By almost any available metric equality simply does not exist. Any reasonably apt person has looked at the standard distribution of intelligence and the mathematically certainty has hit them; 'average is pretty stupid, and half the population has to be less'. Countless other examples exist, including the golden calves of race and gender. These thoughts have been used and abused throughout all history. People react in differing ways, some want to crush those 'beneath them', others want to ignore it and embrace everyone as 'one'.
A thought that weighed heavily on Shakespeare's mind, among many others, were the things that are universal, the things that do bind us as equals. Life and death.
Choice! Aye there is the rub. We do not choose the manner of our birth nor (for the most part) our death. I think it was Adam Johnson who first linked this concept with that of equality. The analogy of birth was taking all the characteristics of humanity; our personality, our physicality, our experiences, our potential and our opportunities and putting them in a opaque bag which, once shuffled, would be redistributed at birth. With this is mind, now design a society, a government, an economy and a culture around this limitation. With this in mind, design how you would wish to live and what kind of world you would want passed on to your descendants.
This is the only way I have been able to retain my sanity and hold the apparently mutually exclusive concepts of 'there is no equality' and 'striving for equality is noble' as both true.
And I applaud this article, because I have long believed that the most dangerous of all things is thought.
Re:The children will ask themselves
on
The Prodigy Puzzle
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
I wonder who this article will please more, the exceptionally bright or those with narcissistic personality disorder? Slashdot seems to have more than its share of both. Put me in whatever category you wish, but here is my story.
I went to the best high school in my city. They had a program for gifted students although no one as exceptional as the students in the NYTs article. As I guide, I was about the median of the group and my IQ is 148. I did nine subjects final year high school including three first-year University courses. Then I went straight into electrical engineering. I was bored then and little has changed now. I haven't been to a lecture in 2 years. I rarely hand in an assignment earlier than three days late and always write it during the day before the 4:30pm deadline. I study for exams the night before and do the rest on general knowledge and logical extension. After initial success and a high GPA this is my 5th semester of straight passes. I have used twice as many electives as I am allowed on, literature, law, managment, communications, international relations, journalism, etc. I have two part time jobs neither challenge me. One quality analysis for an engineering firm. All my work there is done in the last hour of my sixteen hour week. The other is working for security at nights to fill in time I rarely use to sleep anyhow. Both allow me to listen to music, read and write.
Not content with decribing the physical world and applying that knowledge to design I started reading. I am now so socialised with the 'western cannon' that real people are starting to bore me too. For instance, I read all of Shakespeare's 38 plays last semester and quoted the 'tis sweet and commendable in your nature' to my mother when her father died. (As an aside 'As You Like It' is more humourous than any Swartzwelder Simpsons episode and if you changed the character of Isabella in Measure for Measure to a male it would make a nice commentry on the current gay panic in America.)
The University is demanding I complete three more core subjects and then graduate. I have little ambition to be successful in the traditional sense even though I have more than enough job offers. Of the students in the program in highschool, one went to London to become an actor, failed and now owns a pub. Another went to Prague didn't find any great truths and now is studying law. Another got a very modest job working for a telco and married a pre-school teacher. Few are all that happy and any reunion is likely to be sad and dismal affair of finding the easy way to the middle. I don't blame anyone for being bored and frustrated, yet just sometimes I think that raw intelligence has little advantage in our soceity.
I didn't. I just read that statement as "Sony PlayStation Portable The introduction of Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) was the moment portable game consoles failed at their primary function..."
So I bought a Nintendo DS. It is for games. It has brought me great joy through incredible game design and pure innovation. Kirby's Canvas Curse is a platformer where you DRAW the platforms. Nintendog's is not an game but a weird experience into digital empathy. Advance Wars II is an old school difficult turn based stratedgy game, but with the DS the controls are easy as touch touch, done. The control is more intuitive than a mouse, its like playing chess and having the feel of the pieces in your hand as you think of your move. One great game designer once said games are about finding 30 seconds of pure phone then repeating it a thousand times in different circumstances. Warioware strips it back to just the fun, hundreds of bite sized pieces. Nintendo allows for creativity, and that will always win over graphics and creativity is cool.
I have played the PSP, and I guess its just not for me. The games are mediocre. And who wants mediocrity? Why compromise when my ipod plays music better and my tv or laptop works can play movies without repurchasing them?
