There is likely an extent of truth to the dangers you suggest. I will admit that some math geniuses are genuinely deficient in other cognitive and even fundamentally existential areas, leaving the brain focused and specialized on one area. However, which is the result of which - genetically speaking - is unknown. I suppose that is what the project we are discussing will reveal. I will suggest that some of the shortcomings of being a math genius stem from the social isolation and ridicule very smart people often face while developing through the school system. Those are important years for the development of identify and how it gets expressed. If that is suppressed, then there you go. Also, look to the well adjusted and highly approachable Dr. Niel DeGrass. He is considered one of the top minds in the history of modern science, yet his only glaring flaw is that he's a bit cocky - arguably something he has earned. As far as sacrificing some cognitive capabilities in favor of math genius are concerned, perhaps this is the beginning of research that will allow us skirt around that - assuming such problems are real - and simply have supped up brains. The tail end of that very final point is something, that as a personally available option, is likely inevitable.
**I am leaving super math genius autistic people out of this - I believe that's a whole different story and discussion.
Many years ago I received several courses of what was then considering to be cutting and experimental gene therapy. It was a carefully constructed gene made from parts of human and non-human DNA carefully sewn together. The objective was to modify my immune system due to a nasty medical disorder. It worked like magic. Despite the fact that it did not actually integrate into my genome, it persists in my body to this day.
I know it's not the same, but wouldn't it be great to get an infusion of math genes? If such a thing were ever possible, one would still have to hit the books to take advantage of it, but all the same - cognitive enhancement through gene therapy could prove to be a singularity style breakthrough. Over the last decade and a half, the science and practice of genetic engineering has advanced substantially faster than even my own technologically over optimistic self predicted. What sounds far-fetched now is no longer something I would past the nearer than you might think future. Across all of scientific discovery and technological achievement, I have a suspicion that the next decade or two is going to be a wilder ride than most currently imagine.
I considered that as well. But science is beginning to emerge from the infancy of extra-solar planet hunting, and many scientists seem confident in their findings and their data is compelling. Time will tell.
As near as I can tell, the only planet in this system that is within the habitable zone is KOI-351 b, a Jupiter sized planet. Based on that, it's easy to say: No life in that system! However, as a matter of speculation, what if the planet has a moon similar to Earth? To say that a planet may harbor life is one thing, but we should also consider that very large planets within a systems habitable zone may have Earth sized, life sustaining moons. If planetary discovery has taught us anything, it is that gas giants are likely more common than smaller rocky planets. If that is the case, it may very well turn out the the majority of Earth-sized life sustaining objects may orbit these larger planets, and that our own system is unusual in that our own planet is not orbiting such a thing.
While I fully realize that it would be both wrong and illegal, with the Photoshop source code in the wild, is it possible some of it could added to or at least quietly re-engineered into OSS projects? Real CMYK support for Gimp would be like birthday + xmas combined times a million.
Personally, I as someone who overall likes Apple as a company, doesn't own anything but a Mac, but has had the chance to use their mobile products and do like them, I will first say I believe that the Slashdot crowd generally gives Apple a fair shake. Granted, this is not always flattering, but it is typically correct non-the-less.
Second, Apple stories garner among the highest number of comments and therefore user interaction and ad views. Based on this it is clear that the Slashdot crowd likes discussing Apple related stories, which works out well for Slashdot since it (presumanbly) generates ad revenue. That is what is known as a 'win win'.
We can cloak light. We can cloak magnetism. Both recent developments, both recently far fetched science-fiction. As a thought experiement at least, what if we could cloak an object - perhaps even one containing a human - from gravity and then send that object on a trajectory into a black hole. This assumes that the high levels of radiation and firewall have also been overcome.
Remember the Occupy movement? We seem to have forgotten everything that stood for in favor of the NSA. Funny thing that. Perhaps only so many battles can be fought at once, but I think that was a better starting point. After all, they are in bed together.
While I don't think it's reached that point yet, at least Nintendo has plenty of cash to float on. One of Nintendo's bigger issues is that they used to be a trend setter. They don't seem to understand that the landscape is drastically changing and that there is nothing they can do about it other then keep up or fall behind. They are no longer steering the industry, but apparently no one has told them that. Don't get me wrong, I love Nintendo and I want them to continue to succeed.
