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User: bknack

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Comments · 36

  1. Re:Doesn't Google Translate already do this? on Gadget Claims To Fit In Your Ear and Translate Foreign Languages In Real-Time (telegraph.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Ahh... yes...

    and, the chance to part with $250 US. ;-)

  2. Doesn't Google Translate already do this? on Gadget Claims To Fit In Your Ear and Translate Foreign Languages In Real-Time (telegraph.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Am I missing something? Google translate can already be set for automatic translation and will listen to anyone who speaks. It's far from perfect, but it does work. Perhaps the benefit here is that the translation is much better? Cheers, Bruce.

  3. "It is the cornerstone of the bill of rights..." on UK MPs Hold Emergency Debate After Court Makes It Legal For GCHQ To Spy On Them (westerndailypress.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    Seriously? The concern is that the most ancient freedoms only applied to MPs??
    So it was fine to spy on everyone as long as that did not include MPs?
    How did anyone even say that with a straight face?

  4. Re:Why no public discussion beforehand? on The Ethical Issues Surrounding OSU's Lab-Grown Brains · · Score: 1

    Well... that's the trick isn't it? How would we ever know?

    I agree this isn't an issue with the current brain, but as I pointed out, there's no reason to believe they won't create much more mature ones in future.

    Also, I'm not saying they shouldn't pursue the research. I just think that this deserves a very public airing.

  5. Why no public discussion beforehand? on The Ethical Issues Surrounding OSU's Lab-Grown Brains · · Score: 1

    Does it strike anyone else that this research should only have been undertaken after a great deal of public discourse?

    I didn't see anything in the OSU article (https://news.osu.edu/news/2015/08/18/human-brain-model/) that indicated the scientists had to (or plan to) ensure that no future brain is produced that has the maturity of a one year old (for example).

    Compared to creating a disembodied human brain, all the potential for a future self-aware computer system seems much less controversial.

  6. Some Kids have already lost the sky... on What If We Lost the Sky? · · Score: 4, Interesting

    “Now I prefer cloudy days when the drones don’t fly. When the sky brightens and becomes blue, the drones return and so does the fear. Children don’t play so often now, and have stopped going to school. Education isn’t possible as long as the drones circle overhead.”
    I added the bold.

    From: http://www.theguardian.com/wor...

    I only read this a few days ago, but was really struck by it. The reason is completely different from that covered in the original article, but I wonder at the effects the author is concerned about...

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  7. Hmm... if we're trying to reduce senseless death.. on Days After Shooting, Canada Proposes New Restrictions On and Offline · · Score: 1
    More legislation to deal with with this form of terrorism will not deal with terrorism. In fact, it will validate terrorism as one more liberal democracy slides towards an autocratic police state.

    On the other hand, if the purpose of the legislation is to reduce senseless deaths, it would be much more effective to simply outlaw driving by private citizens.

    Cheers, Bruce.

  8. Re:NSA College Campus Recruiters on Mathematicians Push Back Against the NSA · · Score: 1

    Your comments are entirely off the point.

    'cold fjord' did not indicate that he abhorred all spying. His issue appears to be with the NSA's use of domestic spying. Something that they are not supposed to engage in.

    Domestic spying would seem to be the purview of the FBI. Since they are bound by the "normal" criminal system, they're use of spying is limited to ensure that your rights are properly respected.

    The NSA and CIA etc, do not have to respect the rights of anyone they spy on because (at least in theory) they do not spy on US citizens. Once they are free to spy on you without respecting your rights as a citizen, you no longer have rights. Welcome to the very police state you suggest that the NSA is "saving you" from.

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  9. It's not Netflix vs Hulu, it's Netflix & Hulu on Hulu "Kicking Back Into Action" Says CEO, Adding New Content · · Score: 2

    Netflix is awesome but it doesn't carry current network content. Hulu does for the most part (with CBS being a big exception).