Musicians, Writers, Actors are all the same, they want to hit the f-ing jackpot while the rest of us work our lives to support them.
There exists at the very least two groups among professional writers, or indeed most creative types. There are those pursuing that flighty mistress fame and her cousin fortune. However the vast majority of professional "creative types" lure in obscurity. Writers that are only published in obscure literary journals and read only be their own kind. There is an antagonistic relationship between the too. If you have access, particularly those still at University, please explore something like the Literature Online, or the MLA International Bibliography. A wealth of material created for reasons other than money. I know musicans the same, and particularly actors. The vast magority of actors tread the boards of their local production company. Few become theatre actors for the glory. Many would rather the chance to play Hamlet than be rich (though we wouldn't complain if we had both). Slashthink often rails against corporate greed, or the populous being pressed into service for constant consumption. Whether these thoughts are valid or not is another argument. What I mean to say is we are the "GPL" creatives and we are your brethren. I would rather you didn't so casually discard us.
/. needs to cut back on the rampant cultural stereotyping. I fail to see how Indians are innately less intelligent, or would make lesser engineers than their American counterparts, simple because they are Indian. And might I add that a large reason India is so useful for outsourcing is, as a former British Colony, it has sizeable English speaking populous. The Indians I know speak English very well, and their language construction is better than many Westerners. Just try to get used to the accent. Which is somewhat less chanllenging with comments in code...
Well is it? Regardless, Google will lose a major point of differentiation from its competitors and one of the main reasons I use Google. I like unobtrusive ads, perhaps now I will shop around other search engines...
Well, I suppose you could talk about the cinematic splendour of Steven King adaptions. I would say that something like A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick (personally thought the last chapter of the book was shit anyway) or Godfather I & II by Francis Ford Coppola are better examples of movies that don't disappoint if you have read the book.
This council is only open to societies' most respected artists and intellectuals: Linkin Park, Hoobastank, some guy that plays sports, a girl that appeared on Friends, and an actor from The 0.C."
I hope that quote is sarcastic. Call me when Thom Yorke endorses halo... from the article within the article...
The bands have contributed exclusive songs to the soundtrack of the much-anticipated video game "Halo 2." Although the songs won't be featured in the new game, each tune was inspired by the 3-year-old original "Halo," whose expansive terrain, advanced artificial intelligence and seamless gameplay raised the bar for first-person shooters. Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume One is due November 9, the same day the game hits stores.
Hoobastank lend "Connected," while Breaking Benjamin offer "Blow Me Away." Although the members of each group are "Halo" fanatics, Incubus pay the biggest homage with a four-part musical epic called "The Odyssey." The 20-minute operetta actually came relatively easy to them, guitarist Mike Einziger said.
What are all the real artisits doing bandaid this year or something? Seriously roll out Bono, this is a crime against humanity. Incubus doing a 20 minute opera that "came easy to them". Call me when Roger Walters starts playing Halo.
And I saw this "Hoobastank" on some Video Music Awards... this so called rock band... the "drummer" was a drum machine and they had this poor guy on a chair up the back with a snare and one hat. Kids these days don't even know what a drum kit looks like. These bands have the highest fan to talent ratio in the history of popular music. Example A http://www.moad.org/member/Jon/FredShred.WMV Fred Durst unable to play guitar and butchering a modern classic. Example B: Nickleback singing the same song twice but calling it something different http://www.nintendorks.com/brandon/archives/000475.php and just last night... new pop princess Ashlee simpson found lip syncing on SNLhttp://www.collegehumor.com/news/ashlee_snl.wmv Halo, halo my precious halo. You are a god among console fps, why, why lower yourself to this?
America is comparatively relgious. I could imagine some people being offended by religious imagery. As far as I know Germany still has strick censorship of Nazi imagery. I know the original Wolfinstien had trouble being released there. A real estate agent told he would have trouble selling our house because it had with a direct path from the front door to the back door, and this spooked many Chinese people. There are many buildings without a 13th floor. Yes these are all fairly baseless beliefs. I can't see how the number 13 has any special power. But it is just being respectful to other cultures. And really, does removing the cross from medkits make a game any less fun?
