Yahoo has a new option: perhaps the users are criminally liable for using the software.
I assume the poster meant to say "opinion", not "option". It's not Yahoo's option or opinion. First of all, the article was written by AP, the news service that Yahoo buys articles from. Second of all, even the AP was just reporting on what the prosecutor was considering doing. The AP wasn't providing an opinion.
too bad the general public doesn't have a lobbiest we could all contribute to, to lobby for the general public's best interests!!! It's really sad that we have to think like that. Aren't the people we voted into office supposed to be lobbying for our best interests?
But what if it is the single food (or rather, ingredients) that is the cause of people not getting off their asses? In the radio broadcast linked to by the article, the doctor was speaking about the levels of insulin being directly related to obesity AND the desire to exercise. He experimented on some massively obese children who had a brain disorder that didn't allow them to know when they were full. Their bodies, as a result, would release too much insulin to make the body change sugar into fat. When he lowered their insulin levels, not only did they lose weight, but they also began to exercise without any external impetus. High fructose corn syrup can have a similar effect to the disorder these children have. While sugar signals to the brain that we've eaten enough, and we're full, high fructose corn syrup doesn't. So we keep on eating, and the body releases more insulin. This makes us not only fatter, but also reduces our desire to exercise. This flies in the face of common sense which emphasizes that fat is the direct result of a lack of willpower, which is the view I held until recently.
You may have heard recently some Ribena drinks in Australia and New Zealand have been found to contain less Vitamin C than stated on pack. The case came about because the method we had used for testing Australian and New Zealand products was not sensitive enough to measure the natural break down in Vitamin C that occurs over time while this type of product is on shelf.
First things first: we wanted to reassure you this isn't the case in the UK. Ribena contains the levels of Vitamin C as stated on our packaging and we're still committed to producing the same quality refreshment that's been enjoyed in the UK for the last 70 years. During that time we've worked with three generations of blackcurrant growers to create the unique Ribena taste we know our consumers love.
We also wanted to let you know that people who consume Ribena are obviously our number one concern. It was never our intention to mislead consumers in Australia and New Zealand and we're really sorry this has happened. We've moved to a new method of testing Vitamin C levels in those countries and we're also developing a new recipe for our drinks in Australia and New Zealand to ensure Vitamin C levels are maintained over shelf life.
If you have any questions then give us a bell on 0800 096 3666.
The Ribena Consumer Careline Team
I'm not saying that this should be censored. It shouldn't.
But this feels like trolling -- deliberately saying or doing something controversial, to draw attention. And trolling is lame.
If they choose to open this door -- to associate an electronic device that has nothing to do with race with all of this ugly history, just to be titilating -- then they deserve whatever they get.
People! Wake up. There's obviously a cultural misunderstanding here. In the Netherlands, this is not considered racist, therefore it's NOT racist. You can't apply American ideas to Dutch culture. It's not 100% compatible. It's the same as the Muhammed cartoon fiasco a few months back. No one in the west could understand why the Muhammed cartoons created such a furor, but it was incredibly obvious to Muslims. Why? Cultural differences.
The Chinese government isn't legitimate and therefore doesn't deserve the respect of a sovereign government. That's like saying that if a gang of criminals were holding a gun to your head, the police shouldn't help, you should just fight them off yourself. It's the moral responsibility of good people to help liberate the oppressed as much as is practical. Unfortunately they have nukes on ICBMs so we cant just go in like we did in Iraq.
And if they didn't have nuclear weapons, you think the US should invade a country of 1 billion people on the assumption that they want to be 'liberated'? Delusional. You sit in the comfort of your own home and tell us you want the US to invade China, but would you forfeit your life for the cause?
In Europe, they've got it all. Their intercity highways are better than ours. And for commuting, they have train networks that actually work and are pleasant enough that people want to use them. Saves gas, saves time (the high-speed trains are faster and you don't have to park them), and you can still drive your car just fine when you are going somewhere the trains don't go or don't reach effectively.
