"being truly machiavellian is an art rarely practiced outside of government."...and a million executives howled with laughter, patted each other on the back, and spoke their congratulations about the latest advertising campaign...
Your post is so full of logical flaws I hardly know where to begin. Here's a few:
1. To be pedantic (like you), science never _proves_ anything. All it can do is show correlations and fail to disprove the hypothesis. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper 2. Global warming is not an on/off binary thing - there are levels of severity. Hence the way you applied your game theory matrix doesn't actually make sense. 3. (side note) - I love the way you use the loaded terms 'sin' and 'repent' - very clever _and_ original (/sarcasm). Are you a Michael Crichton fan? 4. You assume the the money made by business as usual could or would be used to mitigate the consequences of global warming. This is so incredibly naive that I'm still amazed that people believe it. I think it's chiefly because people like you _assume_ they will remain in the relatively wealthy classes. But if you don't, I wouldn't expect the wealthy or big business to spend a dime trying to help you, if past performance is anything to go by.
"As the scientific method can only disprove, (S, N) provides the only definite answer" just to go back to this - SO WHAT? This is normal scientific practice, and is the way ALL science research is done. This is the method that has produced modern medicine, space travel and quantum theory (electronics). Why are you suddenly so dissatisfied with it - is it because you don't like what it's saying?
I remember having just such an argument with someone, and then actually ending up convincing myself of their case:
How could boys be genetically programmed to like cars, planes and guns? They're not, of course, because those things haven't existed throughout human evolution. What has always been important, however, is power. Boys love power, and they learn from a young age that cars, planes and guns represent power.
That's my hypothesis anyway - I'm not an evolutionary psychologist;-).
Excellent posts, thanks. I think what you're trying to say in a nutshell (since some people are finding it hard to understand) is that we shouldn't create systems and rules that require people to behave like saints, because most of us are not saints.
...so kids, remember: don't be a silly Linux "Zeloat," use Apple and be smart.
In seriousness, good on Apple for running with CUPS and improving it. And good on Free Software for making it possible for them to do so (and leverage a heck of a lot of their OS at the same time).
My iBook can't be kept up-to-date with Apple OSs now, but it can with Free Software. I don't blame Apple for this (it's 6 years old), but I think it demonstrates one of the superiorities of Free Software over closed-source software.
Sounds like you're really arguing for stronger international trade unions* that can 1. fight regimes that crush workers' rights 2. negotiate an equal playing field, instead of a race-to-the-bottom as is currently occurring.
* I think such institutions are increasingly necessary, and are required in a free market.
"they just want to feel as though they are a victim to forces beyond their control."
That's not what it's about at all. You can be sure that Murdoch doesn't see himself as a passive victim (he's a successful business man, for God's sake!) -- he just wants more money.
I wrote my thesis in LyX, and it was basically a good experience with few problems. However, if I was doing it again I'd probably use straight LaTeX via a nice editor (gedit has a nice LaTeX plugin, for example). The reason for this is that I think LaTeX is in someways a bit simpler than LyX because it is always clear what is happening, whereas LyX has a second markup stage. I had a bit of difficulty doing some document-wide formatting in LyX that I think would've been more straight-forward in LaTeX.
I'm certainly not being heavily critical of LyX, and think that if you stick to their bundled document formats, you should be fine.
(this is a little off-topic, because the article is about taking equation notes in class, which would be a cinch in LyX, I reckon.)
That sounds fair, but I think we should be clear then that it's not xubuntu that's using your RAM, but rather the apps you're running. As I said in my other post, I've set my parents up with a machine with only 96 MB RAM, but they're using claw email client and epiphany (I think, they're _definitely_ not using firefox!), and their usage is basic.
I agree though - Linux isn't magic, and if you want to run a machine with little RAM you'll need to work within that constraint. Having said that, I don't know which other modern OS they could run with so little RAM.
There's no need for property rights - as evidenced by the numerous hunter-gatherer societies that used to roam the world quite happily. However, by providing property rights, societies and economies become much more efficient (because people reap the rewards of their labour, and can pass on those fruits to their heirs).
