True. I was one of those guys initially. I was a CS major in 1985 and my computer experience consisted of mainframes, CP/M machines and IBM PCs. Anything else was a "toy". I had a new girlfriend who suggested I could do my CS homework at her house because her dad "had a computer". She didn't know what kind it was, but he was an engineer so I figured it was probably pretty nice. I took her up on her offer, figuring that the suggestion was nothing more than a ploy to get me to come over to her house. When we got to her house she took me to the room he used as his office and pointed. I literally guffawed. It was a Commodore 64. She was somewhat offended at my reaction and I quickly apologized. Over the next few weeks I was a frequent visitor to her house and I began playing with the C64. The more I worked with it, the more respect I had for the platform. I especially liked the serial interface and how components could be daisy-chained. Far from being a toy, the C64 had the capability to do some pretty advanced stuff. And it was a LOT less expensive than an IBM PC. Eventually, the girlfriend became my wife, and her dad gave me the Commodore after he moved on to a PC. The wife and I broke several years ago. I still have the C64.
This is big news, if you think about it. Really big news. For a long time I've heard the term "genetic memory", but it didn't make sense that such a thing would exist. Yet, when you work with dogs, there are certain breeds which seem to know exactly what their job is and how to do it. It is amazing to see a herding-breed dog, for instance, which has never seen sheep before, start herding them within a few minutes of being introduced to the animal. Intuitively, people have always seemed to know that learned behavior can be passed down to offspring. And now we've found a mechanism by which it can happen.
We know the NSA captures a lot of information on everyone. So now, whether you like them or not, you are likely to believe anything the say about anyone. Which means the NSA can discredit, blackmail, manipulate, or destroy anyone they want. It does not matter whether the information they have is real or fabricated. There is no way to successfully refute anything they say about anyone.
Well, yes, if you live in a rural area, going to a museum in the U.S. is pretty unusual. I grew up in the Ozarks, not far from Bentonville, Arkansas (where the museum in question resides). The nearest museum would have been in Tulsa, Oklahoma -- over 100 miles (160 kilometers) away. Such a trip would have been an all-day, expensive affair, to a small museum which is nothing like Crystal Bridges. It would be a rare thing.
The first art museum I visited was when I was seventeen, and it was the Pergamon Museum in (then) East Berlin. We were there as part of a student exchange program. The impact it made on me was huge, and I still think it's interesting that I had to travel to a communist country to see my first art museum.
I don't know that I'd go so far as to call them "idiots", however, it surprises me that so many people practically kill themselves to get somewhere hundreds of miles away merely to spend a day with their extended family. In my experience, it's something that is highly overrated, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. I don't feel the need to go into detail, but it's virtually impossible this year for me to be with family, and I am okay with that. Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has become a holiday filled with obligation and guilt. You MUST be home for Thanksgiving. You MUST buy presents for everyone. It is no wonder that for some, the holidays are nothing more than a time of stress, anger, disappointment and depression.
I'm sorry you disagree fatphil. Personally, I am not prepared to challenge the OED or MW in their assessments, but perhaps you are. People are using the word "democratize" in this fashion, like it or not. I know, I know. These things can be maddening. For instance, I do not like it when people use "literally" as an intensifier. It gets under my skin. Yet, that is what they are doing. I wish you luck in tilting at this particular windmill.
(shrug) Well, that's how it goes with words. What you like or what I like is irrelevant. I went to the OED, the de facto arbiter of English word definitions, and they have for democratize "make (something) accessible to everyone", with the following example sentence, "mass production has not democratized fashion." This is using the word in the same way that the OP used the word. I think if it's in the OED we can be confident that the word is not "in a state of evolution", but is acceptable for use in this sense.
The meanings of words can change over time, and dictionary definitions are often behind the curve. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary gives as its third definition of democratic "relating to, appealing to, or available to the broad masses of the people". And for democratize they give the example sentence, "The magazine's goal is to democratize art".
If you'd like to know more about how words change over time, you should ask about the process in the discussion forum at Wordorigins.com.
I don't think you can do much about the NSA, or what companies like Google or Facebook know about you. However, when it comes to your friends, family, employers, etc. there is plenty you can do. For one thing, it is not necessary to articulate every thought you have. Mark Twain's advice applies more than ever, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." I am surprised at what some people post on Facebook. Even friends who are intelligent, mild-mannered people could come off as complete nut jobs based on some of the things they post or pass along. It's madness. Even if you feel strongly about something, it is often better to just STFU about it, rather than proclaim it to all the world.
