The false memories from VR land are probably only there because the possibilities are wider in VR than in real-life. We'd be less inclined to apply the restrictive set of real-life rules we've spent decades learning as we grow up to VR - a new environment with new rules.
So you could argue that in RL we'd apply restrictive rules to say, the functionality of a camera, but in VR we wouldn't apply the same rules (It can fly! It can turn into a duck!). So if I'm going to imagine that the camera did something that it actually doesn't, it's far more likely to be a bit wide off the mark for my VR camera than my RL camera.
But who would comment on me thinking that my RL camera can't rotate images like I thought it could, when it's far more interesting to comment on how I thought that it could turn into a duck?
As the post points out, could this be a serious problem for VR going forward?"
It might only be a problem when applied to subtle differences between VR and real life, like changing the functionality of camera between VR/RL slightly.
On significant things, like jumping off a ledge and flying; well - we might be able to distinguish between RL and VR in those circumstances.
In bad-analogy-land, if I was to swap a few keys on your keyboard you might find it confusing for a bit, but if I were to paint it green, you'd probably notice (unless it was already green of course).
Of course, where you draw the line between subtle and significant is a whole other argument. But I think the human brain does that already to some extent; remembering important things and discarding irrelevant things.
Back In The Old Days (as they say in Cliché Magazine), you could make your own gunpowder and experiment with making your own model rocket engines and things like that. Doing these fun things as a kid leads to interest in later life for chemistry, electronics etc.
Now if you try and have some harmless fun you'd get into a whole bunch of trouble, because the powers that be can't distinguish between harmless experimenting and terrorism. Hell, in some parts of the states, you're not even allowed certain kinds of glassware, lest it be used for making drugs! How about nails? Should they be taken away lest I use them to nail people's heads?
And I suspect many people would be surprised by how many prominent figures in science have lead "interesting" childhoods.:)
The best scientists are the ones that did it as a child in their own time, and are inherently driven by their interest to find out more, make new discoveries, learn things. Not the people that did it as school because they couldn't think of anything else to do.
Westernised society has gone nanny/protectionist crazy, and you know what, it *will* suppress new talent.
I would, but everyone seems to forget that you can have RFID and a PIN or other second form of ID. I would have no problem as long as there was an OPTION for a second method of authentication to be applied.
Sure, it would cut down on convenience, but only a little, and would more than make up for it in added safety.
-Charlie Tell you what, why not post your card details here (including the three digits on the reverse), but NOT THE PIN, and we'll see how many of us can buy something with it.
Willing to stand by your statement? Are you sure you still don't have a problem with other people having access to your card data?
According to the wikipedia, the energy density from solar energy reaching the surface as a global average is 170 W/m2. At 40.7% efficient, that's 69.2W/m2.
Using the lower figure of 1.58TW calculated above, you'd need 22.8 x 10^9 square meters, or approximately 8800 square miles of solar cells to meet 2001 world demand. (Or "just" 1900 square miles to meet the peak US demand of ~3 trillion kWh in the late 90s). Of course, these areas halve if sited in an area of the US where the solar energy density is 375 W/m2 (4000 square miles for world demand, 860 square miles for US demand).
Neither correspond to the whopping (265x265) 70000 square miles the article summary claims. Sorry kdawson, looks like you're a magnitude out!
Sounds like a good idea in principle, but someone, sooner or later, is bound to abuse it. Who will be responsible for determining when it can/can not be used? For a soldier to kill someone with a gun, they have to have a damn good reason to do it. To use something that inflicts pain with no long term effects? Very high danger of abuse.
My dad (who worked for Rolls Royce Aerospace in Bristol) has a similar story about aerospace engines which kept blowing up after being shipped and fitted at a particular location in the far east. Eventually they sent someone out there to find out why the engines kept failing. They determined it was because some critical bolts weren't torqued up after fitting. In the end they traced it to a translation anomoly, which indicated that the installer should "check bolts for looseness" - so the installer carefully loosened the appropriate bolts.
Urban legend, I'm sure, but a great story nonetheless.:)
For one thing, there was no swimsuit competition -- although if there had been, winner Michael Beck says he would have worn "orange and black surf shorts."
1. Wear swimwear for all support calls
2. Effort expended/income ratio adjusts favourably
3. PROFIT!
The survival of the wild salmon stock depends on these brave fish to face the torrents and rapids and emerge beaten and worn in the quiet streams of the Pacific Northwest.
If slashdot had a Bayesian spam filter, its eyes would be bleeding after reading your post.
