I don't know who this Linux group is that you speak of, but we need to stop them! Who knows what they will be capable of in three years! I know this, that we really don't want to find out. Can we send the Israelis to bomb them for us before things get out of hand?
Does the mass of neurons have consciousness? Does it think, even in a simple way?
Does it have emotion and feelings?
A common argument against the possibility of AI is that man-made devices would have no soul. The counter argument to that is why not? Who are you to say God(s) wouldn't give it a soul? Maybe souls are spontaneous and require no divine creation. For those that believe in souls and God(s) this would seem to indicate that souls are capable of interfacing with whatever sort of brain tissue is available. It could be argued that if the mass of neurons has a soul then God doesn't object, or maybe he's a non-interventionist. Or maybe we're just interacting with a sensory-deprived rat soul. Who knows.
Religion aside, let's look at ethics. Is this a good thing to do? Where do we draw the ethical line? Did we steal the neurons from the unborn rat, or does the rat even care?
This is a real philosophical can of worms and should fuel some interesting discussion.
If the United States government supports Georgia, we should rescind our Declaration of Independence and rejoin the British Empire.
Let's look at a similar situation in history. A renegade province of Mexico rebelled and kicked the Mexican government out. A strong ally to the North took them in and waged war with the Mexican military, killing many and eventually taking much more land. I'm talking about Texas.
If we want to back Georgia on this one, we should give Texas back to Mexico.
The South Ossetians want to be an independent country. The voted overwhelmingly to do so in 2006. The Russians respect that. The Georgians and their allies (read: us) do not.
The right of a people to choose their leadership should not be overlooked here.
"By the end of the year" is too late. My Verizon phone broke and the iphone 3g + my Verizon early termination is affordable.
I already waited six months for Android and I can't wait another six months. Maybe I can spring for an Android phone in two years when my AT&T contract runs out.
As long as nobody comes and forcefully installs the electronic devices into my body and connects me against my will to a network, I'm cool with it.
Computing devices and the human brain work in very different ways when it comes to storing and recalling information.
Perhaps we are simply offloading the tasks that are better suited to electronics and freeing up more of our consciousness for things it would be better at.
I still have half a year of warranty on my Vostro 1400, but it's time to extend it to a three or five year plan. They can fix it as many times as it breaks until the thing is so old it outgrows its usefulness.
Note the crash damage ends where the passenger area starts with the SUV while the tin can Neon gets bent up in the middle. Crumple zones should not include passenger space.
Modern SUVs, yes, even the framed ones, are significantly more agile and safe than the ones of the 80's. Multi-link suspension, ABS, stabilitrac, crumple zones, engine drop-out in collision, side-curtain air-bags AND bumpers placed lower to make it safer for smaller vehicles involved in the collisions.
PLUS my evil SUV has a lower displacement DOHC engine with variable valve timing. The 4.2L engine was on Wards 10 best engines list for three years after it's introduction in 2002, competing with all of the import engines. I got 24mpg driving slightly uphill on the highway last night...and this is a vehicle weighing over 4,000 lbs (1814 kg for you European Socialists out there).
There's a reason evolution favored vertebrate animals...the design is much tougher than the invertebrates.
It all works out quite well for everybody, a couple of scientists will save us at the last minute, for dramatic effect. No need for us to do anything today about energy problems
If you watched 2057 on the Discovery Channel you would know that they will invent a cheap 80% efficient solar gathering technology aboard a future international space station at the end of a space elevator using a team of two scientists, one an American and the other Chinese, the latter under duress by the Chinese government to steal the technology and not share it with us.
Oh, and they will do all this when global energy supplies are dangerously low and the world is about to end as we know it, plus the Chinese guy's family will be OK because the American helps send a secret message to the ground to embarrass them into not hurting anybody.
Look at insurgents in Iraq...they are making a mess of our 'modern military'.
Our revolutionary war was similar in nature. The redcoats would go to battle, stand in formation, and get ready for a formal battle. The poor American militants, lacking popular support at times, would shoot at them from the trees, houses, fences, or anything they could hide behind. Guerilla warfare tactics won the revolutionary war.
A relatively small insurgency with small arms can keep a tyrannical regime at bay today just as well as it could in 1776. Things just haven't gotten bad enough yet to make it happen here yet. I sincerely hope we don't see things get that bad, but I'm not betting against it happening at some point in the near future.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know who this Linux group is that you speak of, but we need to stop them! Who knows what they will be capable of in three years! I know this, that we really don't want to find out. Can we send the Israelis to bomb them for us before things get out of hand?
If they are not with us they must be against us.
DAs need to get re-elected. It's all about high-profile grandstanding.
I guess I wasn't the only one that couldn't wait for android to come out.
But the terrists will come kill us all! Don't say that!
Does the mass of neurons have consciousness? Does it think, even in a simple way?
Does it have emotion and feelings?
A common argument against the possibility of AI is that man-made devices would have no soul. The counter argument to that is why not? Who are you to say God(s) wouldn't give it a soul? Maybe souls are spontaneous and require no divine creation. For those that believe in souls and God(s) this would seem to indicate that souls are capable of interfacing with whatever sort of brain tissue is available. It could be argued that if the mass of neurons has a soul then God doesn't object, or maybe he's a non-interventionist. Or maybe we're just interacting with a sensory-deprived rat soul. Who knows.