As an old timer, I can thing of a console I would paid a couple hundred bucks for: An all in one system that has every game ever made from 8-bit through Game Cube (or at least 64) pre-loaded and ready to be hooked up to my HDTV. I have been wishing for this for a long time.
BTW - if you have not yet played Super Mario Bros. Crossover, you have not lived until you have played SMB as one of the Contra guys.
I completely sympathize. Then again, NVIDIA Linux drivers are far from perfect too. It really is a shame, and I really do feel left out in the cold as a Linux user. I hope all this steam box hype pushes things in the right direction for Linux graphics drivers in general. For the time being, the open source NVIDIA drivers are getting the job done for me - but they are far from perfect. I would use the proprietary drivers, but I have run into to many issues where upgrading the kernel creates kernel\driver combo that freaks out and causes headaches. I want my display driver to work for me, not me for it.
Now we just need to stop issuing obvious patents like being first to market with a device that has curved corners. I don't remember the exact details, but back in the 19th century, the individual that first put an eraser on the end of a pencil had his patent application denied because all he did was put an eraser on the end of a pencil. We need a patent process that is sensible to begin with. Unfortunately, I suspect a lot of what is being submitted for patents is technologically over the heads of those issuing the patents, which is where a lot of bad patents come from. I also believe technology related patents are being intentionally written in an excessively complex and obfuscated manner to try and sneak them through. In a nutshell, we need an army of nerds in the patent office... now.
You are both right and wrong. When I purchased my first HDTV about a year a go, one of the first things I noticed was that - at typical television watching distance - I could discern no difference between 720p and 1080p whatsoever, neither could my girlfriend and we both have excellent vision. I also find it nearly impossible to tell the difference when looking at a monitor a few feet in front of me - but I can tell a difference depending on what's being displayed.
My phone is another story. My phone has a really nice 720p display, but when I compare it side-by-side with my friends full 1080p phone display, the difference in quality is both obvious and remarkable. The difference is of course that you hold a phone display much closer to your eyes. Keep in mind that phones are also internet TVs. So the difference between watching HD movie content on Netflix (at close range, when not connected to TV via HDMI) is striking. So it depends on what display form factors your dealing with, and what you consider to be a TV.
For the record, my phone at least outputs in 1080p, but I guess that's beside the point.
Apparently in the future everyone will have tremendous upper body strength. In all seriousness though, I consider the enumerable guys in my office building who insist on taking their business meetings all the way to the urinal via bluetooth. I can just imagine the sensory input overload being so overwhelming that they get mixed up, start waving their arms around and pee all over themselves and anyone within range.
Rumor has it that as soon as Microsoft completes it acquisition of Nokia's mobile division they will be coming out with an Ubuntu Edge phone. Batteries? Not needed, it will simply convert ambient zero point energy into electricity using a quantum black hole.
I can't find the link, but some time ago Slashdot ran a story about some poor kid who was expelled for bringing a copy of a Linux distribution to school - I think perhaps he was distributing them. The administration used it to label him a dangerous hacker and kicked him out. I thought that was rock bottom.
I call myself a hacker, yet I would never use a computer for malicious purposes. I'll be happy to fix one though, or diagnose your network problem, maybe even set you up with a nice hassle free FreeBSD file server. The only time I ever broke into a computer it was be accident and it was mine. However, if my government wants to turn against me over an ambiguous label and mark me their enemy - then I will be their enemy. First the United States government turned the world against them, now they are chipping away at their very own people.
This does not sound promising. When they say they are bringing in the best of the best to fix this ASAP, best of the best better actually mean something in this case. Otherwise throwing more of what caused this mess in the first place at it will only cause more trouble.
I also have to think: due to the substantial importance, essential timeliness, and over all sensitivity of this gigantic project. Why didn't they simply bring in "the best and brightest from both inside and outside government" to begin with, possibly averting disaster in the first place?
Not that the current situation surprises me in the least. Every tech-minded individual saw this coming.
