What I mean is, that the research is defining and categorizing the symptoms, but underlying all of this (conspiracy theories, aversion to science, what-have-you) is paranoia. In my mind, the real question is, "why are people so susceptible to paranoia" and "is this susceptibility more prevalent today than in the past? (or does it just seem that way?)".
My hypothesis is that people spend more time reading snatches of this and that on the web, and simultaneously lack the ability to discern between those things that are factual, and those things which are not. Perhaps, when we see it displayed so neatly and convincingly on our computer screens, it looks "published" and therefore must be real/true -- it contains "truthiness". The problem is compounded by filter bubbles which funnel to people only those things they want to read, ignoring alternate points of view and research.
I'm going to stay out of the discussion about personal gun ownership. What occurs to me is how this technology could be used by poor countries with limited resources to produce weapons. If you can print guns, you can print all sorts of weapons. No need to do business with arms dealers or countries that traditionally produce arms. No need for expertise in machining and manufacture.
This is not surprising news. The lifespan may not be increased, but the quality of life may be better. The example that comes to my mind (I use it because it's the only one I know anything about) are the monks on Mt. Athos. At most of the monasteries they eat two modest meals per day which are mostly vegetarian (they do eat fish on certain days). The monks are typically in great health and maladies such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are very rare, so their quality of life is pretty good. Nevertheless, most die at the typical time, around 80 years of age.
FTA: "Besides, the early single-sided 8-inch floppy could hold the data of up to 3,000 punch cards, or 80K to you. I know that's nothing today — this article uses up 66K with the text alone – but then it was a big deal."
There is no way that the text ALONE in this article could take up 66K. That would be something like 200 pages.
I have no problem with teaching evolution in schools. It should be taught because that's how things work. However, I don't see what creationism has to do with engineering. Just go look at Cologne Cathedral, for instance, and you can see that great engineering can be accomplished without any knowledge of evolution.
The sex toy thing is kind of obvious, but embarrassment is not the only problem. What if you are buying a gift for a friend or relative and you don't want to spoil the surprise? There are many perfectly innocent reasons why a person would want to keep their purchases secret.
So, let me get this straight. We have to grope old women wearing diapers and four year olds for safety reasons, but there is no need to worry about the software because it is "certified"?
I don't know what to say to the original poster, but I know of a matchmaking site that used to offer a "lifetime" membership. Think about it. How pessimistic are you if you buy a lifetime membership to a matchmaking site?
The sad part is that Facebook IS capable of making money, just not gazillions of dollars worth. I've been wondering all along HOW Facebook was going to justify valuation. I guess we have the answer now -- it can't.
But that is exactly my point. It is cheaper for the government to support building out the internet infrastructure to your area, than it is to build and support, say, a rail system.
I remember twenty years ago or so when Al Gore was stumping for more public transportation. Even then I thought what a ridiculous, old-school, political-suicide-inducing idea that was. Why the hell are we commuting in the first place, when so many of us could do what we do perfectly well from home (or some other location)? Instead of forcing people to ride buses like a bunch of proles, the government could create telecommuting initiatives. At least it would be a lot cheaper and bound to be more popular.
I don't know about the premise that rich people (or anyone else for that matter) won't want to drive the speed limit. Once your car is autonomous, you are freed up to do things you cannot do while you are driving. This more than compensates for the need for speed.
Grammar may not be all that important in informal communication, so long as one's message can be understood. There is an accounting manager where I work who has terrible grammar. He also sprinkles his emails with business buzzwords. Consequently, I can never make heads or tails out of what he is trying to convey in his emails, and always have to schedule a face-to-face meeting with him to figure it out.
On the other hand, there are some people I work with who, though they have poor grammar, are still able to make their needs clear. Their grammar gaffes are forgivable because they can still make themselves understood.
I'm 50. I've worked in a lot of different shops, as well as for myself. Not all shops are like you describe, but some of them are. Most are a mixture of different personalities. There are some people who are like your co-workers. They find a comfort zone and stay with it. Age doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it. I am one of the older people in my shop, but like you I want to dig into things and solve problems. There are younger members in my shop who just plain don't seem to understand how information systems work, either at a hardware or software level. Even now I can see younger coders getting too comfortable in their particular environments and unwilling to learn new things. It's frustrating, I know.
Some day you may get a chance to work on your own. Take it.
The conventional battlefield has become so lethal in recent years that it is nearly on par with nuclear weapons yet it has not stopped nations from waging war. In the case of the U.S. it has caused us to try to "manage" warfare better to reduce "collateral damage", but we still screw up from time to time, with horrific results. You would think that would discourage us from going to war, but it doesn't. And I think there is still a mentality in some political and military circles that nuclear war can be "managed" just like conventional warfare.
Slashdot Mirror
It did not explain how the device came to be known as a Galileo Thermometer.
What I mean is, that the research is defining and categorizing the symptoms, but underlying all of this (conspiracy theories, aversion to science, what-have-you) is paranoia. In my mind, the real question is, "why are people so susceptible to paranoia" and "is this susceptibility more prevalent today than in the past? (or does it just seem that way?)".
