Please, oh please give me the name of one database that follows the SQL standard. Oracle doesn't. MSSQL doesn't. Sybase doesn't. Postgres doesn't. Need I go on?
Wouldn't it be possible to develop it in Java (on prefered platform), get a native compiler for Win32 and compile it there. You lose the platform independance of the final distribution - but that never seemed to have been the point from the beginning so it's not a problem, is it?
...where the government has the father of a family replaced by a robot for violating some law. This robot is really cool so none of the other family members notices. Anyway, then the same thing happens to the mother - but since this whole replacement scheme is ultra secret the two robots aren't aware of eachother, but happily keep fooling eachother they're human. Then I think the kids are killed in some accident, and because of the secrecy around the whole replacement affair, some other institution builds two kid-robots to send home to the parents - in order to save them the grief of losing their kids.
So, in the end there's a big happy robot family where everybody "believes" all the others to be humans:)
I just couldn't help thinking of it when reading this article...
I read - and loved - the Guide when I was thirteen (might have been fourteen, but whatever). I read it again just a couple of months ago (now I'm twentythree) and didn't find it half as funny as I remembered it to be.
At the ISP/Computer consultant firm I work the machine were originally named after boats that sank. We grew bigger and it was just boats. We grew bigger and now it's just about anything, but a number of those you mentioned are represented. And they're on pretty important positions too;)
Beethoven was not born deaf. He composed most of his work while still hearing. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I believe that among his really famous stuff, it's only the 9:th that was composed while he was deaf. Not really an answer to your question though...
Am I the only one who'd like to see a conversion to base 16 (or any other power of 2, but 16 seems to be the best one). We'd drop all the confusion !geeks have with kilobytes and megabytes, and apart from that, don't you hate it when you can't devide a number that is accepted as being an "even number" (say 1000) with two a couple of times without ending up with a bunch of decimals?
Then We'll start working on the SI- and time-system;)
Prove me wrong by showing the concrete positive good that can come out of this groups viewing.
I suppose this ain't much of proof, but I live in a place where disastrous weather is close to non-existant (the worst I've ever seen was some heavy snow that kept me locked up in my home for 36 hours - the electricity never even went out). Now, of course I know the effects storms such as these can have... I've read all about it... but actually seeing it would give me quite another perspective.
I'll try to give an example: You get a pretty good feel of your local geography while driving around in a car - but it's not until you get up in an airplane and actually see the lanscape from above you actually understand how all the locations are connected to eachother. I claim (in error, mayhaps, but I don't think so) that this is pretty much the same thing. Actually seeing what goes on there would give me a whole new perspective of what it's really about. I would most probably feel more for the people that are struck by this disaster if I saw it 'live' (as live as it gets through a webcam) than if I watched the teli 24 hours later showing me some houses lying upside down.
I admit that I see your point though, and I don't really disagree there. Most people will most probably see this as mere entertainment, but I still don't think that knowledge, in any form, through any media, can be fundamentally wrong.
Curiosity is never wrong. Now, of course I know a webcam won't be able to provide much info (definately not a slashdotted one) but there's no reason not to have a closer look. Just because something is terrible that doesn't mean people shouldn't know about. Rather the other way around I'd say...
Well, perhaps in the US it is malicious...and we do have rights. But the case is not in the US, and I think that it's safe to say that here we enjoy the most sweeping freedoms of any society that has ever existed. It's too bad that others do not.
Your point would have been a valid one, had this not happened in a democracy such as Sweden. I would personally claim that the individual freedom of Swedish people go at least as far, if not beyond, that of Americans (basically because the extreme poverty one can witness in the states is practically non existant here, and it's an unfortunate truth that economical resources is a necessity in order to be free). On the other hand, as people have already pointed out, I would also be extremely surprised to see this kid convicted.
