Maybe I'm missing something here, but wouldn't hackers just allow for these scans in the trojans they write? Pretty sure it would be easy enough for them to conceal their creations from the system scan required to pass the so-called health certificate. And then you're back to square one. So if I understand what he's suggesting properly, the whole issue of privacy is moot. The method used to check simply won't work in the first place.
"Wasting your time, cowboy," Molly said, when Case took an octagon from the pocket of his jacket. "How's that? You want one?" He held the pill out to her. "Your new pancreas, Case, and those plugs in your liver. Armitage had them designed to bypass that shit." She tapped the octagon with one burgundy nail. "You're biochemically incapable of getting off on amphetamine or cocaine."
"Shit," he said. He looked at the octagon, then at her.
This reminds me of a popular Japanese anime movie called Ghost in the Shell, which already raised these questions. The setting is futuristic Japan, where many people are full cyborgs or have cybernetic implants. One of the central issues in the movie is the main character's struggle for an identity: She is fully cybernetic, with only something called a "ghost" to distinguish her from a robot. Throughout the movie, she asks herself if she is still human, The question is never fully resolved, and I think the director (Masamune Shirow) purposely made it that way.
While it is impossible right now, I believe that (unless there is an apocalypse) we will eventually invent the technology needed to become fully cybernetic. However, we need to start asking these questions now, so that when the time comes we will be prepared.
They already deny genocide against Armenians, and jail anyone who protests, etc. Compared to that, this is minor.
Another point to consider is that there is growing dissatisfaction with the idea of joining the EU. Basically Turkey has made major, major changes to the law and its government in an effort to get into the EU, but so far the process has been stalled by EU member states who are understandably wary (for a number of reasons) about letting Turkey in. Because of this, many Turkish citizens are now increasingly adopting a "kiss off" attitude towards EU membership and the EU itself. Perhaps this move is another sign of the frustration... a defiant gesture, if you will.
A term paper is usually not your WHOLE grade; it may be a good chunk of the final grade (25-30% or so) but it's possible to get an A on your term paper and still get a pretty bad grade in the course overall. Why? The other 70-75% of your grade usually rests on maybe a quiz or two, and the midterm and final exams. It's pretty hard to cheat on these.. If you don't have the knowledge required, you WILL get a bad grade on them, and it WILL be reflected in your final course grade. A plagiarized term paper that gets an A+ will help a student's grade, but it will not save it if the student doesn't take the time to learn the course material properly.
And of course, there's also the sad but true fact that if a student decides to plagiarize, they will have learned nothing: They think they're so smart, getting around writing a term paper.. but unfortunately they are only cheating themselves out of valuable knowledge.
Even before this there were serious doubts as to the accuracy and credibility of the information on Wikipedia. That a top administrator and contributor to Wikipedia has faked his academic credentials and used them to influence Wikipedia content will only make this worse.
I can't think of a more damaging relevation to the Wikipedian ideal than this one, and even if it isn't a death blow to Wikipedia, scholars and researchers EVERYWHERE will have a field day with this; college professors will point to this as an example of why they don't accept citations from Wikipedia. In general, Wikipedia may be totally discredited by this scandal.
One nagging question that I have is why there is no push to validate academic credentials on Wikipedia. Ordinary users that do not claim to have any academic credentials beyond their own knowledge are fine, ones that claim to have advanced degrees in such-and-such should be required to prove this, or at least be able to validate their credentials when asked. I have no idea how this would be done, only that it SHOULD be done.. Essjay is an excellent example as to why.
I shudder to think how many more Essjays are out there right now, editing articles and claiming expertise, when in fact they have none.
According to Griffiths, the problem with online games is there will never be a point where the player has battled the final boss, tied up the story, and can turn the computer off with a feeling of satisfaction.
While this may be true to some extent, I myself (and, I am sure, other players as well) DO feel a good deal of satisfaction whilst playing an online game, such as WoW. One could argue that a good MMORPG can and will create a feeling of satisfaction upon attaining important in-game goals, and draw that out as long as possible. WoW is an excellent example of this: it takes time and effort to gain every level and every item in the game, as well as every gold piece (leaving aside power-leveling services and gold buying sites!) Indeed, even after getting to lv60 on WoW (and soon to be lv70 with the release of the expansion, The Burning Crusade,) there is still plenty of activities and goals to keep you occupied, which I shall not list here... there are way too many.
In short: Mr Griffiths, have you ever considered that precisely BECAUSE there is no ending point to an online MMORPG is why players get addicted to it? Because it continues rewarding them for playing long after a single player game would have been over with and finished? Frankly, I don't think you have.
Why is this comment moderated troll? This is an interesting and insightful reply TO a troll, it isn't a troll itself. Remember, a troll usually makes a generalized, simple-minded, and inflammatory remark to start a heated argument.. this post doesn't do that at all. On the contrary, it makes some very good points.
How long until the creation of websites along with bandwidth-intensive things such as Bittorrent overwhelm the internet's capacity? I'm no expert, but is this possible? If so, whatever happened to Internet2? It may need to be rolled out sooner than previously thought..
