" Yep. Now instead of hinting at it directly, they have analysts suggest it instead."
No, Michael Dell announced it, Santiago upgraded their rating of AMD. They did not have analysts suggest anything -- keep in mind that Piper Jaffray is not a bit player on Wall Street, they have a lot of clout.
Because of the Opteron, a lot of analysts see Dell as having to offer AMD chips, or lose server market share. Opterons are cheaper to operate than Intel's chips.
Of course, MDell saying "it's a distinct possibility" isn't the same as a rollout of Dell Opteron servers.
But that's the point of ice4... the crystal lattice is denser than regular ice, as well as liquid water. The real reason ice4 doesn't work is that it is a less stable lattice, with greater energy stored in the H-bonds... entropy tells us regular ice is more stable.
"Long before we (the human race) had any idea what gravity was, we could predict the movement of the planets... but no understanding came of this."
What about the understanding that the Earth is not the center of the universe? That's a pretty big development, with philosophical as well as physical ramifications.
Also, we still don't know what gravity is, we just have better mathematical models of it. Ogg the Caveman understood almost as much about gravity itself when he dropped a rock on his foot, as we do now.
My point is that modeling is a very important means of acquiring understanding. This is why children who play with blocks learn about physical relationships, and people who are having office complexes built like to see scale models -- it helps them understand.
To extrapolate to phase changes -- accurate modeling via computer can make possible the kind of experimentation that may result in greater understanding of what happens at the critical slowdown. What happens when we do X? What happens when we do Y and Z? How can a mathematical representation account for these changes?
Tools for better observation often lead to better understanding.
Idle spec previously versus trusted (by some) analyst today. Piper Jaffray is no joke, nor is it a bunch of bloggers. Stock price jumped 5.05% today, has only lost.05% in after-hours trading (4% gain at time of article, I guess) -- that in itself is news, it represents a shift of almost $700 million into AMD's market cap.
Irrational was known to be shopping for a publisher -- especially to EA, since it had been made clear they no longer wanted to work with EA.
A quick google, and it turns out the rumors of Take2 publishing BS (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) were seriously around as early as 11/30/05, which fits our timeline pretty nicely -- Take2 filed for the Bioshock trademark on 11/16.
Also, see this thread from last November, there's a post from 11/12 that gives a tip:
I think Irrational will avoid EA at all costs. Shock fans are rather ticked at them, and Bioshock is not permitted to have explicit connections with those games because EA isn't letting anyone near the IP. -TheGreatGodPan of TTLG. Don't know if he's an insider or not, but it's checked out well.
If it's not an abusive or unclear patent, plenty of lawyers will work purely for a cut of the take. So, if your patent is a good one, you'd have a reasonable chance of success -- that is, if the patent adjudication system were also fixed (which should be next step, but will never happen -- after all, our lawmakers are mostly lawyers).
They could, but it would be pretty dumb to do so while Bioshock is a contemporary. Maybe a couple years after. Unless their intent was to dilute the value of Bioshock, which doesn't make much sense to me, since it would also dilute the EA brand.
"Members of the public can use the indexing system to evaluate the quality of proposed patents, patent holders can use it to identify weaknesses in their own patents, and companies can use the index to evaluate competitive patents relevant to a field they may be working in."
"and faster equipment will help speed the process once the right process is in place."
The process is partly addressed in the the overhaul -- better review for prior art, which is the point of the upgrade to their search methods. Community input, etc.
This will reduce the number of frivolous patents, since it will be more easily demonstrable that prior art exists.
The article isn't really about faster equipment. It's about more efficient and exhaustive methods.
Of course, though, you're right -- a lot of it is PR spin. But any step in the right direction at this point is a good one, IMHO.
"One frequent critic of the patent system, Gregory Aharonian, publisher of The Internet Patent News Service, said it was unlikely that the new initiatives would have a significant impact, because the patent office was not able to deal efficiently with the information it already had."
Let's see, give someone organized data and better search tools, and it won't help them search faster and more accurately?
Hey! My bike chain broke because my gears are not set properly. Let's not fix the gears, it's the chain that broke!
I'm not saying that information access is the only problem the patent system has. And I also understand that the three steps proposed are not a panacaea. But not taking steps to fix part of the problem. just because the problem exists? Ridiculous.
FTA: "Take-Two may have locked down the rights to the spiritual successor of System Shock, but Electronic Arts is making sure the original franchise stays put."
