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User: jd.schmidt

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  1. Re:Is it true... on James Watson's Nobel Prize Goes On Auction This Week · · Score: 1

    I think the major mistake you are making, which is a mistake of so many people who to try to make cultural/ethnics arguments, is a failure to understand how fast the modern era is moving and how quickly changes have occurred. If you look at the situations in these countries, they aren't really all that dissimilar (accounting for cultural differences) to situations in European nations not all that long ago. I would say they are factually a couple hundred years behind in some places, but compared to the whole of human history, that is a very small percentage behind. Basically the proven increase in IQ over the last hundred years in "modern" nations proves that we lack the ability to really know what can and can not be accounted for by culture.

  2. The logical flaw on Halting Problem Proves That Lethal Robots Cannot Correctly Decide To Kill Humans · · Score: 2

    The flaw in their logic is this, we don't really care I if works every time, just most of the time. So if the robot can do the right thing more often than not, rather like people, to such a degree that we view it as being a net benefit, we are willing to accept the occasional mistake or failure for a net overall viewed good. So they would have to prove the program would fail more often than succeed, which they probably can't. That said, I DID wish it were possible enforce Asimov's laws of robotics. Maybe some day..

  3. Re:Not surprising on How Facebook Is Influencing Who Will Win the Next Election · · Score: 2

    What nonsense, who would vote this up? To be sure, younger voters were less pro Democrat in the last election (not unexpected as all voting segments were less pro Democrat), but they were still majority Democrat by a wide margin. So I hardly think Democrats would want to suppress Facebook voting efforts because the young aren't pro Democrat enough, how does that even make sense?

  4. It is more about an open mind on Dwarf Galaxies Dim Hopes of Dark Matter · · Score: 1

    There is no doubt that there is a dark matter "effect", it is just that we don't really know we will every find a particle that is "Dark Matter". I kind of dislike the name for that reason, maybe scientist are affected by this but your common layman seem to think one day we will have bottles full of "Dark Matter" we can use in some future technology. We simply know very little about what is causing the dark matter effect and we have much more knowledge about what it isn't than what is might be. The key is to keep an open mind about what we might be looking for.

  5. News With a Bullet on Mark Zuckerberg Speaks Mandarin At Tsinghua University In Beijing · · Score: 1

    People in the U.S. are factually at a disadvantage here. English, like it or not, sure has seem to become the international language. MOST counties have very developed programs for teaching English and there is often a tangible benefit to leaning it. For English speakers in the U.S., it is simply very rare for them to need, benefit from or really have the opportunity to practice other languages. It is simply nice when someone makes the attempt.

  6. United Borg of America on Mark Zuckerberg Speaks Mandarin At Tsinghua University In Beijing · · Score: 1

    LoL, I love that quote. I have often said America is basically the Borg, we will take the uniqueness of other cultures and assimilate them in to our collective to benefit ourselves. We borrow (steal?) cultural ideas freely from other countries with no real concern for "authenticity", either theirs or ours. To an extent that is the thing I love most about English and the U.S., I wouldn't change either. You will never hear me complain about corruption of the Queen's English, and based on history the Queen shouldn't either.

  7. Re:False on Pentagon Reportedly Hushed Up Chemical Weapons Finds In Iraq · · Score: 1

    You are factually wrong. Iraq was buying what they needed not just from the Europeans, but all over the world *INCLUDING* the U.S. That the U.S. only contributed non military items is a right wing myth. Further, I simply don't believe the intelligence communities didn't know what was going on. You can start reading about it in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I...

  8. Yes, we know Iraq HAD chemical weapons... on Pentagon Reportedly Hushed Up Chemical Weapons Finds In Iraq · · Score: 1, Redundant

    ...because Reagan sold them to them. This has been reported in left wing media for years, I am glad the right wing media if finally on to this story also. Perhaps because they hope by giving misleading headlines they can confuse people into thinking Iraq had an active WMD program, which they didn't, and to worry people about ISIS now having access to these weapons. On the bright side these weapons are decades old and poorly maintained, so other than the shock value of being able to say "ISIS has chemical weapons stolen from Iraq", don't be surprised if you see limited or no use of them. ISIS *MAY* find some use, but it won't greatly affect their combat effectiveness.

