That's an arrogant statement by Schmidt (and yes, I read the whole thing). How often have we heard the "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" argument over the decades? Add Google to that long list - and it's not an honor roll! I guess "Don't be evil" is leaving the building. It was a matter of time, anyway.
The Germans have a nice saying for that phenomenon: "Vox populi, vox Rindvieh.", which loosely translates to "the voice of the people is the voice of idiots." (more precisely, the voice of stupid cows).
Really? Have they really become more difficult? Like jumping off the high board becomes more difficult after you've climbed up there? Or truly more difficult, like trying to sell tickets to the hockey pool after the playoffs have ended?
About 15 years ago I sat in a very interesting seminar where one of the lead scientists on the fusion front admitted that the "easy" part of fusion was the physics (try that for "easy"), and that the really hard part of the engineering was yet to come.
Looks like back then they already knew they were going to be in for a ride, but they simply didn't know how hard it would be. So I am not surprised.
If you climb up the high board and only then find that it is all cracked and creaky: yes, your Olympic dive may just have become harder.
Since the beginning of (internet) time sending an email has been like sending a postcard. Everybody along the way handling your message can read it if they so choose. You know it, they know it. If you expect privacy, then you cannot be helped. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act is not much worth here...
I'd rather have people make sure that the NSA is not listening to my phone calls - and you know that this is happening too, at least when you have communications going beyond the borders of the US.
Got my new MacBook Pro last week. Aah, that wonderful smell of a pristine laptop... but it's already going away:- b... I guess running full tilt all the time burns the good stuff off too quickly.
But seriously, that's a surprise?? I would be shocked if you could find a (new) computer that does *not* give of toxic fumes.
Seems to me people's minds get clouded by cloud computing...
I like to take this in a more literal sense. Maybe it's called cloud computing for a reason, and not cloud data storage. If you want to make sure that your precious stuff does not get lost, you need a reliable partner with a good track record that you can really trust.
And even then: your own, intelligently done backups (plural!) should be your best line of defence - even if it costs more time and money.
The outer belt contains mostly relativistic electrons, energized in Earth's magnetosphere. The inner belt is made up of relativistic protons, a decay product of cosmic rays (having to do with the fact that a free neutron decays into a proton-electron pair, free neutrons having a half-life of only 11 minutes). See e.g. http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/radbelts.htm l for a short description.
Very true! Indeed, hearing impaired (sorry, hearing example again) who decide to go for cochlear implants instead of hearing aids have to completely relearn hearing. That can be overwhelming (just as can be going from analog to digital hearing aids).
We forget how efficient we are in filtering out "noise". I can only imagine that to be the same, if not worse for a blind person receiving a "vision implant". In the end, I think it is great these technologies are being developed, but it does not relieve the individual from having to decide whether it is for them or not.
BTW, I would think it would take you a year to get reasonably comfortable with an artificial vision implant. But it will take a few years to get really decent systems, first...
Re:we're almost able to replace their eyes!
on
Robots to Help the Blind
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· Score: 4, Informative
In the long run you are probabaly right that artificial vision would be better than a robot (or even a guide dog) - see a recent story on artificial eyes.
Right now "vision implants" are not nearly as developed as their cousins, the cochlear implants. Those can help hearing impaired people (re)gain hearing (call it "artificial hearing", if you wish). People with CI's can learn to speak like anyone, although their hearing is still different from "typical" hearing.
It appears that, compared to the likely cost of developing artificial vision, the robot can be developed for next to nothing. And who knows, maybe it's useful for people with other ailments! Compromise: best to do both.
Artificial vision, just like cochlear implants, is really, really cool, and could help a LOT of people. I keep my fingers crossed!
In case you haven't noticed, Dartmouth *is* a research university. Doubt it? Do a bit of research yourself on the topic (Google; their website(s); scientific journals...). You'll be surprised. 1 in 5 students at Dartmouth (excluding Tuck) is a graduate student. Mostly Ph.D. students.
Granted, it's not M.I.T. or Stanford (no need), but in many areas they are top-notch.