    I know most (all?) of this content is available online but I can't bring myself to go back to being tied to a schedule. The online content is often here today and gone tomorrow. Also, I really like all my content delivered by a box that's hooked directly to my TV.

    As for the BBC stuff... (yawn). I can see all of it on Netflix without the commercials. If this cost Hulu any $$ I think someone saw them coming. Come to think of it, this brings up a question I never thought to ask: Is there anyone out there who subscribes to Hulu without subscribing to Netflix?

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  10. Re:Freeman Dyson on Another Climate-Change Retraction · · Score: 2

    That sir, is a terrible thing to say about the guy who wrote COBOL!

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  11. What about the banks?! on U.S. Gov't Still Fighting the Man Behind Buckyballs; Guess Who's Winning? · · Score: 1

    I'm sure that this is non-sequitur, but I can't help it: The first thing that came to mind is: What about the banks?

    I can't really see why the actions taken by this person's company are illegal or even immoral. At worse, it appears they may have misjudged (but even that assertion is only made with the full benefit of hindsight).

    In the case of the banks, they knew what they were doing was against established business practices, was immoral, and was illegal in many respects. Further, they knew this to be clearly the case at the time!

    So, I can't help asking again: What about the banks?????

    No fine, however large will "hurt" a corporation. Even bankruptcy and dissolution will not hurt the corporation. In the worst case, those affected are most likely to be small stockholders and line workers without the benefit of golden parachutes.

    If the CEOs and board members were given fines and jail, THAT would send a message.

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  12. Re:This is their job on NSA Cracked Into Encrypted UN Video Conferences · · Score: 2

    Just to be clear:
    I don't agree with what they did (on many levels). I'm just pointing out that this is exactly what they do.
    See: http://www.nsa.gov/about/mission/index.shtml

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  13. This is their job on NSA Cracked Into Encrypted UN Video Conferences · · Score: 2

    I'm not condoning what the NSA has done, but this is firmly within their mandate. Who they spy on and how may be completely secret. The fact that this is what they do is not.
    From their Mission Statement:
    The Signals Intelligence mission collects, processes, and disseminates intelligence information from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes and to support military operations.

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  14. Re: Proud? on Don't Fly During Ramadan · · Score: 1

    You would not be subject to random searches in Canada:
    According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
    8. Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  15. Viva the Daily Show! on Russia Today: Vladimir Putin's Weapon In 'The War of Images' · · Score: 1

    I tried to watch them...

    I can't tell if they take themselves seriously or not?

    Makes me ache for the days when the news was news and strictly separated from 'editorial' content...

    ... of course, I'm not sure those days ever really existed.

    Honesty, between them, FOX, CNN and MSNBC... I actually watch the Daily Show

  16. No so much mission failure as mission loss. on Larry Ellison Believes Apple Is Doomed · · Score: 1

    On the one hand, Ellison saying this sort of thing is completely consistent. So... not news.

    On the other hand...
    I think he may be right. Apple's mapping app. Need I say more?

    Jobs may have been a been a dick, but with him Apple had a mission. Now, it seems like any other company. Dedicated to $$$ above all else and run by 'managers'.

  17. Re:Seriously? on Queen's WWIII Speech Revealed · · Score: 2

    I wasn't old enough to go through any drills, but I can tell you that the threat of nuclear annihilation was certainly real. My gut reaction to some of these comments is similar to yours. These folks don't 'get it' and don't have the education to realize what they're joking about. To be honest, my thought was more along the lines of: I doubt she'd have time to deliver any speech.

  18. Re:Oh, Canada... on Teenage League of Legends Player Jailed For Months For Facebook Joke · · Score: 1

    Speaking as a Canadian, the only thing more weird than that lady calling the cops is the cops arresting the kid and him facing 9 years in jail!

    So there :p (na, na, nana, na!)

  19. OK, it's overkill... BUT on Sharing HBO Go Accounts Could Result In Prison · · Score: 1
    There is something almost breathtaking about the NYT article.
    1. If I stole services like this, I wouldn't not have the stones to write about it anywhere, never mind the NYT.

