"When did our society define the age at which these acts should first occur?"
Er... I'm pretty sure there are laws in most countries about the 'age of consent' - the minimum age at which sex is permitted.
The law is the most obvious way that "society" has to show when these acts are acceptable.
Laws exist against drug use and violence, too, although these are more commonly *never* 'socially' acceptable (i.e. the blanket illegality of heroin or GBH, rather than an acceptable age)
Of course, what "society" finds acceptable is a rather wooly term. In the UK for instance, it is illegal for people under the age of 16 to smoke and for under 18s to drink alcohol. However, some people view this as overly restrictive - hence why there is such an issue of underage drinking, as well as smoking and sex. If the entirety of society viewed it as a total taboo, it wouldn't happen as much. An example of this is the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy. Years ago, a young girl getting pregnant, particularly without being married, was a major society no-no, and was less common. Nowadays, 14- and 15-year-old single mothers are freely open about this.
Drug use is another area where "society" and the law are sometimes at odds - for instance, there is a notable minority of people who think marijuana should be legalised.
What I would have thought would have been a much more useful piece of research would be to find out at what age different people engage in these activities, and relating that not only to the age at which they hit puberty, but also things like social and ethnic groups. But then, I'd be surprised if this research has not been done beforehand.
One question regarding this..
If the new tech is such a brilliant idea, and simply not developed enough yet to compete with CCD tech, is there anything stopping the big sensor companies from investing in this company to push it forward, and then use it?
"whilst waiting for Foveon to move out of patent protection."
It's when patents pop up in conversations like this that you start to think that the patent nay-sayers might not all be nuts;)
My argument is not whether MS was the only way in which modern PC computing would have been able to advance - yes yes, perhaps isf things were different then something else would have done the same. OS/2 or MacOS or BeOS or whatever - my argument is simply that of all the things it *could* have been, it *was* microsoft.
"it's the HOBBYISTS who've done more to advance computing"
Excuse me?
Don't get me wrong, linux is great and whatnot, blah blah - but can you REALLY compare the impact that windows has had on the computer industry to the impact that linux has had?
We can look at this in two ways.
Admittedly, this is for browsing the web, but it's a pretty good start, I think.
The second way to look at it is to examine how much Windows has pushed forward the adoption of computing for the average user. And so, I prove my point thusly: Have you ever tried to get your mother to use Linux? Now, slowly, easy-to-use distros are coming out, but even 5 years ago that just wasn't the case. There is a HARSH linux learning curve that's like a cliff compared to the gentle, rolling hills of Windows usage.
I'm not saying windows is a better OS, but I AM saying that it is an easier-to-use OS.
Linux zealoutry is great, but can we at least attempt to keep it realistic?
RTFA, my friend
" M16-compatible rifle clip"
just because it doesn't come WITH FREE ASSAULT RIFLE WHEN YOU PURCHASE 3 OR MORE! doesn't mean you can't use this thing hurt people. I mean, is the US army lacking in M16s?
I can just picture it now "Congrats, Private, you're going to be working on our new automatic battlefiend trundle-buggy!" "Sir, thankyou sir! Can I see the sourcecode, sir?"
Yeah... so, that's the quickest way to get to spud-peeling duty, eih?
On that NASA point, I'm not sure if it's still the case, but weren't all astronauts 'borrowed' from the USAF or somesuch? Talk about a military link...
To use your own point - if there was no revolution over rights for women or blacks, then I doubt any of this will cause revolution.
If you're arguing less about wikipedia and more about general "anti-constitution" laws, then no. There will never be a revolution. People will vote against anyone who 'crosses the line', assiming they feel strongly enough about it. And if they don't feel strongly enough about it to vote accordingly, I very much doubt a violent uprising will happen.
Besides, there have been two real "revolutions" that have ever happened in US history - the War of Independence and the Civil War. Do you really think this is on the same scale?
People seem to forget that Microsoft is HUGE.
