Are you honestly saying that you would? If NATO comes up with an army of supermen and starts enforcing international law on everyone, you'll just smile and say "thank you?"
Thats not really what I am saying. Its more about psychological warfare. During WWII the US/British were horrendously afraid of Tiger tanks and would freak out and drop anything they were doing when they saw one. Of course considering that most of their guns were ineffective over the 500 meter distances, you could just imagine the dismay and fear when the US Tanks saw their Sherman tank shells bounce off the unaffected Tiger who simply looked at them blankly until it blew them away one by one. (10 Shermans to 1 Tiger was bad odds for the Shermans)
In that regard, if you shot a man square in his chest with a high powered rifle (who looked like some legion of doom member) which would kill anyone even wearing standard Kevlar, and he got back on his feet a few seconds later... Well... Wouldn't you freak the frigg out.
Actually, it's more like selling a car in Thailand that only runs on Thai fuel
What? There is no such thing in this scenario. Computers in Thailand don't run on anything different than American or Russian computers if they run 32bit Windows. AFAIK, there is no such thing as Thai fuel for cars either and if it were it wouldn't be cheaper to make a car run on Thai fuel because it would cost more because of the two production lines instead of a one.
In a global economy where there is no scarcity, products should not be regionized in order to make it so that there are no artificial monopolies which drives down the prices for everyone.
Actually, regionalization restrictions makes it more expensive for the Thais in the end.
It will be far easier for our adversaries to paint our troops as inhuman.
That may have benefits as well. Would you shoot something that doesn't look human and you aren't entirely sure they are going to die? If the enemy appeared to be immortal cyborgs that your (apparently) puny weapons had no affect on, would you not just be afraid of them and comply?
I rhetorically asked and answered that question in the original post. The lost value *is* the region portability, which is clearly stated *on the box*.
But that is willful disabling rather than regional issues. A software program runs on any Intel/AMD cpu the same regardless of where it runs in the world. Its not like we are dealing with different voltage or FCC (or any other countries equivalent) regulations that make the software not run any better.
It would be like selling someone a car in Thailand with a window smashed out on the side so you could sell it to them cheaper.
aside from the fact any stop signs and road markings may now be a crater. Do many soldiers get stuck in traffic in the middle of a war zone?
Actually, look up the word "IED" on youtube and watch the videos driving on patrols where IED are used against them (Actually, this one called "I get blown up!" is a home made one of the solders from inside (warning they use a bit of a cursing)) and they are driving around in urban combats usually with other military vehicles stopped around them and other civilian ones.
Of course they drive like mad all the time because of the IEDs.
Now if the robots were sent through and the insurgents blew one up, no one dies in the process and all you have to do is send in a patrol and take out the insurgent and then send another robot.
But then the question becomes: how does one go about making Hydrogen from water?
Military Check list
Step 1: Powersource - Nuclear Reactor on Aircraft carrier - check! Step 2: Electrolysis from water - We're on the ocean - check! Step 3: Tanks to store it on - Hey we could use this jet engine fuel storage - check!
Hughes beat them to it by 9 years. Yeah, a private company.
That was Howard Hughes's company. Which basically built the much of the equipment of Apollo landers and the majority of communication satellites today.
Of course when you have WWII military contracts make you the richest man in the America, your private company can rival the size of any corporation today.
So unless you've got a 100 billion dollars to hand out in military contracts, I don't think a private company to pull it off.
Did you ever think that even if you were willing to "go along with the game plan" that there are plenty of others who'd rather stab you in the back?
Eventually, we'll either start a universal space program after we have an impact event killing millions of people showing us that space is a nasty place and we need to deal with it or we'll get hit with a really big one killing all life on the earth's surface making it a moot point.
"The dinosaurs died because they didn't have a space program." -Larry Niven
This "generation why" essentially asked the question "Why should we break our backs working long hours away from our families just to have a 9,000 square foot house and a big SUV?", "Why should I learn things that aren't going to make me a better person?", "Why should I work a job that I hate just for a higher salary?", etc.
Why should we?
I know plenty of Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers who feel the same way. Most of the fell into line but they thought the same exact thing and actually a few say "No more!" and just live simple lives.
Personally, I have a job that I don't like that pays a lot, but I don't have a big house and my car is a 90's POS and I feel no need to buy a 50" flatscreen TV just to watch talking heads and men throw a leather ball around as a conversation topic. I'm old enough to be a Gen X'er but this idea of rejecting societal norm has been around for ages.
