Language is the fundamental structure of consciousness.
I don't agree with you at all. I believe that we can experience states of "pure awareness" - ie: awareness without conscious thought. I believe that animals live in a state of pure awareness unpolluted by "thought". I don't believe that we need to mentally speak "I" and "other" to be aware of self/other.
So then what is the "fundamental structure of consciousness"? I am sorry, but I don't really know. I think it is something like an endless stream of images/emotions/impressions - whatever - that come before we attach language to it. Consider this: When we speak, we often pause - "searching for the words to convey the sense of what we want to say". I put that in quotes, because it is such a universal observation that it is almost cliché. In my observation, where am I when I am reaching for a word or expression? It seems to me that I am reaching into a dark void, then suddenly pull up this string of words. There is no sense that I am actually sorting through images/emotions/impressions. It's like I reach into this dark pool of water and grab something and pull it up.
For the past 5 years I have been speaking a language other than my native English, almost exclusively for months on end, to the point where I am completely fluent. The phenomenon I just described, of "reaching into a dark void", then suddenly pull up this string of words is greatly heightened in my new, second language. When I pause to find the right words, I have no idea what I am about to say, and I am sometimes amazed at the expressions I come up with. Where did they come from? Science tells us they came from neuronal structures in a specific area of my brain, but I have no sensation of such a thing - performing some act equivalent to data retrieval in a computer. In data retrieval, we look up things in a database using a key, but when I speak, I am not conscious of employing some key to do a look up.
Personally, I have some weird notion of consciousness - that it isn't centered in the brain. The brain is only the interface that allows us to connect to "consciousness". Perhaps there is some kind of collective consciousness, from which we draw a highly flavored interpretation that we think of as "self". In reality, we all have access to this same central consciousness, which would explain the fact that various inventions often arise almost simultaneously in different places. I would say that when the collective mind reaches a state of knowledge where some new though/invention becomes possible, frequently more than one person brings this idea forward. I'm going to stop here. I haven't really considered this at length before, and it's getting just a little to weird for my liking.
Para quem quer saber, minha nova língua é Português.
If you are ever in such a situation, the thing to do is to clearly state that you do not consent to the actions taking place, and to follow the police officers instructions only after he makes it clear that it is an order and not a request. Then you go home, call a lawyer, and do your duty as a citizen to police such violations of the concept of rule by law.
Certainly nothing I can disagree with here, in the specific example you give. My original comment was in response to what may have been a younger person still working out issues with authority figures rather than some champion of democracy.
In general, I have to say - we must be very, very careful indeed in any potential confrontation with a police officer on an individual level, less we end up a martyr. Martyrdom can be an effective way to promote social change, but I think there are many other things to try first. You got to remember that police often carry guns. Now, I am speaking symbolically - I am saying police can be very dangerous - not really implying they are going to shoot you. The thing is though, out of the millions of good police out there, there is always going to be the odd cop that is a bully who abuses his authority. He can make your life very difficult for a short while at least, no matter how 'right' you may be. I once saw a person who broke no law, stand up for his rights and get thrown in jail overnight for his troubles. Now perhaps he felt some satisfaction for standing up for his principals, but in the end it got him nowhere and changed nothing.
In the current discussion, it seems we are talking about excesses of police in these days of terrorism and war - clearly an important topic and something we must be very vigilant about. - something better approached on the collective level, rather than the individual level. We the citizens contract the police, and we also dictate policy through our elected representatives at all levels of government. If at some place or time we are seeing alarming abuses of authority, I think the collective approach of public discussion through the press and with elected representatives, starting with the mayor and chief of police, may be the best way to deal with it. In the article about police trying to stop the photographers from taking pictures, I agreed with the decision to take a stand. However, this should have been accompanied with a simply little chat with the local Chief of Police to clear up the confusion. If he is not informed of the problem, how can he correct the situation?...and we must give him the benefit of assuming that he does not want such abuses of authority happening under his watch any more than the citizens want it to happen.
Advising people everywhere to simply stand up for their rights in any individual confrontation does not really address the problem, and is likely to land more than a few of these responders into some very uncomfortable situations.
I blinked at him like he was an idiot and asked him if he was going to arrest me for "walking suspiciously".
Did it not occure to you to simply explain that you were lost, and ask directions, instead of looking for a fight?
We must imagine that it is not an easy job being a police officer - very stressful and all that. Also, they deal with an inordinate number of scum bags on a daily basis - that has to have some impact on their perspective, to say the least. Also, we must remember that we, the citizens, hire police to keep our streets safe. They are not our enemy. The type of people chosen to be police, in general, are people who are good at taking and following orders. This is essential in that profession, where they are asked to enforce the law. Then we cannot expect these same police officers to have either a wonderful sense of humour or a lot of imagination.