It's like navigating an oil tanker - they take miles to even begin to turn after you move the rudder. With small software development companies with few customer and products, limited contracts, etc., in a few months you can have a entirely new development lifecycle introduced - with microsoft, as was pointed out in the interview, they have contracts that have been in place for years, software deadlines that can't be moved, and so on.
It's not a simple task to change an entire corporate culture towards security, let alone developing techniques that work on such a scale.
I'm not an MS fanboy, and I know that MS security is below standard, but I can look at this from their perspective - with such a huge organisation, change is not going to be immediate. Be glad they're getting better and understad that, although they're still doing some things wrong, they are moving forward.
I know the knee-jerk reaction to MS security is to start yelling, "M$ sux!" and all that, but, as shown in this interview, they ARE taking it seriously at last.
We had one of those at home, it was great. The remote had 4 buttons - off, next channel, and volume up and down. If you accidentally hit the off button whilst channel-surfing, you had to get up and flick the switch on the TV itself to get it back on. Really irritating:P
Maybe that's why people watch too much TV nowadays - you don't have to get up to turn it on as often:P
Ah, but the best TV we ever had was definately the black and white with the manual tuner.... Awesome. Picked up channel 5 with no issues, as well - I was quite impressed!
The idea of a constant cyclic battle is fair enough - but remember what happened to 3dFX? It's entirely possible for the big player to flop - don't think that, just because AMD and Intel are big, they can't royally screw up and have their business mauled!
The thing I find funniest about this whole thing is that all these arguments are between die-hard republicans and die-hard democrats. When you actually compare the Democrats and the Republicans, there seems to be this huge chasm between them... Which is true, if you're looking at things from an American-only point of view. However, if you look at politics across the globe, within different countries, there is generally a much wider political spectrum.
You have 5 'actual' parties - the libertarians, the greens, the reformists - but they don't have the support to even approach a three-party system, as there is in the UK for example, let alone the bajillion-party system as there is in, for example, Germany.
Lets compare:
Italy has 4 major parties (5 if you include the communists, but who does any more?) The United Kingdom has 3 major parties (Lib Dems are causing increasing headaches for the Conservative and Labour parties, even though it's doubtful they'll get into power directly - possible coalition within the next 10 years tho?) Germany has 5 (if you count the coalition blocks as just one party - i.e. the greens and the '90s; the CSU and the CDU)
Spain may be dominantly a 2-party system, but it has 20 parties in total with seats in their parliament. 20! That's a wide range of views to consider, and on a contentious issue with tight voting, those few members of the more minor parties suddenly become important.
With such a limited political spectrum, it's not surprising - you only have two choices! The senate and house each have one member who's not a member of the big two - thats two independents - two out of a possible 535! Sweet jesus!
If you look at canada, it may be dominated by two parties, but at least the other parties have an impact on the governing of the country - you need to keep 'em sweet! It steps you away from this polarisation of views.
It's like arguing about which is better - a medium mature cheddar or a mature cheddar. You know what? It's not that big of a deal. Go compare cheddar to the white cliffs - now THAT is actually worth looking at!
In conclusion? Fanboys are bad, and vote for Nader!
I agree completely on this point. Add on the fact that Apple have CHANGED the DRM rights on ITMS songs on to that, and they wonder why people want MP3s that haven't been messed with...
If they keep using the same mounts, then although you won't get any pretty KM goodies any more, you will be able to use sony lenses. The real advantage is that KM wasn't competing with the big two - but with sony behind it now, there's a chance...
It's a shame they can't compete with Centrino. I'm not really an intel fan, I don't like they way they do business. Indeed, I use AMD in my desktop - but my laptop came with an intel processor, and I love it to bits. They really have nailed down the laptop market.