By the mid-90's, Nintendo's censorship practices were increasingly becoming both an embarrassment and a financial liability. Nintendo was earning a reputation as being a "kiddy" company that was both too patronizing and immature for older gamers.
Today, Nintendo does not actively censor the games it releases. Games such as the infamous Conker's Bad Fur Day, which include swearing, blood, and sex are now openly published under the Nintendo banner, as long as they carry with them a "M for Mature Gamers" rating.
Just wanted to say gore and sex doesn't make a game good. Nintendo may have a history for regional censorship, but they have a far greater history of making honestly fun and addictive games.
First congradulations and glad you are back safe. However I am curious as to their state of health. Space has no gravity, and the environment provides little resistence for your muscles. I remember reading somewhere that your muscles literally waste away from lack of use in space. Since they spent a lengthy time up in space, how are they finding the adjustment to earth gravity again? Is this health issue a barrier to long space flight?
Then again- cities spend a lot of money on streets, traffic lights, etc. And not everyone has a car...
Traffic lights and such exist for safety as much as anything else. They also help people without cars, ever j-walked in peak hour? Perhaps internet give security for democracy by allowing free access to information. In that case I propose spending more money on libraries, with internet access. But I suppose libraries aren't sexy enough for a politican. Now wireless! That gets votes.
And pay the taxpayers shall. What could be the possible benefits to this? You need a computer to access the internet. I would awesome those who have a computer one are on average better off socio-economically than those who want one. This barrier to access (computer) itself prevents universal wireless from enhance equality, which is what I see as a major part of any governments role. Further many people (not just politicans) see this magic causal link between technology and better economy, educated populous, etc. However the internet is just a tool. It is as likely to be abused as it is to be used to help. A far better idea is to give ISPs incentives to lower their fees. Then again, only after you spend the money on education, health and a whole gamut of things more important than internet access.
Just out of interest, how far does first sale go for software? Software isn't a physical product... its intangiable and easily copied without loss of the original. Also,contemporary software tends to come in two parts, an application which performs a function and a service from the company that supports that application. The way I see it, Valve is selling an application and a service at the same time, and obviously the two are connected. They are selling Half Life 2 the game. Then steam the service which allows patches, mods, multiplayer, etc. If you wish to re-sell your game, is the purchaser also entitled to the service that Valve does in support of the intial purchase? If not, how much is the standalone application worth compared to the application service bundle? And are services covered by first sale? If not, and Valve makes this service part of their product, why should Half Life 2 be subject to first sale?
I don't mind. From a technical standpoint, I actually am quite fond of steam. As far as activation goes, I am comfortable with the internet, and already have a steam account. But that is just *me*
Beyond *me* why cannot Valve's sell a product in any manner they wish. If they want to put "internet required" on the the box, and only sell it to people who can activate via the internet. Well what is wrong with that? Where exactally is Valve's obligation to make and sell Half Life 2 to you, exactally as you would like it?
I am not sure I understand all the indignation surrounding this story. If you do not like the manner in which Valve sells its product, then do not spend your money on it. An aggregate approximation of your choice will be clear in the market. However, somehow I do not think the market will side with you, and Half Life 2 will be successful. Discussion welcome.
Actually, his new spoken word album is not that bad. In particular the song linked (which you can listen to for free) is very good. It is a cover of a classic britpop song "Common People" by Pulp. Give it a listen.
http://www.nme.com/features/110018.htm/
There is a reason Mutually Assured Destruction can be simplified to one word, M.A.D.
General "Buck" Turgidson : Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless *distinguishable*, postwar environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed.
President Merkin Muffley : You're talking about mass murder, General, not war!
General "Buck" Turgidson : Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.
I am an Australian, but since America is so powerful, I take note in what you guys do. I kept hearing your President in the debates saying you have the best healthcare in the world. America doesn't even have a universal healthcare system. You lag behind Australian and most of the countries in the European Union. I don't understand how your media doesn't through your leaders to the wall for such outrageous lies.
Globalisation has no set direction or magnitude. Globalisation inevitably constantly occurs, however the direction can change, we call it "deglobalisation" and "reglobalisation". The magnitude of globalisation can also change, as seen by the exponential growth in the last 20 years. Anther axiom is that globalisation neither spreads nor contracts evenly. This raises the question to whether globalisation increases or decreases equality. This question speaks to whether globalisation is a malevolent or benevolent force, and is the major cause for your concern.... and infact the concern of exploited workers in 3rd world countries.