I would suggest that in any confrontation with a police officer that one remain calm, and show compassion, understanding, and respect, rather than take a confrontational stance, if at all possible. There will be plenty of time later to contact your lawyer, the ACLU, the press, or lodge a complaint if you feel that is required.
It's the thing about releasing bad karma into the environment - it just goes around and around and eventually comes back at you
"IIRC StarForce actually have a competition or prize around for anybody who can reproducibly demonstrate their software harming a system...so far the prize has gone unclaimed"
Didn't you read posts #14611776, #14612523, and #14611831 debunking this so-called prize??? Aparently the moderator that gave you the 4 points also failed to read what went before in the discussion. How much is Starforce paying you for your comment?
I share your enthusiasm. It's downright exciting to imagine - a potential revolution! It would create new markets, new applications, new marketing niches. Who knows - maybe even major software developers would start porting their software to it - like - major games and stuff. As someone else said - imagine major hardware makers getting into the game - the spin offs - a Goobuntu Laptop - Goobuntu Tablet - Goobuntu smart phone - wow!
I have no doubt that Google is reading all these slashdot comments (except mine - which come out ar zero ever since I lost my Karma) and the enthusiasm has to be encouraging, and perhaps there are good ideas that they haven't even considered.
I think this is a case where the judge has used his perogative to draw a line. Look - it's like - where do you draw the line between trafficing and simply using drugs? A judge can decide whether the quantity a suspect is caught with is consistent with personal use, or more indicative of trafficing, irrespective of the actual reality - something we usually never actually know in any given case.
I submit that the act of buring a CD or DVD is different than just copying to the hard drive - or just being in the browser's cache - because once burned, that CD or DVD can be physically transported and sold to another consumer. This may be the judge's opinion, anyway. Certainly, the article does not inform us of the judge's personal rationalization for his ruling - which was most likely well within his perogative to decide.
Watch out - you are being manipulated! This tripication was a deliberate ploy to sell products! Did anybody notice, that after opening the article, you had a sudden overwhelming urge to buy products that you had never even considered before?
If you examine the source code carefully for this web page, you will see that Cowboy Neal is flashing messages at you the whole time you are viewing the article, presenting each one for 50 miliseconds.
Cowboy Neal was depending on the fact that everyone will read this page to see what everybody has to say about an article being posted for yet a third time in as many days.
We need to consider - perhaps this is just a hack to run in-house, proprietary code. I mean, Windows is absolutely full of undocumented features. - but it still doesn't make sense, as the author said, there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to the job at hand - rendering wmfs from the thread that is created. But just suppose there is a hack to decode some unstandard version of a metafile that can't be handled by the DLL. So this unstandard version is identified by a one in the length field, and the calling application will handle that instead of the DLL. I would like to know, what does the DLL do after creating the thread that executes the caller's code? Just quietly exit?
I wasn't expressing any anti-nuclear or anti-war sentiments...more a statement about an unfortunate choice of words. I believe he probably meant to say, "I think this is the most promising energy work since the establishment of viable nuclear enegery"...or such, thus making an analogy between a potential new energy source and a pre-existing, but likewise revolutionary technology.
To compare a potential new source energy to the race to develop the atomic bomb makes me worry if people learn much about history these days. The Manhattan Project is a symbol for two things: 1.) a colossal, all out effort to succeed, and 2.) the development of the most powerfull weapon the world had ever seen. There is nothing in his comment to suggest that he really intended to make a comparison with either of these symbols.
To describe the Manhattan Project as a promising energy work would be completly inappropriate. In fact, it already fufilled its 'promise' long ago, if it ever had one, which would have been to develop the Bomb before Hitler or the Russians and win the war. To use the term "promising" is to imply that some thing holds hope for the future. I don't think nuclear weapons ever held any promise as a potential energy source for the future.
I read the entire article. I really appreciate the author taking the time and trouble to share his knowledge with us, so I won't mention that his writing style was almost incoherent and left me dizzy.
The more I read and learn about the magnitude of the problem, the more paranoid I become these days. Just the thought of hundreds of thousands of computers under the control of criminals or foreign governments is frightening. The idea expressed by the author that a certain sector of industry could be specifically targeted to harvest all their knowledge is very worrisome. Imagine the benefits to be had by some unscrupulous foreign power to dominate segments of the world's economy with such ill-gained knowledge.
The fact the many billions of dollars are being made by these criminals is also disturbing. The flow of revenue to the underworld gives power to the criminals - power to bribe and corrupt and spread their evil and grow like a cancer. I think its time for a more organized approach to counteract the threats discussed, both present and potential.
My first thought is this - a problem of this magnitude simply wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Windows operating system. Now perhaps that's unfair to say, because a million other benefits of having a common platform would also not exist if it weren't for Windows as well. Simply, the software industry as we know it just wouldn't exist without a common platform. The fact that one has a ready market on 90% of the world's computer for their software products is an incredible incentive for the growth of the industry.