    2. The writer mentions that HBO is missing an opportunity because they don't supply some way for her to commiserate with other person (or persons) who are "sharing" her account!!!

    This article isn't about whether HBO Go should be available to folks who don't subscribe to cable. It's about whether HBO (and Netflix etc) are going to try to catch folks for "sharing" accounts.

    Seriously, we're not talking about starving people taking some bread for their family. We're talking about stealing money and jobs from others so you can watch TV.

    Someone should fine the author of the article to get that point across. Last I checked, the NYT operates behind a paywall of sorts. That likely helps pay the person who penned this article. Can she not see the hypocrisy of her position?

    WOW! Had to get that off my chest!

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  20. A potential Interface? on The Semantic Line Interface · · Score: 1

    In the interests of fairness, I am deeply involved with the following website, so my views are obviously bias! Consider the interface at: www.mindports.com Basically, it is used to organize an arbitrary set of categories and sub-categories and sub-sub-categories etc. Each segment contains a brief text label. Once selected, a segment may expose an interface, perform an action etc. After reviewing the article, it occurs to me that we could place commands (or options) through-out a set of these categorical trees. The same command would appear "everywhere" it might reasonably be searched for by folks with different points of view and experience. The interface would allow folks to "find" their command rapidly no matter where it was placed. If we included a text search capability, we would also support die hard CLI lovers. What do you think? Cheers, Bruce.

  21. Re:Computer scientists? on CMU Eliminates Object Oriented Programming For Freshman · · Score: 1

    Respectfully: I understand the idea you are getting at. It would be wonderful if computer scientists learned programming so they could see how things actually work. My problem with this theory is that it is absurd to think that anyone would learn anything "real" about programming by completing a couple of courses in university. As I recall one of my courses, we were to use the semester to build an ant colony simulation. By semester's end we were not even close to this goal. That inconvenient fact was not even mentioned as a potential problem in the "real world". I remember thinking that this type of approach explained a great deal of what was then (and to a large extent) still is wrong with the software industry. I promise I'm not a troll. I love programming etc., it's just that I was ruined for life because my first job was working for a consulting shop were we had to deliver working software on time and on budget. I was very young and green (I hadn't even returned to university to complete my degree yet) and have always believed as a consequence of my time there that software design should meet these criteria as much as possible. Cheers, Bruce.

  22. Re:Sunlight control on First Membrane Controlled By Light Developed · · Score: 1

    Just kidding of course, but this reminds me of vampires :)

    On a more serious note, what about some kind of sunscreen?

    Cheers,
    Bruce.

  23. Re:Imagine a new heart valve on First Membrane Controlled By Light Developed · · Score: 1

    Now that sounds even better (since the membrane is currently used with gas).

    Even though my response (especially since it involves a fairly thick fluid - not a gas) and yours may not be applicable at the moment, I think they both suggest distant goals that would change the world as we know it.

    Cheers, Bruce.

  24. Imagine a new heart valve on First Membrane Controlled By Light Developed · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't know why, but the first thing that came to my mind is that perhaps this could be used in an artificial heart. No moving parts (the valves anyway) and precise low power way to block and allow blood flow. Hmm...

  25. Re:Facetime may increase sales in families! on Why Video Calling Is a Wasted Feature In the UK · · Score: 1

    Thank for this info!

    It will be interesting to see if anything changes now that Apple has entered the fray.

    Given what you have experienced, I suspect that video calling may never really gain traction. I find it interesting that folks who are happy to chat face to face find it uncomfortable to chat with one another "visually" using technology.

    I have some personal experience with video calling. Many years ago I purchased a number of units to be used in conjunction with television sets. I gave them to family members so we could all keep in contact. Let's just say that this went over like a lead balloon. Everyone tried to use the system, but if anything went wrong, there was no attempt to get stuff working again. Clearly, the ability to make video calls just wasn't compelling.

    Cheers
    Bruce.