There's a consequence of the great highway/road system we have in the States: the death of walking. It's gotten so bad that it's impractical to walk in some places, even for short distances. If you've ever seen someone trying to cross or walk along a highway, you immediately assume they're crazy, but sometimes there's no alternative route by foot. Sure, you can get from point A to B by public transportation, but once you're at point B, you still need a car. Why not just take the car the whole distance? Until our city structures become more pedestrian friendly and a car becomes a luxury rather than a necessity, public transportation won't be practical in the US.
In Europe, the cities were developed before the automobile, and luckily for them, they've kept their city structures. It's great in Europe because in the cities, you can walk from your residence to downtown and get whatever you need in your daily life (food, etc). In the US, this is often not practical. Thus, having a car becomes a necessity.
The earth's climate is cyclical. If you place that 400 year figure next to the age of the earth (say 4+ billion years), it does not seem that significant. Even if it were the warmest the earth has ever been, it does not mean that human activity is the primary cause.
Sure, the earth's climate is cyclical, and 400 years is miniscule compared to 4 billion. But by concentrating on the relatively short term of the study, you ignore the alarming SPEED of the increase in the temperature. Interesting how the huge spike in the temperature of the earth coincides with the invention of the oil-based economy and the spewing forth of greenhouse gases from our tailpipes. I just love how people throws around the 'lack of proof' of scientific theories as an excuse to do nothing or to inject their own ideologies (*ahem* intelligent design). Come up with an alternate theory, research it, and provide proof rather than just putting on the blinders.
I just finished my PhD and find the whole notion of 'teaching' to be absurd. Before my PhD I thought a great deal of the notion...but after being in the system for awhile I see being a student in a whole new light. Students learn what they want to learn from who they want to learn it. In other words, good students are able to overcome bad teaching any day of the week. Trouble occurs when the teachers either do not know the students or have no contacts for advancing the good students to where they want to go.
As far as Doctoral studies go, I'd agree with you. The professor's reputation and contacts are more important than his teaching ability. The professor is more mentor than teacher. But for undergraduate studies, the professor's teaching ability makes a huge difference. The undergraduate education is classroom based, and with the right professors, going to lectures can be a real pleasure. They can also be a complete waste of time with poor professors. A good student will still do well in poor professor's classes, but that's just because they score higher than the average student in any class (study study study). The whole scale is lower. From the best student to the worst, they'll all learn less with a poor professor. I had a professor who couldn't teach to save his life. When it came time to take exams, the class average was around 25%. If you could achieve 30% correct, you'd get a B. The highest grade in the class was 50%. I managed a B, but I walked away feeling as if I hadn't learned a thing.
The console wars will be won with the games, innovations, and marketing. Specs don't really count for a whole lot at the end of the day. Look at E3. Nintendo is putting out a console that doesn't have the impressive specs as its two competitors, but it stole the show with motion controller and innovative games.
Using corralatory evidence can be used to ban anything. Let's choose Colgate toothpaste for example. Let's say that investigators found that 1 out of 10 murderers use Colgate toothpaste. Does that mean that the toothpaste made these people commit murders? Obviously not. This is one of the first things they teach in courses on logic: Correlation does not imply causation. Unfortunately, not everyone's taken courses on logic. If you replace toothpaste with video games, the general public may be convinced.
People have been shot in the face, clubbed over the head, and stabbed since the beginning of the human race. Hell, the Holocaust, in which millions of people were dragged out of their homes to be murdered in cold blood, predates Pong by at least 20 years. I think anyone who blames video games for violence needs to take a look at history.
Nice to see an honorable company like AOL standing up to the government.
Wait... wasn't the goverment supposed to be protecting the people from corporations?
That was EXACTLY what I was thinking. What ever happened to things like judicial review and warrants? Companies shouldn't be using their own lawyers to decide whether a request is legal or not. All of a sudden, we're in very strange territory where companies are deciding when and how to apply laws, not the government who passed the laws in the first place. The government shouldn't be asking for this kind of information without first determining the legality of the request. Most companies probably aren't going to review the legality of requests; they'll just hand over the information.