I use Linux exclusively. According to their kickstarter page, Linux support is currently up in the air with no promises. This makes me weary as in the end that usually equates to no. I suppose I could dust of my MacBook, but all the same, I would rather be able to play it on my main OS of choice. If they could commit 100% to Linux support, they would already have my money. As long as they are not sure, then neither I am I.
I can only guess that binarylarry has not used GNOME in a great while. Personally, I hated GNOME for many years and for many reasons. It was 3.8\3.10 that brought me back. They provide an elegant experience with everything you need minimal clicks or keyboard shortcuts away. I challenge anyone to spend a week with either and not come back having had a good experience.
Ubuntu GNOME, a version of Ubuntu that replaces Unity with GNOME was also release as a 13.10 final derivative today. I've been using it since the beta and it's pretty nice. While it ships with GNOME 3.8, it can be upgraded to 3.10
I'm sure the scoring on this post is in a state of flux of up down and that some of the people are flaming you in their responses and getting score fives, but I'm with you on this but I don't any mod points so I'll comment. Facebook is a moral cesspool, on that ground alone it should not be supported by decent people. Here in the U.S. fully 1/3 of divorce proceedings now contain the word Facebook at least once. Facebook as a communications medium promotes some of the worst human behavior and inspires jealousy - It's worse than AOL circa 1996. Further, if someone can't be bothered to to respond to a text message over a Facebook post, that's their problem. As far as social networking goes, I still use g+, but only with communities centered around topics of interest - typically OSS related.
While air pressure as an issue is mentioned in the article, it is quite obvious that the suits are not being tested with the atmospheric pressure that would be required. That makes it difficult to take this seriously, as pressure would have a substantial effect on range of motion and thus should be an integral factor that needs testing. I see four major challenges to building a spacesuit (I'm sure there are more):
1. Radiation shielding. 2. Atmospheric pressure. 3. Decent air supply 4. Range of motion as dictated by the first three.
If you don't test solutions to all of these factors at once, there is little point in testing at all since the are strongly interrelated. This looks more like cosplay.
Slashdot Mirror
There is likely an extent of truth to the dangers you suggest. I will admit that some math geniuses are genuinely deficient in other cognitive and even fundamentally existential areas, leaving the brain focused and specialized on one area. However, which is the result of which - genetically speaking - is unknown. I suppose that is what the project we are discussing will reveal. I will suggest that some of the shortcomings of being a math genius stem from the social isolation and ridicule very smart people often face while developing through the school system. Those are important years for the development of identify and how it gets expressed. If that is suppressed, then there you go. Also, look to the well adjusted and highly approachable Dr. Niel DeGrass. He is considered one of the top minds in the history of modern science, yet his only glaring flaw is that he's a bit cocky - arguably something he has earned. As far as sacrificing some cognitive capabilities in favor of math genius are concerned, perhaps this is the beginning of research that will allow us skirt around that - assuming such problems are real - and simply have supped up brains. The tail end of that very final point is something, that as a personally available option, is likely inevitable.
**I am leaving super math genius autistic people out of this - I believe that's a whole different story and discussion.
Many years ago I received several courses of what was then considering to be cutting and experimental gene therapy. It was a carefully constructed gene made from parts of human and non-human DNA carefully sewn together. The objective was to modify my immune system due to a nasty medical disorder. It worked like magic. Despite the fact that it did not actually integrate into my genome, it persists in my body to this day.
I know it's not the same, but wouldn't it be great to get an infusion of math genes? If such a thing were ever possible, one would still have to hit the books to take advantage of it, but all the same - cognitive enhancement through gene therapy could prove to be a singularity style breakthrough. Over the last decade and a half, the science and practice of genetic engineering has advanced substantially faster than even my own technologically over optimistic self predicted. What sounds far-fetched now is no longer something I would past the nearer than you might think future. Across all of scientific discovery and technological achievement, I have a suspicion that the next decade or two is going to be a wilder ride than most currently imagine.
I considered that as well. But science is beginning to emerge from the infancy of extra-solar planet hunting, and many scientists seem confident in their findings and their data is compelling. Time will tell.