Globalisation is apathetic it cares not whether you are a upper middle class professional from America, or a 14year old clothing slave in Indonesia. If your job can be done for a better price else were, the market determines it will. Protectionism, offer little temporary security, at the harm of your countries place in the market overall, it makes you less competitive. There is really nothing you can do. The end of the cold war confirmed it, Economic liberalisation is the progressive way forward. It might suck a little for America, since you have 5% of the world's population and consume 33% of the worlds wealth. You have to continue to compete at that high standard, or the market will even you out. I suppose there is still time for you to change to a Maxian economy. But, that still wouldn't ensure you keep that job, and you spent half of last 100years beating those damn communists anyway.
The article seems to suggest the justifcation for these bans is hacking. However they are blanket banning everyone with a modified console. People don't mod their xbox so they can hack. They mod their xbox, so they can play copied games, or a media centre. I think, the issue is, microsoft loses a large chunk of money on each xbox sold, and tries to make up for it with volume on games sold. If people are buying their xbox to mod, and not buying the games to cover it, microsoft loses money. If it was merely about hacking, they could just ban by instance of hacking, not potential to hack. I support your right to mod your xbox, it is, after all, yours. But it also seems logical that microsoft has the right to only offer the live service for the equipment they choose.
"It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity." -Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat, seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize
Yes, wonderful spin. Lets go through the article shall we.
Blu Ray Wins (cause we already said so)
Technical Blu Ray has larger capacity Blu Ray doesn't have backwards compatability, but thats a feature not a weakness! Blu Ray may have a lower production cost, we don't know for sure, but thats still a plus for Blu Ray Neither Blu Ray or the other one (we try not to mention the losers name) are going to use catridges. Point for Blu Ray
Financial Blu Ray group has 70 members, the HD DVD forum has 220 members, but we saw this poster somewhere that only had 47 companies in support of HD DVD. So Blu Ray wins! The economic size of the Blu Ray members is bigger. Except for Microsoft. But you know. Microsoft may change its mind and support Blu Ray. Blu Ray wins this one as well! Wow go Blu Ray!
Commerical Blu Ray has 30% of the commerical resellers market! HD DVD has 0%! It is quite obvious that the 70% currently undecided will chose Blu Ray, because we said it won already!
Seriously, this article is not worth slashdot. It isn't worth anything.
The article mentioned this point, in a wonderful display of bias, bascially one of the weaknesses of HD DVD is its backward compatability. According to the article, companies are developing dual play devices, for both DVD and the already won next generation format Blu Ray. Hence backwards compatability is not a strength, and we need not mention it again. GO TEAM BLU RAY!
Seriously... was the article paid for... it is not the least bit crediable.
Australians have managed to rank their candidates. In place of that, you can put a "1" against the candidate you want to win, and the preferences go the way that candidate dictates. Thinking, and catering to the absolute lowest common denominator only encourages that behaviour. Pull the masses up to a higher standard, and it will become the norm. Or perhaps expecting progress is against our "freedoms".
Slashdot Mirror
By almost any available metric equality simply does not exist. Any reasonably apt person has looked at the standard distribution of intelligence and the mathematically certainty has hit them; 'average is pretty stupid, and half the population has to be less'. Countless other examples exist, including the golden calves of race and gender. These thoughts have been used and abused throughout all history. People react in differing ways, some want to crush those 'beneath them', others want to ignore it and embrace everyone as 'one'.
A thought that weighed heavily on Shakespeare's mind, among many others, were the things that are universal, the things that do bind us as equals. Life and death.
Choice! Aye there is the rub. We do not choose the manner of our birth nor (for the most part) our death. I think it was Adam Johnson who first linked this concept with that of equality. The analogy of birth was taking all the characteristics of humanity; our personality, our physicality, our experiences, our potential and our opportunities and putting them in a opaque bag which, once shuffled, would be redistributed at birth. With this is mind, now design a society, a government, an economy and a culture around this limitation. With this in mind, design how you would wish to live and what kind of world you would want passed on to your descendants.
This is the only way I have been able to retain my sanity and hold the apparently mutually exclusive concepts of 'there is no equality' and 'striving for equality is noble' as both true.