We allowed Microsoft to dominate the desktop because we all benefited from platform standardization, and now we have seen what this monoculture has brought us. We allowed Microsoft to become one of the richest companies in the world because it was convenient for us, and now we are in a seriously vulnerable position because of that. Now its time for Microsoft to take full responsibility for the legacy they have given us - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Microsoft is not a person, and this is not a personal attack on Bill Gates, who is doing some wonderful things with the many billions that we permitted him to earn. Microsoft is a multinational entity - a machine that we have allowed to run out of control - a technological Frankenstein.
There must be an immediate end to the Monoculture. I suggest that legislation be immediately enacted requiring Microsoft to stop all development on all new products and focus all their efforts and resources on fixing all the software out there that they created (at least until their revenue streams dry up, that is). Otherwise, they will just go on extending the Monoculture - into our living rooms, onto our telephones, into our refrigerators, until we become so hopelessly vulnerable that one day some virus is going to come along and make the whole world crash and burn.
The second thing we need to do is form an army to combat the criminals. Use their own techniques against them. Send viruses out into the world to clean these infected machines. Do Dos attacks on phishing sites. Require ISPs to run AI software that detects unusual patterns of internet use by their customers. Say a customer is know to typically log on everyday for half an hour - probably just checks his email before supper, and suddenly his machine is uploading data 24 hours a day - it's a dead giveaway that something may be wrong. The ISP has to take responsibility to contact such a customer to see if perhaps he has a problem - an infection. Take this exact same strategy to the next level, to the big carriers. Force them as well to monitor patterns of use and proactively investigate potential problems instead of simply rejoicing in the increased revenues.
Since this comment is already far to long, I leave this part undeveloped, but you get the idea. Its time to take back the internet.
You neglected to give us any reference, so I did a little research, expecting to discover this was the writtings of some UFO buff. Then I found this reference...
"Prospects for a Breakthrough in Field Dependent Propulsion"
by A.C. Holt you can order it from AeroPlus Dispatch
1722 Gilbreth Road
Burlingame, CA 94010
phone: (800)-662-AERO
The paper/conference number is AIAA-80-1233 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), June 30-July 2, 1980 -16th Annual Conference. - Rich Boylan
I was very surprised that it was atributed to a credible source. The obvious next step was to verify that source, and sure enough, it is real. Googling AIAA-80-1233 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) led to this...
Abstract
If a breakthrough in space'timelfield physics
is achieved in the early 1980'8, tvo advanced
types of field-dependent "propulsion" systems
could be developed and tested in the early 1990's.
The two propulsion types are (1) Gravimagnetie e - multipurpose propulsion systems vhich
utilize the "gravitational" effects of coherent
electromagnetic.energy configurations, and (2)
Field Resonance Systems - deep-space propulsion
systems vhich initiate extreme but localized
changes in the nonlinear coordinate transformation
properties of space-time ("hyperspace jmps").
Preliminary analyses of astrophysical systems support
a nev theoretical model dich describes the
space-timelfield interactions utilized by these
"propulsion" systems.
It doesn't appear to me that your attempt to unregister the DLL was effective. (ie: you didn't do it right, or it plain didn't work for some reason). I would not consider that you are safe now! When I unregistered, I immediatley discovered that Window's visualizer of faxes and images stopped working, and that I could not display valid.wmf files. (but Paint still worked to display jpegs).
I wouldn't put "God" and Jesus into the same box as "all the Greek and Roman gods". Whether real, myth or fairy tale, Jesus left a behind pretty profound body of teachings when he split the scene. These teachings have had a very significant influence on Western culture for the past 2000 years, and whether you care to admit it or not, may even have had an influence in very formation of your personal value system. I don't think Zeus or any of his colleagues left us anything of much more than entertainment value and insight into the culture from whence they came. I haven't taken the time to "learn about all the other creation stories the world has to offer", but from what I have read, they don't - have much to offer. What I am really trying to say here, I'm not too sure. To paraphrase your point though, I too agree that, with that in mind, "Intelligent Design" has no place in science class.
When I read about this, the first thing I did was uninstall shimgvw.dll. Then I searched my HD for all files of type "*.wmf". The only files found happened to be on an image of CD 1 from MSVC 6 that I happened to have stored on my hard drive, in the folder msvc1\common\graphics\metafile\arrows. The next thing I did was to see if I could open one of these - I could not. Then I tried to open a random jpeg image. I was not able to open this using the Windows visualizer for images and faxes, but I was able to open jpegs with paint. The final step I made was to advise all my friends and everybody in my discussion groups about this exploit, telling them how to disable shimgvw.dll, and advising them to download and install Firefox with the link I provided.
How many times have I seen articles such as the Sony rootkit story watered down in the mass media to the point where it looses it's real significance? (Every time!) For example, as was pointed out by slashdot readers, the existence of the root-kitted Sony CDs in the environment will return to infect us for years to come. What is Sony going to do to ensure that this doesn't happen? People who only play these CDs on the CD player in their living room or car will likely never bother to trade them in for the new version Sony said it would provide.