But when other states does the same, we hear outraged yapping from US about undermining "free market". Go figure.
You have to understand that this is not about the US government trying to control the market. The US isn't stipulating what their citizens can or cannot purchase or putting tarriffs on Lenovo products. The US gov't is the CUSTOMER, and as the customer, they have the right to choose where to spend their money and how to use the equipment they've purchased.
There are probably dozens of other laboratories working right now on other pilfered technologies. In the long run, however, China is graduating enough engineers to surpass the West within about 25 years. In which case, all of this will seem rather transitional in nature.
It may be transitional, and it may be not. Take intelligent, well-educated people and stick them in an environment where pilfering of technology is expected, and they'll pilfer technology just like their predecessors did. If China truly hopes to catch up and surpass the west, they'll start taking IP more seriously and push their researchers to produce NEW technologies.
Though to be honest I don't see of the appeal of HD over the net. It's the same bullshit video tape of a monkey falling out of a tree or something, just now it's got 16 times the pixels.
You will eat your words in a few years. The internet is a much better way to deliver video than we currently have on our TVs. On our TVs, we have to follow the schedule that TV executives have set (yes, I know Tivo is one solution), but on the internet, the shows that we want to watch will all be available when we want them. Already, ABC is experimenting with this model by putting Lost and a few of their other shows online. http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing
Suppose that a deep cover agent of the US, who is providing critical intelligence about a hostile foreign power, cheats somebody in a business transaction. The person cheated sues. It could easily be the case that the information disclosed in the course of the suit would make the agent look suspicious. In a case like this, there would be a legitimate reason for the government to want to put a stop to the lawsuit.
Surely the government can figure out a better way to protect national security than having the lawsuit dropped (helping to settle the case out of court, for example). Having the government step in to kill a court case is a hell of a lot more suspicious than information that would be revealed in court. Really though, I would rather have secrets that hurt "national security" revealed in court than have the executive branch killing cases. What could possibly hurt the security of the American people more than giving our own government the ability to hide its mistakes and corruption?
If someone in India can do my job for $2.50/hr, then bring it on, baby! Just like during the dot-com land rush in the US, most of the Indian IT workers are basically incompetent. Outsourcers are beginning to figure this out.
This is a bit arrogant. Even if American IT workers are better today (our IT industry developed quite a bit earlier than India's), this can change very quickly, especially since the technology is always changing. Even if today we have the better education (I'm not sure we do), this will change as the Indian IT industry matures. And certainly, we Americans don't have a monopoly on intelligence.
Japan initially produced trash and was the brunt of many jokes, but as their industries matured, they surpassed American industries. America's strength is in creativity and entrepreneurship. We're great at starting new industries and developing new types of products, but not at being the best in established industries. Hopefully our strengths will pull us through this era of electronic globalization, which is a hell of a lot scarier than old-style globalization.
Here's a different example. Skilled construction jobs are way up, and they are largely union.
Therefore, unions create larger markets.
Well actually, construction workers can get away with being expensive: you can't send construction jobs to China, India, or anywhere else. The number of American construction jobs is based purely on the demand for local construction. Quality and price of local workers isn't an issue. Therefore, unions have very little effect on the size of the market for construction.
when the US government does something, almost nobody says a word.
Are you living under a rock? Maybe in the US there's not as much criticism as there should be, but elsewhere in the world, the US is thought of as the devil incarnate. It's gotten to the point of being ridiculous. When Katrina hit, Bush requested aid, and one of the things he asked for was oil because a large part of our oil industry was knocked out. I talked to a few Europeans, and they became angry, proclaiming that here was the proof that all Bush wants is oil. Please! I don't support most of Bush's policies, but asking for oil after Katrina was completely understandable. There's not much the US can do these days without facing criticism.