And I applaud this article, because I have long believed that the most dangerous of all things is thought.
I wonder who this article will please more, the exceptionally bright or those with narcissistic personality disorder? Slashdot seems to have more than its share of both. Put me in whatever category you wish, but here is my story.
I went to the best high school in my city. They had a program for gifted students although no one as exceptional as the students in the NYTs article. As I guide, I was about the median of the group and my IQ is 148. I did nine subjects final year high school including three first-year University courses. Then I went straight into electrical engineering. I was bored then and little has changed now. I haven't been to a lecture in 2 years. I rarely hand in an assignment earlier than three days late and always write it during the day before the 4:30pm deadline. I study for exams the night before and do the rest on general knowledge and logical extension. After initial success and a high GPA this is my 5th semester of straight passes. I have used twice as many electives as I am allowed on, literature, law, managment, communications, international relations, journalism, etc. I have two part time jobs neither challenge me. One quality analysis for an engineering firm. All my work there is done in the last hour of my sixteen hour week. The other is working for security at nights to fill in time I rarely use to sleep anyhow. Both allow me to listen to music, read and write.
Not content with decribing the physical world and applying that knowledge to design I started reading. I am now so socialised with the 'western cannon' that real people are starting to bore me too. For instance, I read all of Shakespeare's 38 plays last semester and quoted the 'tis sweet and commendable in your nature' to my mother when her father died. (As an aside 'As You Like It' is more humourous than any Swartzwelder Simpsons episode and if you changed the character of Isabella in Measure for Measure to a male it would make a nice commentry on the current gay panic in America.)
The University is demanding I complete three more core subjects and then graduate. I have little ambition to be successful in the traditional sense even though I have more than enough job offers. Of the students in the program in highschool, one went to London to become an actor, failed and now owns a pub. Another went to Prague didn't find any great truths and now is studying law. Another got a very modest job working for a telco and married a pre-school teacher. Few are all that happy and any reunion is likely to be sad and dismal affair of finding the easy way to the middle. I don't blame anyone for being bored and frustrated, yet just sometimes I think that raw intelligence has little advantage in our soceity.
I didn't. I just read that statement as "Sony PlayStation Portable The introduction of Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) was the moment portable game consoles failed at their primary function ..."
So I bought a Nintendo DS. It is for games. It has brought me great joy through incredible game design and pure innovation. Kirby's Canvas Curse is a platformer where you DRAW the platforms. Nintendog's is not an game but a weird experience into digital empathy. Advance Wars II is an old school difficult turn based stratedgy game, but with the DS the controls are easy as touch touch, done. The control is more intuitive than a mouse, its like playing chess and having the feel of the pieces in your hand as you think of your move. One great game designer once said games are about finding 30 seconds of pure phone then repeating it a thousand times in different circumstances. Warioware strips it back to just the fun, hundreds of bite sized pieces. Nintendo allows for creativity, and that will always win over graphics and creativity is cool.
I have played the PSP, and I guess its just not for me. The games are mediocre. And who wants mediocrity? Why compromise when my ipod plays music better and my tv or laptop works can play movies without repurchasing them?
Musicians, Writers, Actors are all the same, they want to hit the f-ing jackpot while the rest of us work our lives to support them.
There exists at the very least two groups among professional writers, or indeed most creative types. There are those pursuing that flighty mistress fame and her cousin fortune. However the vast majority of professional "creative types" lure in obscurity. Writers that are only published in obscure literary journals and read only be their own kind. There is an antagonistic relationship between the too. If you have access, particularly those still at University, please explore something like the Literature Online, or the MLA International Bibliography. A wealth of material created for reasons other than money. I know musicans the same, and particularly actors. The vast magority of actors tread the boards of their local production company. Few become theatre actors for the glory. Many would rather the chance to play Hamlet than be rich (though we wouldn't complain if we had both). Slashthink often rails against corporate greed, or the populous being pressed into service for constant consumption. Whether these thoughts are valid or not is another argument. What I mean to say is we are the "GPL" creatives and we are your brethren. I would rather you didn't so casually discard us.
