The NEED was discovered, the mechanism was most definately invented... simple and obvious though it may seem.
I would be surprised if there are not many other ways to deal with the need.
Often, there is technology sitting around waiting to solve a problem, but due to corporate aversion to risk, it doesn't happen.
Bob has done us a service by showing a data center huge potential cost savings. Remember these are the same centers that use 2-mega-freakin-watt generators. The data centers then show demand to the disk manufacturers, and suddenly, the tech that got overlooked for 10 years gets priority, focus, budget, big-wig-buy-in...
And I for one will happily enjoy the 3x drive sizes.
You're right, there are no gaming libraries for BASIC, it would be pretty much useless.
There are however definately libraries and APIs. Every time you call CLEARSCREEN (or whatever), you are calling a system API that does a loop to the appropriate video RAM spot to print all spaces. The interpreter gives you the "library" wrapper to make that easy. I still remember when it seemed so cool to erase the whole screen with the flick of the wrist.
Also, once you dig a little deeper, all BASICs had their various ways to call firmware routines, which was often how we got access to "sound" or time, or that cool connector slot in the back.
So what, we're not talking about optimization here, we are talking about getting kids to sit at the computer, think logically, use APIs/Libraries, and CREATE!
Yes there are better languages to use, but don't forget just how many many kids found their calling in life despite the shortcomings of BASIC.
he is introduced at an early age to the computer as a toy and treats it as a toy while growing up.
This is a "good thing". It is the natural way to go. Small kids pick up a hammer, and HEY, it makes sounds. Toy. Later they go "hey, let's build a tree-house", still a toy, but becomming a tool. Finally they have a home workshop, and the hammer has become indispensible.
I have played hundreds if not thousands of games over the years. I still think of the computer as a toy. However, that doesn't stop me from getting paid a very competitive wage for working on it.
On a related note:
I tried some BASIC with my boys, but it just really wasn't working. I switched to Logo, and got better traction. Finally, I found GameMaker, and it is a real treat! I think it promotes an excellent balance of creativity, logic, and computer savvy.
Well then, let us cower under our blanket of fear, and let nature run rampant! It seems there are plenty of bodies already huddled to keep folks warm under there. </flame>
The problems you list above CAN be dealt with. We need not presume doomsday results.
In fact, it may be that if we DON'T use GM to grow rice/corn for ethanol that doomsday descends when the oil runs out.
I for one, support those who use best available knowledge and technology to grow what is needed.
Let me ask the bigger question, is there a silver bullet? What are possible routes for putting a stop to this?
-- The parent proposed counter suits?
-- Replacing bad judges?
-- Legislation protecting person-to-person bytes?
-- Complete national overhaul of copyright to make it sane again?
-- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on assasination missions?
I would very much like to hear solution proposals from the point of view of experts in the legal community.
JPEG2000 DOES have a lossless compression mode for images. Sweet!
I have used it to compress terrain data. It gave a nice 5:1 compression where our previous compresion was only getting 3.5:1. On the flip side, it uses a surprising amount of CPU.
I don't know if there is an option for lossless video, but it seems likely.
Surprising that you call this a failure. I have seen many product launches and IMHO the Segway is far from a failure.
If you don't like the cost, that only means you are not in the target market. The fact that they are still being sold, and that new models are being introduced, proves that there is a viable market at that price point.
The statistics for product failure due to too low a price are surprisingly high. Sorry I don't have a link to back that up, but I've just seen it way too many times myself.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the straw man argument,
Aah, but what you call "straw man", others call "deeper understanding".
If Apple wants to treat their employees that way, yes it is their right. However it seems obvious to a number of people (including me) that this is an over-reaction based on fear and control issues.
The real problem is not the privacy or a person's motives to be private.
By giving our government the authority to investigate, arrest, convict and punish, a potent mechanism is put in place. If the law is well written, and the police are properly intentioned and balanced in their thinking, then it works quite well.
But (you knew that was coming didn't you?), it is a sword whirling through society. Sometimes, the sword cuts those who deserve it not. The mere fact that there is a potent and active system that causes pain, means that you should want to protect yourself from that system.
