase "begs the question" in place of the equally good and "traditionally correct" phrase "raises the question." When I see the former phrase in print, it is as if someone has trodden on my head and poured ground up glass and assorted tacks and nails into my ears, and screamed into them with the sound of a hundred military jets all taking off at once. It's Freddie Krueger dragging steel claws across a blackboard - it's a million shrieking toddlers demanding an ice cream RIGHT NOW. It's the sound of a dentist drilling out your molar, just before he hits the nerve.
I really wish people would stop doing it.
Go find one of those stories about a big warezer bust. Follow it through to the indictment; they're all freely available online in the US since 1998..2001, depending on what state you're in. Then, look at what crime the warezers are being convicted of.
I Googled "warez indictment" and found a number of press releases from the federal government. This one, about the RISCISO bust, is typical:
Doesn't say anything about theft. True, I didn't look up the actual indictment, so if you want to prove me wrong, knock yourself out.
Which is not to say that the Feds don't use the word "theft" in their public statements - they do it all the time. But I don't think anyone is being charged with that particular crime. Not when they can put someone in prison for 46 months for "conspiracy to commit copyright infringment."
how many of you won't admit that your parents were like the evil empire? I know mine were.
What, they used a space station the size of a small moon to blow up your room, as an example to the other kids??
Dude, that's harsh...
Do you think that airplanes will evolve to keeps snakes off of them?
If biology is any guide, snakes and planes will develop a symbiotic relationship. Snakes that only attack whiny, demanding customers who sue the airline for serving them the wrong kind of peanuts will help promote the survival of planes, as will snakes that develop the ability to gently massage the feet of high-paying first-class customers, improving service and providing a competitive advantage. When the symbiosis has progressed sufficiently, snakes and planes will be regarded as parts of a single organism.
Thanks. It was offtopic, but I'm glad that at least one enlightened soul found it to be funny.
RIAA/MPAA: Do you believe in intellectual property? If you do, clap your hands! C'mon, people ... if you don't clap, the idea of perpetual ownership of an abstract intangibility will die!
I'm pretty sure I could drive the final nails into a dying company's coffin with the skills and training I have now.
So, when can you start?
/s/ Board of Directors, SCO
The only acceptable time for "trys" is when you're on the way to "tryst"
Very nice turn of phrase! I wonder, how many "trys" does it take to make a "tryst"? It never seems to work for me, no matter how many "trys" :(
"Trys" does lead to one other seldom-used word: trysexual. From Wikipedia:
Of course, we must take this definition with a grain of salt, given its source. Especially in light of the Wikipedia article for cisgender, which reads in part:
So...not really a word then, unless you are a transgendered grammar Nazi. Never mind, then ...
The only ones winning with all of this are the lawyers, as usual.
Not quite. The more money the RIAA puts out to pay for lost cases like this one, the less they'll have available for paying their lawyers to file new ones. So, at least it's a good start. As the saying goes:
Q: What do you call a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start.
I have a bumper sticker on my car that says:
"I waste my jokes on the accuracy nazis on slashdot."
There's no way that would fit on a bumper sticker.
This article reminds me of a similar study done on Jackson Pollock's drip paintings, which exhibit the characteristics of fractals. Pollock painted in the '50s, before fractal geometry was developed. Works by other artists, who imitated Pollock's technique, do not have the same qualities. Both Van Gogh and Pollock seem to have been able to perceive the mathematical underpinnings of the natural world in an intuitive way, and could communicate that perception through their art.
Some more info (PDF warning).
a center is a machine/person that makes cents?
Right. Just like a banger is someone who makes bangs, and a kipper is somone who makes kipps. And a Worcester is someone who makes Worcests.
I'm not an HTML expert or anything, but roughly how much does myspace.com weigh?
OK, OK - it's worth it's weight in e-Gold
Sheesh.