Some people in the UK are also calling for the ban of any pointed chef's knives. These people claim that there's no possible reason for a knife to have a point to it except to stab people. Now, I'm not a chef, but I've done my share of cooking. I will often use the pointed tip of my knife to "stab" a food item if the food (like, say tomatoes) resists my initial slice attempts (e.g. looks like it's going to squish instead of slice cleanly). What's next? Ban scissors? Box cutters (not just from planes but any possession of)? Swiss Army Knives?
Correct - a law against pointed knives would outlaw, for example, paring knives; making it difficult to peel certain fruits. Besides, many knives are equally effective at causing harm using just the bladed edge (think butcher knives.)
When you make it so that your analytical people - the problem solvers and those who create new things - are made irrelevant by a technology, you as a society will stop evolving socially. No, it will not happen immediately. It will happen gradually, over the period of a generation. Consider the dearth between the research abilities of a previous generation, and those who are graduating college today. There is a substantial difference, and the ease in which information is acquirable today has had a lot to do with this shortcoming.
While this may be true for some people, it's their own fault if they limit themselves in this way. The people that are really passionate about research will use this technology as a tool to enhance their research capabilities. Those that do not probably weren't motivated enough to be successful anyway.
Um - you're a little late there. "Mormons" are in pretty much every country on Earth. In the US, there are 6 million LDS church members - so one out of 50 people in the US is a "Mormon". Utah has 1.5 million LDS church members in it - so excluding Utah it is 1 out of 60.
The Mormon church ridiculously inflates its membership. I left the Mormon church over 10 years ago, and yet they still have me on their "inactive member" list. I know several other people in the same boat.
You'd suck it up and apologize too if your livelihood was on the line....
...and, that's exactly why laws against drugs like marijuana are still on the books. If people like Phelps had the balls to say stand up for themselves and say "it's none of your business", life would be a much better place.
Ninety per cent of the young people who seek treatment for compulsive sports watching are not addicted.
So says Keith Bakker the founder and head of Europe's first and only clinic to treat sports watching addicts.
The Smith & Jones Centre in Amsterdam has treated hundreds of young sports fans since the clinic opened in 2006.
But the clinic is changing its treatment as it realises that compulsive sports watching is a social rather than a psychological problem.
Using traditional abstinence-based treatment models the clinic has had very high success rates treating people who also show other addictive behaviours such as drug taking and excessive drinking.
But Mr Bakker believes that this kind of cross-addiction affects only 10% of sports fans. For the other 90% who may spend four hours a day or more watching games such as football, he no longer thinks addiction counselling is the way to treat these people.
"These kids come in showing some kind of symptoms that are similar to other addictions and chemical dependencies," he says.
"But the more we work with these kids the less I believe we can call this addiction. What many of these kids need is their parents and their school teachers - this is a social problem."
In response to this realisation the clinic has changed its treatment programme for sports fans to focus more on developing activity-based social and communications skills to help them rejoin society.
Social ties
"This sports watching problem is a result of the society we live in today," Mr Bakker told BBC News. "Eighty per cent of the young people we see have been bullied at school and feel isolated. Many of the symptoms they have can be solved by going back to good old fashioned communication."
By offering compulsive sports fans a place where they feel accepted and where their voice will be heard, the clinic has found that the vast majority have been able to leave sports watching behind and rebuild their lives.
For Mr Bakker the root cause of the huge growth in excessive sports watching lies with parents who have failed in their duty of care.
But he is quick to point out that 87% of online sports fans are over the age of 18 - and once they cross that line, help is something they need to seek for themselves because parents no longer have the legal right to intervene.
For younger sports fans, intervention may be the only way to break the cycle. That means stepping in and sometimes literally taking a child away from a computer, removing them from the game for a period of time until they become aware of their habits and begin to see there are other choices.
"It's a choice," he says. "These kids know exactly what they are doing and they just don't want to change. If no one is there to help them, then nothing will ever happen."
Alone together
George [not his real name] is an 18-year-old sports fan being treated at the clinic in Amsterdam. He was spending at least 10 hours a day watching NFL until he sought help at the centre.
"NFL games were somewhere I felt accepted for the first time in my life," he says. "I was never helped by my parents or my school. At the clinic I also feel accepted and have come out of myself."
