My intent was to say "Oh, look - the story's over because Ender doesn't have to command any real units, he's been doing so all along" wasn't exactly shocking or unforseeable, hence not truly a deus-ex-machina.
Still way too predictable to be entertaining, IMO.
Oh, try Dune, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, the Foundation series, Starship Troopers, . . . the list can get pretty long, and I don't even have to hit the "Classics" (War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, Paradise Lost . ..).
Unlike Bradbury, Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, Donaldson, Tolkien (and the list goes on), Mr. Card's work utterly failed to capture my imagination or my attention. I gave it a fair read, disciplining myself to finish the waste of my money rather than thrusting it forcefully to the bottom of the trash can after the first six (choppy and badly written) chapters showed me where the story was going.
Sorry - Card, Rowling, McCaffrey, they're all great if you're into adolescent or romantic fantasy. Just don't try to pass 'em off as serious authors. Even Piers Anthony hits higher than these guys, and sometimes I wonder how much effort he puts into his work.
And - you're right! Dune! was probably the most complex, most intricately crafted piece of work I've read. Political intrigue, social commentary, action/adventure, science fiction all rolled into one tightly integrated package.
Based on the reactions I've gotten, I realize that much of this is a matter of personal taste - but I still hold my opinion that Ender's Game was pap, suitable for consumption by adolescents.
Oh, and I had to stop the list somewhere. I'm sure there were probably better examples; these just sprang to mind.
Ender's game was written for the adolescent mentality.
Re-read it again when you're a little older - it's just trash. Barely any plot, and a deus-ex-machina ending which anybody over the mental age of eight could've seen coming long before the story's midpoint.
Puts it right next to the Harry Potter books - except those were explicitely marketed to the younger crowd. Tell ya what - compare Ender's Game with, say, The Martian Chronicles or I, Robot or Stranger in a Strange Land and let me know if you see a slight difference in the complexity of the story being told, eh?
Many hacks are difficult - until you figure out how to do it. Then, it becomes documented procedure for the black-hats of the world. I.e., all a malicious designer needs to do is figure out exactly how to integrate extra logic into a chip design without getting caught once and they will then be able to do it forever, or at least until the design -> production procedures are changed to close whatever hole he may have found to exploit. Granted, in this case the logic to be added will require an intimate understanding of the chip's original design, but the manufacturing plant does have all the tools needed to gain such an understanding. The design itself is furnished to them to let them make the chips to begin with, and the only limiting factor is the intelligence to reverse engineer the chip, given the litho's and design spec's.
Or - to put it more bluntly - how long ago did they look like that?
If they're over thirteen million light-years distant, they might represent a tantalizing glimpse into the physics of galaxy formation shortly after the Big Bang - the presence of heavier-than-helium elements indicates that at least one round of (superheavy) star formation/destruction has taken place, but they could still be relatively good examples of galactic physics in the (then neonatal) Universe.
This gives SCO executives a day to get the computers and office furniture out of the building before the bank shows up to reposess everything! On top of which, even while they abscond with possibly hundreds of dollars worth of inventory, they get to claim a multi-million dollar tax loss on their income taxes this year.
Yes, they're bastards. Anybody still convinced that the executroids at SCO actually lost anything - and don't say "their self-respect", because obviously . . .
My memory is really lousy - while the gist of my recollection is accurate (about the false IFF and locking her guns on her escort vessel) the particulars just plain escape me.
My memory isn't what it used to be - but I do remember the article (around 1977, I think) describing how a US Navy vessel using WinNT identified Catalina Island as a "fast moving target" and then locked her guns on the observation vessel.
And that ship had to be towed back into port because bringing the computer down left her essentially dead in the water.
During initial testing, the automated vessel identified Catalina Island as a fast moving object and proceeded to lock her guns on her escort vessel (which was nowhere near Catalina at the time). The system (NT 4.0 based, IIRC) had to be shut down, as there was no manual override and the Navy didn't feel like burying that many seamen at sea.
After which (with engines and navigation offline) she had to be towed back to port.
Y'know, after those problems were addressed, the Aegis-class cruiser entered service and is still a very effective platform for the US Navy. Not that I think it wise of us to arm automated robots, but from the military perspective this is only a minor setback.
As opposed to fighting a losing battle to secure networks based on a system which by design doesn't incorporate security features.
What's that going to cost, in terms of software design and implementation, training to effectively use and maintain those security kludges, and - oh, yeah, the odd intrusion/data loss which are inevitible?
instead of the more commoditized view of networking and security as two seperate entities, it might help.
TCP/IP was never intended to be secure. It was intended to be flexible, robust and fault-tolerant. Security was not incorporated in the design of TCP/IP networks, save as a kludge attached after the fact. Fine for most of us; but if security is critical, I recommend using a different technology at the network level, one which incorporates security at the fundamental level. Since these networks should already be defined as "dark" networks, the potential for inter-network connectivity issues should not be a major consideration.
Yes, DarpaNet is a remarkable invention - but it's the Model-T of the computing industry. Y'know how many guys got their arms broken by that bloody starter crank, before Henry F. incorporated a lead-acid battery and electric starting moter? Sure, the hand-crank works well enough, but it's time to come up with the next advancement, not to mandate more foam padding and other safety features for the arm-breaker.
Okay, let's assume that OOXML gains ISO certification as an open, freely available standard. Sure, now governments and other organizations which demand IT standardization can consider OOXML. What sane entity will actually choose a standard with such a convoluted, incomprehensible definition as OOXML?