As near as I can tell, the only planet in this system that is within the habitable zone is KOI-351 b, a Jupiter sized planet. Based on that, it's easy to say: No life in that system! However, as a matter of speculation, what if the planet has a moon similar to Earth? To say that a planet may harbor life is one thing, but we should also consider that very large planets within a systems habitable zone may have Earth sized, life sustaining moons. If planetary discovery has taught us anything, it is that gas giants are likely more common than smaller rocky planets. If that is the case, it may very well turn out the the majority of Earth-sized life sustaining objects may orbit these larger planets, and that our own system is unusual in that our own planet is not orbiting such a thing.
Yea, I know. But I can still dream!
While I fully realize that it would be both wrong and illegal, with the Photoshop source code in the wild, is it possible some of it could added to or at least quietly re-engineered into OSS projects? Real CMYK support for Gimp would be like birthday + xmas combined times a million.
Anyone wonder what the impact will be on self-driving cars?
A longer chapter on debugging in the first edition of "Programming Self-Driving Cars: The Missing Manual."
Personally, I as someone who overall likes Apple as a company, doesn't own anything but a Mac, but has had the chance to use their mobile products and do like them, I will first say I believe that the Slashdot crowd generally gives Apple a fair shake. Granted, this is not always flattering, but it is typically correct non-the-less.
Second, Apple stories garner among the highest number of comments and therefore user interaction and ad views. Based on this it is clear that the Slashdot crowd likes discussing Apple related stories, which works out well for Slashdot since it (presumanbly) generates ad revenue. That is what is known as a 'win win'.
We can cloak light. We can cloak magnetism. Both recent developments, both recently far fetched science-fiction. As a thought experiement at least, what if we could cloak an object - perhaps even one containing a human - from gravity and then send that object on a trajectory into a black hole. This assumes that the high levels of radiation and firewall have also been overcome.
Remember the Occupy movement? We seem to have forgotten everything that stood for in favor of the NSA. Funny thing that. Perhaps only so many battles can be fought at once, but I think that was a better starting point. After all, they are in bed together.
While I don't think it's reached that point yet, at least Nintendo has plenty of cash to float on. One of Nintendo's bigger issues is that they used to be a trend setter. They don't seem to understand that the landscape is drastically changing and that there is nothing they can do about it other then keep up or fall behind. They are no longer steering the industry, but apparently no one has told them that. Don't get me wrong, I love Nintendo and I want them to continue to succeed.
As an old timer, I can thing of a console I would paid a couple hundred bucks for: An all in one system that has every game ever made from 8-bit through Game Cube (or at least 64) pre-loaded and ready to be hooked up to my HDTV. I have been wishing for this for a long time.
BTW - if you have not yet played Super Mario Bros. Crossover, you have not lived until you have played SMB as one of the Contra guys.
I completely sympathize. Then again, NVIDIA Linux drivers are far from perfect too. It really is a shame, and I really do feel left out in the cold as a Linux user. I hope all this steam box hype pushes things in the right direction for Linux graphics drivers in general. For the time being, the open source NVIDIA drivers are getting the job done for me - but they are far from perfect. I would use the proprietary drivers, but I have run into to many issues where upgrading the kernel creates kernel\driver combo that freaks out and causes headaches. I want my display driver to work for me, not me for it.
Now we just need to stop issuing obvious patents like being first to market with a device that has curved corners. I don't remember the exact details, but back in the 19th century, the individual that first put an eraser on the end of a pencil had his patent application denied because all he did was put an eraser on the end of a pencil. We need a patent process that is sensible to begin with. Unfortunately, I suspect a lot of what is being submitted for patents is technologically over the heads of those issuing the patents, which is where a lot of bad patents come from. I also believe technology related patents are being intentionally written in an excessively complex and obfuscated manner to try and sneak them through. In a nutshell, we need an army of nerds in the patent office... now.
You are both right and wrong. When I purchased my first HDTV about a year a go, one of the first things I noticed was that - at typical television watching distance - I could discern no difference between 720p and 1080p whatsoever, neither could my girlfriend and we both have excellent vision. I also find it nearly impossible to tell the difference when looking at a monitor a few feet in front of me - but I can tell a difference depending on what's being displayed.