Its more prominent now with a bit of healthy nihilism when you take a global perspective to things. In the end, you are going to die and won't be able to take any of your wealth and knowledge with you. Eventually, your kids are going to die and someday there won't be any one around to remember you so what you do today is more important that long term which humans have a bad habbit of thinking that the status quo will last forever.
I mean... My dad worked himself to death in a job he hated for 30 years just to make it to retirement. I was worried there for a while that he would die before he would even get to enjoy that time. I'm sure many people have seen their family members die and all their plans and goals have been thrown out that window.
Maybe, its the realization that working for money is not the end goal. You should really take the job that you like and the one that allows you to be with your family and accept that you don't need all that stuff you can't take with you that will go into a landfill someday as it is.
Either way... Its not learning new skills to make us a better person, but rather the old skills like moderation and patience.
There is no way the person who did it can be responsible!
So? Its easy to prove that chemicals affect brain chemistry which cause humans to act more aggressively or less aggressively.
It would be in our best interest to reduce any elements that may promote violent behavior.
As a matter of objectivity, if I secretly injected you with hormonal steroids while you slept until you went mad with rage and hurt someone because of emotional/psychological issues caused by the chemical, would it be my fault for injecting you or your fault for not being able to control the emotional imbalance caused by the chemicals forced on you.
If the chemicals was in the water you drank or the air you breathe, you don't have much of a choice in whether you had it in your system.
Of course its still dubious on if lead in the air from gas would cause that but it has been shown that too much lead in your blood (like mercury) will cause mental illness. It would be in our best interest to find these causes and stop them at the root rather than blame whose objectivity of free will is right or wrong.
Perhaps an increase in affluence in certain areas and/or reduction in poverty? Could it be the increased vigilance of people in general?
Actually, Philadelphia has the highest murder rate in the nation and we have buttloads of homes with led pipes.
Actually, I need to replace mine but I've been too cheap other than to buy bottled water. I'm sure showing in lead poisoned water doesn't help either and I have been noticing I've been quite irate and drinking more alcohol than usual. Of course this is anecdotal evidence.
This is why a confession should never be trusted on its own -- without other evidence. Nor is it really trusted on its own by the courts in free countries, such as ours -- as evidenced by this very case.
I would have a wager that if you give me duct tape, a pair of pliers, a "victim", and an official government sanction that says I can do anything I'd like and won't get into any trouble as long as he lives long enough for a secret trial that I can make him confess to any crime you need him to confess too even if it happened before he was born or even if the crime never happened.
Now, it would be of course obviously that I had to remove most of his finger nails and if he lasted past that, I might have to go for his teeth and then crushing his fingers with the pliers (which is why people love water boarding and electrocution... same difference... just slower and less permanent damage other than psychological) but anyone will confess with enough torture.
You can hold out for maybe a few days, but you will go delusional because the body brain chemistry breaks down under stress no matter what and you loose grip of reality. At that point you simply start saying yes to any question you think they want you to say yes too even if it was a complete lie. When people ask for names, you'll give them everyone you know including your pets in hopes that they'll stop.
Some for reference, sometimes because I read something that sounds familiar that I want to find where I first read it.
Yeah, I've got the same problem. Often times I just want to quote something rather than paraphrase a particular section I remember reading but it takes an hour or so because the included index at the end of the book was sorely lacking for a 900 page book.
Ethical? The path will be determined by what populace gave the most campaign donations to which ever party happens to have their appointees in charge of said the Department of Weather.
Anyway, seems to me it's about time more and better sandbox programs appear so games like this can be cut off from the OS itself.
As an Intel Mac Gamer, I do this already. I play all my games in bootcamp or parallels and leave anything personal and business related on the OS X side of things. I suppose the could find out what other games I am playing but that is about it.
If the HD-DVD had been included since the beginning it would have cost twice as much and most of us probably wouldn't own one.
I'd have to argue this though, the first DVD player most gamers had was the PS2. Back then VHS was still ok and no one had a need to go out and buy an expensive stand alone DVD player.
I mean one night we were at the video store and we saw a DVD to rent instead of a VHS and we said to ourselves "Oh, if I only had a DVD player. Oh wait!"
This really drove the format and many kids with PS2 could also watch DVD movies. Of course now the players are $20 bucks for a new one and its a moot point.
Of course the whole issue of the HDVD and Bluray wars is kind of killing both formats at this point.
The fact that he could not even be bothered to wear shoes, let alone a suit has probably set our position back miles.
If dressing up meant getting more credibility, then people in brown uniforms could easily win over a nation even though their message was insane. Oh wait...
But seriously, any douche can wear a snappy suit and/or uniform and look impressive on stage even if their message is BS. It takes a strong message to do it barefoot.
