Good point. Perhaps the best way would be to simply keep the remote logs but print out a human/machine-readable ballot. Then check the total ballot count against the count in the logs. The logs would safeguard against after-the-fact tampering, and no one is identified in the process.
This way, you've got both a paper trail and automated logging. That's about as safe as you can get...
It wouldn't log any information about the voter. It would only give each vote an ID#. You would only have to identify yourself in order to check your receipt against the logs, and in theory, you could do that anonymously.
Okay, so here's an idea. Each vote is given a unique ID#. Voters are asked to enter their information twice, and each iteration is sent to a different remote log and compared. If the remote logs are not identical, the process repeats. If the logs show identical votes, then the process ends, and the user is given a printed receipt with the ID# of their vote, and the choices that they made.
Perhaps after the election, voters will be able to call in the ID# of their vote to make sure that the logs still match the receipt that they were given.
Dunno if that really solves the issue, but personally, I would be far more satisfied with this system than Scantrons or check-boxes.
"We've been hearing from the public for the last several years that it doesn't have confidence in a system without a paper trail," Healey said. "We need to provide that level of confidence going forward."
So open source the voting software, and record electronic votes in two or more remote, neutral party logs. Then you could easily compare the logs to make sure that votes haven't been tampered with. No black box, less chance of human error.
My point is that good seeing conditions will become rarer if contrails continue to contribute to cloud creation and the moisture saturation of the high atmosphere. These things may have some pretty drastic consequences for temperature fluctuation, which will influence ground-based observation. Whether or not astronomers can 'work around' poor seeing is not really the issue, especially if it just continues to get worse. Of course, nature is pretty self-correcting, so again, I'm not playing Doomsayer here. It just sucks if you live in an area with prolonged, heavy air traffic.
Those drawings were taken under similar conditions, so they aren't really relevant to my (perhaps poorly-worded) argument, which is that good seeing conditions will become less frequent over time. You'd need to show me a frequency graph of 6+ seeing conditions from 1988 - 2005, all taken in the same area. Nice log, though.:)
If seeing were the true limiting factor, you nor I would not be driving out to the country and the pros would not be building on remote mountain tops. Of course transparency is an issue for many types of observations.
...except that's doesn't solve the seeing problem. Of course transparency is an obstactle, but seeing limits ground-based observation even when you build on mountain tops. That's why it's the 'true' limiting factor. In a way, it determines the need for extra-atmospheric telescopes.
I don't have the time or resources to collect the kind of data necessary for this sort of thing. That's why I'm glad when this gets media attention, because there are plenty of other amateur astronomers out there who will happily look into it, instead of just dismissing the notion outright.
Also, as regards viewing... Summer viewing is a painful exercise in my state, because of horrible transparency everywhere in the midlands. Even if temperature fluctuates less, 8/10 nights there is a visible haze hanging over my city, even 15 miles out. Fall/Winter is the only time when we have consistently clear nights. That might be the reason why seeing seems to have gotten worse for me.
Uh, if you're gonna steal over 200,000 identities, why bother using them to farm gold in Lineage? You've already broken a lot of laws to get that far, might as well go all out with some credit card fraud, bank fraud, and so forth. Probably a lot more lucrative...
Nice try, but Seeing is determined by air currents which are directly impacted by moisture and temperature in the high atmosphere. Seeing is the true limiting factor of any kind of ground-based optical observation. Transparency is not what I was talking about.
Simply put, I should not have trouble making out 2 out of 4 of the Trapezium on a perfectly clear winter night, 15 miles outside of town. But that HAS been the case, at all of my regular observation spots, whereas it was not 10 years ago.
Maybe you live in an area with better currents than me, but 50 years ago, my state had no problem with this. 50 years from now, there's a chance you'll have the same problem. Sensationalistic or no, I'll take whatever publicity I can get to make people aware of this problem. Acting as if it's a bunch of 'poppy-cock' isn't going to help.
...but from first-hand and second-hand experience, this is definitely a problem.
My father is an artist who used to work on Air Force jets in the 50s. He's been watching the sky for 50 years, and he was one of the first in our state to even mention the problem of contrails. I don't care what you skeptics say; the farther you travel from major air traffic, the bluer the sky.
And if any of you are amateur astronomers, you probably didn't need this article to tell you about this problem. 'Seeing' has become progressively worse over the past 10 years, at least in the States. Light pollution is only part of the problem. Moisture in the high atmosphere is what we should be worried about.
