Potentially, a lot. Science, even if only in theory, and especially astronomy, teaches a human that neither he nor his place are the center of anything, and that everything is temporary. This, if understood (!), induces humility, reduces egoism and intolerance, acceptance of ones own death as less tragic, and leads generally to the insight that learning and understanding, being happy, and maybe making others happy is a good way to live.
So, if you like something and use it, like a website on growing pot, or street racing, or Al-Jazeera, and because of some investigation your data ends up matching possible suspects, and you are arrested - you just say "well my fault, shouldn't have visited that site"? Are you really able to censor yourself in a way that nothing could interpreted as suspicious? It seems unrealistic to me. A basic regulated privacy protection might be helpful indeed.
retaining information about the search habits of users seems to have hurt no one
I agree that Google themselves are not a "risk" - they use the data for ad targeting. But what if they are forced to reveal data, or get hacked, or just make a mistake?
The data they have from searches can be as complete as who searched when what, and clicked which result. Certain types of lawyers can create major problems for someone out of a data set like this.
LOL! That's why I'm asking. Look, MS-Dildows, being from MS, would be a (patented) rip-off from a standard vibrator. Conventional deployment would be with the battery opening outside the body.:-) But what do I know!
Definitely digital controls for almost anything. I can't stand them.
You're right, and most people don't like them, but the reason ist not stupid design as many may believe, but cost: Today, ICs are cheaper than analog circuits - themselves, and their integration into the product. Also, digital buttons can be made flat, whereas protruding analog knobs require more sophisticated handling and packaging. Finally, digital buttons and their attached IC are trivially adaptable to new functions in an advancing series of a product; panels with analog knobs would have to be redesigned in many cases.
These are all peanuts obviously, but they sum up to a few bucks, and companies today selling millions of units of the same product are very focused on maximizing their profit. In fact, these companies employ dozens of engineers who do nothing else than trying to squeeze the last cent in terms of design and production cost.
As a sidenote, the bad user experience with digital controls is most probably worse than it would have to be, because "classic" UI designers think "analog" and "physical". Maybe software UI designers would make a better job there?
What you say seems logical, but in reality it is not the case, at least in countries that are not poor throughout.
Mexico for example is in second place in terms of worldwide obesity. I lived in Mexico for a few years, and traveled in most Latin American countries, and what you see is that the poor people drink softdrinks almost exclusively, and cook with loads of oil and fatty meats. Fruits and vegetables grow abundantly, but they don't use them.
The grandparent is right, food is too cheap: Staying with the example Mexico, there was an outcry from people that the higher tortilla prices have forced them to use meat only once a day. Go figure!
The press release starts with: "As part of its continued commitment to deliver interoperability by design, Microsoft...". This is just hilarious. If lies would hurt, MS PR writers would scream the whole day.
> CDs sound different if played with digital filters.
Exactly. Different CD players, which have different filter setups, sound different; in the end it is a matter of taste and preferred music style.
The argument that CDs sound artificial/metallic/etc is from the old days when CD players had no real noise shaping filters. Also, many of the first reissues on CD where copied sloppily from the vinyl master, which made them sound thin and boring, because vinyl masters are heavily equalized to suit the medium and turntable characteristics.
Flamebait? It made me LOL, and it's a little insightful as well. Because, once we create the first AI, we will ask it: "Does God exist?" And most probably, it will answer: "Not enough data for meaningful answer."
> I don't want to mess with a faucet while I have toothpaste on my hands
Erm, you use both hands when brushing teeth? This must look funny.
> re-calibrate (very difficult with a shared hot-cold single faucet) the hot-cold balance
Actually, the hot-cold single faucets I know do exactly that: maintain the temperature between turning off and on, at least while the hot water in the tube doesn't cool down significantly (which only happens fater 10 min.). The old style two-handle faucets actually are the ones which suck here.
> The hot water that I run the entire time I am shaving
As someone who shaves electric this just makes me shudder thinking of the waste. If it were only you, no problem, have fun. But unfortunateley its hundreds of thousands of people wasting millions of gallons of water. Heated water, that is.
This WILL hurt us in the long term. But we all know, we will keep our habits until things get either to expensive, or just run out. I guess, in 50 years when clean water is scarce, other means of personal hygiene (chemical? electrical? nano-bots?) will be standard.
I can absolutely confirm this. It would be solved if one could not only lock the highest, but also the lowest automatic gear. This way the car would have to slow down uphill if you lock it in, let's say, 5th.
Slashdot Mirror
> How will this affect your behaviour today?
Potentially, a lot. Science, even if only in theory, and especially astronomy, teaches a human that neither he nor his place are the center of anything, and that everything is temporary. This, if understood (!), induces humility, reduces egoism and intolerance, acceptance of ones own death as less tragic, and leads generally to the insight that learning and understanding, being happy, and maybe making others happy is a good way to live.
Not necessary. A portable fan (on low speed) works really well, and you can direct the smoke away from you and the waiting (hungry) fellows.