If oil companies are required to clean up after a spill, then Sony should be required to clean the environment of all the CDs with the root kits lying around. (Perhaps by paying a $50 bounty for anyone who turns one of these disks in?) For me, this is a very significant point that I have never seen mentioned in the stories on CNN or NYT.
The general public has no understanding at all about concerns voiced about DRM on Slashdot. Whatever they know about it they may dismiss as stories about hackers whining about not being able to pirate CDs, when in fact there are deep issues involved that affect us all.
Why can't we pool our efforts to open an office to represent us on all the issues in which Slashdot readers have a particular interest and expertise? We should hire a small staff that includes full time professionals in the areas of: Research, Advocacy, Education, Lobbying, and Public Relations. I for one would be willing to make a small donation to such a specialized consumer advocacy group. What we need is a kind of a Ralph Nader for technology issues. We need to get the word out to the general public, and into schools where we can educate the next generation of consumers. We need a full time Lobbyist to educate our representatives. We need a central point to track the issues and progress made - a single web site where all can turn for information and enlightenment.
We can begin by mounting a web site to act as a central repository on all the issues. Simple research through Slashdot comments will reveal many very articulate and enlightening comments with which to begin. Others can contribute articles, which could be perhaps a kind of Wikipedia on the issues.
From there it can evolve - receive a Board of Directors, apply for status as a non-profit organizations, and solicit donations. If we don't do this, the big multinational corporations will continue to set the agenda, and one day we won't even own our computers or have full control over them anymore. Linux will be outlawed, and we will all be forced to use Microsoft DRMed platforms.
It's 3:30 in the morning where I live, and I should have gone to bed many hours ago - so I am not sure how what I am about to say is going to come out. Perhaps - just perhaps - it is an original thought in this forum...
I am really amazed at the patients displayed by so many good people who go to so much trouble to explain what science is. Personally, I have never entered one of these religious debates on \. I feel it would be completely pointless. There are many people in this world with very strange ideas, and that's just the way it is. These people will cling to their beliefs no matter how excellent your logic, for the simple reason that these people are not moved by logic. I find it hard to believe that "Intelligent Design" proponents really read slashdot. It just isn't a forum that would attract these types. I believe that the vast majority of posting by supposed creationists are simply trolls looking for a little excitment with a sure bet. I also believe that the patient, well meaning people such as the parent are just getting sucked in to feeding these trolls.
Futhermore, I can say that I have a brother that believes in Edgar Casey and Spiritulism, and a brother-in-law who is a Jehova's Witness. I love them both dearly, in spite of (what is to me) their strange beliefs. When talking to them, I avoid confrontation. Instead, I look for commonality, and find much. I try to see what they are saying with their beliefs, rather than looking directly at the beliefs themselves, if you get my drift. I see then that their belief systems are their attempt to grapple with some underlying philosophy - things that we all struggle with - questions of morality, ethics, and spirituality - questions that Science can't relly help us with much.
I had an uncle, who when he was dying of lukemia, confided in me about some really strange belief he had that mixed together religious ideas and flying saucers. I didn't even blink when he told me that. I looked beyond his words, and I saw the intelligence behind the apparent gibberish. He was looking for "Meaning", and the concept he revealed was only a structure to contain his spiritual questions.
The fact is, Science is completely powerless to address such issues as I discuss here. We can have Phds in physics, chemistry, biology or whatever and still not gain one bit of insite into the Meaning of Life, or find an answer to a simple question such as - what is love?
.
...of course I don't live in your country, where some people are actually trying to force their strange ideas onto your school system. I am sure that if I did that would be quite a test of my patients.
That was incredible - and absolutely convincing! I had never managed before to be able to see a 3D image this way, but I did as you suggested - just let my eyes cross - and a little 3D virtual image - about 2 inches square - popped up about 6 inches in front of my eyes - this with a 17" monitor about 18" from me. Thanks for bring this to my attention.
I saw the 'funny' mod - thought it must be an error. I just didn't get it, even though I understand the principles of photography. I guess his dead pan delivery was just too much for my limited intelligence.
100 line pairs per mm for Kodak Technical Pan is clearly a practical limitation, but it still would be interesting to know though, what the theoretical limits of resolution are. Perhaps you could supply that.
Slashdot Mirror
Language is the fundamental structure of consciousness.
I don't agree with you at all. I believe that we can experience states of "pure awareness" - ie: awareness without conscious thought. I believe that animals live in a state of pure awareness unpolluted by "thought". I don't believe that we need to mentally speak "I" and "other" to be aware of self/other.