Maybe similarly, by guaranteeing internet rights, Finland hopes to encourage a similar increase in efficiency and productivity, thereby giving Finland a big leg-up in the world.
My feeling is that we _need_ an (essentially) capitalist system, but that it needs to be shored up by regulation, without which we will end up with either fascism or the kind of economic instability we've seen in the last 12 months. The US needs to get over the whole communism and "nanny state" meme, IMO.
Interestingly, one of the election platforms of the current Australian government was that they would increase governmental transparency and stop the practise of pork-barrelling (whereby taxpayer-funded projects were concentrated in marginal electorates - a charge they levied at the previous government).
I'm not saying they've succeeded in stopping this practise (I don't know, although I have heard good things about increases in transparency), but it was nice at least to hear them to say that they would!
>> All of the "creation" is being done by the guy that >> wrote the original bit of sheet music. uhuh - and that's why MIDI sounds just like a real orchestra. oh wait...
Every performance is an interpretation, which is a creative process. Are you really trying to assert that participating in the creation of music is only a little bit more creative than sitting back and listening to a recording? If so, I'd be guessing that you don't actually _play_ any musical instruments, and probably don't derive a lot of pleasure from music (and hence are speaking from almost total ignorance).
Slashdot Mirror
"being truly machiavellian is an art rarely practiced outside of government." ...and a million executives howled with laughter, patted each other on the back, and spoke their congratulations about the latest advertising campaign...
Your post is so full of logical flaws I hardly know where to begin. Here's a few:
1. To be pedantic (like you), science never _proves_ anything. All it can do is show correlations and fail to disprove the hypothesis. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Popper
2. Global warming is not an on/off binary thing - there are levels of severity. Hence the way you applied your game theory matrix doesn't actually make sense.
3. (side note) - I love the way you use the loaded terms 'sin' and 'repent' - very clever _and_ original (/sarcasm). Are you a Michael Crichton fan?
4. You assume the the money made by business as usual could or would be used to mitigate the consequences of global warming. This is so incredibly naive that I'm still amazed that people believe it. I think it's chiefly because people like you _assume_ they will remain in the relatively wealthy classes. But if you don't, I wouldn't expect the wealthy or big business to spend a dime trying to help you, if past performance is anything to go by.
"As the scientific method can only disprove, (S, N) provides the only definite answer"
just to go back to this - SO WHAT? This is normal scientific practice, and is the way ALL science research is done. This is the method that has produced modern medicine, space travel and quantum theory (electronics). Why are you suddenly so dissatisfied with it - is it because you don't like what it's saying?
I remember having just such an argument with someone, and then actually ending up convincing myself of their case:
How could boys be genetically programmed to like cars, planes and guns? They're not, of course, because those things haven't existed throughout human evolution. What has always been important, however, is power. Boys love power, and they learn from a young age that cars, planes and guns represent power.
That's my hypothesis anyway - I'm not an evolutionary psychologist ;-).
Excellent posts, thanks. I think what you're trying to say in a nutshell (since some people are finding it hard to understand) is that we shouldn't create systems and rules that require people to behave like saints, because most of us are not saints.
...so kids, remember: don't be a silly Linux "Zeloat," use Apple and be smart.
In seriousness, good on Apple for running with CUPS and improving it. And good on Free Software for making it possible for them to do so (and leverage a heck of a lot of their OS at the same time).
My iBook can't be kept up-to-date with Apple OSs now, but it can with Free Software. I don't blame Apple for this (it's 6 years old), but I think it demonstrates one of the superiorities of Free Software over closed-source software.
Sounds like you're really arguing for stronger international trade unions* that can
1. fight regimes that crush workers' rights
2. negotiate an equal playing field, instead of a race-to-the-bottom as is currently occurring.
* I think such institutions are increasingly necessary, and are required in a free market.
"they just want to feel as though they are a victim to forces beyond their control."
That's not what it's about at all. You can be sure that Murdoch doesn't see himself as a passive victim (he's a successful business man, for God's sake!) -- he just wants more money.