What if you really aren't breaking the law, but you don't agree with the law you are carefully not breaking? Are guns your hobby even though the rest of the country hates them? Do you believe people should carry them even though it tends to get one-self arrested?
Will _they_ be watching you? Will they seek to accuse you? Will they decide that where there's smoke, there is fire - and find whatever excuse they can to penalize you?
It can be very wise to fly under the radar my friend. I say kudos to this effort.
You insensitive clod! Don't you know how many of us suffer with severe obsessive compulsive disorder? How shall we put it in the proper box if we don't know which it is!!?!?! Sheesh.
I'll bet if astronomy were your career, or even more importantly astrology, you would think differently!
A knife is not a bad thing. It is not a good thing. It is only a thing. Some will use it to threaten and mug, others will use it to dice tomatoes or perform surgery. It is only a thing.
A gun is not a bad thing. It is not a good thing. It is only a thing. Some will use it to stop invaders or obtain meat. Others will use it to hijack planes. It carries no inherent righteousness or villany.
A Trusted Computing Platform is not...
Come on people, separate the tool from the actions of saints and sinners so that we can make engineering trade-off based decisions instead of emotional ones.
Woah! Hey, easy there killer! I'm open to the idea, always looking for a better way to do things. How about instead of accusing me of stupid, you just give some sample code and/or a URL to a howto on binding variables?
Assume with me for a moment that people have spirits which exist before birth and after death. (Stay with me here, a significant portion of the world's population believes this!)
As spirit entities, we didn't have physical mouths or ears or sound-transmitting media, but we communicate in "some other way". If this "some other way" is via a mechanism which the world has not yet identified or measured, then we may see a couple of effects:
* Many people occasionally experience "communication" but don't understand why since there were no radios involved.
* Many other people who haven't experienced it themselves still WANT to believe it happens. A sort of a wait-that-rings-a-bell gut reaction.
Now, if this were fact instead of fiction, doesn't it follow that we are all telepathic? But as an inherent capability, one we don't know how to use, a lot of noise is transmitted. Like a newborn trying out his lungs, we bellow and wail a lot.
So now we have a situation where we're all telepathic, some people notice it, make some claims, and those who find the idea preposterous start shutting them down. The feedback isn't just verbal though, they are inadvertantly shouting them down telepathically as well.
From your comments: An interesting note in this regard is that "psychics" interviewed by CIA evaluators said the program worked well as long as it was run by those "who accepted the phenomenon." Sorry, guys, but objective scientific results shouldn't depend on who's running a study!
Perhaps it DOES depend on who's running the study... and who's in the building, in the city, etc. Perhaps the biggest reason that claimants can't demonstrate their ability scientifically, is because we've made a dramatic blundering assumption, that it only depends on the one or two people being tested!
If they are going to claim "it doesn't work when nonbelievers are around", why not take that challenge and perform an experiment to see if it's a factor or not? I would really like to see this experiment repeated off-planet. Send one of them up to the space station to see if getting away from the "noise" of 6.2 billion people makes a difference. Better yet, on a moon mission. A much cheaper alternative that may still produce results would be to conduct it down in a deep mine.
Or maybe the world just isn't ready to be telepathic yet?
Slashdot Mirror
The NEED was discovered, the mechanism was most definately invented... simple and obvious though it may seem.
I would be surprised if there are not many other ways to deal with the need.
It's the price I pay for the mistakes in my youth.
So... for just how long shall society exact pain, punishment and discriminatory treatment of your mistakes?
The societal cost of NON-forgiveness is so unimaginably large, yet nobody seems to see it.
So how do you know whether any particular door has the feature, is it a trial and error sort of thing?
Often, there is technology sitting around waiting to solve a problem, but due to corporate aversion to risk, it doesn't happen.
Bob has done us a service by showing a data center huge potential cost savings. Remember these are the same centers that use 2-mega-freakin-watt generators. The data centers then show demand to the disk manufacturers, and suddenly, the tech that got overlooked for 10 years gets priority, focus, budget, big-wig-buy-in...