So, if you like something and use it, like a website on growing pot, or street racing, or Al-Jazeera, and because of some investigation your data ends up matching possible suspects, and you are arrested - you just say "well my fault, shouldn't have visited that site"? Are you really able to censor yourself in a way that nothing could interpreted as suspicious? It seems unrealistic to me. A basic regulated privacy protection might be helpful indeed.
I agree that Google themselves are not a "risk" - they use the data for ad targeting. But what if they are forced to reveal data, or get hacked, or just make a mistake?
The data they have from searches can be as complete as who searched when what, and clicked which result. Certain types of lawyers can create major problems for someone out of a data set like this.
LOL! That's why I'm asking. Look, MS-Dildows, being from MS, would be a (patented) rip-off from a standard vibrator. Conventional deployment would be with the battery opening outside the body. :-) But what do I know!
Wait a minute. The battery opening is facing inward, but she "had to go conventional"? What the hell would be unconventional??
... welcome our new iGasm vibrated female colleague overload!
ROFL!! Best AC first post joke I've seen.
You're right, and most people don't like them, but the reason ist not stupid design as many may believe, but cost: Today, ICs are cheaper than analog circuits - themselves, and their integration into the product. Also, digital buttons can be made flat, whereas protruding analog knobs require more sophisticated handling and packaging. Finally, digital buttons and their attached IC are trivially adaptable to new functions in an advancing series of a product; panels with analog knobs would have to be redesigned in many cases.
These are all peanuts obviously, but they sum up to a few bucks, and companies today selling millions of units of the same product are very focused on maximizing their profit. In fact, these companies employ dozens of engineers who do nothing else than trying to squeeze the last cent in terms of design and production cost.
As a sidenote, the bad user experience with digital controls is most probably worse than it would have to be, because "classic" UI designers think "analog" and "physical". Maybe software UI designers would make a better job there?
Stupid are only people like you who don't know that radios have OFF buttons...
Sure. Humid walls covered with fungi - the best WiFi firewall there is! A fungiwall, in fact.
fungi eat you!
...
Or your spaceship
Mexico for example is in second place in terms of worldwide obesity. I lived in Mexico for a few years, and traveled in most Latin American countries, and what you see is that the poor people drink softdrinks almost exclusively, and cook with loads of oil and fatty meats. Fruits and vegetables grow abundantly, but they don't use them.
The grandparent is right, food is too cheap: Staying with the example Mexico, there was an outcry from people that the higher tortilla prices have forced them to use meat only once a day. Go figure!
Microsoft sues you! Oh wait ...
The people in Washington must be dangerous because of all those restrictions. Oh wait ...
The press release starts with: "As part of its continued commitment to deliver interoperability by design, Microsoft ...". This is just hilarious. If lies would hurt, MS PR writers would scream the whole day.
I had ALOT of fun reading you're comment!
Correct! With that capacity, the average pr0n collector needs only about 4 drives in LVM setup, perfect!
Do you have a censored version, or are you just a "pussy"?
> CDs sound different if played with digital filters.
Exactly. Different CD players, which have different filter setups, sound different; in the end it is a matter of taste and preferred music style.
The argument that CDs sound artificial/metallic/etc is from the old days when CD players had no real noise shaping filters. Also, many of the first reissues on CD where copied sloppily from the vinyl master, which made them sound thin and boring, because vinyl masters are heavily equalized to suit the medium and turntable characteristics.
Flamebait? It made me LOL, and it's a little insightful as well. Because, once we create the first AI, we will ask it: "Does God exist?" And most probably, it will answer: "Not enough data for meaningful answer."
> I don't want to mess with a faucet while I have toothpaste on my hands
Erm, you use both hands when brushing teeth? This must look funny.
> re-calibrate (very difficult with a shared hot-cold single faucet) the hot-cold balance
Actually, the hot-cold single faucets I know do exactly that: maintain the temperature between turning off and on, at least while the hot water in the tube doesn't cool down significantly (which only happens fater 10 min.). The old style two-handle faucets actually are the ones which suck here.
> The hot water that I run the entire time I am shaving
As someone who shaves electric this just makes me shudder thinking of the waste. If it were only you, no problem, have fun. But unfortunateley its hundreds of thousands of people wasting millions of gallons of water. Heated water, that is.
This WILL hurt us in the long term. But we all know, we will keep our habits until things get either to expensive, or just run out. I guess, in 50 years when clean water is scarce, other means of personal hygiene (chemical? electrical? nano-bots?) will be standard.
> screaming and flipping me off, because I allowed a half-dozen car lengths to open ahead of me
Oh yes. Also, when travelling with a save distance to the front car, there will always be a dimwit who pushes into that safety space.
> Nope, you can't drive steady in the U.S.
That's a fact everywhere, at least in the other Americas and Europe. And it has gotten much worse during the last 10 years.
I can absolutely confirm this.
It would be solved if one could not only lock the highest, but also the lowest automatic gear. This way the car would have to slow down uphill if you lock it in, let's say, 5th.
"which work on Windows only"
Which means it's NOT free, neither in the beer nor the freedom sense.