Perhaps everyone should stop worrying about how they are going to record the next episode of The OC and start wondering why they have the right to record that episode. Don't tell me you paid for it -- we all pay to watch cable TV. It doesn't mean we pay to be able to copy this content, distribute it or whatever the hell else we want to do with it.
It's starting to annoy me like hell when people support the rights of large corporations to screw the consumers, even when those "rights" are against current law. Forget illegal distibution of Britney Spears mp3s. Forget suing twelve-year olds. Why on earth do you people insist on claiming the moral high ground for faceless corporations acting against the law?
Those two chemicals regulate the nervous system. You'll see that most nerve agents, such as VX, are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
Would an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor reduce, or prevent, feelings of fear? Snorting VX would obviously not be a good idea, but I assume there are other chemicals with the same effect.
Another interesting possibility is desensitizing yourself to fear if it can be chemically induced whenever you can handle it.
Organinzing a demonstration didn't help. Like it or not, the music industry has a lot of political weight and there are no significant pro-consumer organizations.
What pisses me off here is that what was an explicit legal right to make copies for personal use has been changed to a mention that it would be good if content providers could pretty please make it possible to make said copies without breaking encryption, which is now illegal.
I'm not against IP law in general. What I would like is for there to be a competitive alternative to breaking the law. Non-DRM-encumbered music, TV series and movies available at a decent price. Me watching two minutes of advertising in addition to watching the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica can NOT be worth more than I'd be willing to pay for getting a torrent download automatically started when the episode is released. Say, one USD for each minute of ads I don't watch?
Some people may read this and think I have a totally self-centered attitude...and that'd be true to an extent. However it doesn't mean that you have to become a callous asshole. You can still be a nice, moral person. However, being nice doesn't mean you're a naive pushover. You have a duty to look out for yourself.
Once the military has truly autonomous vehicles it won't be that much longer before we cede our control of cars to a computer.
Just make sure it isn't using an MS operating system. Otherwise a BSOD will take on a whole new meaning.
I'd be more afraid of the military having BSODs than private cars. This stuff is currently meant for supply vehicles, but when those work reliably there will be political pressure to make autonomous combat vehicles. Why have humans in combat while machines do the less dangerous work? If foresee the phrase "false positive" gaining popularity over the next few years...
What's under the belt, stays under the belt. All my clients keep their pants on, or I leave the room.
A project manager at my previous job was fond of calling the coders "bitches". I guess it was funnier than "resources". It led to a bunch of jokes like the above.
Researcher 1: OMFG! We just caught a Giant Squid on camera! Researcher 2: Quick, let's submit it to Slashdot! Researcher 1: Perfect! Who wants to host the pics?
Freedom of speech is a basic human right to express one's opinions, not a blanket license to incite terror, hatred and bigotry.
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the above sentence covers the difference between European and US freedom of speech completely. In the US, (at least in theory) all political speech is protected, even that which is considered dangerous incitement in Europe.
I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft is working hard on "browser integration into windows" so that the clueless user in the year 2008 will have no idea what the difference between his own computer and the Internet is. Then again, most of us have already seen a link to a picture on a message board pointing here...
"Wakamaru's claimed battery life is two hours, after which the robot returns to its charging station before power fails completely." Hmmm - I hope it knows how far it is back to the charging base......
Actually, it would be cooler if it didn't. When running low on power, it could be programmed to scream "Aaaah! Aaaaaagh! Noooooo" while making a mad dash for the recharging station.
As to poverty, another poster already replied to you and pointed out that Cuba has a lower poverty rate than the US. That just shows how (like the infant mortality rates) poverty statistics are BS.
To pre-empt any cries of foul play, here is the CIA factbook's side notes on the poverty percentages.
"Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations."
The world bank defines poverty as living on below two US dollars per day, but few countries use that definition.
OOP, extreme programming, test driven development, MVC, factories, modularity
I'd say the list is all common sense with the notable exceptions of extreme programming and test-driven development. It would be interesting to know how that worked out, specifically what kind of problems there were.
If the gamma ray burst that we saw was in our galaxy and still pointed at us, we'd be dead.
Do gamma ray bursts occur anymore, or did they only happen at an earlier stage of the universe's evolution? I can't recall ever hearing about a GRB occuring without some mention of how close to the big bang it was, or what the universe was like in those days.
