I'm pretty impressed by this. It seems to me that Western mainstream media still regards bloggers (I'm not talking about journalists who happen to have blogs, I'm talking about pure bloggers) as some kind of group of fringe weirdos.
I'm still waiting to see a good argument that traditional journalists are still necessary, and cannot be completely replaced by enthusiastic amateur bloggers and a good aggregation service. I'm not saying such an argument does not exist, but I'm still waiting to see it.
I suppose so. I still subscribe to the de-facto "geek-card" standard used on Slashdot.
In my view, if you don't know how to customise your bash prompt, replace the mobo in your PC, or appreciate a joke expressed as pseudo-code, you're not a geek. Call me a snob if you like.
What is this new trend for everybody who has any kind of interest calling themselves "nerds" or "geeks"? I heard some beautiful person on TV the other day describing themselves as a "Musical Theatre Geek". WTF?
My current theory is that this is a nice way of bragging that "I know loads about this". By saying you're a "geek" it makes it sound like you're being humble about it.
Seriously though, I was proud of being a geek/nerd when it meant being a computery person who is passionate about science and technology and who therefore sometimes seems odd to people who are not into those things. However, if the word "nerd" has come to mean anybody with any kind of interest, it seems a bit of a lame and meaningless term.
But the idea of a full, unabridged, complete set of information which describes a real lifeform in full, contains the program of all the life functions, all the complexity of neural system, all the mysteries of instincts and social behaviors, the complexity of senses, the strength, immunity, lifeforce of a powerful creature - all this potential, described as a bunch of files consisting of rows upon rows of letters AGCT (gzipped).
What about epigenetics? The sequence is not everything.
As well as a physics experiment, Foucault's Pendulum is a fantastic book by Umberto Eco.
It's in the same subject area as the Da Vinci Code before that opportunist lightweight Dan Brown ever put pen to paper, and it has far more depth and erudition. There's even some code (BASIC) in it...
Debian is not "raw" in the least. In fact, when I did a fresh install of etch recently, I was honestly surprised at how easy the installation process had become (the last time I did a full reinstall was probably 2002 when I bought the machine that I was replacing).
I wasn't trying to say that modern Debian was raw, but rather that the polish of modern distros (including Debian) not only lowers the barrier to entry for Linux in general, but also is very important to people who are capable of the more advanced stuff.
In summary: so far, making Linux easier for newbies has also make it better for experts. This might sound obvious, but I don't think one necessarily follows from the other.
Agreed. I've also been using Linux since the mid 90s. I think people underestimate how much even experienced users appreciate a slightly more polished and easy-to-user product.
I love Linux and would still use a raw distribution if I really had to. However, the fact that Ubuntu has an effective GUI, updates "just work" and that installing new software is so easy is a massive bonus. Now I can get on with actually getting my work done rather than dicking about with configuration files and Make for hours.
Since 2009 is the Year of the Linux Desktop (!), the number of Ubuntu users is probably going to continue to grow. While this is great, these statistics show that an Ubuntu user is not (yet) as useful to the community as a Debian user.
It would be good if statistics like this could be used to start grooming the next generation of contributors to these projects. Just because they're n00bs (and not necessarily programmers) doesn't mean they can't be useful in reporting bugs, testing new features, amending documentation, suggesting UI improvements and so on.
Knowing what activities people engage in will help decide where to aim appeals for help and how to improve and facilitate contributions at the first level. The larger this group of low level helpers, the greater the number who can be converted into more serious contributors.
I have a friend who ran a company penetration testing people's computer systems. He had a lot of hardcore geeks on staff, of course. However, many of their hacks were because my friend, who was a pretty terrible tech-person, had the gift of the gab, and used to flirt with secretaries for their passwords.
Amen, brother. Every time I see a woman who is immaculately dressed and made-up, the same thoughts go through my head:
How much does she spend on those clothes, makeup and hair cuts?
How much time does she spend at the gym, in the shops, as well as preparing her appearance every morning?
How much mental energy is she expending on making sure she looks like that?
Of course there's also the (even more important) fact that somebody who spends that much time and energy on their appearance clearly thinks their importance is crucially important. In some cases (not all, of course) this will be to the detriment of other qualities like, you know, being an interesting or pleasant person.
I concur. When eBay made PayPal mandatory in the UK I tried to take my business elsewhere by selling my latest round of unwanted games and DVDs on eBid, which (as I understand) is their nearest rival. I couldn't get any bidders at all on fairly recent DS titles so I had to go back to eBay just to shift the items:(
You're right that it's annoying when these guys whinge. However, it's not too hard to just ignore it. All I'm saying is that the alternative to letting them whinge is a good deal worse.
Are you using the fact that some journalists are arse-holes to justify curtailing freedom of speech? That's mental.
The principle of press-freedom is separate from how that freedom is used in individual cases. That freedom is an absolutely vital component of a healthy democracy, because it means that corrupt or self-serving officials always have the fear that what they do will be uncovered and made public.
Yes, some journalists are whiny bitches. However, we must fight with all our might to protect their freedom to make a fuss.
I wonder where it should end? In some ways, I wish the ASA would actually take a moral stance on adverts too.
