Slashdot Mirror


User: Billings

Billings's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
29
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 29

  1. A fine line on "N-word".com Owned by NAACP · · Score: 1
    There's a fine line between a truly objective racial viewpoint and prejudice. There's much in this argument that is true, and has been asserted by members of the African American community itself (most notably Chris Rock, who so famously made the distinction between black people and niggers).

    However, I live in Mississippi. I have seen this close up in an area where the tension is remarkably high (although maybe not so bad as washington, D.C...:). Exposure of the majority of the public to these ideas tends to give them an "outlet" for their hatred - "it's been said by somebody else, so I can use these observations to justify my hate". They miss the point (relevant link...:) It's not that. At all. :)

    The key is compassion. I can point at some numbers and say that those damned niggers don't do nothin' for nobody. Or I can point at it and just take it in.

    Because, unfortunately, I don't think there's much on the issue I can accomplish for the positive as Captain White Male (tm). The atmosphere's just too hostile. Most I think I can do is judge people on a per-person basis... like it should be.

    Anybody have suggestions on what a well meaning White Male can do to reduce racial tension? :)

  2. why make atomic bombs? on Can Androids Feel Pain? · · Score: 1
    Just because we have the tech to do something doesn't mean we should do it.

    Just an easy example of this. :) Think about the military applications of androids! Zowee! We'd never have to lose another American Boy in Battle!

    Wait for war. Apply spin to the topic. It'll happen. I dunno all the things you can count on, but two of 'em I'm positive about are war and new war gadgets.

  3. Re:The best hiding place is in plane sight... on Microsoft NSA key Follow-Up · · Score: 1
    >>Of course, if everyone didn't take it seriously because they believed that it was "too obvious" and that it "couldn't be true," then it could be even more powerful than if it were kept secret.

    2+2=4

    It's too obvious! Impossible, it can't be true!

    This entire thread is proof positive that the idea that "obvious isn't serious" is bogus. There are plenty of people here taking it seriously.

    Of course, I would bet that there are people who wouldn't believe 2+2=4 if the NSA told them so...:)

  4. Re:Islands on Web: 19 Clicks Wide · · Score: 4

    There's an additional study in Scientific American awhile back that shows evidence of that. The premise of the study was to create a search engine that refines the quality of web sites by giving them a "hub" and a "target" rating (I believe that was the terminology used). The "hub" rating was determined by the number and quality of the target sites the page linked to (quality being determined by the "target" score), and the "target" rating was determined by the number and quality of the "hubs" that linked to it. (again, quality determined by "hub" score) So they'd run the list of sites through several time using these, and each time the hub and target scores were refined by each other. Eventually stabilized scores are obtained by running this evaluation scheme enough. To relate it to the topic at hand in this thread, though, when they studied the web using these, individual communities of targets and hubs could be discerned by an above-average rate of linkage within the group.