Anybody notice anything strange about this?
Look back about 8/. posts.
See it yet? The post titled "Your Rights Online: Microsoft Found Guilty of Patent Infringement"
Microsoft gets hit for patent infringement and suddenly is behind a bill to reform patent law?
Hey, if they pay enough money and get this bill passed fast enough, they may still be within the 6 months they have to challenge!
It seems like every bit of political news I get these days makes me think a little bit more about not going back
Response: Not an American myself, but I'd suspect that you're exactly the kind of person who should be going back to the US to stand up for what you believe in and help turn the current political climate around.
It seems to me that this is a perfect example of the point brought up earlier, that most Americans (even those living abroad) are more concerned with the day to day activities of going to work, feeding their family, etc., to get involved in the political process to make a serious change. While in would be great to have someone who believes in an idea this strongly to come back and stand up, that would mean uprooting the life they currently lead. Even for those living in America, to make a serious change, and I believe one individual can make a change, takes a serious commitment of, if nothing else, time. And, as was stated before, until more Americans have enough time on their hands to spend making these changes, the country will be left in the hands of those who we send to office, and not by individuals who don't have a political career to worry about and want to make serious changes for something they believe in.
I think that while it has stimulated the interest in forensics and the like, there are two major problems that help to explain the lawyers' fear of a jury demanding forensics.
1. The cases that CSI handles are the cases that require forensic evidence to prove or overturn, and the fact that these are the only cases that many people are exposed to presents a skewed perspective on the usefulness of forensics. Sure forensics can help to determine just what the hell happened to the burned body found by joggers, but if there are multiple, credible eyewitnesses, you really don't need to swab the fingers and spend half an hour over a microscope to solve the crime.
2. This highlighting of one aspect of how our criminal justice system works puts into perspective just how little the average American knows about the criminal justice system, and how much influence television can have on the believed expertise of that American. They believe that just because they watch a tv show, they are experts on the legal system, and I'm sure this isn't just limited to CSI, as I would bet a large amount of money on the theory that more than once an individual's defense or objection to a courtroom occurence was based on something they saw on Law & Order.
While I hate to say it, and I'm afraid hell will freeze over if it ever comes into being, CSI: Law&Order may be what's needed to put into perspective the different facets of law enforcement, from the cops on the street, to the forensics experts, to the judge and lawyers in the courtroom.
I really don't think that the cash is nearly the motivation that you think it is. The $10 million prize is not nearly enough to cover the costs that many of the top contenders have spent so far. I think the main motivation is just to do, and the reward is in the act, not the money. Also, I think that the reason that so many people are trying for this prize is not really because they saw the chance at a payday, but instead, the X-Prize sparked the idea of private space travel which had been sitting idle in most of the minds of the top contenders.
burt rutan will do it, if anyone
on
After the X Prize
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
After seeing Burt Rutan talk this summer, I think that if anyone can do it, he can. And also, he hinted at the fact that why would he stop after making only one spacecraft, when he has designed over 40 airplanes. My guess is that he already plans to make an orbital craft after he wins the Ansari prize, even without this new offering.
Slashdot Mirror
Anybody notice anything strange about this? Look back about 8 /. posts.
See it yet? The post titled "Your Rights Online: Microsoft Found Guilty of Patent Infringement"
Microsoft gets hit for patent infringement and suddenly is behind a bill to reform patent law?
Hey, if they pay enough money and get this bill passed fast enough, they may still be within the 6 months they have to challenge!
Response: Not an American myself, but I'd suspect that you're exactly the kind of person who should be going back to the US to stand up for what you believe in and help turn the current political climate around.
It seems to me that this is a perfect example of the point brought up earlier, that most Americans (even those living abroad) are more concerned with the day to day activities of going to work, feeding their family, etc., to get involved in the political process to make a serious change. While in would be great to have someone who believes in an idea this strongly to come back and stand up, that would mean uprooting the life they currently lead. Even for those living in America, to make a serious change, and I believe one individual can make a change, takes a serious commitment of, if nothing else, time. And, as was stated before, until more Americans have enough time on their hands to spend making these changes, the country will be left in the hands of those who we send to office, and not by individuals who don't have a political career to worry about and want to make serious changes for something they believe in.
I think that while it has stimulated the interest in forensics and the like, there are two major problems that help to explain the lawyers' fear of a jury demanding forensics. 1. The cases that CSI handles are the cases that require forensic evidence to prove or overturn, and the fact that these are the only cases that many people are exposed to presents a skewed perspective on the usefulness of forensics. Sure forensics can help to determine just what the hell happened to the burned body found by joggers, but if there are multiple, credible eyewitnesses, you really don't need to swab the fingers and spend half an hour over a microscope to solve the crime. 2. This highlighting of one aspect of how our criminal justice system works puts into perspective just how little the average American knows about the criminal justice system, and how much influence television can have on the believed expertise of that American. They believe that just because they watch a tv show, they are experts on the legal system, and I'm sure this isn't just limited to CSI, as I would bet a large amount of money on the theory that more than once an individual's defense or objection to a courtroom occurence was based on something they saw on Law & Order. While I hate to say it, and I'm afraid hell will freeze over if it ever comes into being, CSI: Law&Order may be what's needed to put into perspective the different facets of law enforcement, from the cops on the street, to the forensics experts, to the judge and lawyers in the courtroom.
I really don't think that the cash is nearly the motivation that you think it is. The $10 million prize is not nearly enough to cover the costs that many of the top contenders have spent so far. I think the main motivation is just to do, and the reward is in the act, not the money. Also, I think that the reason that so many people are trying for this prize is not really because they saw the chance at a payday, but instead, the X-Prize sparked the idea of private space travel which had been sitting idle in most of the minds of the top contenders.
After seeing Burt Rutan talk this summer, I think that if anyone can do it, he can. And also, he hinted at the fact that why would he stop after making only one spacecraft, when he has designed over 40 airplanes. My guess is that he already plans to make an orbital craft after he wins the Ansari prize, even without this new offering.