Let's call them "sex" from now on. It's a term with popular appeal, and very few gamers are going to confuse it with any of their other regular activities.
How do you tell the propaganda from the objective information?
Simple! Just use this handy checklist!
1.) Adjectives such as 'moderate', 'vocal', and 'punctual' are generally safe and objective. Adjectives such as 'mind-blowing', 'god-like', or 'sexilicious' probably deserve further research.
2.) Allegations of embezzlement or abuse of public trust are typically more credible than allegations of bestiality or autoerotic asphyxiation.
3.) You may safely ignore photographs which seem to depict interaction between the politician in question and any the following historical personas: Jesus, Mohammed, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler, or Charles Manson.
4.) Treat any debate over penis size with a healthy amount of skepticism.
British scientists at Cambridge have also placed limitations on the possible properties of the luminiferous aether. "We're pretty sure it's not yellow," says one researcher, "and we've also ruled out blue and pink. It's nice to know that we'll soon have figured out both this dark matter stuff and the luminiferous aether. Then we can start puzzling out those epicycles again."
I contest this so-called "study" on the basis that it conflicts with my negative gamer stereotype world-view! I want to know where the/real/ figures are and how much of this money will be spent on subverting children or funding terrorism. It's obvious that they borrowed the name for this "charity" from the horror movies depicting homocidal infant dolls!
We'll see about this "Pennies Arcade." In/court/.
Has no one mentioned Thief: Deadly Shadows? Even though you play as the 'terror that lurks in the night,' the atmosphere of that game is thick with horror.
For example, the mansion with the grieving, insane, widow-in-denial. As you lurk about in the shadows, lightning flashes over the sea, sporadically illuminating the dark corridors and stairwells. The servants and guests at the estate wander about, humming to themselves, unaware of you, laughing nervously when they catch the sound of your footsteps.
What's so eerie about that level is that the widow's late husband was lost at sea, after having discovered something that you want to get your hands on. You are essentially grave-robbing. Even though you are the 'terror' in the mansion, you wonder if the late Captain is scowling over your shoulder, from beyond the grave. Suddenly, the shadows don't seem so welcoming as they have been, up to this point.
Then there is the matter of the widow herself, whom you must talk to. In her tower, at the top of a long, spiralling staircase, she looks out over the sea, waiting for her husband to return. Convincing herself, in her insane grief, that he will return, she sings and coos, inquiring for her husband at every rustle. The edge in her voice is lonely and terrifying, and it echoes throughout the entire top floor of the estate.
I have never in my long life as a gamer been more reluctant to walk up a set of steps.
And then there are the ratmen and statues. Let's not mention them.
About time something like this should be set up. How effective has it been in the US ?
It hasn't done much. Telemarketing companies use loopholes to get around it. Starting the call with some particular phrase exempts them from the fine, or some bullshit like that. We've asked a dozen times for them not to call, but they have some reply ready for it now. This is in South Carolina, mind you.
Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative (SSETI) Express spacecraft...
In other news, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute has filed for damages under intergalactic copyright law, fearing that hostile alien intelligences may mistake the antics of college students for examples of actual human behavior; an error which would inevitably lead to the mercy-killing of our species.
Mass Media to the Masses: Please ignore the vulgar upwelling of free speech to your left. Look here, its Britney's baby photos! Lookit the photos! Thassa good boy!
I agree. Every generation complains about its descendant's poor language skills. This is an example of linguistic evolution, however, the perceived "lower class" languages always evolve at a faster rate than "higher class" language. This is because the "higher class" is always aiming at social mobility, where language is, in effect, inbred, and therefore more resistant to change.
As for the book, it seems like an overly simply argument. You can't just go around denying common sense to make interesting conversation. There must be some thought behind it. The title looks like a grab for sales.
Actually, I've played the first few Castlevanias on the old 8/16-bit plats. I'm not saying they suck, but Christ... I'm a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, but I DON'T EXPECT TO SEE REVIEWS OF SONIC GAMES ON THE MAIN PAGE OF SLASHDOT.
Slashdot Mirror
...because crashing fat particles together at high velocities is too reminiscent of friendships and lobbyists in U.S. politics.
Good point. Perhaps the best way would be to simply keep the remote logs but print out a human/machine-readable ballot. Then check the total ballot count against the count in the logs. The logs would safeguard against after-the-fact tampering, and no one is identified in the process.
This way, you've got both a paper trail and automated logging. That's about as safe as you can get...