Sounds like you went to Dartmouth. Not with open eyes, I am led to suspect. Should have tried to work for one of the researchers there for a couple of terms.
Accident investigations involving spacecraft are typically lengthy. After all, you want to *really* find out why it happened, and how to avoid it. Sure, not bolting it down is a trivial on to find, and should be easy to catch/avoid. But: satellites are typically very unique (very few are alike), multiple, changing teams work on them at the same time, deadlines loom. Really nailing the cause of a problem may seem easier than it really is. Plus, all hell breaks loose should you make the same mistake twice...
At work we use a digital projection system to project paper documents (in fact anything which is not a transparecy/viewgraph) onto our projection screen in the conference room. With good optics you can zoom in quite a bit (we once blew up a nickel to 6 feet across on the screen) - this would work well for good paper maps or any other document you would want to enlarge and/or zoom in. The size of the wall you project onto is your limit - and your wallet, since you also need a good projector.
This is where the school district may come in. The parents may be able to get them to buy equipment like that - especially since it could be used for general classromoom instruction as well. I realize, this would not help at home...
Another comment pointed out the child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP), where this would have to be dealt with. A word of caution: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives parents of disabled children a valuable tool for working towards a decent public education for their children. However, to get adequate education for your child, you need to become an advocate for that child. That means you need to know the law (including case law up to the Supreme Court, if you are unlucky) and the technical/medical possibilities and ramifications better than any representative of the school district you will face. Remember, you want the school district to provide a service for which they have to pay extra (equipment, personnel, transportation, etc.), and they will want to make it the least expensive for them. You think I exaggerate? My own child is severely hearing impaired, and I will have to sue the school district in order to get adequate service. What was offered us so far is so woefully adequate that I would call this neglect, at best. We live in a huge (read: resource-rich) district, so this could far and take long. Fortunately, your mileage *will* vary greatly. But dealing with IEP's/ ARD's and all the "fun" issues surrounding special education for your child does take a *lot* of work and energy - at a time when you want - and should - devote your time to raising, helping and educating your child.
Parents schould educate themselves well, if they have to take this journey. Start with Wrightslaw, a really excellent resource (www.wrightslaw.com).
Slashdot Mirror
That's an arrogant statement by Schmidt (and yes, I read the whole thing). How often have we heard the "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" argument over the decades? Add Google to that long list - and it's not an honor roll! I guess "Don't be evil" is leaving the building. It was a matter of time, anyway.
The Germans have a nice saying for that phenomenon: "Vox populi, vox Rindvieh.", which loosely translates to "the voice of the people is the voice of idiots." (more precisely, the voice of stupid cows).
Really? Have they really become more difficult? Like jumping off the high board becomes more difficult after you've climbed up there? Or truly more difficult, like trying to sell tickets to the hockey pool after the playoffs have ended?
About 15 years ago I sat in a very interesting seminar where one of the lead scientists on the fusion front admitted that the "easy" part of fusion was the physics (try that for "easy"), and that the really hard part of the engineering was yet to come.
Looks like back then they already knew they were going to be in for a ride, but they simply didn't know how hard it would be. So I am not surprised.
If you climb up the high board and only then find that it is all cracked and creaky: yes, your Olympic dive may just have become harder.
Since the beginning of (internet) time sending an email has been like sending a postcard. Everybody along the way handling your message can read it if they so choose. You know it, they know it. If you expect privacy, then you cannot be helped. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act is not much worth here ...
I'd rather have people make sure that the NSA is not listening to my phone calls - and you know that this is happening too, at least when you have communications going beyond the borders of the US.
Got my new MacBook Pro last week. Aah, that wonderful smell of a pristine laptop ... but it's already going away :- b ... I guess running full tilt all the time burns the good stuff off too quickly.
But seriously, that's a surprise?? I would be shocked if you could find a (new) computer that does *not* give of toxic fumes.