So then what is the "fundamental structure of consciousness"? I am sorry, but I don't really know. I think it is something like an endless stream of images/emotions/impressions - whatever - that come before we attach language to it. Consider this: When we speak, we often pause - "searching for the words to convey the sense of what we want to say". I put that in quotes, because it is such a universal observation that it is almost cliché. In my observation, where am I when I am reaching for a word or expression? It seems to me that I am reaching into a dark void, then suddenly pull up this string of words. There is no sense that I am actually sorting through images/emotions/impressions. It's like I reach into this dark pool of water and grab something and pull it up.
For the past 5 years I have been speaking a language other than my native English, almost exclusively for months on end, to the point where I am completely fluent. The phenomenon I just described, of "reaching into a dark void", then suddenly pull up this string of words is greatly heightened in my new, second language. When I pause to find the right words, I have no idea what I am about to say, and I am sometimes amazed at the expressions I come up with. Where did they come from? Science tells us they came from neuronal structures in a specific area of my brain, but I have no sensation of such a thing - performing some act equivalent to data retrieval in a computer. In data retrieval, we look up things in a database using a key, but when I speak, I am not conscious of employing some key to do a look up.
Personally, I have some weird notion of consciousness - that it isn't centered in the brain. The brain is only the interface that allows us to connect to "consciousness". Perhaps there is some kind of collective consciousness, from which we draw a highly flavored interpretation that we think of as "self". In reality, we all have access to this same central consciousness, which would explain the fact that various inventions often arise almost simultaneously in different places. I would say that when the collective mind reaches a state of knowledge where some new though/invention becomes possible, frequently more than one person brings this idea forward. I'm going to stop here. I haven't really considered this at length before, and it's getting just a little to weird for my liking.
Para quem quer saber, minha nova língua é Português.
If you are ever in such a situation, the thing to do is to clearly state that you do not consent to the actions taking place, and to follow the police officers instructions only after he makes it clear that it is an order and not a request. Then you go home, call a lawyer, and do your duty as a citizen to police such violations of the concept of rule by law.
Certainly nothing I can disagree with here, in the specific example you give. My original comment was in response to what may have been a younger person still working out issues with authority figures rather than some champion of democracy.
In general, I have to say - we must be very, very careful indeed in any potential confrontation with a police officer on an individual level, less we end up a martyr. Martyrdom can be an effective way to promote social change, but I think there are many other things to try first. You got to remember that police often carry guns. Now, I am speaking symbolically - I am saying police can be very dangerous - not really implying they are going to shoot you. The thing is though, out of the millions of good police out there, there is always going to be the odd cop that is a bully who abuses his authority. He can make your life very difficult for a short while at least, no matter how 'right' you may be. I once saw a person who broke no law, stand up for his rights and get thrown in jail overnight for his troubles. Now perhaps he felt some satisfaction for standing up for his principals, but in the end it got him nowhere and changed nothing.
In the current discussion, it seems we are talking about excesses of police in these days of terrorism and war - clearly an important topic and something we must be very vigilant about. - something better approached on the collective level, rather than the individual level. We the citizens contract the police, and we also dictate policy through our elected representatives at all levels of government. If at some place or time we are seeing alarming abuses of authority, I think the collective approach of public discussion through the press and with elected representatives, starting with the mayor and chief of police, may be the best way to deal with it. In the article about police trying to stop the photographers from taking pictures, I agreed with the decision to take a stand. However, this should have been accompanied with a simply little chat with the local Chief of Police to clear up the confusion. If he is not informed of the problem, how can he correct the situation? ...and we must give him the benefit of assuming that he does not want such abuses of authority happening under his watch any more than the citizens want it to happen.
Advising people everywhere to simply stand up for their rights in any individual confrontation does not really address the problem, and is likely to land more than a few of these responders into some very uncomfortable situations.
I blinked at him like he was an idiot and asked him if he was going to arrest me for "walking suspiciously".
Did it not occure to you to simply explain that you were lost, and ask directions, instead of looking for a fight?
We must imagine that it is not an easy job being a police officer - very stressful and all that. Also, they deal with an inordinate number of scum bags on a daily basis - that has to have some impact on their perspective, to say the least. Also, we must remember that we, the citizens, hire police to keep our streets safe. They are not our enemy. The type of people chosen to be police, in general, are people who are good at taking and following orders. This is essential in that profession, where they are asked to enforce the law. Then we cannot expect these same police officers to have either a wonderful sense of humour or a lot of imagination.
I would suggest that in any confrontation with a police officer that one remain calm, and show compassion, understanding, and respect, rather than take a confrontational stance, if at all possible. There will be plenty of time later to contact your lawyer, the ACLU, the press, or lodge a complaint if you feel that is required.
It's the thing about releasing bad karma into the environment - it just goes around and around and eventually comes back at you
."IIRC StarForce actually have a competition or prize around for anybody who can reproducibly demonstrate their software harming a system...so far the prize has gone unclaimed"
Didn't you read posts #14611776, #14612523, and #14611831 debunking this so-called prize??? Aparently the moderator that gave you the 4 points also failed to read what went before in the discussion. How much is Starforce paying you for your comment?