It wouldn't log any information about the voter. It would only give each vote an ID#. You would only have to identify yourself in order to check your receipt against the logs, and in theory, you could do that anonymously.
Okay, so here's an idea. Each vote is given a unique ID#. Voters are asked to enter their information twice, and each iteration is sent to a different remote log and compared. If the remote logs are not identical, the process repeats. If the logs show identical votes, then the process ends, and the user is given a printed receipt with the ID# of their vote, and the choices that they made.
Perhaps after the election, voters will be able to call in the ID# of their vote to make sure that the logs still match the receipt that they were given.
Dunno if that really solves the issue, but personally, I would be far more satisfied with this system than Scantrons or check-boxes.
"We've been hearing from the public for the last several years that it doesn't have confidence in a system without a paper trail," Healey said. "We need to provide that level of confidence going forward."
So open source the voting software, and record electronic votes in two or more remote, neutral party logs. Then you could easily compare the logs to make sure that votes haven't been tampered with. No black box, less chance of human error.
My point is that good seeing conditions will become rarer if contrails continue to contribute to cloud creation and the moisture saturation of the high atmosphere. These things may have some pretty drastic consequences for temperature fluctuation, which will influence ground-based observation. Whether or not astronomers can 'work around' poor seeing is not really the issue, especially if it just continues to get worse. Of course, nature is pretty self-correcting, so again, I'm not playing Doomsayer here. It just sucks if you live in an area with prolonged, heavy air traffic.
:)
Those drawings were taken under similar conditions, so they aren't really relevant to my (perhaps poorly-worded) argument, which is that good seeing conditions will become less frequent over time. You'd need to show me a frequency graph of 6+ seeing conditions from 1988 - 2005, all taken in the same area. Nice log, though.
Point, except...
If seeing were the true limiting factor, you nor I would not be driving out to the country and the pros would not be building on remote mountain tops. Of course transparency is an issue for many types of observations.
...except that's doesn't solve the seeing problem. Of course transparency is an obstactle, but seeing limits ground-based observation even when you build on mountain tops. That's why it's the 'true' limiting factor. In a way, it determines the need for extra-atmospheric telescopes.
I don't have the time or resources to collect the kind of data necessary for this sort of thing. That's why I'm glad when this gets media attention, because there are plenty of other amateur astronomers out there who will happily look into it, instead of just dismissing the notion outright.
Also, as regards viewing... Summer viewing is a painful exercise in my state, because of horrible transparency everywhere in the midlands. Even if temperature fluctuates less, 8/10 nights there is a visible haze hanging over my city, even 15 miles out. Fall/Winter is the only time when we have consistently clear nights. That might be the reason why seeing seems to have gotten worse for me.
Uh, if you're gonna steal over 200,000 identities, why bother using them to farm gold in Lineage? You've already broken a lot of laws to get that far, might as well go all out with some credit card fraud, bank fraud, and so forth. Probably a lot more lucrative...
Nice try, but Seeing is determined by air currents which are directly impacted by moisture and temperature in the high atmosphere. Seeing is the true limiting factor of any kind of ground-based optical observation. Transparency is not what I was talking about.
Simply put, I should not have trouble making out 2 out of 4 of the Trapezium on a perfectly clear winter night, 15 miles outside of town. But that HAS been the case, at all of my regular observation spots, whereas it was not 10 years ago.
Maybe you live in an area with better currents than me, but 50 years ago, my state had no problem with this. 50 years from now, there's a chance you'll have the same problem. Sensationalistic or no, I'll take whatever publicity I can get to make people aware of this problem. Acting as if it's a bunch of 'poppy-cock' isn't going to help.
...but from first-hand and second-hand experience, this is definitely a problem.
My father is an artist who used to work on Air Force jets in the 50s. He's been watching the sky for 50 years, and he was one of the first in our state to even mention the problem of contrails. I don't care what you skeptics say; the farther you travel from major air traffic, the bluer the sky.
And if any of you are amateur astronomers, you probably didn't need this article to tell you about this problem. 'Seeing' has become progressively worse over the past 10 years, at least in the States. Light pollution is only part of the problem. Moisture in the high atmosphere is what we should be worried about.
Let's call them "sex" from now on. It's a term with popular appeal, and very few gamers are going to confuse it with any of their other regular activities.
How do you tell the propaganda from the objective information?
Simple! Just use this handy checklist!
1.) Adjectives such as 'moderate', 'vocal', and 'punctual' are generally safe and objective. Adjectives such as 'mind-blowing', 'god-like', or 'sexilicious' probably deserve further research.