Why do the elevators have to have "beamed power" to them, when they could be self powered like every other "going into space" craft? Why this unusual criteria? To save weight?
Because if the craft could carry its own power supply it might as well be a rocket. The energy required to get into orbit includes its weight in fuel which means you've got to get more thrust which means more fuel which means more requirement in thrust. There is a break even point (obviously), but if you could just haul the cargo up without the extra weight of fuel then you've saved yourself a bit more energy used for the lift which results in an exponentially smaller amount of total energy required.
I suppose they could use complete solar energy rather than "beamed power", but if someone was truly going to get a cost efficient space elevator it would still days a long time to get to cargo into orbit which might last a few days which means you'll have to go through a few days and nights. Of course you could put battery packs on the space elevator for night travel, but again your adding extra weight.
if you start just making up genes you do need to do much more carefull testing - make sure they don't mix with the plant next door and make something evil that kills all the bees or creates a super weed etc etc it's a combinatorial problem that nature has already been through and spent a few billion years of evolution on
Evolution isn't perfect, but it deals. It couldn't prevent the dinosaurs extinction after all (impact, gamma ray burst, super volcano etc), but life persisted regardless.
But you are right, releasing a GM crop into the wild without studying its potential dangers would be similar to pushing a comet to impact earth just to give evolution a kick in the pants.
It may work, but its unpleasant for those involved to say the least.
And we know how hard it is to get rid of 100% of a certain type of plant.
Why not just let the free market or natural selection take its course?
Either we'll end up encouraging non-tomato markets or we'll stimulate evolution for genetically engineered humans immune to genetically engineered tomatoes... eventually.
But it also gives you ammo in the form of hand histories, betting patterns, etc. You can gain far more information about an opponent if you know how he's played in the past than you ever could off a potentially deceptive tell.
The key here is that online poker always allows a player to "cheat" even if it is something as simple as the other player just punching the card history into a second computer to give him all the statistics. Heck... You might even being playing against several persons sitting at a computer doing the operation.
Of course if you went to Las Vegas and flipped open a laptop and turned on your cell phone at a poker table, you'd get some funny looks by the people you are playing with.
Slashdot Mirror
Are you honestly saying that you would? If NATO comes up with an army of supermen and starts enforcing international law on everyone, you'll just smile and say "thank you?"
Thats not really what I am saying. Its more about psychological warfare. During WWII the US/British were horrendously afraid of Tiger tanks and would freak out and drop anything they were doing when they saw one. Of course considering that most of their guns were ineffective over the 500 meter distances, you could just imagine the dismay and fear when the US Tanks saw their Sherman tank shells bounce off the unaffected Tiger who simply looked at them blankly until it blew them away one by one. (10 Shermans to 1 Tiger was bad odds for the Shermans)
In that regard, if you shot a man square in his chest with a high powered rifle (who looked like some legion of doom member) which would kill anyone even wearing standard Kevlar, and he got back on his feet a few seconds later... Well... Wouldn't you freak the frigg out.
Actually, it's more like selling a car in Thailand that only runs on Thai fuel
What? There is no such thing in this scenario. Computers in Thailand don't run on anything different than American or Russian computers if they run 32bit Windows. AFAIK, there is no such thing as Thai fuel for cars either and if it were it wouldn't be cheaper to make a car run on Thai fuel because it would cost more because of the two production lines instead of a one.
In a global economy where there is no scarcity, products should not be regionized in order to make it so that there are no artificial monopolies which drives down the prices for everyone.
Actually, regionalization restrictions makes it more expensive for the Thais in the end.
It will be far easier for our adversaries to paint our troops as inhuman.
That may have benefits as well. Would you shoot something that doesn't look human and you aren't entirely sure they are going to die? If the enemy appeared to be immortal cyborgs that your (apparently) puny weapons had no affect on, would you not just be afraid of them and comply?
I rhetorically asked and answered that question in the original post. The lost value *is* the region portability, which is clearly stated *on the box*.
But that is willful disabling rather than regional issues. A software program runs on any Intel/AMD cpu the same regardless of where it runs in the world. Its not like we are dealing with different voltage or FCC (or any other countries equivalent) regulations that make the software not run any better.
It would be like selling someone a car in Thailand with a window smashed out on the side so you could sell it to them cheaper.
Too early in the morning. Correct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrdcddNx29c
aside from the fact any stop signs and road markings may now be a crater. Do many soldiers get stuck in traffic in the middle of a war zone?
Actually, look up the word "IED" on youtube and watch the videos driving on patrols where IED are used against them (Actually, this one called "I get blown up!" is a home made one of the solders from inside (warning they use a bit of a cursing)) and they are driving around in urban combats usually with other military vehicles stopped around them and other civilian ones.