"When did our society define the age at which these acts should first occur?" Er... I'm pretty sure there are laws in most countries about the 'age of consent' - the minimum age at which sex is permitted. The law is the most obvious way that "society" has to show when these acts are acceptable. Laws exist against drug use and violence, too, although these are more commonly *never* 'socially' acceptable (i.e. the blanket illegality of heroin or GBH, rather than an acceptable age) Of course, what "society" finds acceptable is a rather wooly term. In the UK for instance, it is illegal for people under the age of 16 to smoke and for under 18s to drink alcohol. However, some people view this as overly restrictive - hence why there is such an issue of underage drinking, as well as smoking and sex. If the entirety of society viewed it as a total taboo, it wouldn't happen as much. An example of this is the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy. Years ago, a young girl getting pregnant, particularly without being married, was a major society no-no, and was less common. Nowadays, 14- and 15-year-old single mothers are freely open about this. Drug use is another area where "society" and the law are sometimes at odds - for instance, there is a notable minority of people who think marijuana should be legalised. What I would have thought would have been a much more useful piece of research would be to find out at what age different people engage in these activities, and relating that not only to the age at which they hit puberty, but also things like social and ethnic groups. But then, I'd be surprised if this research has not been done beforehand.
Ever notice how anti-MS FUD is just like any other FUD?
can you cite any sources for Bill blackmailing the UN? I'd love to read on the details..
One question regarding this.. If the new tech is such a brilliant idea, and simply not developed enough yet to compete with CCD tech, is there anything stopping the big sensor companies from investing in this company to push it forward, and then use it?
"whilst waiting for Foveon to move out of patent protection." It's when patents pop up in conversations like this that you start to think that the patent nay-sayers might not all be nuts ;)
Ah, man.. I started reading this, but after "M$=B$", "Wee Willies" and "micro softies", I just can't take you serious any more ;)
So how will this compare to stuff you can do with things like Mindstorms?
To me it looks like Mindstorms without the ability to change the form of the product, BUT WITH A SUBWOOFER!!11
My argument is not whether MS was the only way in which modern PC computing would have been able to advance - yes yes, perhaps isf things were different then something else would have done the same. OS/2 or MacOS or BeOS or whatever - my argument is simply that of all the things it *could* have been, it *was* microsoft.
And, hey, only the US has satelites. Ariane 5? Soyuz? All Soviet LIES!
"it's the HOBBYISTS who've done more to advance computing"
.2 percentage points lower than mac usage! Back in 1999, WebTV had a higher market share than linux.
Excuse me?
Don't get me wrong, linux is great and whatnot, blah blah - but can you REALLY compare the impact that windows has had on the computer industry to the impact that linux has had?
We can look at this in two ways.
First off: the usage statistics - w3schools lists the usage of linux at 3.3% -
Admittedly, this is for browsing the web, but it's a pretty good start, I think.
The second way to look at it is to examine how much Windows has pushed forward the adoption of computing for the average user. And so, I prove my point thusly: Have you ever tried to get your mother to use Linux? Now, slowly, easy-to-use distros are coming out, but even 5 years ago that just wasn't the case. There is a HARSH linux learning curve that's like a cliff compared to the gentle, rolling hills of Windows usage.
I'm not saying windows is a better OS, but I AM saying that it is an easier-to-use OS.
Linux zealoutry is great, but can we at least attempt to keep it realistic?
I'll miss the days of knowing my IP address off the top of my head.
*sigh*
happy days...
RTFA, my friend " M16-compatible rifle clip" just because it doesn't come WITH FREE ASSAULT RIFLE WHEN YOU PURCHASE 3 OR MORE! doesn't mean you can't use this thing hurt people. I mean, is the US army lacking in M16s?
I can just picture it now
"Congrats, Private, you're going to be working on our new automatic battlefiend trundle-buggy!"
"Sir, thankyou sir! Can I see the sourcecode, sir?"
Yeah... so, that's the quickest way to get to spud-peeling duty, eih?
On that NASA point, I'm not sure if it's still the case, but weren't all astronauts 'borrowed' from the USAF or somesuch? Talk about a military link...
Revolution?
Government overthrow?
Over Wikipedia?
To use your own point - if there was no revolution over rights for women or blacks, then I doubt any of this will cause revolution.
If you're arguing less about wikipedia and more about general "anti-constitution" laws, then no. There will never be a revolution. People will vote against anyone who 'crosses the line', assiming they feel strongly enough about it. And if they don't feel strongly enough about it to vote accordingly, I very much doubt a violent uprising will happen.