It might be of interest to know that one of the people behind this lawsuit is an ex. leader of the most extreme rightwing party (neo liberalism met extreme conservatism in a mix of pure stupidity) that have ever been member of the Swedish riksdag (which, I think, would more or less translate to the U.S. congress).
not to mention doesn't follow the SQL standard
Please, oh please give me the name of one database that follows the SQL standard. Oracle doesn't. MSSQL doesn't. Sybase doesn't. Postgres doesn't. Need I go on?
Wouldn't it be possible to develop it in Java (on prefered platform), get a native compiler for Win32 and compile it there. You lose the platform independance of the final distribution - but that never seemed to have been the point from the beginning so it's not a problem, is it?
...where the government has the father of a family replaced by a robot for violating some law. This robot is really cool so none of the other family members notices.
:)
Anyway, then the same thing happens to the mother - but since this whole replacement scheme is ultra secret the two robots aren't aware of eachother, but happily keep fooling eachother they're human.
Then I think the kids are killed in some accident, and because of the secrecy around the whole replacement affair, some other institution builds two kid-robots to send home to the parents - in order to save them the grief of losing their kids.
So, in the end there's a big happy robot family where everybody "believes" all the others to be humans
I just couldn't help thinking of it when reading this article...
/kid
I read - and loved - the Guide when I was thirteen (might have been fourteen, but whatever).
I read it again just a couple of months ago (now I'm twentythree) and didn't find it half as funny as I remembered it to be.
Oh, well...
/kid
At the ISP/Computer consultant firm I work the machine were originally named after boats that sank. We grew bigger and it was just boats. We grew bigger and now it's just about anything, but a number of those you mentioned are represented. And they're on pretty important positions too ;)
Beethoven was not born deaf. He composed most of his work while still hearing. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I believe that among his really famous stuff, it's only the 9:th that was composed while he was deaf. Not really an answer to your question though...
Aren't artificial diamonds (used mainly as high precision drills IIRC) made out of methane?
Are they not equally pure to natural diamonds?
Am I the only one who'd like to see a conversion to base 16 (or any other power of 2, but 16 seems to be the best one). We'd drop all the confusion !geeks have with kilobytes and megabytes, and apart from that, don't you hate it when you can't devide a number that is accepted as being an "even number" (say 1000) with two a couple of times without ending up with a bunch of decimals?
;)
Then We'll start working on the SI- and time-system
I suppose this ain't much of proof, but I live in a place where disastrous weather is close to non-existant (the worst I've ever seen was some heavy snow that kept me locked up in my home for 36 hours - the electricity never even went out). Now, of course I know the effects storms such as these can have... I've read all about it... but actually seeing it would give me quite another perspective.
I'll try to give an example: You get a pretty good feel of your local geography while driving around in a car - but it's not until you get up in an airplane and actually see the lanscape from above you actually understand how all the locations are connected to eachother.
I claim (in error, mayhaps, but I don't think so) that this is pretty much the same thing. Actually seeing what goes on there would give me a whole new perspective of what it's really about. I would most probably feel more for the people that are struck by this disaster if I saw it 'live' (as live as it gets through a webcam) than if I watched the teli 24 hours later showing me some houses lying upside down.
I admit that I see your point though, and I don't really disagree there. Most people will most probably see this as mere entertainment, but I still don't think that knowledge, in any form, through any media, can be fundamentally wrong.
Curiosity is never wrong. Now, of course I know a webcam won't be able to provide much info (definately not a slashdotted one) but there's no reason not to have a closer look. Just because something is terrible that doesn't mean people shouldn't know about. Rather the other way around I'd say...
Your point would have been a valid one, had this not happened in a democracy such as Sweden. I would personally claim that the individual freedom of Swedish people go at least as far, if not beyond, that of Americans (basically because the extreme poverty one can witness in the states is practically non existant here, and it's an unfortunate truth that economical resources is a necessity in order to be free). On the other hand, as people have already pointed out, I would also be extremely surprised to see this kid convicted.
It might be of interest to know that one of the people behind this lawsuit is an ex. leader of the most extreme rightwing party (neo liberalism met extreme conservatism in a mix of pure stupidity) that have ever been member of the Swedish riksdag (which, I think, would more or less translate to the U.S. congress).