Since Irrational was purchased by Take2, I can't see EA resurrecting the SS franchise now... especially since Bioshock is in dev. That's too much competition for a new EA SS title to face. Maybe in a couple years when Bioshock isn't on the radar anymore.
This is just about EA making sure Take2 doesn't use the System Shock name in their new Irrational titles.
I'm a cynic, but it is possible that there are very real reasons for all three of your concerns -- that is, they may be intentional.
1. Infomercials. How many articles are posted to the main page every day on slashdot? And how many truly unique products are released into the market? One of the good things about product reviews/advertisements posted to slashdot is that people can comment on competing products, other solutions, or the product itself. If there is nothing new or innovative about a hyped product, isn't it good for that to be public knowledge?
2. Minor gaming stories on the main page. Yes, sometimes they appear on the main page when likely they shouldn't. But gaming is a nerd mainstay, and shouldn't be ignored. Also, gaming drives a ton of internet revenue. Whether intentional or not, I don't begrudge gaming stories potentially leading to more revenue for slashdot.
3. Autopromotion of noise: Editors are people, and the stories they select are liekly to reflect their interests. Slashdot is not a pure hard-tech site, and 'nerd culture' should be celebrated here. Although, I agree, sometimes there are a LOT of SW/WoW stories. This may be simply due to the nature of the submissions -- if Taco or whomever only has SW/WoW submissions to pick from for 'nerd culture' stories, then that's all we're going to get.
"The Slashdot system is good for many many discussions, but not so strong when *I* am the single lynchpin, and people use email, IM, and the forum system to communicate with me."
So let the slashdot community do some of the work for you. Wait to step in until a lot of discussion has already occurred. Then, analyze the comments and address the thematic issues.
The downside to this is when you have factual information important to the discussion (like the number of submissions per day, etc). This could be eased by having topical weekly discussions -- any factual information you think relevant can be inculded in the submission.
OTOH, if you're concerned about how much time it takes to do this -- well, how much is slashdot worth to you? In terms of personal feeling, income, etc? I'm not trolling here, I think meta-involvement by you is pretty important. I do understand that you've got plenty on your plate, but I fail to see how time spent in communication with the general slashdot base is ill-invested.
Also, the more frequently you have these type of stories and discussions, the less time each will take. When we have the occasional forum where our concerns can be addressed, everyone jumps on the opportunity *because we don't know when it will happen again.*
The other downside to doing it sporadically is that it normally occurs in response to a rash of complaints and up-modding of those complaints. This rewards the complainers, and results in those comments not begin modded as offtopic.
I think in the long run, you'll end up with better discussion, and, very importantly, an easier-to-run-and-keep-your-users-happy forum, if you do these discussions regularly.
You're welcome to play any of the games out there that have PvP.
One of the problems with having DDO be PvP is class-balancing for PvP. Quite simply, they'd have to break the game mechanics to do it.
I'd rather have a more traditional D&D experience than have thieves be buffed for combat just so some kid doesn't bitch about the lack of balance. When I want PvP, I'll play a different game.
"It could be so that your average uneducated person does not form irrational beliefs that could cause civil disorder."
Civil order is not a valid excuse for government secrecy. If the government took proper action in re: whatever it is they are hiding, civil disorder would not be a risk.
Treat the people like morons, and they'll become morons.
I love comments in the link you posted... saying that Fatal1ty isn't a real pro until he can whip someone in Mariokart or Bust-a-Move.. genius. Unintended comedic genius.
UV lamps of enough power would give off a lot of heat, not sure it wouldn't defeat the purpose. Also, UV would hasten the breakdown of the oil into fatty acids.
I agree, and I think it's pretty typical of B-movies -- with a different actor/director/etc. the movie could be better, maybe even make it out of the 'B' grade.
I think the problem is hidden in the article summary -- Boll thinks he's Spielberg, but is B-grade. The best B-movies are made by directors who are aware they are B-grade, and direct the movie accordingly. Ditto with actors (Bruce Campbell comes to mind).
Slashdot Mirror
No, but apparently you can't have a 1st one if you have a 2nd Life.
" Yep. Now instead of hinting at it directly, they have analysts suggest it instead."
No, Michael Dell announced it, Santiago upgraded their rating of AMD. They did not have analysts suggest anything -- keep in mind that Piper Jaffray is not a bit player on Wall Street, they have a lot of clout.
Because of the Opteron, a lot of analysts see Dell as having to offer AMD chips, or lose server market share. Opterons are cheaper to operate than Intel's chips.
Of course, MDell saying "it's a distinct possibility" isn't the same as a rollout of Dell Opteron servers.