Besides, there have been two real "revolutions" that have ever happened in US history - the War of Independence and the Civil War. Do you really think this is on the same scale?
People seem to forget that Microsoft is HUGE. It's like navigating an oil tanker - they take miles to even begin to turn after you move the rudder. With small software development companies with few customer and products, limited contracts, etc., in a few months you can have a entirely new development lifecycle introduced - with microsoft, as was pointed out in the interview, they have contracts that have been in place for years, software deadlines that can't be moved, and so on. It's not a simple task to change an entire corporate culture towards security, let alone developing techniques that work on such a scale. I'm not an MS fanboy, and I know that MS security is below standard, but I can look at this from their perspective - with such a huge organisation, change is not going to be immediate. Be glad they're getting better and understad that, although they're still doing some things wrong, they are moving forward. I know the knee-jerk reaction to MS security is to start yelling, "M$ sux!" and all that, but, as shown in this interview, they ARE taking it seriously at last.
'Coz dem's is PURDY!
The towns and cities (and other node points that start off quests) are the only mass-player areas. Everywhere else it's instanced.
We had one of those at home, it was great. The remote had 4 buttons - off, next channel, and volume up and down. If you accidentally hit the off button whilst channel-surfing, you had to get up and flick the switch on the TV itself to get it back on. Really irritating :P
Maybe that's why people watch too much TV nowadays - you don't have to get up to turn it on as often :P
Ah, but the best TV we ever had was definately the black and white with the manual tuner.... Awesome. Picked up channel 5 with no issues, as well - I was quite impressed!
The idea of a constant cyclic battle is fair enough - but remember what happened to 3dFX? It's entirely possible for the big player to flop - don't think that, just because AMD and Intel are big, they can't royally screw up and have their business mauled!
The thing I find funniest about this whole thing is that all these arguments are between die-hard republicans and die-hard democrats. When you actually compare the Democrats and the Republicans, there seems to be this huge chasm between them... Which is true, if you're looking at things from an American-only point of view. However, if you look at politics across the globe, within different countries, there is generally a much wider political spectrum.
You have 5 'actual' parties - the libertarians, the greens, the reformists - but they don't have the support to even approach a three-party system, as there is in the UK for example, let alone the bajillion-party system as there is in, for example, Germany.
Lets compare:
Italy has 4 major parties (5 if you include the communists, but who does any more?)
The United Kingdom has 3 major parties (Lib Dems are causing increasing headaches for the Conservative and Labour parties, even though it's doubtful they'll get into power directly - possible coalition within the next 10 years tho?)
Germany has 5 (if you count the coalition blocks as just one party - i.e. the greens and the '90s; the CSU and the CDU)
Spain may be dominantly a 2-party system, but it has 20 parties in total with seats in their parliament. 20! That's a wide range of views to consider, and on a contentious issue with tight voting, those few members of the more minor parties suddenly become important.
With such a limited political spectrum, it's not surprising - you only have two choices! The senate and house each have one member who's not a member of the big two - thats two independents - two out of a possible 535! Sweet jesus!
If you look at canada, it may be dominated by two parties, but at least the other parties have an impact on the governing of the country - you need to keep 'em sweet! It steps you away from this polarisation of views.
It's like arguing about which is better - a medium mature cheddar or a mature cheddar. You know what? It's not that big of a deal. Go compare cheddar to the white cliffs - now THAT is actually worth looking at!
In conclusion? Fanboys are bad, and vote for Nader!
I agree completely on this point. Add on the fact that Apple have CHANGED the DRM rights on ITMS songs on to that, and they wonder why people want MP3s that haven't been messed with...
And there was me thinking that Diversity already did that...
If they keep using the same mounts, then although you won't get any pretty KM goodies any more, you will be able to use sony lenses. The real advantage is that KM wasn't competing with the big two - but with sony behind it now, there's a chance...
It's a shame they can't compete with Centrino. I'm not really an intel fan, I don't like they way they do business. Indeed, I use AMD in my desktop - but my laptop came with an intel processor, and I love it to bits. They really have nailed down the laptop market.