Standards are good. Just look at MPEG and DVB - now broadcast standards. Complying with a standard delivers interoperability, but that is only useful if you're not the monopoly market leader. It's probably in Microsoft's interest to NOT adopt OD import/export, otherwise they'd be shooting themselves in the foot - at least at the moment. That doesn't stop it being a Good Thing (tm) for all other products though, open source or otherwise. Wide adoption by competing products will be the only way to change Microsoft's position. And given their history of compliance with standards *cough* W3C *cough* I wouldn't hold my breath anyway...
This is all started with Fox serving takedown notices to Quicksilverscreen for linking to YouTube videos, under the assertion that linking to copyright infringing material is, in itself, illegal. Hence the repercussions for Wikipedia (and, pretty much any site governed by US law).
Microsoft are not a research institute, so innovation is just one tool (of many) towards financial success (their primary motivator). Like it or not, they're good at taking ideas (not neccessarily their own) and implementing them in a way that is suitable for mass consumption. With exceptions, of course. *cough* Zunicide *cough*
But how much innovation can be squeezed out of an office suite or an operating system? It seems like they're working on diminishing returns as the curve of innovation on these particular products tends towards an absolute. As we've seen, they're looking at new market areas for more fertile ground in the future. Contrary to popular belief, they're not stupid.:)
My wife loves the Knights of the Old Republic games (despite not being a Star Wars fan), so it'd be great to see them continue. The depth of plot and attention to detail is amazing on the Xbox, so I'll be expecting at least as much from the next gen consoles.:)
Nearly every ATM I've ever dealt with recently has a braille raised section on next to a jack that accepts any regular set of headphones, specifically for use by the sight-impaired. None uses soft keys for that very reason. And all keys are on the side and clearly marked with raised braille markings.
I'm sorry, but was this another manufactured "oh look how much more sensitive and smart I am than anyone else EVAR" attempt?
Because you FAILED. FAILED. FAILED BADLY. As another poster pointed out, here in the UK the banks use different layouts. And they definitely use soft keys. The same soft side-key (braille-less) can mean "accept"/"withdraw cash - no receipt"/"£20" over different screens, and this soft-key layout varies between the banks.
So sorry, no - not a manufactured attempt, but genuine curiousity. And I honestly hadn't spotted that they had audio jacks, which I'll keep an eye out for in the future.
I'm sorry to be an ass, but your spelling and grammar have really diluted your point. I had to read quite a few sentences more than once to understand them.What sort of heresy is this?
Rules for posting on slashdot:
Skip TFA (it's pretty boring anyway, and posting early is the way to get moderated)
Skim lightly over every other line in the comments
Post a strong opinion about why the parent was wrong
Actually READING the article and then the comment several times? My friend, you're on a level above.
Come to think about it, ATMs must be nigh on impossible to use too.
Inserting the card and entering a PIN sounds doable blind - but then you're presented with screens to navigate via soft keys (and it's different between ATMs). No chance.
Funny the things us sighted people take for granted.
Actually, the money didn't go to the artists only because RIAA/MPAA/IPFI-affiliates would not them register to the Russian counterpart. Mainly because their rules state something along "we retain all rights to license your stuff from now on", but still. It was _not_ an unlawful operation.That's a very interesting statement. Do you have any evidence/links to back it up?
That aside, you're right, it's a total disgrace that the US would use joining the WTO as leverage to shut down one (locally legal) website, regardless of what it promotes or sells. That the argument is over a commercial rather than political website is even more bizarre.
There's not so many differences between the behaviour of Microsoft and the behaviour of the US administration. It would appear that the actions of both are increasingly seen as unfair by the rest of the world.
It's also sad that this paints a distorted picture of the citizens of the US to the outside world, most of whome are equally disgusted by this.
Way to go Mr Bush, creating rifts between cultures where there are none.
Hint: Use the quote button before posting - it'll save you the grief.:)
There's a quote button? I'm doing this by hand, and you're telling me I can be lazy somehow?There is - but you have to be using slashdot's new discussion system to use it. It appears next to the "Preview" and "Submit" buttons, and saves all that cumbersome html formatting (it does it all for you, including quoting quotes, as above).
However, in this case they basically decided to go for the gold and [the RIAA] made a bold argument claiming that merely making files available on the internet is in and of itself a copyright infringement. It was a shocking argument because if it were accepted it would probably shut down the entire internet.
Because there is no internet outside of the US. Or, in fact, anything. It's all just sea, y'know.
I hate it when the post I reply to is modded so far down that the threading system makes it look like I'm talking to the parent:/ (browsing with threshold 1, nested, highest scores first)Hint: Use the quote button before posting - it'll save you the grief.:)
...and then spend so much time choosing a car and forgetting to check regularly on the wife simulation that the divorce simulation kicks in, probably terminating the house simulation in the process.