Religion aside, let's look at ethics. Is this a good thing to do? Where do we draw the ethical line? Did we steal the neurons from the unborn rat, or does the rat even care?
This is a real philosophical can of worms and should fuel some interesting discussion.
If the United States government supports Georgia, we should rescind our Declaration of Independence and rejoin the British Empire.
Let's look at a similar situation in history. A renegade province of Mexico rebelled and kicked the Mexican government out. A strong ally to the North took them in and waged war with the Mexican military, killing many and eventually taking much more land. I'm talking about Texas.
If we want to back Georgia on this one, we should give Texas back to Mexico.
The South Ossetians want to be an independent country. The voted overwhelmingly to do so in 2006. The Russians respect that. The Georgians and their allies (read: us) do not.
The right of a people to choose their leadership should not be overlooked here.
Parody and criticism is fair use under copyright law. Look it up.
"By the end of the year" is too late. My Verizon phone broke and the iphone 3g + my Verizon early termination is affordable.
I already waited six months for Android and I can't wait another six months. Maybe I can spring for an Android phone in two years when my AT&T contract runs out.
What's this Ubuntu thing, is it an Al Qaeda hacking program? Somebody call the FBI, CIA, DHS and the cops! We have a hacker terrorist here!
I wonder if we can convince a state to issue custom CAPTCHA plates and we can all register there.
Can we keep and bear his arms after we cut them off?
As long as nobody comes and forcefully installs the electronic devices into my body and connects me against my will to a network, I'm cool with it.
Computing devices and the human brain work in very different ways when it comes to storing and recalling information.
Perhaps we are simply offloading the tasks that are better suited to electronics and freeing up more of our consciousness for things it would be better at.
I still have half a year of warranty on my Vostro 1400, but it's time to extend it to a three or five year plan. They can fix it as many times as it breaks until the thing is so old it outgrows its usefulness.
Don't let the patent trolls know any of this. I am sure they each have ten patents on the operation of this device.
My insurance is cheaper in my Trailblazer than it was for my Cavalier, despite the TB costing double what the Cavalier did.
If the dirty conservative capitalists at the insurance companies are willing to cut me a break, that must mean it's really safer for me to ride in.
TrailBlazer crash test
Dodge Neon crash test
Note the crash damage ends where the passenger area starts with the SUV while the tin can Neon gets bent up in the middle. Crumple zones should not include passenger space.
Modern SUVs, yes, even the framed ones, are significantly more agile and safe than the ones of the 80's. Multi-link suspension, ABS, stabilitrac, crumple zones, engine drop-out in collision, side-curtain air-bags AND bumpers placed lower to make it safer for smaller vehicles involved in the collisions.
PLUS my evil SUV has a lower displacement DOHC engine with variable valve timing. The 4.2L engine was on Wards 10 best engines list for three years after it's introduction in 2002, competing with all of the import engines. I got 24mpg driving slightly uphill on the highway last night...and this is a vehicle weighing over 4,000 lbs (1814 kg for you European Socialists out there).
There's a reason evolution favored vertebrate animals...the design is much tougher than the invertebrates.
I use Vimeo for everything these days. I can't impress clients with their horrid quality.
It all works out quite well for everybody, a couple of scientists will save us at the last minute, for dramatic effect. No need for us to do anything today about energy problems
If you watched 2057 on the Discovery Channel you would know that they will invent a cheap 80% efficient solar gathering technology aboard a future international space station at the end of a space elevator using a team of two scientists, one an American and the other Chinese, the latter under duress by the Chinese government to steal the technology and not share it with us.
Oh, and they will do all this when global energy supplies are dangerously low and the world is about to end as we know it, plus the Chinese guy's family will be OK because the American helps send a secret message to the ground to embarrass them into not hurting anybody.
They can't stop the cheating in person...what makes them think they can stop it over the internet?
I'll see your fake lunar landing and raise you one 9/11 conspiracy theory. Maybe UBL was an alien agent.
Maybe the stuff worked and one of his customers will get a cell with him. That would be ironic justice.
Stottlemeyer called Monk in and he solved the case.
I for one welcome our new geriatric overlords! LOL couldn't resist.
Look at insurgents in Iraq...they are making a mess of our 'modern military'.
Our revolutionary war was similar in nature. The redcoats would go to battle, stand in formation, and get ready for a formal battle. The poor American militants, lacking popular support at times, would shoot at them from the trees, houses, fences, or anything they could hide behind. Guerilla warfare tactics won the revolutionary war.
A relatively small insurgency with small arms can keep a tyrannical regime at bay today just as well as it could in 1776. Things just haven't gotten bad enough yet to make it happen here yet. I sincerely hope we don't see things get that bad, but I'm not betting against it happening at some point in the near future.
Take principled action and vote for Barr.
Take a look at Bob Barr, the only candidate who opposed the bill. Vote with your principles this time around.