George kept his sports watching problem a secret as much as he could but when he did tell people, he says that no-one offered him help.
"I liked sports watching because people couldn't see me, they accepted me as my online character - I could be good at something and feel part of a group."
Underlying that new sense of belonging was a young man who felt powerless and neglected in real life.
"I was aware that I played too much but I didn't know what to do. But it helped me because I could be aggressive and get my anger and frustration out online," he says.
This kind of aggression is not uncommon in young sports fans who feel frustrated with their real lives. Besides addiction, aggression and violence fo
Perhaps you could try the opposite approach - act like you're really interested in what they're selling, eventually they have to give you some sort of company name, address, phone number etc. to make the sale, right?
They ask for bank account numbers or credit card information, so you wouldn't even know what financial entity to go after until they've taken your money.
I've gotten several of these calls as well, which I started receiving shortly after I took my vehicle in to a dealership to be serviced. It may be coincidental, but I suspect not. Anyway, the numbers were always had spoofed caller id numbers, but it was the same warranty 'company' every time. The people on the other line refused to give you any information whether it be phone numbers, physical location, etc. I asked several times to be taken off their list. My cell phone provider (T-Mobile) said there was nothing they could do, even though these calls were illegal.
I stopped receiving these calls after awhile, I'm guessing this particular company moved on or got busted. Frankly, it's about time we had some ability as consumers to deal with this sort of fraud. The do-not-call laws do absolutely no good if these guys can spoof their numbers to get around being traced.
Currently Im 3 paychecks behind...ughh But at least Im not "Unemployed" during this messy market, and Im getting bonfide Programmer experience on my resume for when I chose to bolt!
I'd say the time to bolt is now. First missed paycheck is a mistake, second one (in a row) and you should stop going in - unless you like working for free.
Does bone conduction cause the same problem? If not, Vibe Body Sound Headphones may be an answer.
I actually have a pair of these, and I'd have to say that cranking these is definitely alot safer than cranking earbuds (although they do tickle a bit). One problem though is that they still produce audible sound, and because the speakers are on the outside of your ears, they aren't as "personal" as earbuds are (a person next to you can easily hear what you hear.)
Interestingly, you can hold one of the speakers up to your tooth and clearly hear the sound in your ears. Maybe that's the solution - dental speakers!
I took that as deliberate, to make you think "ah, it's made a mistake, this must be a human".
Not that it works, it's still blindingly obvious which one is the human from the examples in TFA.
You're right, all the mistakes "appear" to be typos where wrong letter was hit (e.g. , "dubjects" instead of "subjects"). The changed letters seem almost too deliberate though, and humans often correct themselves after the fact... I'd be curious to see what the AI bot comes up with after he asks "What's a dubject."
Subject: What is the subject I wonder if I think? I know that it's good to thonk about. Think deeplt about mysterious subjects.
KW: What mysterious subjects?
Subject: Think deeply about mysterious dubjects.
Apparently, these chatbots still have problems with spelling basic english words! The article says that it is a conversation with UltraHAL, which won last year's Loebner prize.
If it means there's a web site I can go to and donate directly to artists I like then, yes, they'll get more money from me.
Make that two people they'll get more money from. When the big studios start allowing fans to support the artist instead of the record company CEO's, I'll start buying more music.
It could have to do with new DVD's being $10-$15, where new Blu-Ray discs are $23.99(amazon)-$39.99 (Bestbuy)
Not only are they twice as expensive, but I've stopped buying blu-ray movies because more often than not the quality is almost exactly the same as the DVD version! I just watched The Usual Suspects on blu-ray, and while it might be slightly better, it's definitely not a significant improvement over the standard DVD.
The teenage years are about making connections, learning one's limits and getting ready for the rest of your long repetitive bullshit life. I'd much rather have someone who partied in their teens, got their fill and settled down in the later years, than a goody-two-shoes that's going to be consumed with jealousy and go apeshit in their early thirties.
You hit the nail on the head. Most of the hardcore party people I knew in college had never partied in high school. All of the ones that partied hard in high school always had the "been there, done that" attitude and were much more serious about school.