You're right that cosmetics adverts are appalling, but in my view perfume adverts are even worse. Since all scents are basically a matter of preference and cost nothing to produce, all you're paying for is the marketing and the image you feel it projects. This is a bit dubious to a geek like me, but I accept that this is an aspirational lifestyle product and therefore must be advertised as such.
What I object to is what we aspirations they depict. All the adverts for men's perfumes seem to think I want to be a brainless hunk flexing on some beach or strutting through an extensive wardrobe. All the women's adverts seem to expect women to want to be tall, insanely skinny women who look wasted on drugs and are highly sexually provocative and available. One advert seems to consist entirely of women aiming for the "please jizz on me" expression.
Does nobody aspire for anything beyond the physical? How about people succeeding at other goals? Conquering in the board room? Passing their degree? Climbing a mountain?
It really bugs me that all these pure aspiration/lifestyle products can only sell physical attractiveness as a worthwhile quality for aspiration.
In conclusion: the human race is doomed. (why do all my Slashdot posts seem to end with this conclusion?)
There's a similar advert for the app store here in the UK. It has some guy instantly downloading and using games, location software and so on. It has an amusing "actual sequence speeded up" disclaimer at the bottom, rather like those cosmetics adverts that say "some post-processing done on model".
Why don't they just say "this advert is a total lie, but it looks pretty and you're a gullible moron, so buy buy buy!"
What bugs me about the app store advert is that it finishes saying "this is going to change everything!" No, it isn't - it's another incremental improvement on smart phones, which is quite similar to many competing products. Ever since I found out about the reality distortion field I've started noticing that Apple try to use this in all their advertising.
Does anybody know of a collaborative drawing tool in the same vein? This would be great for a play-by-IM roleplaying game, so I could draw a battle map for my players. I could draw the map and they would be able to move their characters when it was their turn. I could even use different background textures to give the maps more character.
Cross platform would be ideal so that I don't have to use Windows...
It's good that they're taking a firm stance and everything, but are they absolutely confident that none of their other pictures are photoshopped? Not everybody who doctors image is a clueless muppet.
At least they're not suing a 17 year old with a broadband connection for a change. Maybe the ISP will have enough money that they can actually make a proper fight of this. That might mean we can finally have the argument aired carefully enough the general public can hear both sides.
I agree with what somebody else said about hammers, but I don't think most people yet understand that argument. It will be great for the debate when more people do.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's what happens if you do this with proper hardware.
For some reason this summons up images of Darth Vader trying to cram a cookie through his face-plate thing.
I'm pretty impressed by this. It seems to me that Western mainstream media still regards bloggers (I'm not talking about journalists who happen to have blogs, I'm talking about pure bloggers) as some kind of group of fringe weirdos.
I'm still waiting to see a good argument that traditional journalists are still necessary, and cannot be completely replaced by enthusiastic amateur bloggers and a good aggregation service. I'm not saying such an argument does not exist, but I'm still waiting to see it.
Also, see this Slashdot thread.
I suppose so. I still subscribe to the de-facto "geek-card" standard used on Slashdot.
In my view, if you don't know how to customise your bash prompt, replace the mobo in your PC, or appreciate a joke expressed as pseudo-code, you're not a geek. Call me a snob if you like.
What is this new trend for everybody who has any kind of interest calling themselves "nerds" or "geeks"? I heard some beautiful person on TV the other day describing themselves as a "Musical Theatre Geek". WTF?
My current theory is that this is a nice way of bragging that "I know loads about this". By saying you're a "geek" it makes it sound like you're being humble about it.
Seriously though, I was proud of being a geek/nerd when it meant being a computery person who is passionate about science and technology and who therefore sometimes seems odd to people who are not into those things. However, if the word "nerd" has come to mean anybody with any kind of interest, it seems a bit of a lame and meaningless term.
But the idea of a full, unabridged, complete set of information which describes a real lifeform in full, contains the program of all the life functions, all the complexity of neural system, all the mysteries of instincts and social behaviors, the complexity of senses, the strength, immunity, lifeforce of a powerful creature - all this potential, described as a bunch of files consisting of rows upon rows of letters AGCT (gzipped).
What about epigenetics? The sequence is not everything.
(maybe slightly OT)
As well as a physics experiment, Foucault's Pendulum is a fantastic book by Umberto Eco.
It's in the same subject area as the Da Vinci Code before that opportunist lightweight Dan Brown ever put pen to paper, and it has far more depth and erudition. There's even some code (BASIC) in it...
Qapla'!
Debian is not "raw" in the least. In fact, when I did a fresh install of etch recently, I was honestly surprised at how easy the installation process had become (the last time I did a full reinstall was probably 2002 when I bought the machine that I was replacing).
I wasn't trying to say that modern Debian was raw, but rather that the polish of modern distros (including Debian) not only lowers the barrier to entry for Linux in general, but also is very important to people who are capable of the more advanced stuff.
In summary: so far, making Linux easier for newbies has also make it better for experts. This might sound obvious, but I don't think one necessarily follows from the other.
Agreed. I've also been using Linux since the mid 90s. I think people underestimate how much even experienced users appreciate a slightly more polished and easy-to-user product.