/. needs to cut back on the rampant cultural stereotyping. I fail to see how Indians are innately less intelligent, or would make lesser engineers than their American counterparts, simple because they are Indian. And might I add that a large reason India is so useful for outsourcing is, as a former British Colony, it has sizeable English speaking populous. The Indians I know speak English very well, and their language construction is better than many Westerners. Just try to get used to the accent. Which is somewhat less chanllenging with comments in code...
Well is it? Regardless, Google will lose a major point of differentiation from its competitors and one of the main reasons I use Google. I like unobtrusive ads, perhaps now I will shop around other search engines...
Well, I suppose you could talk about the cinematic splendour of Steven King adaptions. I would say that something like A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick (personally thought the last chapter of the book was shit anyway) or Godfather I & II by Francis Ford Coppola are better examples of movies that don't disappoint if you have read the book.
What are all the real artisits doing bandaid this year or something? Seriously roll out Bono, this is a crime against humanity. Incubus doing a 20 minute opera that "came easy to them". Call me when Roger Walters starts playing Halo. And I saw this "Hoobastank" on some Video Music Awards... this so called rock band... the "drummer" was a drum machine and they had this poor guy on a chair up the back with a snare and one hat. Kids these days don't even know what a drum kit looks like. These bands have the highest fan to talent ratio in the history of popular music. Example A http://www.moad.org/member/Jon/FredShred.WMV Fred Durst unable to play guitar and butchering a modern classic. Example B: Nickleback singing the same song twice but calling it something different http://www.nintendorks.com/brandon/archives/00047
Halo, halo my precious halo. You are a god among console fps, why, why lower yourself to this?
America is comparatively relgious. I could imagine some people being offended by religious imagery. As far as I know Germany still has strick censorship of Nazi imagery. I know the original Wolfinstien had trouble being released there. A real estate agent told he would have trouble selling our house because it had with a direct path from the front door to the back door, and this spooked many Chinese people. There are many buildings without a 13th floor. Yes these are all fairly baseless beliefs. I can't see how the number 13 has any special power. But it is just being respectful to other cultures. And really, does removing the cross from medkits make a game any less fun?
First congradulations and glad you are back safe. However I am curious as to their state of health. Space has no gravity, and the environment provides little resistence for your muscles. I remember reading somewhere that your muscles literally waste away from lack of use in space. Since they spent a lengthy time up in space, how are they finding the adjustment to earth gravity again? Is this health issue a barrier to long space flight?
And pay the taxpayers shall. What could be the possible benefits to this? You need a computer to access the internet. I would awesome those who have a computer one are on average better off socio-economically than those who want one. This barrier to access (computer) itself prevents universal wireless from enhance equality, which is what I see as a major part of any governments role. Further many people (not just politicans) see this magic causal link between technology and better economy, educated populous, etc. However the internet is just a tool. It is as likely to be abused as it is to be used to help. A far better idea is to give ISPs incentives to lower their fees. Then again, only after you spend the money on education, health and a whole gamut of things more important than internet access.
Just out of interest, how far does first sale go for software? Software isn't a physical product... its intangiable and easily copied without loss of the original. Also,contemporary software tends to come in two parts, an application which performs a function and a service from the company that supports that application. The way I see it, Valve is selling an application and a service at the same time, and obviously the two are connected. They are selling Half Life 2 the game. Then steam the service which allows patches, mods, multiplayer, etc. If you wish to re-sell your game, is the purchaser also entitled to the service that Valve does in support of the intial purchase? If not, how much is the standalone application worth compared to the application service bundle? And are services covered by first sale? If not, and Valve makes this service part of their product, why should Half Life 2 be subject to first sale?
I don't mind. From a technical standpoint, I actually am quite fond of steam. As far as activation goes, I am comfortable with the internet, and already have a steam account. But that is just *me*
Beyond *me* why cannot Valve's sell a product in any manner they wish. If they want to put "internet required" on the the box, and only sell it to people who can activate via the internet. Well what is wrong with that? Where exactally is Valve's obligation to make and sell Half Life 2 to you, exactally as you would like it?
I am not sure I understand all the indignation surrounding this story. If you do not like the manner in which Valve sells its product, then do not spend your money on it. An aggregate approximation of your choice will be clear in the market. However, somehow I do not think the market will side with you, and Half Life 2 will be successful. Discussion welcome.