I share your enthusiasm. It's downright exciting to imagine - a potential revolution! It would create new markets, new applications, new marketing niches. Who knows - maybe even major software developers would start porting their software to it - like - major games and stuff. As someone else said - imagine major hardware makers getting into the game - the spin offs - a Goobuntu Laptop - Goobuntu Tablet - Goobuntu smart phone - wow!
I have no doubt that Google is reading all these slashdot comments (except mine - which come out ar zero ever since I lost my Karma) and the enthusiasm has to be encouraging, and perhaps there are good ideas that they haven't even considered.
I think this is a case where the judge has used his perogative to draw a line. Look - it's like - where do you draw the line between trafficing and simply using drugs? A judge can decide whether the quantity a suspect is caught with is consistent with personal use, or more indicative of trafficing, irrespective of the actual reality - something we usually never actually know in any given case.
I submit that the act of buring a CD or DVD is different than just copying to the hard drive - or just being in the browser's cache - because once burned, that CD or DVD can be physically transported and sold to another consumer. This may be the judge's opinion, anyway. Certainly, the article does not inform us of the judge's personal rationalization for his ruling - which was most likely well within his perogative to decide.
You make a good point, but perhaps the particles strike the aerogel at maybe thousands of kilometers per hour and simply vaporize.
Watch out - you are being manipulated! This tripication was a deliberate ploy to sell products! Did anybody notice, that after opening the article, you had a sudden overwhelming urge to buy products that you had never even considered before?
If you examine the source code carefully for this web page, you will see that Cowboy Neal is flashing messages at you the whole time you are viewing the article, presenting each one for 50 miliseconds.
Cowboy Neal was depending on the fact that everyone will read this page to see what everybody has to say about an article being posted for yet a third time in as many days.
We need to consider - perhaps this is just a hack to run in-house, proprietary code. I mean, Windows is absolutely full of undocumented features. - but it still doesn't make sense, as the author said, there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to the job at hand - rendering wmfs from the thread that is created. But just suppose there is a hack to decode some unstandard version of a metafile that can't be handled by the DLL. So this unstandard version is identified by a one in the length field, and the calling application will handle that instead of the DLL. I would like to know, what does the DLL do after creating the thread that executes the caller's code? Just quietly exit?
I wasn't expressing any anti-nuclear or anti-war sentiments ...more a statement about an unfortunate choice of words. I believe he probably meant to say, "I think this is the most promising energy work since the establishment of viable nuclear enegery" ...or such, thus making an analogy between a potential new energy source and a pre-existing, but likewise revolutionary technology.
To compare a potential new source energy to the race to develop the atomic bomb makes me worry if people learn much about history these days. The Manhattan Project is a symbol for two things: 1.) a colossal, all out effort to succeed, and 2.) the development of the most powerfull weapon the world had ever seen. There is nothing in his comment to suggest that he really intended to make a comparison with either of these symbols.
To describe the Manhattan Project as a promising energy work would be completly inappropriate. In fact, it already fufilled its 'promise' long ago, if it ever had one, which would have been to develop the Bomb before Hitler or the Russians and win the war. To use the term "promising" is to imply that some thing holds hope for the future. I don't think nuclear weapons ever held any promise as a potential energy source for the future.
.
The Manhattan project was promising? Promising what? Mutually Assured Destruction?
I read the entire article. I really appreciate the author taking the time and trouble to share his knowledge with us, so I won't mention that his writing style was almost incoherent and left me dizzy.
The more I read and learn about the magnitude of the problem, the more paranoid I become these days. Just the thought of hundreds of thousands of computers under the control of criminals or foreign governments is frightening. The idea expressed by the author that a certain sector of industry could be specifically targeted to harvest all their knowledge is very worrisome. Imagine the benefits to be had by some unscrupulous foreign power to dominate segments of the world's economy with such ill-gained knowledge.
The fact the many billions of dollars are being made by these criminals is also disturbing. The flow of revenue to the underworld gives power to the criminals - power to bribe and corrupt and spread their evil and grow like a cancer. I think its time for a more organized approach to counteract the threats discussed, both present and potential.
My first thought is this - a problem of this magnitude simply wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Windows operating system. Now perhaps that's unfair to say, because a million other benefits of having a common platform would also not exist if it weren't for Windows as well. Simply, the software industry as we know it just wouldn't exist without a common platform. The fact that one has a ready market on 90% of the world's computer for their software products is an incredible incentive for the growth of the industry.
We allowed Microsoft to dominate the desktop because we all benefited from platform standardization, and now we have seen what this monoculture has brought us. We allowed Microsoft to become one of the richest companies in the world because it was convenient for us, and now we are in a seriously vulnerable position because of that. Now its time for Microsoft to take full responsibility for the legacy they have given us - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Microsoft is not a person, and this is not a personal attack on Bill Gates, who is doing some wonderful things with the many billions that we permitted him to earn. Microsoft is a multinational entity - a machine that we have allowed to run out of control - a technological Frankenstein.