So, this is cool... but in the embedded systems field. Don't start comparing it to Windows XP and thinking you'll get it on a desktop Linux.
Of course, if people stopped drooling over performance numbers and actually considered what they need, they might come to the conclusion that no one cares whether anything on a desktop computer reacts in 5 or 50 milliseconds.
Then again, I guess there's nothing new about geeks going to great lengths for a performance improvement that is unnoticable to a human observer.
Thank god we've evolved to the point where we understand that you shouldn't mix wine and beer in a single brew.
If I read the article correctly, they just found traces of all that stuff in the same container. There's nothing to really prove the container wasn't used for different brews at different times.
"2.2 How does an automatic mechanism work?
All self-winding watches work on the principle of converting arm motion (kinetic energy) into the winding of the mainspring (potential energy). Usually, this is performed by a half-disc of metal weighted at the edge called a rotor, which spins when the wearer's arm is accelerated unpredictably (that is, when moved normally in the course of everyday life). This rotary motion is then geared down to wind the central arbor of the mainspring."
and
"2.2.1 Are the Seiko Kinetic / Autoquartz therefore Automatics?
Not quite, but close. The Seiko Kinetic and ETA Autoquartz movements are quartz movements. However, they use a rotor system similar to those used by automatics. The difference is that the rotor's motion is converted to electricity, which is then used to charge a capacitor. The quartz movement then draws current from the capacitor as if it were a battery."
Your second link is to a device that slowly rotates the watch to keep it from stopping when you're not wearing it.
Slashdot Mirror
Perhaps everyone should stop worrying about how they are going to record the next episode of The OC and start wondering why they have the right to record that episode. Don't tell me you paid for it -- we all pay to watch cable TV. It doesn't mean we pay to be able to copy this content, distribute it or whatever the hell else we want to do with it.
It's starting to annoy me like hell when people support the rights of large corporations to screw the consumers, even when those "rights" are against current law. Forget illegal distibution of Britney Spears mp3s. Forget suing twelve-year olds. Why on earth do you people insist on claiming the moral high ground for faceless corporations acting against the law?
Are you afraid you'll fail the test?
Those two chemicals regulate the nervous system. You'll see that most nerve agents, such as VX, are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
Would an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor reduce, or prevent, feelings of fear? Snorting VX would obviously not be a good idea, but I assume there are other chemicals with the same effect.
Another interesting possibility is desensitizing yourself to fear if it can be chemically induced whenever you can handle it.
Organinzing a demonstration didn't help. Like it or not, the music industry has a lot of political weight and there are no significant pro-consumer organizations.
What pisses me off here is that what was an explicit legal right to make copies for personal use has been changed to a mention that it would be good if content providers could pretty please make it possible to make said copies without breaking encryption, which is now illegal.
I'm not against IP law in general. What I would like is for there to be a competitive alternative to breaking the law. Non-DRM-encumbered music, TV series and movies available at a decent price. Me watching two minutes of advertising in addition to watching the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica can NOT be worth more than I'd be willing to pay for getting a torrent download automatically started when the episode is released. Say, one USD for each minute of ads I don't watch?
Some people may read this and think I have a totally self-centered attitude...and that'd be true to an extent. However it doesn't mean that you have to become a callous asshole. You can still be a nice, moral person. However, being nice doesn't mean you're a naive pushover. You have a duty to look out for yourself.
The word you are looking for is assertive.
Robotic Goatse trolls - What will those crazy koreans think of next?
Once the military has truly autonomous vehicles it won't be that much longer before we cede our control of cars to a computer.
Just make sure it isn't using an MS operating system. Otherwise a BSOD will take on a whole new meaning.
I'd be more afraid of the military having BSODs than private cars. This stuff is currently meant for supply vehicles, but when those work reliably there will be political pressure to make autonomous combat vehicles. Why have humans in combat while machines do the less dangerous work? If foresee the phrase "false positive" gaining popularity over the next few years...
What's under the belt, stays under the belt. All my clients keep their pants on, or I leave the room.
A project manager at my previous job was fond of calling the coders "bitches". I guess it was funnier than "resources". It led to a bunch of jokes like the above.
Researcher 1: OMFG! We just caught a Giant Squid on camera!