And I for one will happily enjoy the 3x drive sizes.
Ha! "Shampoo, 1.99 / liter" on a 3m tall sign would certainly catch my attention.
That's the reason avid coupon clippers can do so well. It makes a bigger difference than most people realize, as supported by TFA.
You're right, there are no gaming libraries for BASIC, it would be pretty much useless.
There are however definately libraries and APIs. Every time you call CLEARSCREEN (or whatever), you are calling a system API that does a loop to the appropriate video RAM spot to print all spaces. The interpreter gives you the "library" wrapper to make that easy. I still remember when it seemed so cool to erase the whole screen with the flick of the wrist.
Also, once you dig a little deeper, all BASICs had their various ways to call firmware routines, which was often how we got access to "sound" or time, or that cool connector slot in the back.
BASIC is a horrible language for learning to code
So what, we're not talking about optimization here, we are talking about getting kids to sit at the computer, think logically, use APIs/Libraries, and CREATE!
Yes there are better languages to use, but don't forget just how many many kids found their calling in life despite the shortcomings of BASIC.
he is introduced at an early age to the computer as a toy and treats it as a toy while growing up.
This is a "good thing". It is the natural way to go. Small kids pick up a hammer, and HEY, it makes sounds. Toy. Later they go "hey, let's build a tree-house", still a toy, but becomming a tool. Finally they have a home workshop, and the hammer has become indispensible.
I have played hundreds if not thousands of games over the years. I still think of the computer as a toy. However, that doesn't stop me from getting paid a very competitive wage for working on it.
On a related note:
I tried some BASIC with my boys, but it just really wasn't working. I switched to Logo, and got better traction. Finally, I found GameMaker, and it is a real treat! I think it promotes an excellent balance of creativity, logic, and computer savvy.
Main GameMaker page here.
Well then, let us cower under our blanket of fear, and let nature run rampant! It seems there are plenty of bodies already huddled to keep folks warm under there.
</flame>
The problems you list above CAN be dealt with. We need not presume doomsday results.
In fact, it may be that if we DON'T use GM to grow rice/corn for ethanol that doomsday descends when the oil runs out.
I for one, support those who use best available knowledge and technology to grow what is needed.
It turns out there is a really simple explanation...
There are 2 kinds of people:
--> 1. Those who start their arrays at 1.
--> 1. Those who start their arrays at 0.
Let me ask the bigger question, is there a silver bullet? What are possible routes for putting a stop to this?
-- The parent proposed counter suits?
-- Replacing bad judges?
-- Legislation protecting person-to-person bytes?
-- Complete national overhaul of copyright to make it sane again?
-- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on assasination missions?
I would very much like to hear solution proposals from the point of view of experts in the legal community.
But don't you know? Weeks of programming can save you HOURS of planning!
True that JPEG only offered lossy compression.
JPEG2000 DOES have a lossless compression mode for images. Sweet!
I have used it to compress terrain data. It gave a nice 5:1 compression where our previous compresion was only getting 3.5:1. On the flip side, it uses a surprising amount of CPU.
I don't know if there is an option for lossless video, but it seems likely.
Surprising that you call this a failure. I have seen many product launches and IMHO the Segway is far from a failure.
If you don't like the cost, that only means you are not in the target market. The fact that they are still being sold, and that new models are being introduced, proves that there is a viable market at that price point.
The statistics for product failure due to too low a price are surprisingly high. Sorry I don't have a link to back that up, but I've just seen it way too many times myself.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the straw man argument,
Aah, but what you call "straw man", others call "deeper understanding".
If Apple wants to treat their employees that way, yes it is their right. However it seems obvious to a number of people (including me) that this is an over-reaction based on fear and control issues.
I hope some day the unwashed masses realize, terrorism only works if you let it!
The real problem is not the privacy or a person's motives to be private.
By giving our government the authority to investigate, arrest, convict and punish, a potent mechanism is put in place. If the law is well written, and the police are properly intentioned and balanced in their thinking, then it works quite well.