Wow, you could literally simulate your whole life while your real body wastes away and becomes an organic component of the sofa.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, I completely agree.
:)
The false memories from VR land are probably only there because the possibilities are wider in VR than in real-life. We'd be less inclined to apply the restrictive set of real-life rules we've spent decades learning as we grow up to VR - a new environment with new rules.
So you could argue that in RL we'd apply restrictive rules to say, the functionality of a camera, but in VR we wouldn't apply the same rules (It can fly! It can turn into a duck!). So if I'm going to imagine that the camera did something that it actually doesn't, it's far more likely to be a bit wide off the mark for my VR camera than my RL camera.
But who would comment on me thinking that my RL camera can't rotate images like I thought it could, when it's far more interesting to comment on how I thought that it could turn into a duck?
Talk about making a problem where none exists.
On significant things, like jumping off a ledge and flying; well - we might be able to distinguish between RL and VR in those circumstances.
In bad-analogy-land, if I was to swap a few keys on your keyboard you might find it confusing for a bit, but if I were to paint it green, you'd probably notice (unless it was already green of course).
Of course, where you draw the line between subtle and significant is a whole other argument. But I think the human brain does that already to some extent; remembering important things and discarding irrelevant things.
Serious problem? Doubtful.
...is the problem.
:)
Back In The Old Days (as they say in Cliché Magazine), you could make your own gunpowder and experiment with making your own model rocket engines and things like that. Doing these fun things as a kid leads to interest in later life for chemistry, electronics etc.
Now if you try and have some harmless fun you'd get into a whole bunch of trouble, because the powers that be can't distinguish between harmless experimenting and terrorism. Hell, in some parts of the states, you're not even allowed certain kinds of glassware, lest it be used for making drugs! How about nails? Should they be taken away lest I use them to nail people's heads?
And I suspect many people would be surprised by how many prominent figures in science have lead "interesting" childhoods.
The best scientists are the ones that did it as a child in their own time, and are inherently driven by their interest to find out more, make new discoveries, learn things. Not the people that did it as school because they couldn't think of anything else to do.
Westernised society has gone nanny/protectionist crazy, and you know what, it *will* suppress new talent.
Sure, it would cut down on convenience, but only a little, and would more than make up for it in added safety.
-Charlie Tell you what, why not post your card details here (including the three digits on the reverse), but NOT THE PIN, and we'll see how many of us can buy something with it.
Willing to stand by your statement? Are you sure you still don't have a problem with other people having access to your card data?
According to this site, estimated world demand was 13.9 trillion kilowatt-hours in 2001.
13.9 trillion kW/h / 8776 (hours/year) = 1.58TW
This figure is comparable to the statement in the wikipedia that 2001 average world consumption was 1.7TW in 2001. So our sources agree within a reasonable margin.
According to the wikipedia, the energy density from solar energy reaching the surface as a global average is 170 W/m2. At 40.7% efficient, that's 69.2W/m2.
Using the lower figure of 1.58TW calculated above, you'd need 22.8 x 10^9 square meters, or approximately 8800 square miles of solar cells to meet 2001 world demand. (Or "just" 1900 square miles to meet the peak US demand of ~3 trillion kWh in the late 90s). Of course, these areas halve if sited in an area of the US where the solar energy density is 375 W/m2 (4000 square miles for world demand, 860 square miles for US demand).
Neither correspond to the whopping (265x265) 70000 square miles the article summary claims. Sorry kdawson, looks like you're a magnitude out!
Sounds like a good idea in principle, but someone, sooner or later, is bound to abuse it. Who will be responsible for determining when it can/can not be used? For a soldier to kill someone with a gun, they have to have a damn good reason to do it. To use something that inflicts pain with no long term effects? Very high danger of abuse.
Haha, good one!
:)
My dad (who worked for Rolls Royce Aerospace in Bristol) has a similar story about aerospace engines which kept blowing up after being shipped and fitted at a particular location in the far east. Eventually they sent someone out there to find out why the engines kept failing. They determined it was because some critical bolts weren't torqued up after fitting. In the end they traced it to a translation anomoly, which indicated that the installer should "check bolts for looseness" - so the installer carefully loosened the appropriate bolts.
Urban legend, I'm sure, but a great story nonetheless.