But that's the point of ice4... the crystal lattice is denser than regular ice, as well as liquid water. The real reason ice4 doesn't work is that it is a less stable lattice, with greater energy stored in the H-bonds... entropy tells us regular ice is more stable.
"Long before we (the human race) had any idea what gravity was, we could predict the movement of the planets... but no understanding came of this."
What about the understanding that the Earth is not the center of the universe? That's a pretty big development, with philosophical as well as physical ramifications.
Also, we still don't know what gravity is, we just have better mathematical models of it. Ogg the Caveman understood almost as much about gravity itself when he dropped a rock on his foot, as we do now.
My point is that modeling is a very important means of acquiring understanding. This is why children who play with blocks learn about physical relationships, and people who are having office complexes built like to see scale models -- it helps them understand.
To extrapolate to phase changes -- accurate modeling via computer can make possible the kind of experimentation that may result in greater understanding of what happens at the critical slowdown. What happens when we do X? What happens when we do Y and Z? How can a mathematical representation account for these changes?
Tools for better observation often lead to better understanding.
"makes many references to the idea of phase change as it applies to his ideas of the origins of life"
Oh crap, here come the fundies. RUN!
Idle spec previously versus trusted (by some) analyst today. Piper Jaffray is no joke, nor is it a bunch of bloggers. Stock price jumped 5.05% today, has only lost .05% in after-hours trading (4% gain at time of article, I guess) -- that in itself is news, it represents a shift of almost $700 million into AMD's market cap.
That's a lot of dough.
Irrational was known to be shopping for a publisher -- especially to EA, since it had been made clear they no longer wanted to work with EA.
A quick google, and it turns out the rumors of Take2 publishing BS (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) were seriously around as early as 11/30/05, which fits our timeline pretty nicely -- Take2 filed for the Bioshock trademark on 11/16.
Also, see this thread from last November, there's a post from 11/12 that gives a tip:
I think Irrational will avoid EA at all costs. Shock fans are rather ticked at them, and Bioshock is not permitted to have explicit connections with those games because EA isn't letting anyone near the IP. -TheGreatGodPan of TTLG. Don't know if he's an insider or not, but it's checked out well.
If it's not an abusive or unclear patent, plenty of lawyers will work purely for a cut of the take. So, if your patent is a good one, you'd have a reasonable chance of success -- that is, if the patent adjudication system were also fixed (which should be next step, but will never happen -- after all, our lawmakers are mostly lawyers).
They could, but it would be pretty dumb to do so while Bioshock is a contemporary. Maybe a couple years after. Unless their intent was to dilute the value of Bioshock, which doesn't make much sense to me, since it would also dilute the EA brand.
If you pump up the filing fee, the small guy loses protection, which is a primary purpose of the patent system (or used to be, anyway).
Einstein was a failure when he was hired by the Patent Office.
He was a physics and math teacher who couldn't get a job as a teacher.
"Members of the public can use the indexing system to evaluate the quality of proposed patents, patent holders can use it to identify weaknesses in their own patents, and companies can use the index to evaluate competitive patents relevant to a field they may be working in."
Who gave the slashcode to the patent office?
"and faster equipment will help speed the process once the right process is in place."
The process is partly addressed in the the overhaul -- better review for prior art, which is the point of the upgrade to their search methods. Community input, etc.
This will reduce the number of frivolous patents, since it will be more easily demonstrable that prior art exists.
The article isn't really about faster equipment. It's about more efficient and exhaustive methods.
Of course, though, you're right -- a lot of it is PR spin. But any step in the right direction at this point is a good one, IMHO.
"One frequent critic of the patent system, Gregory Aharonian, publisher of The Internet Patent News Service, said it was unlikely that the new initiatives would have a significant impact, because the patent office was not able to deal efficiently with the information it already had."
Let's see, give someone organized data and better search tools, and it won't help them search faster and more accurately?
Hey! My bike chain broke because my gears are not set properly. Let's not fix the gears, it's the chain that broke!
I'm not saying that information access is the only problem the patent system has. And I also understand that the three steps proposed are not a panacaea. But not taking steps to fix part of the problem. just because the problem exists? Ridiculous.
FTA: "Take-Two may have locked down the rights to the spiritual successor of System Shock, but Electronic Arts is making sure the original franchise stays put."
Since Irrational was purchased by Take2, I can't see EA resurrecting the SS franchise now... especially since Bioshock is in dev. That's too much competition for a new EA SS title to face. Maybe in a couple years when Bioshock isn't on the radar anymore.