Of course they drive like mad all the time because of the IEDs.
Now if the robots were sent through and the insurgents blew one up, no one dies in the process and all you have to do is send in a patrol and take out the insurgent and then send another robot.
But then the question becomes: how does one go about making Hydrogen from water?
Military Check list
Step 1: Powersource - Nuclear Reactor on Aircraft carrier - check!
Step 2: Electrolysis from water - We're on the ocean - check!
Step 3: Tanks to store it on - Hey we could use this jet engine fuel storage - check!
Hughes beat them to it by 9 years. Yeah, a private company.
That was Howard Hughes's company. Which basically built the much of the equipment of Apollo landers and the majority of communication satellites today.
Of course when you have WWII military contracts make you the richest man in the America, your private company can rival the size of any corporation today.
So unless you've got a 100 billion dollars to hand out in military contracts, I don't think a private company to pull it off.
Did you ever think that even if you were willing to "go along with the game plan" that there are plenty of others who'd rather stab you in the back?
Eventually, we'll either start a universal space program after we have an impact event killing millions of people showing us that space is a nasty place and we need to deal with it or we'll get hit with a really big one killing all life on the earth's surface making it a moot point.
"The dinosaurs died because they didn't have a space program." -Larry Niven
This "generation why" essentially asked the question "Why should we break our backs working long hours away from our families just to have a 9,000 square foot house and a big SUV?", "Why should I learn things that aren't going to make me a better person?", "Why should I work a job that I hate just for a higher salary?", etc.
Why should we?
I know plenty of Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers who feel the same way. Most of the fell into line but they thought the same exact thing and actually a few say "No more!" and just live simple lives.
Personally, I have a job that I don't like that pays a lot, but I don't have a big house and my car is a 90's POS and I feel no need to buy a 50" flatscreen TV just to watch talking heads and men throw a leather ball around as a conversation topic. I'm old enough to be a Gen X'er but this idea of rejecting societal norm has been around for ages.
Its more prominent now with a bit of healthy nihilism when you take a global perspective to things. In the end, you are going to die and won't be able to take any of your wealth and knowledge with you. Eventually, your kids are going to die and someday there won't be any one around to remember you so what you do today is more important that long term which humans have a bad habbit of thinking that the status quo will last forever.
I mean... My dad worked himself to death in a job he hated for 30 years just to make it to retirement. I was worried there for a while that he would die before he would even get to enjoy that time. I'm sure many people have seen their family members die and all their plans and goals have been thrown out that window.
Maybe, its the realization that working for money is not the end goal. You should really take the job that you like and the one that allows you to be with your family and accept that you don't need all that stuff you can't take with you that will go into a landfill someday as it is.
Either way... Its not learning new skills to make us a better person, but rather the old skills like moderation and patience.
There is no way the person who did it can be responsible!
So? Its easy to prove that chemicals affect brain chemistry which cause humans to act more aggressively or less aggressively.
It would be in our best interest to reduce any elements that may promote violent behavior.
As a matter of objectivity, if I secretly injected you with hormonal steroids while you slept until you went mad with rage and hurt someone because of emotional/psychological issues caused by the chemical, would it be my fault for injecting you or your fault for not being able to control the emotional imbalance caused by the chemicals forced on you.
If the chemicals was in the water you drank or the air you breathe, you don't have much of a choice in whether you had it in your system.
Of course its still dubious on if lead in the air from gas would cause that but it has been shown that too much lead in your blood (like mercury) will cause mental illness. It would be in our best interest to find these causes and stop them at the root rather than blame whose objectivity of free will is right or wrong.
Perhaps an increase in affluence in certain areas and/or reduction in poverty? Could it be the increased vigilance of people in general?
Actually, Philadelphia has the highest murder rate in the nation and we have buttloads of homes with led pipes.
Actually, I need to replace mine but I've been too cheap other than to buy bottled water. I'm sure showing in lead poisoned water doesn't help either and I have been noticing I've been quite irate and drinking more alcohol than usual. Of course this is anecdotal evidence.
*burst fire*
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
*bangs keyboard angrily*
This is why a confession should never be trusted on its own -- without other evidence. Nor is it really trusted on its own by the courts in free countries, such as ours -- as evidenced by this very case.
I would have a wager that if you give me duct tape, a pair of pliers, a "victim", and an official government sanction that says I can do anything I'd like and won't get into any trouble as long as he lives long enough for a secret trial that I can make him confess to any crime you need him to confess too even if it happened before he was born or even if the crime never happened.