Your reaction only confirms my speculations. If EA is known for buggy software, there's a good chance the spyware will be buggy too. If it's so buggy it causes the computer to become unstable, or crashes the game consistently, it could become a big problem for EA.
Yes, that's my point. If EA uses BF2142 to pass the spyware's data on your surfing habits and etc, there's no way to stop it. Not only that, but the spyware could cause a lot of lag by doing that as well... it should be interesting to see what happens.
Maybe I'm just naïve, but a firewall should be able to block the program from accessing the internet. Sure, you still have a background process running on your machine, but at least it's not invading your privacy. On the other hand, if it accesses the 'net through BF2142 you're gonna have a problem.
On another note, this trend of adverts in games is becoming alarming. Is this the "next-gen" of ad placement? As the/. story says though, it may be a big PR misstep. If gamers experience lag or their computer crashes because of this new software, there's going to be hell to pay for EA. Therefore, EA better make damn sure their software is bug free and totally unobtrusive. Even then, gaming sites may make such a big deal out of it that they'll back off.
I hope they do, because if EA is allowed to do this it could set a very bad precedent.
Chinese media, especially newspapers, are a popular target for retribution. Report on something damaging to a major company or the government and you could find yourself out of a job or worse. It seems you're expected to totally ignore any potentially damaging news and stick to safe topics (ex: what the gov't tells you to report on.)
My guess is that this company figures they have a better chance of exacting revenge on a newspaper in China than on British tabloids.
Correct, but at the present time, the moral implications of using embryonic stem cells is the most controversial issue. I believe President Bush used his first-ever veto for exactly that reason (although not 100% sure on that.)
My original point, if I may try to clarify it, is that this new method removes one of the, if not THE major moral problem with stem cells and stem cell research, clearing the way for new advances in this field. As you have pointed out, there will likely be new issues related to stem cell research that will surface in the future.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe I'm missing something here, but wouldn't hackers just allow for these scans in the trojans they write? Pretty sure it would be easy enough for them to conceal their creations from the system scan required to pass the so-called health certificate. And then you're back to square one. So if I understand what he's suggesting properly, the whole issue of privacy is moot. The method used to check simply won't work in the first place.
And that makes a difference how? It's still a blatant invasion of personal privacy, low res or not.
Unexplained UFOs spotted over Phoenix, AZ and St. Augustine, FL! What better way to illustrate the truth of Hawking's statements.
I, for one, welcome our new, yet still anonymous alien overlords.. (oblig)
"Wasting your time, cowboy," Molly said, when Case took an octagon from the pocket of his jacket. "How's that? You want one?" He held the pill out to her. "Your new pancreas, Case, and those plugs in your liver. Armitage had them designed to bypass that shit." She tapped the octagon with one burgundy nail. "You're biochemically incapable of getting off on amphetamine or cocaine."
"Shit," he said. He looked at the octagon, then at her.
"Eat it. Eat a dozen. Nothing'll happen."
He did. Nothing did.
I've heard a good way to confuse the computers doing the calls is to randomly press the numbers on your phone. Can anyone verify?
"If you find something, let me know," said Gary Anderson of the Defense Department's Rapid Reaction Technology Office.
Hey Mr. Anderson, take a look at thi +++ carrier lost +++
This just means more RIAA/MPAA asshattery. I'm sure the lawyers are collectively rubbing their hands together in glee.
-PxB
This reminds me of a popular Japanese anime movie called Ghost in the Shell, which already raised these questions. The setting is futuristic Japan, where many people are full cyborgs or have cybernetic implants. One of the central issues in the movie is the main character's struggle for an identity: She is fully cybernetic, with only something called a "ghost" to distinguish her from a robot. Throughout the movie, she asks herself if she is still human, The question is never fully resolved, and I think the director (Masamune Shirow) purposely made it that way.
While it is impossible right now, I believe that (unless there is an apocalypse) we will eventually invent the technology needed to become fully cybernetic. However, we need to start asking these questions now, so that when the time comes we will be prepared.
They already deny genocide against Armenians, and jail anyone who protests, etc. Compared to that, this is minor.
Another point to consider is that there is growing dissatisfaction with the idea of joining the EU. Basically Turkey has made major, major changes to the law and its government in an effort to get into the EU, but so far the process has been stalled by EU member states who are understandably wary (for a number of reasons) about letting Turkey in. Because of this, many Turkish citizens are now increasingly adopting a "kiss off" attitude towards EU membership and the EU itself. Perhaps this move is another sign of the frustration... a defiant gesture, if you will.
-PxB
A term paper is usually not your WHOLE grade; it may be a good chunk of the final grade (25-30% or so) but it's possible to get an A on your term paper and still get a pretty bad grade in the course overall. Why? The other 70-75% of your grade usually rests on maybe a quiz or two, and the midterm and final exams. It's pretty hard to cheat on these.. If you don't have the knowledge required, you WILL get a bad grade on them, and it WILL be reflected in your final course grade. A plagiarized term paper that gets an A+ will help a student's grade, but it will not save it if the student doesn't take the time to learn the course material properly.