Actually, his new spoken word album is not that bad. In particular the song linked (which you can listen to for free) is very good. It is a cover of a classic britpop song "Common People" by Pulp. Give it a listen. http://www.nme.com/features/110018.htm/
There is a reason Mutually Assured Destruction can be simplified to one word, M.A.D.
General "Buck" Turgidson : Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless *distinguishable*, postwar environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed.
President Merkin Muffley : You're talking about mass murder, General, not war!
General "Buck" Turgidson : Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.
I am an Australian, but since America is so powerful, I take note in what you guys do. I kept hearing your President in the debates saying you have the best healthcare in the world. America doesn't even have a universal healthcare system. You lag behind Australian and most of the countries in the European Union. I don't understand how your media doesn't through your leaders to the wall for such outrageous lies.
Globalisation has no set direction or magnitude. Globalisation inevitably constantly occurs, however the direction can change, we call it "deglobalisation" and "reglobalisation". The magnitude of globalisation can also change, as seen by the exponential growth in the last 20 years. Anther axiom is that globalisation neither spreads nor contracts evenly. This raises the question to whether globalisation increases or decreases equality. This question speaks to whether globalisation is a malevolent or benevolent force, and is the major cause for your concern.... and infact the concern of exploited workers in 3rd world countries.
Globalisation is apathetic it cares not whether you are a upper middle class professional from America, or a 14year old clothing slave in Indonesia. If your job can be done for a better price else were, the market determines it will. Protectionism, offer little temporary security, at the harm of your countries place in the market overall, it makes you less competitive. There is really nothing you can do. The end of the cold war confirmed it, Economic liberalisation is the progressive way forward. It might suck a little for America, since you have 5% of the world's population and consume 33% of the worlds wealth. You have to continue to compete at that high standard, or the market will even you out. I suppose there is still time for you to change to a Maxian economy. But, that still wouldn't ensure you keep that job, and you spent half of last 100years beating those damn communists anyway.
The article seems to suggest the justifcation for these bans is hacking. However they are blanket banning everyone with a modified console. People don't mod their xbox so they can hack. They mod their xbox, so they can play copied games, or a media centre. I think, the issue is, microsoft loses a large chunk of money on each xbox sold, and tries to make up for it with volume on games sold. If people are buying their xbox to mod, and not buying the games to cover it, microsoft loses money. If it was merely about hacking, they could just ban by instance of hacking, not potential to hack. I support your right to mod your xbox, it is, after all, yours. But it also seems logical that microsoft has the right to only offer the live service for the equipment they choose.
"It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity."
-Kofi Annan, Ghanaian diplomat, seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114489,00.html
Fox News article, saying Islamic Terrorists endorse Bush.
Yes, wonderful spin. Lets go through the article shall we.
Blu Ray Wins (cause we already said so)
Technical
Blu Ray has larger capacity
Blu Ray doesn't have backwards compatability, but thats a feature not a weakness!
Blu Ray may have a lower production cost, we don't know for sure, but thats still a plus for Blu Ray
Neither Blu Ray or the other one (we try not to mention the losers name) are going to use catridges. Point for Blu Ray
Financial
Blu Ray group has 70 members, the HD DVD forum has 220 members, but we saw this poster somewhere that only had 47 companies in support of HD DVD. So Blu Ray wins!
The economic size of the Blu Ray members is bigger. Except for Microsoft. But you know. Microsoft may change its mind and support Blu Ray. Blu Ray wins this one as well! Wow go Blu Ray!
Commerical
Blu Ray has 30% of the commerical resellers market! HD DVD has 0%! It is quite obvious that the 70% currently undecided will chose Blu Ray, because we said it won already!
Seriously, this article is not worth slashdot. It isn't worth anything.
The article mentioned this point, in a wonderful display of bias, bascially one of the weaknesses of HD DVD is its backward compatability. According to the article, companies are developing dual play devices, for both DVD and the already won next generation format Blu Ray. Hence backwards compatability is not a strength, and we need not mention it again. GO TEAM BLU RAY!
Seriously... was the article paid for... it is not the least bit crediable.
Australians have managed to rank their candidates. In place of that, you can put a "1" against the candidate you want to win, and the preferences go the way that candidate dictates. Thinking, and catering to the absolute lowest common denominator only encourages that behaviour. Pull the masses up to a higher standard, and it will become the norm. Or perhaps expecting progress is against our "freedoms".