I think you'll find that in the US, most of these social/political topics are a lot more polarised than they are elsewhere in the world.
I don't know why that is...
Yup there's nothing wrong with the appstore - it's the iPhone that's crippled.
"Those of us with beta accounts are familiar with the fact that its slow, clumsy and unexciting. "
can this be rephrased as:
"Too slow. Steeper learning curve than email. Lame."
?
I wrote my thesis in LyX, and it was basically a good experience with few problems. However, if I was doing it again I'd probably use straight LaTeX via a nice editor (gedit has a nice LaTeX plugin, for example). The reason for this is that I think LaTeX is in someways a bit simpler than LyX because it is always clear what is happening, whereas LyX has a second markup stage. I had a bit of difficulty doing some document-wide formatting in LyX that I think would've been more straight-forward in LaTeX.
I'm certainly not being heavily critical of LyX, and think that if you stick to their bundled document formats, you should be fine.
(this is a little off-topic, because the article is about taking equation notes in class, which would be a cinch in LyX, I reckon.)
That sounds fair, but I think we should be clear then that it's not xubuntu that's using your RAM, but rather the apps you're running. As I said in my other post, I've set my parents up with a machine with only 96 MB RAM, but they're using claw email client and epiphany (I think, they're _definitely_ not using firefox!), and their usage is basic.
I agree though - Linux isn't magic, and if you want to run a machine with little RAM you'll need to work within that constraint. Having said that, I don't know which other modern OS they could run with so little RAM.
Really? I've set up my parents with Xubuntu running on a Pentium II and 96 MB RAM. They get by ok...
Not sure what you're trying to run - Office inside Vista inside QEMU or something?
"the ironically named Liberal party"
I don't think it's ironic, just a reminder that last generation's liberal values are this generation's conservative values.
*ducks* ;-)
"the Australian government is notorious for under delivering"
got any evidence to support that claim?
"that would certainly stimulate the US economy"
How would that square with the various free-trade agreements the US has been pushing in recent decades?
(geniune question)
There's no need for property rights - as evidenced by the numerous hunter-gatherer societies that used to roam the world quite happily. However, by providing property rights, societies and economies become much more efficient (because people reap the rewards of their labour, and can pass on those fruits to their heirs).
Maybe similarly, by guaranteeing internet rights, Finland hopes to encourage a similar increase in efficiency and productivity, thereby giving Finland a big leg-up in the world.
Is capitalism working? Could've fooled me.
My feeling is that we _need_ an (essentially) capitalist system, but that it needs to be shored up by regulation, without which we will end up with either fascism or the kind of economic instability we've seen in the last 12 months. The US needs to get over the whole communism and "nanny state" meme, IMO.
could you please explain your sig? I don't get it..
Interestingly, one of the election platforms of the current Australian government was that they would increase governmental transparency and stop the practise of pork-barrelling (whereby taxpayer-funded projects were concentrated in marginal electorates - a charge they levied at the previous government).
I'm not saying they've succeeded in stopping this practise (I don't know, although I have heard good things about increases in transparency), but it was nice at least to hear them to say that they would!
>> All of the "creation" is being done by the guy that
>> wrote the original bit of sheet music.
uhuh - and that's why MIDI sounds just like a real orchestra. oh wait...
Every performance is an interpretation, which is a creative process. Are you really trying to assert that participating in the creation of music is only a little bit more creative than sitting back and listening to a recording? If so, I'd be guessing that you don't actually _play_ any musical instruments, and probably don't derive a lot of pleasure from music (and hence are speaking from almost total ignorance).
So, a blatantly sexist* comment is +5 funny, but there's no problem with sexism in Geekdom... right...
*and, dare I say, unfunny and unoriginal
Who said anything about malice? What we're talking about here is self-interest, and that's as common as air.
Given that, I think it'd be fairer to compare Gentoo against Ubuntu 10.04, don't you?
...except that the OLPC is about learning and participatory culture -- not the passive consumption of media (there are already many devices for that!)