Slashdot Mirror
I assume the poster meant to say "opinion", not "option". It's not Yahoo's option or opinion. First of all, the article was written by AP, the news service that Yahoo buys articles from. Second of all, even the AP was just reporting on what the prosecutor was considering doing. The AP wasn't providing an opinion.
But what if it is the single food (or rather, ingredients) that is the cause of people not getting off their asses? In the radio broadcast linked to by the article, the doctor was speaking about the levels of insulin being directly related to obesity AND the desire to exercise. He experimented on some massively obese children who had a brain disorder that didn't allow them to know when they were full. Their bodies, as a result, would release too much insulin to make the body change sugar into fat. When he lowered their insulin levels, not only did they lose weight, but they also began to exercise without any external impetus. High fructose corn syrup can have a similar effect to the disorder these children have. While sugar signals to the brain that we've eaten enough, and we're full, high fructose corn syrup doesn't. So we keep on eating, and the body releases more insulin. This makes us not only fatter, but also reduces our desire to exercise. This flies in the face of common sense which emphasizes that fat is the direct result of a lack of willpower, which is the view I held until recently.
This is what GlaxoSmithKline posted here: http://www.ribena.co.uk/newsflash/ribena.html. Anyone care to comment?
You may have heard recently some Ribena drinks in Australia and New Zealand have been found to contain less Vitamin C than stated on pack. The case came about because the method we had used for testing Australian and New Zealand products was not sensitive enough to measure the natural break down in Vitamin C that occurs over time while this type of product is on shelf. First things first: we wanted to reassure you this isn't the case in the UK. Ribena contains the levels of Vitamin C as stated on our packaging and we're still committed to producing the same quality refreshment that's been enjoyed in the UK for the last 70 years. During that time we've worked with three generations of blackcurrant growers to create the unique Ribena taste we know our consumers love. We also wanted to let you know that people who consume Ribena are obviously our number one concern. It was never our intention to mislead consumers in Australia and New Zealand and we're really sorry this has happened. We've moved to a new method of testing Vitamin C levels in those countries and we're also developing a new recipe for our drinks in Australia and New Zealand to ensure Vitamin C levels are maintained over shelf life. If you have any questions then give us a bell on 0800 096 3666. The Ribena Consumer Careline Team
People! Wake up. There's obviously a cultural misunderstanding here. In the Netherlands, this is not considered racist, therefore it's NOT racist. You can't apply American ideas to Dutch culture. It's not 100% compatible. It's the same as the Muhammed cartoon fiasco a few months back. No one in the west could understand why the Muhammed cartoons created such a furor, but it was incredibly obvious to Muslims. Why? Cultural differences.
And if they didn't have nuclear weapons, you think the US should invade a country of 1 billion people on the assumption that they want to be 'liberated'? Delusional. You sit in the comfort of your own home and tell us you want the US to invade China, but would you forfeit your life for the cause?
"why can't we get Presidents like this anymore?"
Because anyone with huevos enough to buck the status quo or speak unpopular truths gets the Rove treatment.
Uhh...Bush bucked the status quo. Pre-emptive wars for example? Bush really doesn't give a hoot about status quo.
In Europe, they've got it all. Their intercity highways are better than ours. And for commuting, they have train networks that actually work and are pleasant enough that people want to use them. Saves gas, saves time (the high-speed trains are faster and you don't have to park them), and you can still drive your car just fine when you are going somewhere the trains don't go or don't reach effectively.
There's a consequence of the great highway/road system we have in the States: the death of walking. It's gotten so bad that it's impractical to walk in some places, even for short distances. If you've ever seen someone trying to cross or walk along a highway, you immediately assume they're crazy, but sometimes there's no alternative route by foot. Sure, you can get from point A to B by public transportation, but once you're at point B, you still need a car. Why not just take the car the whole distance? Until our city structures become more pedestrian friendly and a car becomes a luxury rather than a necessity, public transportation won't be practical in the US. In Europe, the cities were developed before the automobile, and luckily for them, they've kept their city structures. It's great in Europe because in the cities, you can walk from your residence to downtown and get whatever you need in your daily life (food, etc). In the US, this is often not practical. Thus, having a car becomes a necessity.