There must be an immediate end to the Monoculture. I suggest that legislation be immediately enacted requiring Microsoft to stop all development on all new products and focus all their efforts and resources on fixing all the software out there that they created (at least until their revenue streams dry up, that is). Otherwise, they will just go on extending the Monoculture - into our living rooms, onto our telephones, into our refrigerators, until we become so hopelessly vulnerable that one day some virus is going to come along and make the whole world crash and burn.
The second thing we need to do is form an army to combat the criminals. Use their own techniques against them. Send viruses out into the world to clean these infected machines. Do Dos attacks on phishing sites. Require ISPs to run AI software that detects unusual patterns of internet use by their customers. Say a customer is know to typically log on everyday for half an hour - probably just checks his email before supper, and suddenly his machine is uploading data 24 hours a day - it's a dead giveaway that something may be wrong. The ISP has to take responsibility to contact such a customer to see if perhaps he has a problem - an infection. Take this exact same strategy to the next level, to the big carriers. Force them as well to monitor patterns of use and proactively investigate potential problems instead of simply rejoicing in the increased revenues.
Since this comment is already far to long, I leave this part undeveloped, but you get the idea. Its time to take back the internet.
You neglected to give us any reference, so I did a little research, expecting to discover this was the writtings of some UFO buff. Then I found this reference...
"Prospects for a Breakthrough in Field Dependent Propulsion" by A.C. Holt you can order it from AeroPlus Dispatch 1722 Gilbreth Road Burlingame, CA 94010 phone: (800)-662-AERO The paper/conference number is AIAA-80-1233 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), June 30-July 2, 1980 -16th Annual Conference. - Rich Boylan
I was very surprised that it was atributed to a credible source. The obvious next step was to verify that source, and sure enough, it is real. Googling AIAA-80-1233 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) led to this...
http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=406&gTabl e=mtgpaper&gID=92436
Abstract If a breakthrough in space'timelfield physics is achieved in the early 1980'8, tvo advanced types of field-dependent "propulsion" systems could be developed and tested in the early 1990's. The two propulsion types are (1) Gravimagnetie e - multipurpose propulsion systems vhich utilize the "gravitational" effects of coherent electromagnetic .energy configurations, and (2)
Field Resonance Systems - deep-space propulsion
systems vhich initiate extreme but localized
changes in the nonlinear coordinate transformation
properties of space-time ("hyperspace jmps").
Preliminary analyses of astrophysical systems support
a nev theoretical model dich describes the
space-timelfield interactions utilized by these
"propulsion" systems.
Quite facinating!
It doesn't appear to me that your attempt to unregister the DLL was effective. (ie: you didn't do it right, or it plain didn't work for some reason). I would not consider that you are safe now! When I unregistered, I immediatley discovered that Window's visualizer of faxes and images stopped working, and that I could not display valid .wmf files. (but Paint still worked to display jpegs).
I wouldn't put "God" and Jesus into the same box as "all the Greek and Roman gods". Whether real, myth or fairy tale, Jesus left a behind pretty profound body of teachings when he split the scene. These teachings have had a very significant influence on Western culture for the past 2000 years, and whether you care to admit it or not, may even have had an influence in very formation of your personal value system. I don't think Zeus or any of his colleagues left us anything of much more than entertainment value and insight into the culture from whence they came. I haven't taken the time to "learn about all the other creation stories the world has to offer", but from what I have read, they don't - have much to offer. What I am really trying to say here, I'm not too sure. To paraphrase your point though, I too agree that, with that in mind, "Intelligent Design" has no place in science class.
When I read about this, the first thing I did was uninstall shimgvw.dll. Then I searched my HD for all files of type "*.wmf". The only files found happened to be on an image of CD 1 from MSVC 6 that I happened to have stored on my hard drive, in the folder msvc1\common\graphics\metafile\arrows. The next thing I did was to see if I could open one of these - I could not. Then I tried to open a random jpeg image. I was not able to open this using the Windows visualizer for images and faxes, but I was able to open jpegs with paint. The final step I made was to advise all my friends and everybody in my discussion groups about this exploit, telling them how to disable shimgvw.dll, and advising them to download and install Firefox with the link I provided.
It's obviously saying that antitrust policy was not intended to regulate the refrigeration industry.
FTA: "It was so large I just assumed it was an exotic animal," he said.
...so he shot it, of course. Whenever you encounter an unusual animal, shoot it on sight. That will put an end to these mysteries real fast - duh!
How many times have I seen articles such as the Sony rootkit story watered down in the mass media to the point where it looses it's real significance? (Every time!) For example, as was pointed out by slashdot readers, the existence of the root-kitted Sony CDs in the environment will return to infect us for years to come. What is Sony going to do to ensure that this doesn't happen? People who only play these CDs on the CD player in their living room or car will likely never bother to trade them in for the new version Sony said it would provide.