1. Guns require training. It isn't just point & click, especially at a distance. I'll bet on a trained homeowner against an untrained criminal using the same firearm all day long. Obviously, if you're a homeowner with a gun and no training, you're very much more at risk of accidental harm or having your own weapon used against you. But that's a problem of self-responsibility, and not my problem.
2. Said criminal isn't necessarily going to be in your room when he breaks in. It isn't much work to retrieve your gun, and as a trained gun owner, arm it.
3. Not every situation where a gun might be necessary involves an immediate attack against you.
Be careful what you ask for.. you just might get it! If creationists can create a following claiming intelligent design is science, I'm sure they can do much worse if you give them the opportunity.
I like the ski jumping / flying stuff. Never understood why style points would count except as a tie break when two people jumped the same distance.
I don't know about ski jumping, but in gymnastics, and besides the fact that distance/height aren't judged, it's much harder to do a skill with perfect form. One of the reasons for the way the scoring was changed is so that gymnasts who do attempt harder skills (say, a double back instead of a back) are rewarded more for it.
But aren't those scores based on hard values? Punches thrown vs. landed, that sort of thing. It's not like they're judging the artistic quality of the fight or something.
Gymnastics isn't judged the same way American Idol is judged. Each routine has a minimum number of requirements that must be met (certain number of holds, strength moves, etc.) Every skill performed has a difficulty assigned to it that is fixed -- each routine has a fixed maximum score. Points are lost when you bend your legs, don't point your toes, fall, take extra steps, etc. The judges are there to catch those mistakes, and theoretically all judges should arrive at the same score for a given performance.
Is it possible for a gymnast to keep a running total of his/her score in his/her head (I don't think that they would do this, even if they could, it's better to concentrate on performing, - I'm just asking if it's theoretically possible)?
I don't follow gymnastics, so I'm really asking.
Yes, it is theoretically possible. Most gymnasts can even tell you where they lost most of their points (they know when they break form, fall, take extra steps...). Now it won't be always be exact, because it's pretty easy to break form (e.g., toes aren't pointed) without realizing it.
Opening an encrypted partition with Windows Explorer is also a risk, because explorer will happily cache the directory structure of everything you browse to. Those paths and filenames show up in the explorer history, even if the drive is offline.
I've never been able to sing with any vibrato myself. Is it something that everybody can do with proper coaching, or does it require some innate ability that only certain individuals possess? Any links to relevant on-line information would be appreciated.
I don't have any links for you, but I can say from experience that it's definitely a learned skill. You can certainly learn it on your own, but it'll be far easier with formal voice training. I suppose it's a skill much like whistling; it's hard to describe exactly how to do, but if you keep trying, eventually you'll just start to do it.
Slashdot Mirror
Correct - a law against pointed knives would outlaw, for example, paring knives; making it difficult to peel certain fruits. Besides, many knives are equally effective at causing harm using just the bladed edge (think butcher knives.)
While this may be true for some people, it's their own fault if they limit themselves in this way. The people that are really passionate about research will use this technology as a tool to enhance their research capabilities. Those that do not probably weren't motivated enough to be successful anyway.
The Mormon church ridiculously inflates its membership. I left the Mormon church over 10 years ago, and yet they still have me on their "inactive member" list. I know several other people in the same boat.
When did consumers decide it was ethical for software companies to leave hidden bits of information on computers that don't belong to them?
They test the phone against another T-Mobile phone too, with the same results (the G1 is faster).
If the reasons for going to war were already valid, why did the Bush administration fabricate evidence of WMD?
They ask for bank account numbers or credit card information, so you wouldn't even know what financial entity to go after until they've taken your money.
I've gotten several of these calls as well, which I started receiving shortly after I took my vehicle in to a dealership to be serviced. It may be coincidental, but I suspect not. Anyway, the numbers were always had spoofed caller id numbers, but it was the same warranty 'company' every time. The people on the other line refused to give you any information whether it be phone numbers, physical location, etc. I asked several times to be taken off their list. My cell phone provider (T-Mobile) said there was nothing they could do, even though these calls were illegal.
I stopped receiving these calls after awhile, I'm guessing this particular company moved on or got busted. Frankly, it's about time we had some ability as consumers to deal with this sort of fraud. The do-not-call laws do absolutely no good if these guys can spoof their numbers to get around being traced.