I think it was Churchill who said something like, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others". The problem is not democracy. If we actually lived in a democracy things would be better -- not perfect, by any means -- but better. The problem is that we live in a plutocracy, not a democracy. Life in a plutocracy is not much different than life in a monarchy. It survives because it maintains an illusion of democracy and is less overtly oppressive than a monarchy.
I know privacy is a serious issue, but I have to relate something funny that happened to me last week.
I was in the checkout line at the supermarket, and the first thing the checkout clerk said to me was, "I need your date of birth". I thought to myself, Hmmph! What the hell do they need my date of birth for? So I said, "No you don't." "Yes I do," she said. "What do you need my date of birth for!" I said, my voice rising. "It won't let me go on unless you give me your date of birth," she said, meekly. "You guys always want too much information. You don't need my date of birth," I argued. "Can't you just give me a hint?" she said. She was actually being quite sweet about it. I gave her a year and she punched in a date.
It was at that point that I realized that the first item to be checked out was a case of beer. Their system wouldn't allow it to be purchased without adding the date of birth. I sheepishly apologized for giving her a hard time. What I thought was an invasion of privacy was a reasonable request for valid ID. Except she wasn't a very bright woman, and instead of asking me for my ID, and then punching in the date of birth, she just asked me for the relevant information.
I think my initial reaction was indicative of our sensitivity to privacy issues these days.
Geez, I don't have the time to edit this Wikipedia thingy. Can't I pay someone to do it for me?
Seriously -- and I'm just playing Devil's advocate here so don't flame me -- but don't companies pay people in their communications departments to edit wikis related to their business? So, is it any different if you outsource it?
Slashdot Mirror
True. I was one of those guys initially. I was a CS major in 1985 and my computer experience consisted of mainframes, CP/M machines and IBM PCs. Anything else was a "toy". I had a new girlfriend who suggested I could do my CS homework at her house because her dad "had a computer". She didn't know what kind it was, but he was an engineer so I figured it was probably pretty nice. I took her up on her offer, figuring that the suggestion was nothing more than a ploy to get me to come over to her house. When we got to her house she took me to the room he used as his office and pointed. I literally guffawed. It was a Commodore 64. She was somewhat offended at my reaction and I quickly apologized. Over the next few weeks I was a frequent visitor to her house and I began playing with the C64. The more I worked with it, the more respect I had for the platform. I especially liked the serial interface and how components could be daisy-chained. Far from being a toy, the C64 had the capability to do some pretty advanced stuff. And it was a LOT less expensive than an IBM PC. Eventually, the girlfriend became my wife, and her dad gave me the Commodore after he moved on to a PC. The wife and I broke several years ago. I still have the C64.
Isn't "Moon Express" the name of the Chinese take-out place around the corner?
Yet ordinary Americans, for the most part, seem not to care...
It may only seem that way. Ordinary Americans are worried about suveillance too.
I'm even wondering if I should post this comment anonymously.
IBM solved this problem 20 years ago with their Integrated Language Environment (ILE), not that anyone cares.
(Damn noobs think every problem they encounter is new and unique).
This is big news, if you think about it. Really big news. For a long time I've heard the term "genetic memory", but it didn't make sense that such a thing would exist. Yet, when you work with dogs, there are certain breeds which seem to know exactly what their job is and how to do it. It is amazing to see a herding-breed dog, for instance, which has never seen sheep before, start herding them within a few minutes of being introduced to the animal. Intuitively, people have always seemed to know that learned behavior can be passed down to offspring. And now we've found a mechanism by which it can happen.
Easy to build? Really? And how is a modern conventional car any safer from such a device?
This will be great for those few days out of the year when your Volvo isn't in the shop.
Sorry to reply to my own post, but I just realized that the NSA has become the Ministry of Truth.
We know the NSA captures a lot of information on everyone. So now, whether you like them or not, you are likely to believe anything the say about anyone. Which means the NSA can discredit, blackmail, manipulate, or destroy anyone they want. It does not matter whether the information they have is real or fabricated. There is no way to successfully refute anything they say about anyone.
What a monster we have created.
Well, yes, if you live in a rural area, going to a museum in the U.S. is pretty unusual. I grew up in the Ozarks, not far from Bentonville, Arkansas (where the museum in question resides). The nearest museum would have been in Tulsa, Oklahoma -- over 100 miles (160 kilometers) away. Such a trip would have been an all-day, expensive affair, to a small museum which is nothing like Crystal Bridges. It would be a rare thing.