I like to take this in a more literal sense. Maybe it's called cloud computing for a reason, and not cloud data storage. If you want to make sure that your precious stuff does not get lost, you need a reliable partner with a good track record that you can really trust.
And even then: your own, intelligently done backups (plural!) should be your best line of defence - even if it costs more time and money.
The outer belt contains mostly relativistic electrons, energized in Earth's magnetosphere. The inner belt is made up of relativistic protons, a decay product of cosmic rays (having to do with the fact that a free neutron decays into a proton-electron pair, free neutrons having a half-life of only 11 minutes). See e.g. http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/radbelts.htm l for a short description.
We forget how efficient we are in filtering out "noise". I can only imagine that to be the same, if not worse for a blind person receiving a "vision implant". In the end, I think it is great these technologies are being developed, but it does not relieve the individual from having to decide whether it is for them or not.
BTW, I would think it would take you a year to get reasonably comfortable with an artificial vision implant. But it will take a few years to get really decent systems, first ...
Right now "vision implants" are not nearly as developed as their cousins, the cochlear implants. Those can help hearing impaired people (re)gain hearing (call it "artificial hearing", if you wish). People with CI's can learn to speak like anyone, although their hearing is still different from "typical" hearing.
It appears that, compared to the likely cost of developing artificial vision, the robot can be developed for next to nothing. And who knows, maybe it's useful for people with other ailments! Compromise: best to do both.
Artificial vision, just like cochlear implants, is really, really cool, and could help a LOT of people. I keep my fingers crossed!
In case you haven't noticed, Dartmouth *is* a research university. Doubt it? Do a bit of research yourself on the topic (Google; their website(s); scientific journals ...). You'll be surprised. 1 in 5 students at Dartmouth (excluding Tuck) is a graduate student. Mostly Ph.D. students.
Granted, it's not M.I.T. or Stanford (no need), but in many areas they are top-notch.
Sounds like you went to Dartmouth. Not with open eyes, I am led to suspect. Should have tried to work for one of the researchers there for a couple of terms.
Accident investigations involving spacecraft are typically lengthy. After all, you want to *really* find out why it happened, and how to avoid it. Sure, not bolting it down is a trivial on to find, and should be easy to catch/avoid. But: satellites are typically very unique (very few are alike), multiple, changing teams work on them at the same time, deadlines loom. Really nailing the cause of a problem may seem easier than it really is. Plus, all hell breaks loose should you make the same mistake twice ...
At work we use a digital projection system to project paper documents (in fact anything which is not a transparecy/viewgraph) onto our projection screen in the conference room. With good optics you can zoom in quite a bit (we once blew up a nickel to 6 feet across on the screen) - this would work well for good paper maps or any other document you would want to enlarge and/or zoom in. The size of the wall you project onto is your limit - and your wallet, since you also need a good projector.
This is where the school district may come in. The parents may be able to get them to buy equipment like that - especially since it could be used for general classromoom instruction as well. I realize, this would not help at home ...
Another comment pointed out the child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP), where this would have to be dealt with. A word of caution: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) gives parents of disabled children a valuable tool for working towards a decent public education for their children. However, to get adequate education for your child, you need to become an advocate for that child. That means you need to know the law (including case law up to the Supreme Court, if you are unlucky) and the technical/medical possibilities and ramifications better than any representative of the school district you will face. Remember, you want the school district to provide a service for which they have to pay extra (equipment, personnel, transportation, etc.), and they will want to make it the least expensive for them. You think I exaggerate? My own child is severely hearing impaired, and I will have to sue the school district in order to get adequate service. What was offered us so far is so woefully adequate that I would call this neglect, at best. We live in a huge (read: resource-rich) district, so this could far and take long. Fortunately, your mileage *will* vary greatly. But dealing with IEP's/ ARD's and all the "fun" issues surrounding special education for your child does take a *lot* of work and energy - at a time when you want - and should - devote your time to raising, helping and educating your child.
Parents schould educate themselves well, if they have to take this journey. Start with Wrightslaw, a really excellent resource (www.wrightslaw.com).
Best of luck, I know what it's like!