I love Linux and would still use a raw distribution if I really had to. However, the fact that Ubuntu has an effective GUI, updates "just work" and that installing new software is so easy is a massive bonus. Now I can get on with actually getting my work done rather than dicking about with configuration files and Make for hours.
Since 2009 is the Year of the Linux Desktop (!), the number of Ubuntu users is probably going to continue to grow. While this is great, these statistics show that an Ubuntu user is not (yet) as useful to the community as a Debian user.
It would be good if statistics like this could be used to start grooming the next generation of contributors to these projects. Just because they're n00bs (and not necessarily programmers) doesn't mean they can't be useful in reporting bugs, testing new features, amending documentation, suggesting UI improvements and so on.
Knowing what activities people engage in will help decide where to aim appeals for help and how to improve and facilitate contributions at the first level. The larger this group of low level helpers, the greater the number who can be converted into more serious contributors.
I have a friend who ran a company penetration testing people's computer systems. He had a lot of hardcore geeks on staff, of course. However, many of their hacks were because my friend, who was a pretty terrible tech-person, had the gift of the gab, and used to flirt with secretaries for their passwords.
Amen, brother. Every time I see a woman who is immaculately dressed and made-up, the same thoughts go through my head:
Of course there's also the (even more important) fact that somebody who spends that much time and energy on their appearance clearly thinks their importance is crucially important. In some cases (not all, of course) this will be to the detriment of other qualities like, you know, being an interesting or pleasant person.
Osama Bin Laden has sent you some anthrax using the super poke application. Would you like to reply?
There's a good rant from Corey Doctorow about this. I think the best phrase that summaries people's high hopes for the semantic web is "nerd hubris".
Wow. I never knew there were so many demented people on Slashdot.
I concur. When eBay made PayPal mandatory in the UK I tried to take my business elsewhere by selling my latest round of unwanted games and DVDs on eBid, which (as I understand) is their nearest rival. I couldn't get any bidders at all on fairly recent DS titles so I had to go back to eBay just to shift the items :(
You're right that it's annoying when these guys whinge. However, it's not too hard to just ignore it. All I'm saying is that the alternative to letting them whinge is a good deal worse.
Are you using the fact that some journalists are arse-holes to justify curtailing freedom of speech? That's mental.
The principle of press-freedom is separate from how that freedom is used in individual cases. That freedom is an absolutely vital component of a healthy democracy, because it means that corrupt or self-serving officials always have the fear that what they do will be uncovered and made public.
Yes, some journalists are whiny bitches. However, we must fight with all our might to protect their freedom to make a fuss.
That's a stupid idea.
--
The human race is doomed.
I wonder where it should end? In some ways, I wish the ASA would actually take a moral stance on adverts too.
You're right that cosmetics adverts are appalling, but in my view perfume adverts are even worse. Since all scents are basically a matter of preference and cost nothing to produce, all you're paying for is the marketing and the image you feel it projects. This is a bit dubious to a geek like me, but I accept that this is an aspirational lifestyle product and therefore must be advertised as such.
What I object to is what we aspirations they depict. All the adverts for men's perfumes seem to think I want to be a brainless hunk flexing on some beach or strutting through an extensive wardrobe. All the women's adverts seem to expect women to want to be tall, insanely skinny women who look wasted on drugs and are highly sexually provocative and available. One advert seems to consist entirely of women aiming for the "please jizz on me" expression.
Does nobody aspire for anything beyond the physical? How about people succeeding at other goals? Conquering in the board room? Passing their degree? Climbing a mountain?
It really bugs me that all these pure aspiration/lifestyle products can only sell physical attractiveness as a worthwhile quality for aspiration.
In conclusion: the human race is doomed. (why do all my Slashdot posts seem to end with this conclusion?)
There's a similar advert for the app store here in the UK. It has some guy instantly downloading and using games, location software and so on. It has an amusing "actual sequence speeded up" disclaimer at the bottom, rather like those cosmetics adverts that say "some post-processing done on model".
Why don't they just say "this advert is a total lie, but it looks pretty and you're a gullible moron, so buy buy buy!"
What bugs me about the app store advert is that it finishes saying "this is going to change everything!" No, it isn't - it's another incremental improvement on smart phones, which is quite similar to many competing products. Ever since I found out about the reality distortion field I've started noticing that Apple try to use this in all their advertising.
Does anybody know of a collaborative drawing tool in the same vein? This would be great for a play-by-IM roleplaying game, so I could draw a battle map for my players. I could draw the map and they would be able to move their characters when it was their turn. I could even use different background textures to give the maps more character.
Cross platform would be ideal so that I don't have to use Windows...
It's good that they're taking a firm stance and everything, but are they absolutely confident that none of their other pictures are photoshopped? Not everybody who doctors image is a clueless muppet.
At least they're not suing a 17 year old with a broadband connection for a change. Maybe the ISP will have enough money that they can actually make a proper fight of this. That might mean we can finally have the argument aired carefully enough the general public can hear both sides.
I agree with what somebody else said about hammers, but I don't think most people yet understand that argument. It will be great for the debate when more people do.