And of course, there's also the sad but true fact that if a student decides to plagiarize, they will have learned nothing: They think they're so smart, getting around writing a term paper.. but unfortunately they are only cheating themselves out of valuable knowledge.
-Parallax
Even before this there were serious doubts as to the accuracy and credibility of the information on Wikipedia. That a top administrator and contributor to Wikipedia has faked his academic credentials and used them to influence Wikipedia content will only make this worse.
I can't think of a more damaging relevation to the Wikipedian ideal than this one, and even if it isn't a death blow to Wikipedia, scholars and researchers EVERYWHERE will have a field day with this; college professors will point to this as an example of why they don't accept citations from Wikipedia. In general, Wikipedia may be totally discredited by this scandal.
One nagging question that I have is why there is no push to validate academic credentials on Wikipedia. Ordinary users that do not claim to have any academic credentials beyond their own knowledge are fine, ones that claim to have advanced degrees in such-and-such should be required to prove this, or at least be able to validate their credentials when asked. I have no idea how this would be done, only that it SHOULD be done.. Essjay is an excellent example as to why.
I shudder to think how many more Essjays are out there right now, editing articles and claiming expertise, when in fact they have none.
-PxB
...he'll be able to call in precision chair strikes!
According to Griffiths, the problem with online games is there will never be a point where the player has battled the final boss, tied up the story, and can turn the computer off with a feeling of satisfaction.
While this may be true to some extent, I myself (and, I am sure, other players as well) DO feel a good deal of satisfaction whilst playing an online game, such as WoW. One could argue that a good MMORPG can and will create a feeling of satisfaction upon attaining important in-game goals, and draw that out as long as possible. WoW is an excellent example of this: it takes time and effort to gain every level and every item in the game, as well as every gold piece (leaving aside power-leveling services and gold buying sites!) Indeed, even after getting to lv60 on WoW (and soon to be lv70 with the release of the expansion, The Burning Crusade,) there is still plenty of activities and goals to keep you occupied, which I shall not list here... there are way too many.
In short: Mr Griffiths, have you ever considered that precisely BECAUSE there is no ending point to an online MMORPG is why players get addicted to it? Because it continues rewarding them for playing long after a single player game would have been over with and finished? Frankly, I don't think you have.
-Parallax
Why is this comment moderated troll? This is an interesting and insightful reply TO a troll, it isn't a troll itself. Remember, a troll usually makes a generalized, simple-minded, and inflammatory remark to start a heated argument.. this post doesn't do that at all. On the contrary, it makes some very good points.
For shame, Slashdot.
Everyone said it was going to be GOOTUBE that would get in trouble for copyright infringement, but it's Google Video instead.
Image recognition software is making it even easier for your kids to find porn! More at 6...
How long until the creation of websites along with bandwidth-intensive things such as Bittorrent overwhelm the internet's capacity? I'm no expert, but is this possible? If so, whatever happened to Internet2? It may need to be rolled out sooner than previously thought..
If this holds true... NERDS REJOICE!
A Master Chief helmet... its what I've always wanted!
Your reaction only confirms my speculations. If EA is known for buggy software, there's a good chance the spyware will be buggy too. If it's so buggy it causes the computer to become unstable, or crashes the game consistently, it could become a big problem for EA.
-Parallax
Yes, that's my point. If EA uses BF2142 to pass the spyware's data on your surfing habits and etc, there's no way to stop it. Not only that, but the spyware could cause a lot of lag by doing that as well... it should be interesting to see what happens.
-Parallax
Maybe I'm just naïve, but a firewall should be able to block the program from accessing the internet. Sure, you still have a background process running on your machine, but at least it's not invading your privacy. On the other hand, if it accesses the 'net through BF2142 you're gonna have a problem.
/. story says though, it may be a big PR misstep. If gamers experience lag or their computer crashes because of this new software, there's going to be hell to pay for EA. Therefore, EA better make damn sure their software is bug free and totally unobtrusive. Even then, gaming sites may make such a big deal out of it that they'll back off.
On another note, this trend of adverts in games is becoming alarming. Is this the "next-gen" of ad placement? As the
I hope they do, because if EA is allowed to do this it could set a very bad precedent.
-Parallax
I, for one, welcome our new iTV overlords.
-Parallax
Chinese media, especially newspapers, are a popular target for retribution. Report on something damaging to a major company or the government and you could find yourself out of a job or worse. It seems you're expected to totally ignore any potentially damaging news and stick to safe topics (ex: what the gov't tells you to report on.)
My guess is that this company figures they have a better chance of exacting revenge on a newspaper in China than on British tabloids.
-Parallax
Correct, but at the present time, the moral implications of using embryonic stem cells is the most controversial issue. I believe President Bush used his first-ever veto for exactly that reason (although not 100% sure on that.)
My original point, if I may try to clarify it, is that this new method removes one of the, if not THE major moral problem with stem cells and stem cell research, clearing the way for new advances in this field. As you have pointed out, there will likely be new issues related to stem cell research that will surface in the future.