But (you knew that was coming didn't you?), it is a sword whirling through society. Sometimes, the sword cuts those who deserve it not. The mere fact that there is a potent and active system that causes pain, means that you should want to protect yourself from that system.
What if you really aren't breaking the law, but you don't agree with the law you are carefully not breaking? Are guns your hobby even though the rest of the country hates them? Do you believe people should carry them even though it tends to get one-self arrested?
Will _they_ be watching you? Will they seek to accuse you? Will they decide that where there's smoke, there is fire - and find whatever excuse they can to penalize you?
It can be very wise to fly under the radar my friend. I say kudos to this effort.
The formal Metric definition of Tera is 1,000,000,000,000 - or 10^12
Please ignore the "artistic license" that computer scientists have taken with regard to 1,000 almost equals 1,024.
"If you switch on your computer and it works instantly, call a doctor - you are hallucinating."
If I switch on my computer and it works instantly, I call Theo - and thank him!
"Why all the controversy anyway?"
You insensitive clod! Don't you know how many of us suffer with severe obsessive compulsive disorder? How shall we put it in the proper box if we don't know which it is!!?!?! Sheesh.
I'll bet if astronomy were your career, or even more importantly astrology, you would think differently!
Come on advertisers, make me WANT STUFF!!
How about... Come on DEVELOPERS, make me want stuff!
For omnidirectional antennas, you're right. Too bad they often design the antennas to concentrate the energy horizontally.
Amen!
A knife is not a bad thing. It is not a good thing. It is only a thing. Some will use it to threaten and mug, others will use it to dice tomatoes or perform surgery. It is only a thing.
A gun is not a bad thing. It is not a good thing. It is only a thing. Some will use it to stop invaders or obtain meat. Others will use it to hijack planes. It carries no inherent righteousness or villany.
A Trusted Computing Platform is not...
Come on people, separate the tool from the actions of saints and sinners so that we can make engineering trade-off based decisions instead of emotional ones.
Woah! Hey, easy there killer! I'm open to the idea, always looking for a better way to do things. How about instead of accusing me of stupid, you just give some sample code and/or a URL to a howto on binding variables?
Hey, here's an idea that will blow your mind.
Assume with me for a moment that people have spirits which exist before birth and after death. (Stay with me here, a significant portion of the world's population believes this!)
As spirit entities, we didn't have physical mouths or ears or sound-transmitting media, but we communicate in "some other way". If this "some other way" is via a mechanism which the world has not yet identified or measured, then we may see a couple of effects:
* Many people occasionally experience "communication" but don't understand why since there were no radios involved.
* Many other people who haven't experienced it themselves still WANT to believe it happens. A sort of a wait-that-rings-a-bell gut reaction.
Now, if this were fact instead of fiction, doesn't it follow that we are all telepathic? But as an inherent capability, one we don't know how to use, a lot of noise is transmitted. Like a newborn trying out his lungs, we bellow and wail a lot.
So now we have a situation where we're all telepathic, some people notice it, make some claims, and those who find the idea preposterous start shutting them down. The feedback isn't just verbal though, they are inadvertantly shouting them down telepathically as well.
From your comments: An interesting note in this regard is that "psychics" interviewed by CIA evaluators said the program worked well as long as it was run by those "who accepted the phenomenon." Sorry, guys, but objective scientific results shouldn't depend on who's running a study!
Perhaps it DOES depend on who's running the study... and who's in the building, in the city, etc. Perhaps the biggest reason that claimants can't demonstrate their ability scientifically, is because we've made a dramatic blundering assumption, that it only depends on the one or two people being tested!
If they are going to claim "it doesn't work when nonbelievers are around", why not take that challenge and perform an experiment to see if it's a factor or not? I would really like to see this experiment repeated off-planet. Send one of them up to the space station to see if getting away from the "noise" of 6.2 billion people makes a difference. Better yet, on a moon mission. A much cheaper alternative that may still produce results would be to conduct it down in a deep mine.
Or maybe the world just isn't ready to be telepathic yet?
Yes, and isn't it strange how "current projects" are always applicable to the last 5 years worth of news items.