My phone is another story. My phone has a really nice 720p display, but when I compare it side-by-side with my friends full 1080p phone display, the difference in quality is both obvious and remarkable. The difference is of course that you hold a phone display much closer to your eyes. Keep in mind that phones are also internet TVs. So the difference between watching HD movie content on Netflix (at close range, when not connected to TV via HDMI) is striking. So it depends on what display form factors your dealing with, and what you consider to be a TV.
For the record, my phone at least outputs in 1080p, but I guess that's beside the point.
Apparently in the future everyone will have tremendous upper body strength. In all seriousness though, I consider the enumerable guys in my office building who insist on taking their business meetings all the way to the urinal via bluetooth. I can just imagine the sensory input overload being so overwhelming that they get mixed up, start waving their arms around and pee all over themselves and anyone within range.
Rumor has it that as soon as Microsoft completes it acquisition of Nokia's mobile division they will be coming out with an Ubuntu Edge phone. Batteries? Not needed, it will simply convert ambient zero point energy into electricity using a quantum black hole.
I can't find the link, but some time ago Slashdot ran a story about some poor kid who was expelled for bringing a copy of a Linux distribution to school - I think perhaps he was distributing them. The administration used it to label him a dangerous hacker and kicked him out. I thought that was rock bottom.
I call myself a hacker, yet I would never use a computer for malicious purposes. I'll be happy to fix one though, or diagnose your network problem, maybe even set you up with a nice hassle free FreeBSD file server. The only time I ever broke into a computer it was be accident and it was mine. However, if my government wants to turn against me over an ambiguous label and mark me their enemy - then I will be their enemy. First the United States government turned the world against them, now they are chipping away at their very own people.
This does not sound promising. When they say they are bringing in the best of the best to fix this ASAP, best of the best better actually mean something in this case. Otherwise throwing more of what caused this mess in the first place at it will only cause more trouble.
I also have to think: due to the substantial importance, essential timeliness, and over all sensitivity of this gigantic project. Why didn't they simply bring in "the best and brightest from both inside and outside government" to begin with, possibly averting disaster in the first place?
Not that the current situation surprises me in the least. Every tech-minded individual saw this coming.
Two words combined that don't make sense.
I use Linux exclusively. According to their kickstarter page, Linux support is currently up in the air with no promises. This makes me weary as in the end that usually equates to no. I suppose I could dust of my MacBook, but all the same, I would rather be able to play it on my main OS of choice. If they could commit 100% to Linux support, they would already have my money. As long as they are not sure, then neither I am I.
I can only guess that binarylarry has not used GNOME in a great while. Personally, I hated GNOME for many years and for many reasons. It was 3.8\3.10 that brought me back. They provide an elegant experience with everything you need minimal clicks or keyboard shortcuts away. I challenge anyone to spend a week with either and not come back having had a good experience.
How? I'd like a breakdown please.
Ubuntu GNOME, a version of Ubuntu that replaces Unity with GNOME was also release as a 13.10 final derivative today. I've been using it since the beta and it's pretty nice. While it ships with GNOME 3.8, it can be upgraded to 3.10
http://ubuntugnome.org/ubuntu-gnome-13-10-is-released/
I'm sure the scoring on this post is in a state of flux of up down and that some of the people are flaming you in their responses and getting score fives, but I'm with you on this but I don't any mod points so I'll comment. Facebook is a moral cesspool, on that ground alone it should not be supported by decent people. Here in the U.S. fully 1/3 of divorce proceedings now contain the word Facebook at least once. Facebook as a communications medium promotes some of the worst human behavior and inspires jealousy - It's worse than AOL circa 1996. Further, if someone can't be bothered to to respond to a text message over a Facebook post, that's their problem. As far as social networking goes, I still use g+, but only with communities centered around topics of interest - typically OSS related.
While air pressure as an issue is mentioned in the article, it is quite obvious that the suits are not being tested with the atmospheric pressure that would be required. That makes it difficult to take this seriously, as pressure would have a substantial effect on range of motion and thus should be an integral factor that needs testing. I see four major challenges to building a spacesuit (I'm sure there are more):
1. Radiation shielding.
2. Atmospheric pressure.
3. Decent air supply
4. Range of motion as dictated by the first three.
If you don't test solutions to all of these factors at once, there is little point in testing at all since the are strongly interrelated. This looks more like cosplay.