The earth's climate is cyclical. If you place that 400 year figure next to the age of the earth (say 4+ billion years), it does not seem that significant. Even if it were the warmest the earth has ever been, it does not mean that human activity is the primary cause.
Sure, the earth's climate is cyclical, and 400 years is miniscule compared to 4 billion. But by concentrating on the relatively short term of the study, you ignore the alarming SPEED of the increase in the temperature. Interesting how the huge spike in the temperature of the earth coincides with the invention of the oil-based economy and the spewing forth of greenhouse gases from our tailpipes. I just love how people throws around the 'lack of proof' of scientific theories as an excuse to do nothing or to inject their own ideologies (*ahem* intelligent design). Come up with an alternate theory, research it, and provide proof rather than just putting on the blinders.
I just finished my PhD and find the whole notion of 'teaching' to be absurd. Before my PhD I thought a great deal of the notion...but after being in the system for awhile I see being a student in a whole new light. Students learn what they want to learn from who they want to learn it. In other words, good students are able to overcome bad teaching any day of the week. Trouble occurs when the teachers either do not know the students or have no contacts for advancing the good students to where they want to go.
As far as Doctoral studies go, I'd agree with you. The professor's reputation and contacts are more important than his teaching ability. The professor is more mentor than teacher. But for undergraduate studies, the professor's teaching ability makes a huge difference. The undergraduate education is classroom based, and with the right professors, going to lectures can be a real pleasure. They can also be a complete waste of time with poor professors. A good student will still do well in poor professor's classes, but that's just because they score higher than the average student in any class (study study study). The whole scale is lower. From the best student to the worst, they'll all learn less with a poor professor. I had a professor who couldn't teach to save his life. When it came time to take exams, the class average was around 25%. If you could achieve 30% correct, you'd get a B. The highest grade in the class was 50%. I managed a B, but I walked away feeling as if I hadn't learned a thing.
The console wars will be won with the games, innovations, and marketing. Specs don't really count for a whole lot at the end of the day. Look at E3. Nintendo is putting out a console that doesn't have the impressive specs as its two competitors, but it stole the show with motion controller and innovative games.
Using corralatory evidence can be used to ban anything. Let's choose Colgate toothpaste for example. Let's say that investigators found that 1 out of 10 murderers use Colgate toothpaste. Does that mean that the toothpaste made these people commit murders? Obviously not. This is one of the first things they teach in courses on logic: Correlation does not imply causation. Unfortunately, not everyone's taken courses on logic. If you replace toothpaste with video games, the general public may be convinced.
People have been shot in the face, clubbed over the head, and stabbed since the beginning of the human race. Hell, the Holocaust, in which millions of people were dragged out of their homes to be murdered in cold blood, predates Pong by at least 20 years. I think anyone who blames video games for violence needs to take a look at history.
Nice to see an honorable company like AOL standing up to the government. Wait... wasn't the goverment supposed to be protecting the people from corporations?
That was EXACTLY what I was thinking. What ever happened to things like judicial review and warrants? Companies shouldn't be using their own lawyers to decide whether a request is legal or not. All of a sudden, we're in very strange territory where companies are deciding when and how to apply laws, not the government who passed the laws in the first place. The government shouldn't be asking for this kind of information without first determining the legality of the request. Most companies probably aren't going to review the legality of requests; they'll just hand over the information.
In 1999, Amazon obtained an injunction that forced rival bookseller barnesandnoble.com to go to two clicks
And in most recent news, barnesandnoble.com patented the two click method for purchases, forcing all other online stores to the three click method.
Analysts forecast that by 2010, new online stores will be forcing consumers to use 20 clicks or more for purchases.