  9. Anonymous vs. Non-Anonymous speech on Why the Trolls Will Always Win · · Score: 1

    While the benefits of anonymous speech are often promoted, I have come to believe the dangers of it, more specifically the dangers of trusting anonymous information, are too often overlooked by our society. It seems people are too willing to give credence to rumors and anonymous tips. It isn't that I would eliminate anonymous speech, rather I wish there were forums for open speech where people actually stand behind their words and people could then decide for themselves which story seems to have a more credible backing. There are plenty of examples of both men and women being very unfairly and wrongly harassed and accused online (how on earth did the discussion go down that rabbit hole anyway). I just wish people would put a little more effort into checking out a story before believing it.

  10. What has happened to Slashdot? on Former Department of Defense Chief Expects "30 Year War" · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is this a technology site or some kind of political blog. What has happened?

  11. The Internet makes vcational training marginal on Is It Time To Throw Out the College Application System? · · Score: 1

    Vocational training is really rote learning, a vocational program may include theory, but the more it includes the less it resembles classic vocational training. I think it is more important for our education system to adapt to the new reality of the Internet and easy access to information. So many of the jobs we want to do these days have a straight forward instructional video available, from setting up a server, to fixing an elevator and even medical procedures. I am unsure about pure vocational training today, students may not need to focus so much on the vocational how of a job and instead need to focus more on they why and where to get instructions. Also there are innovations happening in every field all the time, vocation skills may become out of date sooner than we think. Finally, a worker with background understanding, rather than vocational rote learning, is more likely to innovate in their field. I would be more worried about getting all students to understand the theory and why behind how things work so when they see the instructions they can quickly understand them. This may even apply to "intellectual" vocations like Lawyer. There will always be some place for vocational rote learning, but is has to happen only *after* the student has the tools to learn on their own. There IS a concern about the cost of education, many colleges justify their cost heavily on how much more money the student will earn by attending, but that is a different question than the type of learning students need.

  12. Re:College admissions is not a life-value system on Is It Time To Throw Out the College Application System? · · Score: 1

    +1 on that, I have seen the exact same thing. Manual labor over a lifetime really wears out the body.

  13. Re:Fox News? on Scientists Seen As Competent But Not Trusted By Americans · · Score: 1

    Well, if you really want an answer let me clarify my point. It is not that I assert that all researchers are 100% honest and ethical at all times, but rather that there are clearly so many resources available for counter research that if real science was able to support this it would be found. Indeed the more the anti-GW side focuses and character attacks and innuendo rather than scientific research, the more hollow the their side seems to me. And frankly to me, it seems the burden of proof is on the AGW side anyway because CO2 is already known to be a greenhouse gas, so a simple back of the envelope calculation would suggest GW is a concern. Picking apart minutia of complicated climate models is not affirmative proof, all the models could be wrong yet GW could still be real, (again, note I say this only because CO2 *IS* a known greenhouse gas). The nature of the counter arguments combined with the knowledge that counter research could easily be funded pretty much blow apart the AGW credibility for me.

  14. Re:Fox News? on Scientists Seen As Competent But Not Trusted By Americans · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, your scenario is exactly where you need to start using your real intelligence. Take for instance the conservative claim that climate scientists are just spinning their doomsday scenarios to get those "fat" research checks or to advance some other agenda. This is where you brains are supposed to kick in when you realize that energy companies are willing and able to fund their research in a lavish style that government research simply can't and won't match. Further, your brains should be able to tell the difference between honest attempts at research vs. simple attempts to delay and undermine research. So yes, don't trust everything you are told, but use your analytical skills to understand motive and source reliability.

  15. Re:Working On My Pandering Campaign Platform on The Secret Goldman Sachs Tapes · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But watch which of these "problems" get fixed. On the photo issue I assure you the elected officials will be "outraged" at the "overreach" of "imperious" public officials. But on the bank issue, it will be "very complicated" and need "more study".

  16. Re:We need to read the facts first... on Forest Service Wants To Require Permits For Photography · · Score: 1

    No, a model is someone being paid to model. If there is no money or compensation involved, you wouldn't be modeling.