This is just about EA making sure Take2 doesn't use the System Shock name in their new Irrational titles.
I'm a cynic, but it is possible that there are very real reasons for all three of your concerns -- that is, they may be intentional.
1. Infomercials. How many articles are posted to the main page every day on slashdot? And how many truly unique products are released into the market? One of the good things about product reviews/advertisements posted to slashdot is that people can comment on competing products, other solutions, or the product itself. If there is nothing new or innovative about a hyped product, isn't it good for that to be public knowledge?
2. Minor gaming stories on the main page. Yes, sometimes they appear on the main page when likely they shouldn't. But gaming is a nerd mainstay, and shouldn't be ignored. Also, gaming drives a ton of internet revenue. Whether intentional or not, I don't begrudge gaming stories potentially leading to more revenue for slashdot.
3. Autopromotion of noise: Editors are people, and the stories they select are liekly to reflect their interests. Slashdot is not a pure hard-tech site, and 'nerd culture' should be celebrated here. Although, I agree, sometimes there are a LOT of SW/WoW stories. This may be simply due to the nature of the submissions -- if Taco or whomever only has SW/WoW submissions to pick from for 'nerd culture' stories, then that's all we're going to get.
That said, you can edit what articles you see on the mainpage very easily.
"The Slashdot system is good for many many discussions, but not so strong when *I* am the single lynchpin, and people use email, IM, and the forum system to communicate with me."
So let the slashdot community do some of the work for you. Wait to step in until a lot of discussion has already occurred. Then, analyze the comments and address the thematic issues.
The downside to this is when you have factual information important to the discussion (like the number of submissions per day, etc). This could be eased by having topical weekly discussions -- any factual information you think relevant can be inculded in the submission.
OTOH, if you're concerned about how much time it takes to do this -- well, how much is slashdot worth to you? In terms of personal feeling, income, etc? I'm not trolling here, I think meta-involvement by you is pretty important. I do understand that you've got plenty on your plate, but I fail to see how time spent in communication with the general slashdot base is ill-invested.
Also, the more frequently you have these type of stories and discussions, the less time each will take. When we have the occasional forum where our concerns can be addressed, everyone jumps on the opportunity *because we don't know when it will happen again.*
The other downside to doing it sporadically is that it normally occurs in response to a rash of complaints and up-modding of those complaints. This rewards the complainers, and results in those comments not begin modded as offtopic.
I think in the long run, you'll end up with better discussion, and, very importantly, an easier-to-run-and-keep-your-users-happy forum, if you do these discussions regularly.
"What should I do with a good submission from a reader with a reputation?"
.
Pay no attention to the submitter of a piece. At all. Maybe have it be invisible to the editors.
Then, we can all assume that there is no favoritism, etc, except in terms of article/subject/writing style preference
And, ideally, this would result in truly the best articles being posted.
Some people like PvP, some don't.
You're welcome to play any of the games out there that have PvP.
One of the problems with having DDO be PvP is class-balancing for PvP. Quite simply, they'd have to break the game mechanics to do it.
I'd rather have a more traditional D&D experience than have thieves be buffed for combat just so some kid doesn't bitch about the lack of balance. When I want PvP, I'll play a different game.
"Trusting your government is not a good idea, at least not until they've earned it, and then only two years at a time."
Was it Jefferson who said a healthy distrust of government is a fundamental aspect of democracy?
"It could be so that your average uneducated person does not form irrational beliefs that could cause civil disorder."
Civil order is not a valid excuse for government secrecy. If the government took proper action in re: whatever it is they are hiding, civil disorder would not be a risk.
Treat the people like morons, and they'll become morons.
I love comments in the link you posted... saying that Fatal1ty isn't a real pro until he can whip someone in Mariokart or Bust-a-Move.. genius. Unintended comedic genius.
See, I like the easy girls who are attracted to alcohol- and smoke-breath. If they're too picky to like the smoking, then I haven't a shot anyways ;)
UV lamps of enough power would give off a lot of heat, not sure it wouldn't defeat the purpose. Also, UV would hasten the breakdown of the oil into fatty acids.
I agree, and I think it's pretty typical of B-movies -- with a different actor/director/etc. the movie could be better, maybe even make it out of the 'B' grade.
I think the problem is hidden in the article summary -- Boll thinks he's Spielberg, but is B-grade. The best B-movies are made by directors who are aware they are B-grade, and direct the movie accordingly. Ditto with actors (Bruce Campbell comes to mind).