But when other states does the same, we hear outraged yapping from US about undermining "free market". Go figure.
You have to understand that this is not about the US government trying to control the market. The US isn't stipulating what their citizens can or cannot purchase or putting tarriffs on Lenovo products. The US gov't is the CUSTOMER, and as the customer, they have the right to choose where to spend their money and how to use the equipment they've purchased.
There are probably dozens of other laboratories working right now on other pilfered technologies. In the long run, however, China is graduating enough engineers to surpass the West within about 25 years. In which case, all of this will seem rather transitional in nature.
It may be transitional, and it may be not. Take intelligent, well-educated people and stick them in an environment where pilfering of technology is expected, and they'll pilfer technology just like their predecessors did. If China truly hopes to catch up and surpass the west, they'll start taking IP more seriously and push their researchers to produce NEW technologies.
Though to be honest I don't see of the appeal of HD over the net. It's the same bullshit video tape of a monkey falling out of a tree or something, just now it's got 16 times the pixels.
You will eat your words in a few years. The internet is a much better way to deliver video than we currently have on our TVs. On our TVs, we have to follow the schedule that TV executives have set (yes, I know Tivo is one solution), but on the internet, the shows that we want to watch will all be available when we want them. Already, ABC is experimenting with this model by putting Lost and a few of their other shows online. http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing
Suppose that a deep cover agent of the US, who is providing critical intelligence about a hostile foreign power, cheats somebody in a business transaction. The person cheated sues. It could easily be the case that the information disclosed in the course of the suit would make the agent look suspicious. In a case like this, there would be a legitimate reason for the government to want to put a stop to the lawsuit.
Surely the government can figure out a better way to protect national security than having the lawsuit dropped (helping to settle the case out of court, for example). Having the government step in to kill a court case is a hell of a lot more suspicious than information that would be revealed in court. Really though, I would rather have secrets that hurt "national security" revealed in court than have the executive branch killing cases. What could possibly hurt the security of the American people more than giving our own government the ability to hide its mistakes and corruption?
If someone in India can do my job for $2.50/hr, then bring it on, baby! Just like during the dot-com land rush in the US, most of the Indian IT workers are basically incompetent. Outsourcers are beginning to figure this out.
This is a bit arrogant. Even if American IT workers are better today (our IT industry developed quite a bit earlier than India's), this can change very quickly, especially since the technology is always changing. Even if today we have the better education (I'm not sure we do), this will change as the Indian IT industry matures. And certainly, we Americans don't have a monopoly on intelligence.
Japan initially produced trash and was the brunt of many jokes, but as their industries matured, they surpassed American industries. America's strength is in creativity and entrepreneurship. We're great at starting new industries and developing new types of products, but not at being the best in established industries. Hopefully our strengths will pull us through this era of electronic globalization, which is a hell of a lot scarier than old-style globalization.
Here's a different example. Skilled construction jobs are way up, and they are largely union. Therefore, unions create larger markets.
Well actually, construction workers can get away with being expensive: you can't send construction jobs to China, India, or anywhere else. The number of American construction jobs is based purely on the demand for local construction. Quality and price of local workers isn't an issue. Therefore, unions have very little effect on the size of the market for construction.
when the US government does something, almost nobody says a word.
Are you living under a rock? Maybe in the US there's not as much criticism as there should be, but elsewhere in the world, the US is thought of as the devil incarnate. It's gotten to the point of being ridiculous. When Katrina hit, Bush requested aid, and one of the things he asked for was oil because a large part of our oil industry was knocked out. I talked to a few Europeans, and they became angry, proclaiming that here was the proof that all Bush wants is oil. Please! I don't support most of Bush's policies, but asking for oil after Katrina was completely understandable. There's not much the US can do these days without facing criticism.
Nice work, dumbass.
Hate speech. Ban parent.
I thought regular lobsters were ugly, but I'm gonna have to rethink that. These hairly lobsters are truly fugly.