If oil companies are required to clean up after a spill, then Sony should be required to clean the environment of all the CDs with the root kits lying around. (Perhaps by paying a $50 bounty for anyone who turns one of these disks in?) For me, this is a very significant point that I have never seen mentioned in the stories on CNN or NYT.
The general public has no understanding at all about concerns voiced about DRM on Slashdot. Whatever they know about it they may dismiss as stories about hackers whining about not being able to pirate CDs, when in fact there are deep issues involved that affect us all.
Why can't we pool our efforts to open an office to represent us on all the issues in which Slashdot readers have a particular interest and expertise? We should hire a small staff that includes full time professionals in the areas of: Research, Advocacy, Education, Lobbying, and Public Relations. I for one would be willing to make a small donation to such a specialized consumer advocacy group. What we need is a kind of a Ralph Nader for technology issues. We need to get the word out to the general public, and into schools where we can educate the next generation of consumers. We need a full time Lobbyist to educate our representatives. We need a central point to track the issues and progress made - a single web site where all can turn for information and enlightenment.
We can begin by mounting a web site to act as a central repository on all the issues. Simple research through Slashdot comments will reveal many very articulate and enlightening comments with which to begin. Others can contribute articles, which could be perhaps a kind of Wikipedia on the issues.
From there it can evolve - receive a Board of Directors, apply for status as a non-profit organizations, and solicit donations. If we don't do this, the big multinational corporations will continue to set the agenda, and one day we won't even own our computers or have full control over them anymore. Linux will be outlawed, and we will all be forced to use Microsoft DRMed platforms.
It's 3:30 in the morning where I live, and I should have gone to bed many hours ago - so I am not sure how what I am about to say is going to come out. Perhaps - just perhaps - it is an original thought in this forum...
I am really amazed at the patients displayed by so many good people who go to so much trouble to explain what science is. Personally, I have never entered one of these religious debates on \. I feel it would be completely pointless. There are many people in this world with very strange ideas, and that's just the way it is. These people will cling to their beliefs no matter how excellent your logic, for the simple reason that these people are not moved by logic. I find it hard to believe that "Intelligent Design" proponents really read slashdot. It just isn't a forum that would attract these types. I believe that the vast majority of posting by supposed creationists are simply trolls looking for a little excitment with a sure bet. I also believe that the patient, well meaning people such as the parent are just getting sucked in to feeding these trolls.
Futhermore, I can say that I have a brother that believes in Edgar Casey and Spiritulism, and a brother-in-law who is a Jehova's Witness. I love them both dearly, in spite of (what is to me) their strange beliefs. When talking to them, I avoid confrontation. Instead, I look for commonality, and find much. I try to see what they are saying with their beliefs, rather than looking directly at the beliefs themselves, if you get my drift. I see then that their belief systems are their attempt to grapple with some underlying philosophy - things that we all struggle with - questions of morality, ethics, and spirituality - questions that Science can't relly help us with much.
I had an uncle, who when he was dying of lukemia, confided in me about some really strange belief he had that mixed together religious ideas and flying saucers. I didn't even blink when he told me that. I looked beyond his words, and I saw the intelligence behind the apparent gibberish. He was looking for "Meaning", and the concept he revealed was only a structure to contain his spiritual questions.
The fact is, Science is completely powerless to address such issues as I discuss here. We can have Phds in physics, chemistry, biology or whatever and still not gain one bit of insite into the Meaning of Life, or find an answer to a simple question such as - what is love?
....of course I don't live in your country, where some people are actually trying to force their strange ideas onto your school system. I am sure that if I did that would be quite a test of my patients.
That was incredible - and absolutely convincing! I had never managed before to be able to see a 3D image this way, but I did as you suggested - just let my eyes cross - and a little 3D virtual image - about 2 inches square - popped up about 6 inches in front of my eyes - this with a 17" monitor about 18" from me. Thanks for bring this to my attention.
I was embarrased to have Jean Cretien as Prime Minister when living abroad
Ran across this when I googled to ensure correct spelling of his name...
Rearranging the letters of 'Jean Cretien' (Prime Minister of Canada) gives: Inane Reject
http://www.anagramgenius.com/archive/jeancr.html"Suddenly appearing", huh? Exactly when did we develop teleportation technology?
...we'll use cloaking technology, of course!
kinda like leaving religious tracts in phone booths... ??? [not exactly sure what I meant by that]
I saw the 'funny' mod - thought it must be an error. I just didn't get it, even though I understand the principles of photography. I guess his dead pan delivery was just too much for my limited intelligence.
100 line pairs per mm for Kodak Technical Pan is clearly a practical limitation, but it still would be interesting to know though, what the theoretical limits of resolution are. Perhaps you could supply that.