My hypothesis is that people spend more time reading snatches of this and that on the web, and simultaneously lack the ability to discern between those things that are factual, and those things which are not. Perhaps, when we see it displayed so neatly and convincingly on our computer screens, it looks "published" and therefore must be real/true -- it contains "truthiness". The problem is compounded by filter bubbles which funnel to people only those things they want to read, ignoring alternate points of view and research.
I'm going to stay out of the discussion about personal gun ownership. What occurs to me is how this technology could be used by poor countries with limited resources to produce weapons. If you can print guns, you can print all sorts of weapons. No need to do business with arms dealers or countries that traditionally produce arms. No need for expertise in machining and manufacture.
Lots of things to think about.
I guess I don't really understand physics well enough. I thought at the quantum level space was all knobbly and twitchy.
This is not surprising news. The lifespan may not be increased, but the quality of life may be better. The example that comes to my mind (I use it because it's the only one I know anything about) are the monks on Mt. Athos. At most of the monasteries they eat two modest meals per day which are mostly vegetarian (they do eat fish on certain days). The monks are typically in great health and maladies such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are very rare, so their quality of life is pretty good. Nevertheless, most die at the typical time, around 80 years of age.
I could never be proud of having a 3.5" stiffie.
FTA: "Besides, the early single-sided 8-inch floppy could hold the data of up to 3,000 punch cards, or 80K to you. I know that's nothing today — this article uses up 66K with the text alone – but then it was a big deal."
There is no way that the text ALONE in this article could take up 66K. That would be something like 200 pages.
I have no problem with teaching evolution in schools. It should be taught because that's how things work. However, I don't see what creationism has to do with engineering. Just go look at Cologne Cathedral, for instance, and you can see that great engineering can be accomplished without any knowledge of evolution.
The sex toy thing is kind of obvious, but embarrassment is not the only problem. What if you are buying a gift for a friend or relative and you don't want to spoil the surprise? There are many perfectly innocent reasons why a person would want to keep their purchases secret.
Great. Then FB will broadcast to all your friends what it is you just bought. Glad I left over a year ago.
Yes, 19 years, to an angry and contentious woman.
Proverbs 21:9 is another good one.
Yeah, some of the strip clubs might have to shut down, then what would they do?
Is it just me, or are those basically the same primary colors as Google?
So, let me get this straight. We have to grope old women wearing diapers and four year olds for safety reasons, but there is no need to worry about the software because it is "certified"?
I don't know what to say to the original poster, but I know of a matchmaking site that used to offer a "lifetime" membership. Think about it. How pessimistic are you if you buy a lifetime membership to a matchmaking site?
The sad part is that Facebook IS capable of making money, just not gazillions of dollars worth. I've been wondering all along HOW Facebook was going to justify valuation. I guess we have the answer now -- it can't.
But that is exactly my point. It is cheaper for the government to support building out the internet infrastructure to your area, than it is to build and support, say, a rail system.
I remember twenty years ago or so when Al Gore was stumping for more public transportation. Even then I thought what a ridiculous, old-school, political-suicide-inducing idea that was. Why the hell are we commuting in the first place, when so many of us could do what we do perfectly well from home (or some other location)? Instead of forcing people to ride buses like a bunch of proles, the government could create telecommuting initiatives. At least it would be a lot cheaper and bound to be more popular.
I don't know about the premise that rich people (or anyone else for that matter) won't want to drive the speed limit. Once your car is autonomous, you are freed up to do things you cannot do while you are driving. This more than compensates for the need for speed.
Grammar may not be all that important in informal communication, so long as one's message can be understood. There is an accounting manager where I work who has terrible grammar. He also sprinkles his emails with business buzzwords. Consequently, I can never make heads or tails out of what he is trying to convey in his emails, and always have to schedule a face-to-face meeting with him to figure it out.
On the other hand, there are some people I work with who, though they have poor grammar, are still able to make their needs clear. Their grammar gaffes are forgivable because they can still make themselves understood.
I'm 50. I've worked in a lot of different shops, as well as for myself. Not all shops are like you describe, but some of them are. Most are a mixture of different personalities. There are some people who are like your co-workers. They find a comfort zone and stay with it. Age doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it. I am one of the older people in my shop, but like you I want to dig into things and solve problems. There are younger members in my shop who just plain don't seem to understand how information systems work, either at a hardware or software level. Even now I can see younger coders getting too comfortable in their particular environments and unwilling to learn new things. It's frustrating, I know.
Some day you may get a chance to work on your own. Take it.
The conventional battlefield has become so lethal in recent years that it is nearly on par with nuclear weapons yet it has not stopped nations from waging war. In the case of the U.S. it has caused us to try to "manage" warfare better to reduce "collateral damage", but we still screw up from time to time, with horrific results. You would think that would discourage us from going to war, but it doesn't. And I think there is still a mentality in some political and military circles that nuclear war can be "managed" just like conventional warfare.
Bah! In my day we had mass, and we liked it! Get off my lawn you kids, with your two-pound bikes!
Yar, mateys. Welcome aboard, and you'll be needin' to see Bosun Higgs for yer mass kits, ye lubbers.
I think this is the best answer yet. We already knew it was there, we just needed to prove it.