2.) Allegations of embezzlement or abuse of public trust are typically more credible than allegations of bestiality or autoerotic asphyxiation.
3.) You may safely ignore photographs which seem to depict interaction between the politician in question and any the following historical personas: Jesus, Mohammed, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler, or Charles Manson.
4.) Treat any debate over penis size with a healthy amount of skepticism.
British scientists at Cambridge have also placed limitations on the possible properties of the luminiferous aether. "We're pretty sure it's not yellow," says one researcher, "and we've also ruled out blue and pink. It's nice to know that we'll soon have figured out both this dark matter stuff and the luminiferous aether. Then we can start puzzling out those epicycles again."
I contest this so-called "study" on the basis that it conflicts with my negative gamer stereotype world-view! I want to know where the /real/ figures are and how much of this money will be spent on subverting children or funding terrorism. It's obvious that they borrowed the name for this "charity" from the horror movies depicting homocidal infant dolls!
We'll see about this "Pennies Arcade." In /court/.
Has no one mentioned Thief: Deadly Shadows? Even though you play as the 'terror that lurks in the night,' the atmosphere of that game is thick with horror.
For example, the mansion with the grieving, insane, widow-in-denial. As you lurk about in the shadows, lightning flashes over the sea, sporadically illuminating the dark corridors and stairwells. The servants and guests at the estate wander about, humming to themselves, unaware of you, laughing nervously when they catch the sound of your footsteps.
What's so eerie about that level is that the widow's late husband was lost at sea, after having discovered something that you want to get your hands on. You are essentially grave-robbing. Even though you are the 'terror' in the mansion, you wonder if the late Captain is scowling over your shoulder, from beyond the grave. Suddenly, the shadows don't seem so welcoming as they have been, up to this point.
Then there is the matter of the widow herself, whom you must talk to. In her tower, at the top of a long, spiralling staircase, she looks out over the sea, waiting for her husband to return. Convincing herself, in her insane grief, that he will return, she sings and coos, inquiring for her husband at every rustle. The edge in her voice is lonely and terrifying, and it echoes throughout the entire top floor of the estate.
I have never in my long life as a gamer been more reluctant to walk up a set of steps.
And then there are the ratmen and statues. Let's not mention them.
About time something like this should be set up. How effective has it been in the US ?
It hasn't done much. Telemarketing companies use loopholes to get around it. Starting the call with some particular phrase exempts them from the fine, or some bullshit like that. We've asked a dozen times for them not to call, but they have some reply ready for it now. This is in South Carolina, mind you.
Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative (SSETI) Express spacecraft...
In other news, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute has filed for damages under intergalactic copyright law, fearing that hostile alien intelligences may mistake the antics of college students for examples of actual human behavior; an error which would inevitably lead to the mercy-killing of our species.
From TFA:
It's being called the "story of a dumb patch."
Soon to be a 200-part epic, starring John Goodman as Steve Balmer.
Coming to a Windows Vista box near you!
It's called downtime, my friend. "Idle hands..."
Mass Media to the Masses: Please ignore the vulgar upwelling of free speech to your left. Look here, its Britney's baby photos! Lookit the photos! Thassa good boy!
I agree. Every generation complains about its descendant's poor language skills. This is an example of linguistic evolution, however, the perceived "lower class" languages always evolve at a faster rate than "higher class" language. This is because the "higher class" is always aiming at social mobility, where language is, in effect, inbred, and therefore more resistant to change.
As for the book, it seems like an overly simply argument. You can't just go around denying common sense to make interesting conversation. There must be some thought behind it. The title looks like a grab for sales.
Damn trolls! Calling Castlevania obscure!
Actually, I've played the first few Castlevanias on the old 8/16-bit plats. I'm not saying they suck, but Christ... I'm a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, but I DON'T EXPECT TO SEE REVIEWS OF SONIC GAMES ON THE MAIN PAGE OF SLASHDOT.
narf.
Two obscure titles for the DS make main page?
In that case, I have breaking news! The Snickers bar I'm eating kind of looks like Gordon Freeman.
Did you see the EA games based on LotR?!
Gandalf escaped Moria unscathed, because he used Lightning Sword.
Did you feel the ground tremor? That was Ronald Reuel spinning in his grave.
...this one uses a stack of mechanical binary computers capable of singling out one moment in 3.65 million days.
Unfortunately, these computers suffer from the dreaded Y12K Bug.