Now, it would be of course obviously that I had to remove most of his finger nails and if he lasted past that, I might have to go for his teeth and then crushing his fingers with the pliers (which is why people love water boarding and electrocution... same difference... just slower and less permanent damage other than psychological) but anyone will confess with enough torture.
You can hold out for maybe a few days, but you will go delusional because the body brain chemistry breaks down under stress no matter what and you loose grip of reality. At that point you simply start saying yes to any question you think they want you to say yes too even if it was a complete lie. When people ask for names, you'll give them everyone you know including your pets in hopes that they'll stop.
Some for reference, sometimes because I read something that sounds familiar that I want to find where I first read it.
Yeah, I've got the same problem. Often times I just want to quote something rather than paraphrase a particular section I remember reading but it takes an hour or so because the included index at the end of the book was sorely lacking for a 900 page book.
If you took away all technology that crime wouldn't happen?
This presents a huge ethical dilemma.
Ethical? The path will be determined by what populace gave the most campaign donations to which ever party happens to have their appointees in charge of said the Department of Weather.
Anyway, seems to me it's about time more and better sandbox programs appear so games like this can be cut off from the OS itself.
As an Intel Mac Gamer, I do this already. I play all my games in bootcamp or parallels and leave anything personal and business related on the OS X side of things. I suppose the could find out what other games I am playing but that is about it.
If the HD-DVD had been included since the beginning it would have cost twice as much and most of us probably wouldn't own one.
I'd have to argue this though, the first DVD player most gamers had was the PS2. Back then VHS was still ok and no one had a need to go out and buy an expensive stand alone DVD player.
I mean one night we were at the video store and we saw a DVD to rent instead of a VHS and we said to ourselves "Oh, if I only had a DVD player. Oh wait!"
This really drove the format and many kids with PS2 could also watch DVD movies. Of course now the players are $20 bucks for a new one and its a moot point.
Of course the whole issue of the HDVD and Bluray wars is kind of killing both formats at this point.
The fact that he could not even be bothered to wear shoes, let alone a suit has probably set our position back miles.
If dressing up meant getting more credibility, then people in brown uniforms could easily win over a nation even though their message was insane. Oh wait...
But seriously, any douche can wear a snappy suit and/or uniform and look impressive on stage even if their message is BS. It takes a strong message to do it barefoot.
Why do the elevators have to have "beamed power" to them, when they could be self powered like every other "going into space" craft? Why this unusual criteria? To save weight?
Because if the craft could carry its own power supply it might as well be a rocket. The energy required to get into orbit includes its weight in fuel which means you've got to get more thrust which means more fuel which means more requirement in thrust. There is a break even point (obviously), but if you could just haul the cargo up without the extra weight of fuel then you've saved yourself a bit more energy used for the lift which results in an exponentially smaller amount of total energy required.
I suppose they could use complete solar energy rather than "beamed power", but if someone was truly going to get a cost efficient space elevator it would still days a long time to get to cargo into orbit which might last a few days which means you'll have to go through a few days and nights. Of course you could put battery packs on the space elevator for night travel, but again your adding extra weight.
if you start just making up genes you do need to do much more carefull testing - make sure they don't mix with the plant next door and make something evil that kills all the bees or creates a super weed etc etc it's a combinatorial problem that nature has already been through and spent a few billion years of evolution on
Evolution isn't perfect, but it deals. It couldn't prevent the dinosaurs extinction after all (impact, gamma ray burst, super volcano etc), but life persisted regardless.
But you are right, releasing a GM crop into the wild without studying its potential dangers would be similar to pushing a comet to impact earth just to give evolution a kick in the pants.
It may work, but its unpleasant for those involved to say the least.
The thing that always seems to be missing is: why did these two robots continue to work so well, and, how do we go about repeating their success?
Lack of human safety issues and KISS.
And we know how hard it is to get rid of 100% of a certain type of plant.
Why not just let the free market or natural selection take its course?
Either we'll end up encouraging non-tomato markets or we'll stimulate evolution for genetically engineered humans immune to genetically engineered tomatoes... eventually.
But it also gives you ammo in the form of hand histories, betting patterns, etc. You can gain far more information about an opponent if you know how he's played in the past than you ever could off a potentially deceptive tell.
The key here is that online poker always allows a player to "cheat" even if it is something as simple as the other player just punching the card history into a second computer to give him all the statistics. Heck... You might even being playing against several persons sitting at a computer doing the operation.
Of course if you went to Las Vegas and flipped open a laptop and turned on your cell phone at a poker table, you'd get some funny looks by the people you are playing with.