Of course, I'm sure the US Government will select that standard - remember, I did ask, what sane entity would choose such a horrible standard.
This may put Microsoft back in the running with governmental and other organizations, but I see it rather like getting a plow horse qualified to run in a horse race. Okay, there may be some profit in it for Microsoft, but even with ISO validation would you consider adopting a standard which even the author can neither explain nor understand? This pony'll go off at 99:1 every time, IMHO.
Just because you don't currently have a use for this, doesn't mean nobody ever will.
That's okay - somebody else already posted the answer - this thing'll use an established mechanism (CUDA). I don't know what that is, but after this card hits the market, I'll probably start to find out.
Slashdot Mirror
Still way too predictable to be entertaining, IMO.
Oh, try Dune, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, the Foundation series, Starship Troopers, . . . the list can get pretty long, and I don't even have to hit the "Classics" (War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, Paradise Lost . . .).
Sorry - Card, Rowling, McCaffrey, they're all great if you're into adolescent or romantic fantasy. Just don't try to pass 'em off as serious authors. Even Piers Anthony hits higher than these guys, and sometimes I wonder how much effort he puts into his work.
Based on the reactions I've gotten, I realize that much of this is a matter of personal taste - but I still hold my opinion that Ender's Game was pap, suitable for consumption by adolescents.
Oh, and I had to stop the list somewhere. I'm sure there were probably better examples; these just sprang to mind.
Re-read it again when you're a little older - it's just trash. Barely any plot, and a deus-ex-machina ending which anybody over the mental age of eight could've seen coming long before the story's midpoint.
Puts it right next to the Harry Potter books - except those were explicitely marketed to the younger crowd. Tell ya what - compare Ender's Game with, say, The Martian Chronicles or I, Robot or Stranger in a Strange Land and let me know if you see a slight difference in the complexity of the story being told, eh?
Oh, hell - never mind.
Many hacks are difficult - until you figure out how to do it. Then, it becomes documented procedure for the black-hats of the world. I.e., all a malicious designer needs to do is figure out exactly how to integrate extra logic into a chip design without getting caught once and they will then be able to do it forever, or at least until the design -> production procedures are changed to close whatever hole he may have found to exploit. Granted, in this case the logic to be added will require an intimate understanding of the chip's original design, but the manufacturing plant does have all the tools needed to gain such an understanding. The design itself is furnished to them to let them make the chips to begin with, and the only limiting factor is the intelligence to reverse engineer the chip, given the litho's and design spec's.
Oops - off by an order of magnitude. Mea culpa.
If they're over thirteen million light-years distant, they might represent a tantalizing glimpse into the physics of galaxy formation shortly after the Big Bang - the presence of heavier-than-helium elements indicates that at least one round of (superheavy) star formation/destruction has taken place, but they could still be relatively good examples of galactic physics in the (then neonatal) Universe.
Note the double-m's and double l's in my handle. I'm feeling pretty good about this . . .
. . . how could they make it worse? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
Yes, they're bastards. Anybody still convinced that the executroids at SCO actually lost anything - and don't say "their self-respect", because obviously . . .
If I'm hired to analyze security for a bank and use the knowledge I acquired during my analysis to rob the bank, I'm only guilty of a misdemeanor?
Never mind - once per customer is the absolute limit.
Have a shitty day.
Let me guess - you've never admitted^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hmade a mistake, right?
I wish there were an "unpost" button. :^S
And that ship had to be towed back into port because bringing the computer down left her essentially dead in the water.
After which (with engines and navigation offline) she had to be towed back to port.
Y'know, after those problems were addressed, the Aegis-class cruiser entered service and is still a very effective platform for the US Navy. Not that I think it wise of us to arm automated robots, but from the military perspective this is only a minor setback.
What's that going to cost, in terms of software design and implementation, training to effectively use and maintain those security kludges, and - oh, yeah, the odd intrusion/data loss which are inevitible?
TCP/IP was never intended to be secure. It was intended to be flexible, robust and fault-tolerant. Security was not incorporated in the design of TCP/IP networks, save as a kludge attached after the fact. Fine for most of us; but if security is critical, I recommend using a different technology at the network level, one which incorporates security at the fundamental level. Since these networks should already be defined as "dark" networks, the potential for inter-network connectivity issues should not be a major consideration.
Yes, DarpaNet is a remarkable invention - but it's the Model-T of the computing industry. Y'know how many guys got their arms broken by that bloody starter crank, before Henry F. incorporated a lead-acid battery and electric starting moter? Sure, the hand-crank works well enough, but it's time to come up with the next advancement, not to mandate more foam padding and other safety features for the arm-breaker.
Of course, I'm sure the US Government will select that standard - remember, I did ask, what sane entity would choose such a horrible standard.
This may put Microsoft back in the running with governmental and other organizations, but I see it rather like getting a plow horse qualified to run in a horse race. Okay, there may be some profit in it for Microsoft, but even with ISO validation would you consider adopting a standard which even the author can neither explain nor understand? This pony'll go off at 99:1 every time, IMHO.
Just sayin'. ;^)
That's okay - somebody else already posted the answer - this thing'll use an established mechanism (CUDA). I don't know what that is, but after this card hits the market, I'll probably start to find out.
...provide Linux drivers, or will the F/OSS community have to reverse-engineer this one?