Researcher 2: Quick, let's submit it to Slashdot!
Researcher 1: Perfect! Who wants to host the pics?
When the kids went to bed, my wife asked me, "Will we be able to keep the copy/paste trolls off Slashdot, David?"
I just shook my head, and tried to hold back the tears. "I don't know, Jenny. I don't know."
Hey, wait up, you forgot your wallet, mr... Anderson?
Freedom of speech is a basic human right to express one's opinions, not a blanket license to incite terror, hatred and bigotry.
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the above sentence covers the difference between European and US freedom of speech completely. In the US, (at least in theory) all political speech is protected, even that which is considered dangerous incitement in Europe.
I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft is working hard on "browser integration into windows" so that the clueless user in the year 2008 will have no idea what the difference between his own computer and the Internet is. Then again, most of us have already seen a link to a picture on a message board pointing here...
"Wakamaru's claimed battery life is two hours, after which the robot returns to its charging station before power fails completely." Hmmm - I hope it knows how far it is back to the charging base......
Actually, it would be cooler if it didn't. When running low on power, it could be programmed to scream "Aaaah! Aaaaaagh! Noooooo" while making a mad dash for the recharging station.
Aw, screw it! I'll make my own fuel cell-powered handheld device. With porn and blackjack!
In fact, forget the fuel cells. And the device!
As to poverty, another poster already replied to you and pointed out that Cuba has a lower poverty rate than the US. That just shows how (like the infant mortality rates) poverty statistics are BS.
To pre-empt any cries of foul play, here is the CIA factbook's side notes on the poverty percentages.
"Definitions of poverty vary considerably among nations. For example, rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poor nations."
The world bank defines poverty as living on below two US dollars per day, but few countries use that definition.
That's a lot of masturbation.
Why do you think it was posted on Slashdot?
OOP, extreme programming, test driven development, MVC, factories, modularity
I'd say the list is all common sense with the notable exceptions of extreme programming and test-driven development. It would be interesting to know how that worked out, specifically what kind of problems there were.
Why do you have to shove stuff into the ear canal? Don't headphones that cover the entire ear isolate well enough?
If the gamma ray burst that we saw was in our galaxy and still pointed at us, we'd be dead.
Do gamma ray bursts occur anymore, or did they only happen at an earlier stage of the universe's evolution? I can't recall ever hearing about a GRB occuring without some mention of how close to the big bang it was, or what the universe was like in those days.
Argh.. Micro, not milli. Kinda reinforces my point that the difference is irrelevant...
So, this is cool... but in the embedded systems field. Don't start comparing it to Windows XP and thinking you'll get it on a desktop Linux.
Of course, if people stopped drooling over performance numbers and actually considered what they need, they might come to the conclusion that no one cares whether anything on a desktop computer reacts in 5 or 50 milliseconds.
Then again, I guess there's nothing new about geeks going to great lengths for a performance improvement that is unnoticable to a human observer.
Let me get this straight: You're suggesting turning something the size of a hurricane into jelly dropped from a height of several miles?
I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or shudder in fear.
Thank god we've evolved to the point where we understand that you shouldn't mix wine and beer in a single brew.
If I read the article correctly, they just found traces of all that stuff in the same container. There's nothing to really prove the container wasn't used for different brews at different times.
Luckily. I shudder at the thought of that taste.
Most high-class watches are automatic, i.e. self-winding.
Here's a mechanical watch FAQ.
"2.2 How does an automatic mechanism work? All self-winding watches work on the principle of converting arm motion (kinetic energy) into the winding of the mainspring (potential energy). Usually, this is performed by a half-disc of metal weighted at the edge called a rotor, which spins when the wearer's arm is accelerated unpredictably (that is, when moved normally in the course of everyday life). This rotary motion is then geared down to wind the central arbor of the mainspring."
and
"2.2.1 Are the Seiko Kinetic / Autoquartz therefore Automatics? Not quite, but close. The Seiko Kinetic and ETA Autoquartz movements are quartz movements. However, they use a rotor system similar to those used by automatics. The difference is that the rotor's motion is converted to electricity, which is then used to charge a capacitor. The quartz movement then draws current from the capacitor as if it were a battery."
Your second link is to a device that slowly rotates the watch to keep it from stopping when you're not wearing it.