  17. Re:Should we jump to conclusions? on Forest Service Wants To Require Permits For Photography · · Score: 1

    Yes, setting up a tent for camping in a park costs more than simple day use, you need a camping permit. When we decided that people using the parks should help or mostly pay for them, guess what, people using the parks need to pay for them. The park service is trying to set rules such that the more you "use" the park, aka the more disruptions your presence causes to others and nature, the more you pay. That crazy thing about all this is the right wing can't even remember that they asked for this in the first place.

  18. More Samzenpus flamebait on Forest Service Wants To Require Permits For Photography · · Score: 1

    Just to be clear, the $1500 cost is for major film production, think very disruptive to enjoyment of other park users (well, unless you went hiking to watch film being made, then again, you probably will get shooed away since they paid their fee). Less disruptive minor commercial shoots cost more like $30, kind of in the same cost range as your day use pass. Hikers and general public can take all the pictures they want with the cost of the day use pass. I know it is an outrage to pay for use of a public resource, maybe we could go back to the old days were parks were free and we just paid for them with taxes?

  19. and won't be allowed to last long on ISIS Bans Math and Social Studies For Children · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Many people in the mid east are actually pretty proud of their history in math and put a high value in it. ISIS is in on the way out already if they try this, if not every parent, MANY parents will now see ISIS for how backwards they really are.

  20. Re:Nope. on NYPD Starts Body Camera Pilot Program · · Score: 1

    Look at it this way, it is not like the Cop is going to forgot about the camera on them, there will already be a deterrence. However I think there is a real danger of honest mistakes being abused, and like I said most of the abuses I know about used those.

  21. Re:Who gets access to the video? on NYPD Starts Body Camera Pilot Program · · Score: 1

    Let's be clear, does the policeman misremembering and event change what actually happened in anyway? If not then I guess, NO it isn't relevant. Look, you are making a leap that is very normal for people to make, but still incorrect. What is being unsaid is that you are accusing either side of lying to cover up and thus the lying person must be a bad person worthy of punishment for that reason, or at least unreliable in some other way. Someone mentioned that the defendant should be given access to evidence also before making a statement if the cops should. Funny thing is that isn't a gottcha against me, I agree completely. When you look at the most egregious cases of abuse and false imprisonment, the cops playing the same kind of tricks by deliberately withholding evidence are pretty much central to all of these cases. Trying to trip up people looks great on Perry Mason, but in the real world it is subject to abuse. It is a very dangerous tool to use in our justice system, even if it has good results sometimes, it dangerously undermines peoples confidence in the systems when it goes tragically wrong.

  22. Re:Who gets access to the video? on NYPD Starts Body Camera Pilot Program · · Score: 1

    Cops use that logic and technique to railroad innocent people all the time, it should not happen to defendants or cops either. Really, watch some of the documentaries about people "confessing" to crimes.

  23. Re:Who gets access to the video? on NYPD Starts Body Camera Pilot Program · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why, have you never remembered an event wrong? The behavior of everyone will be plain to see on the video, by contrast every lawyer knows the trick of picking out one detail someone got wrong and spinning that into proof that everything they say is a lie.

  24. Re:Behind the curve on Seattle Approves $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage · · Score: 1

    LOL, first who cares about unemployment among 16-18 year olds, aren't they supposed to be in school, or 18-22 year olds who are in college. I care more about unemployment overall and wage levels. Second $15 an hour still doesn't get your far in an expensive city like Seattle, only a small number of workers benefit and I can tell you I see plenty of older faces working at fast food joints. Third, despite all that, I'd take that bet if there was a real way to enforce it. Retiring Boomers basically guarantee a labor shortage over the next few years. And the secret 4th, remember a city has to pay for services for all residents, so driving out low paying businesses can be a net benefit for a city. Sure you may reduce raw numbers of job growth, but you cultivate better paying jobs, read better tax base.

  25. Re:82% was always suspect on Actual Results of Crimean Secession Vote Leaked · · Score: 1

    There was never a general vote of the whole population of Texas on independence, if there was it very likely would not have been above 75% because about 25% of the population was Mexican nationals vs. U.S. settlers. Also note it was a two step process, the original vote was for independence not joining the U.S. a much smaller incremental change. Had that been the vote at the start I suspect the support would have been even lower, though the net result may not have changed. Denmark is united with Sweden the same way Greece is united with Belgium under the E.U. Despite this I suspect most Greeks don't consider themselves Belgian.