I'd say the time to bolt is now. First missed paycheck is a mistake, second one (in a row) and you should stop going in - unless you like working for free.
The fact that people are still using it regularly despite it being beta should say something at least.
I actually have a pair of these, and I'd have to say that cranking these is definitely alot safer than cranking earbuds (although they do tickle a bit). One problem though is that they still produce audible sound, and because the speakers are on the outside of your ears, they aren't as "personal" as earbuds are (a person next to you can easily hear what you hear.)
Interestingly, you can hold one of the speakers up to your tooth and clearly hear the sound in your ears. Maybe that's the solution - dental speakers!
You're right, all the mistakes "appear" to be typos where wrong letter was hit (e.g. , "dubjects" instead of "subjects"). The changed letters seem almost too deliberate though, and humans often correct themselves after the fact... I'd be curious to see what the AI bot comes up with after he asks "What's a dubject."
From the article ("Subject" is the AI):
Apparently, these chatbots still have problems with spelling basic english words! The article says that it is a conversation with UltraHAL, which won last year's Loebner prize.
Make that two people they'll get more money from. When the big studios start allowing fans to support the artist instead of the record company CEO's, I'll start buying more music.
It could have to do with new DVD's being $10-$15, where new Blu-Ray discs are $23.99(amazon)-$39.99 (Bestbuy)
Not only are they twice as expensive, but I've stopped buying blu-ray movies because more often than not the quality is almost exactly the same as the DVD version! I just watched The Usual Suspects on blu-ray, and while it might be slightly better, it's definitely not a significant improvement over the standard DVD.
You hit the nail on the head. Most of the hardcore party people I knew in college had never partied in high school. All of the ones that partied hard in high school always had the "been there, done that" attitude and were much more serious about school.
There are a few problems with your scenarios:
1. Guns require training. It isn't just point & click, especially at a distance. I'll bet on a trained homeowner against an untrained criminal using the same firearm all day long. Obviously, if you're a homeowner with a gun and no training, you're very much more at risk of accidental harm or having your own weapon used against you. But that's a problem of self-responsibility, and not my problem.
2. Said criminal isn't necessarily going to be in your room when he breaks in. It isn't much work to retrieve your gun, and as a trained gun owner, arm it.
3. Not every situation where a gun might be necessary involves an immediate attack against you.
Be careful what you ask for.. you just might get it! If creationists can create a following claiming intelligent design is science, I'm sure they can do much worse if you give them the opportunity.
I don't know about ski jumping, but in gymnastics, and besides the fact that distance/height aren't judged, it's much harder to do a skill with perfect form. One of the reasons for the way the scoring was changed is so that gymnasts who do attempt harder skills (say, a double back instead of a back) are rewarded more for it.
But aren't those scores based on hard values? Punches thrown vs. landed, that sort of thing. It's not like they're judging the artistic quality of the fight or something.
Gymnastics isn't judged the same way American Idol is judged. Each routine has a minimum number of requirements that must be met (certain number of holds, strength moves, etc.) Every skill performed has a difficulty assigned to it that is fixed -- each routine has a fixed maximum score. Points are lost when you bend your legs, don't point your toes, fall, take extra steps, etc. The judges are there to catch those mistakes, and theoretically all judges should arrive at the same score for a given performance.
Is it possible for a gymnast to keep a running total of his/her score in his/her head (I don't think that they would do this, even if they could, it's better to concentrate on performing, - I'm just asking if it's theoretically possible)?
I don't follow gymnastics, so I'm really asking.
Yes, it is theoretically possible. Most gymnasts can even tell you where they lost most of their points (they know when they break form, fall, take extra steps...). Now it won't be always be exact, because it's pretty easy to break form (e.g., toes aren't pointed) without realizing it.
Opening an encrypted partition with Windows Explorer is also a risk, because explorer will happily cache the directory structure of everything you browse to. Those paths and filenames show up in the explorer history, even if the drive is offline.
I don't have any links for you, but I can say from experience that it's definitely a learned skill. You can certainly learn it on your own, but it'll be far easier with formal voice training. I suppose it's a skill much like whistling; it's hard to describe exactly how to do, but if you keep trying, eventually you'll just start to do it.