2. Effort expended/income ratio adjusts favourably
3. PROFIT!
Standards are good. Just look at MPEG and DVB - now broadcast standards. Complying with a standard delivers interoperability, but that is only useful if you're not the monopoly market leader. It's probably in Microsoft's interest to NOT adopt OD import/export, otherwise they'd be shooting themselves in the foot - at least at the moment. That doesn't stop it being a Good Thing (tm) for all other products though, open source or otherwise. Wide adoption by competing products will be the only way to change Microsoft's position. And given their history of compliance with standards *cough* W3C *cough* I wouldn't hold my breath anyway...
Slashdot, in true tradition, misses the current happenings in Wikipedia world.
The big story at the moment about linking to external videos on YouTube (and other video sources).
This is all started with Fox serving takedown notices to Quicksilverscreen for linking to YouTube videos, under the assertion that linking to copyright infringing material is, in itself, illegal. Hence the repercussions for Wikipedia (and, pretty much any site governed by US law).
C'mon slashdot, keep up!
Microsoft are not a research institute, so innovation is just one tool (of many) towards financial success (their primary motivator). Like it or not, they're good at taking ideas (not neccessarily their own) and implementing them in a way that is suitable for mass consumption. With exceptions, of course. *cough* Zunicide *cough*
:)
But how much innovation can be squeezed out of an office suite or an operating system? It seems like they're working on diminishing returns as the curve of innovation on these particular products tends towards an absolute. As we've seen, they're looking at new market areas for more fertile ground in the future. Contrary to popular belief, they're not stupid.
My wife loves the Knights of the Old Republic games (despite not being a Star Wars fan), so it'd be great to see them continue. The depth of plot and attention to detail is amazing on the Xbox, so I'll be expecting at least as much from the next gen consoles. :)
Nearly every ATM I've ever dealt with recently has a braille raised section on next to a jack that accepts any regular set of headphones, specifically for use by the sight-impaired. None uses soft keys for that very reason. And all keys are on the side and clearly marked with raised braille markings.
I'm sorry, but was this another manufactured "oh look how much more sensitive and smart I am than anyone else EVAR" attempt?
Because you FAILED. FAILED. FAILED BADLY.
As another poster pointed out, here in the UK the banks use different layouts. And they definitely use soft keys. The same soft side-key (braille-less) can mean "accept"/"withdraw cash - no receipt"/"£20" over different screens, and this soft-key layout varies between the banks.
So sorry, no - not a manufactured attempt, but genuine curiousity. And I honestly hadn't spotted that they had audio jacks, which I'll keep an eye out for in the future.
I just love the way the factory floor has all sorts of bits of Lego scattered across it (the Lego that escaped!)
:)
I bet they don't walk around with bare feet there.
The MPAA are working with BitTorrent Inc (a US company) to move their content away from illegal copies to a commercial business case.
The RIAA are working against AllofMP3 (a RU company) to move their business away from legally selling material to a non-existant case.
Something's a bit twisted about that.
Rules for posting on slashdot:
Actually READING the article and then the comment several times? My friend, you're on a level above.
Come to think about it, ATMs must be nigh on impossible to use too.
Inserting the card and entering a PIN sounds doable blind - but then you're presented with screens to navigate via soft keys (and it's different between ATMs). No chance.
Funny the things us sighted people take for granted.
Actually, the money didn't go to the artists only because RIAA/MPAA/IPFI-affiliates would not them register to the Russian counterpart. Mainly because their rules state something along "we retain all rights to license your stuff from now on", but still. It was _not_ an unlawful operation.That's a very interesting statement. Do you have any evidence/links to back it up?
That aside, you're right, it's a total disgrace that the US would use joining the WTO as leverage to shut down one (locally legal) website, regardless of what it promotes or sells. That the argument is over a commercial rather than political website is even more bizarre.
There's not so many differences between the behaviour of Microsoft and the behaviour of the US administration. It would appear that the actions of both are increasingly seen as unfair by the rest of the world.
It's also sad that this paints a distorted picture of the citizens of the US to the outside world, most of whome are equally disgusted by this.
Way to go Mr Bush, creating rifts between cultures where there are none.
One of the best new features, I feel.
I hate it when the post I reply to is modded so far down that the threading system makes it look like I'm talking to the parent :/ (browsing with threshold 1, nested, highest scores first)Hint: Use the quote button before posting - it'll save you the grief. :)
...and then spend so much time choosing a car and forgetting to check regularly on the wife simulation that the divorce simulation kicks in, probably terminating the house simulation in the process.
:)
Wow, you could literally simulate your whole life while your real body wastes away and becomes an organic component of the sofa.
Greetings slashdot readers.
1. Patent "obviousness" test algorithm
2. Collect royalties recursively from patent office
3. PROFIT!