The first art museum I visited was when I was seventeen, and it was the Pergamon Museum in (then) East Berlin. We were there as part of a student exchange program. The impact it made on me was huge, and I still think it's interesting that I had to travel to a communist country to see my first art museum.
I don't know that I'd go so far as to call them "idiots", however, it surprises me that so many people practically kill themselves to get somewhere hundreds of miles away merely to spend a day with their extended family. In my experience, it's something that is highly overrated, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. I don't feel the need to go into detail, but it's virtually impossible this year for me to be with family, and I am okay with that. Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has become a holiday filled with obligation and guilt. You MUST be home for Thanksgiving. You MUST buy presents for everyone. It is no wonder that for some, the holidays are nothing more than a time of stress, anger, disappointment and depression.
Well, justice is supposed to be blind...
Just like all those people in GITMO. They haven't been charged with any crimes either.
I'm sorry you disagree fatphil. Personally, I am not prepared to challenge the OED or MW in their assessments, but perhaps you are. People are using the word "democratize" in this fashion, like it or not. I know, I know. These things can be maddening. For instance, I do not like it when people use "literally" as an intensifier. It gets under my skin. Yet, that is what they are doing. I wish you luck in tilting at this particular windmill.
(shrug) Well, that's how it goes with words. What you like or what I like is irrelevant. I went to the OED, the de facto arbiter of English word definitions, and they have for democratize "make (something) accessible to everyone", with the following example sentence, "mass production has not democratized fashion." This is using the word in the same way that the OP used the word. I think if it's in the OED we can be confident that the word is not "in a state of evolution", but is acceptable for use in this sense.
The meanings of words can change over time, and dictionary definitions are often behind the curve. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary gives as its third definition of democratic "relating to, appealing to, or available to the broad masses of the people". And for democratize they give the example sentence, "The magazine's goal is to democratize art".
If you'd like to know more about how words change over time, you should ask about the process in the discussion forum at Wordorigins.com.
I don't think you can do much about the NSA, or what companies like Google or Facebook know about you. However, when it comes to your friends, family, employers, etc. there is plenty you can do. For one thing, it is not necessary to articulate every thought you have. Mark Twain's advice applies more than ever, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." I am surprised at what some people post on Facebook. Even friends who are intelligent, mild-mannered people could come off as complete nut jobs based on some of the things they post or pass along. It's madness. Even if you feel strongly about something, it is often better to just STFU about it, rather than proclaim it to all the world.
I think it was Churchill who said something like, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others". The problem is not democracy. If we actually lived in a democracy things would be better -- not perfect, by any means -- but better. The problem is that we live in a plutocracy, not a democracy. Life in a plutocracy is not much different than life in a monarchy. It survives because it maintains an illusion of democracy and is less overtly oppressive than a monarchy.
Hardly a buzzword. To democratize something is to make it available to all. From the Greek demos (people) + kratia (power).
Works great. Until you have a little accident, and end up with a broken arm, or sprained wrist. Then you can't use your computer.
I read the /. piece, then I came across this news item. Even with automation, how do you land at the wrong airport?
I suspect it asks for an actual date in order to make sure the clerk doesn't screw up the math.
I know privacy is a serious issue, but I have to relate something funny that happened to me last week.
I was in the checkout line at the supermarket, and the first thing the checkout clerk said to me was, "I need your date of birth".
I thought to myself, Hmmph! What the hell do they need my date of birth for? So I said, "No you don't."
"Yes I do," she said.
"What do you need my date of birth for!" I said, my voice rising.
"It won't let me go on unless you give me your date of birth," she said, meekly.
"You guys always want too much information. You don't need my date of birth," I argued.
"Can't you just give me a hint?" she said. She was actually being quite sweet about it. I gave her a year and she punched in a date.
It was at that point that I realized that the first item to be checked out was a case of beer. Their system wouldn't allow it to be purchased without adding the date of birth. I sheepishly apologized for giving her a hard time. What I thought was an invasion of privacy was a reasonable request for valid ID. Except she wasn't a very bright woman, and instead of asking me for my ID, and then punching in the date of birth, she just asked me for the relevant information.
I think my initial reaction was indicative of our sensitivity to privacy issues these days.
Geez, I don't have the time to edit this Wikipedia thingy. Can't I pay someone to do it for me?
Seriously -- and I'm just playing Devil's advocate here so don't flame me -- but don't companies pay people in their communications departments to edit wikis related to their business? So, is it any different if you outsource it?
He could try asking the Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan.