In Millenial America, fantasizing about fending off intruders with shotguns or offing your teacher is now a felony.
Do you not understand the US legal system or was this hyperbole? The boy was not prosecuted he was arrested with sufficient probable cause (yeah,right). The arresting officer only has to apply this simple "probable cause" test to make an arrest. The police are not lawyers and the state's attorney in the case determined that no law was broken (or at least insufficient evidence that a law had been broken).
That being said, I do agree that it is another indication of our society going to that proverbial hell in a hand basket.
a few random points:
I'm sure that Ms. Beamon is bemoaning the price tag on this "scary" story. Not only did she have to pay for the legal representation she is seeking a private school for her little darling. Neither one of which comes cheap.
I also would like to reiterate what was said in an earlier post in case some of you may have missed it. The spelling and sentence structure problems would not necessarily wanted a low grade on this assignment. Not knowing what is in this child's IEP (if indeed he has one) or the exact requirements for the assignment makes it difficult to grade the piece out of context.
The story did have elements found in many of the "modern" horror stories found at any movie theatre or in any video store.
Okay so it didn't make it on this list but in the same edition of Performance Computing was the OPA Awards in which Linux contributers receive the coveted Editors Award (see the final entry on the page).
I have only one question here: Did the company listen to the outrage of thousands of customers over the privacy violation or the 1-7/8 drop in their stock?
I guess either way it resolves the problem. I hope many other internet enabled software manufacturers are listening too.
on the face of it VHDL/HDL simulators would be the first to jump on a cheap paralleling systems. However bleeding edge hardware companies can't afford to place their trust in hardware/OS's for simulations until the platform has proven itself. Too much money is at stake for a company to build, for example, an ASICS chip based on designs and simulations run on a dubious platform. The cost of failure is terrific.
This is one more indication that Linux has become a mainstream OS and another shot in the arm for the increased utilization of Linux outside of the mailserver realm.
in the CHI'99 paper that they offered a possible application for the touch sensitive wheel beyond what a user would want?
Reading sensor: We already use the wheel touch sensor in the On-Demand interface to sense when the user begins a scrolling interaction. Since IntelliMouse users often leave their finger perched on the wheel while reading, an intriguing possibility is that dwell time on the wheel may prove useful as a predictor of how much time the user has spent reading content on a web page, for example. We have not yet tested the wheel sensor in this role.
Great, another way to suruptiously extract information from web users.
I like the way they hid this aspect deep within the document.
Where legal fictions have to interface with reality. Doesn't there?
I understand that straining at gnats and passing camels through needles are required courses in law school. But come on now. There has to be some limit. Can you see this corporation extorting a fee from each memeber of the human race for using their patents in the application of living?
Someone, Somewhere, there must be a judge with brains out there. I just cannot believe that we would allow this to happen to us.
If they do they would be advised to be running Linux mail servers to handle the incomming email concerning hacks and comments on the code base (not to mention all the "Why M$ sux" spam).
Seems our friend is showing ignorance in one of many ways. If this retraction is true he has admitted publicly that he conspired to bribe police officers
"...the police (which we had paid off) showed up and arrested our counterparts..."
While IANAL (but I watch them played on tv), I would be willing to bet that this is against the law in all municipalities in the US (except perhaps Chicago where there is a longstanding tradition (a joke folks!)).
but I get tired of lawyers attacking those square pegs with saws, files and maybe a liberal dose of the KY-Jelly(TM)(that all lawyers maintain a stock of) in order to fit them in the round hole of precedence. It seems that the only original ideas coming from that section of society are improved methods for removing money from the wallets of marks...err clients.
Go ahead and moderate this to oblivion. It is not fit for human consumption. Mearly a rant to release the pressure building in my chest.
My (thank the gods) ex-wife collects first editions and has a history text book entitled "A Complete History of The United States" printed in 1876. You, having a degree in history, could guess that there are many items in the book that are inacurate or appear to be in contrast to "modern" history books (anyone read a history of history writing?).
But since there actually is no time as stated in the article earlier in the continum of the is-now-and-always-will-be slashdot marked with the same date stamp as this post, all history is always current if, indeed, "history" and "current" have any meaning at all.
Quite an interesting article. I wish I had the time to study all the references sited. One paragraph stands out, the last paragraph. If you read closely it appears there is a conclusion in the final sentence: "We need a new notion of time." The author apparently is not stating that there is no time but that our perception of time as "an immense immobile space, stretching like a block of glass from infinity to infinity" is invalid.
I know time exists. I just wasted 10 minutes of it writing this post (hope the boss doesn't get too upset).
This article does not say that the increase in size or density of dendrites has any effect on memory. It appears to have been inferred by readers from the statement:
"scientists have assumed that changes in the size and shape of these dendritic spines are related to long-term memory, but there has not been any experimental evidence to prove this association."
Even if we forego the lack of experimental evidence, nowhere does it imply that an increase in size or density relates to long-term memory. It only says that a change in size and shape is related.
does increase in size = better long term memory? There is some evidence that chemicals used to increase the size and number of dendrites in a rat's brain have changed a rat's behavior when presented with a new object to explore versus control rats. I saw the oh so non-technical report on one of the network news broadcasts. The scientists claim that this was due to an increase in the rat's ability to remember that the other objects in the cage were already explored. I saw no evidence in the brief news story to suggest that memory had anything to do with the new behavior. My devious mind began to think of other reasons for the new behavior. What if it had actualy affected thier ability to filter out their own smell and once the old object had been explored by them and other rats it had an objectionable odor to them? just one possiblity.
There are many questions this article raise and it answers only one question: What does the direct application of caffine on nerve cells do?: it causes them to release calcium and grow. Much more research is required.
In the meantime I will replace my intravenious caffine drip with a intracraneal drip and find out what I can.
how a meta language would have to evolve as each and every language evolved. Trying to keep up with one language is not easy as any dictionary publisher will tell you. Imagine how difficult it will be to track changes in every language.
I recall when I had to write a graphics format conversion utility for a little known application. This was not a simple task having to learn each file format and then how translate it to this new format. luckily, I had no need to translate between anyother formats or translate to any other formats (I had to avoid copy lefted code so pbm was out:( ). But it would have been impossible to maintain if the file formats for each format changed constantly. It is bad enough that I had to account for multiple versions of a particular proprietary graphics format.
Now, suppose they overcome the problem of keeping up with language changes. What about time? I am supposing this is talking about written language. I write something today using current local language terminology that changes over the next few years or I use some terminology that went out in the 60's or any combination (what a gnarly bad chuck of freakin' hackish). 10 years later it is translated in the meta-language. how the heck would it translate this and maintain integrity?
While the inertia of established companies does not allow them to move as quickly into new tech solutions. Most companies can roll with the punch and minimize the damage by downsizing or diversifing or, like B&N, attempt to make up the lost ground even if it is too little too late.
Another problem occurs when new technology undermines a company's product. Anyone hold any stock in slide rule or buggy whip manufacturers?
The raw disk access used by Oracle databases is for an increase in data access time not for increasing the database size.
Cliff, one thing you did not mention was in which dimension is the table "big". If you are talking about many rows, Oracle has table partioning that allows for very fast indexed searches on "billions and billions" of rows. If you have rows that exceed 2GB Oracle can handle that quite nicely using standard file systems on any platform. If you have data points that exceed 2GB you may have a problem that only a change in platform can address. This would require a blob data type and has limitations (2 GB I believe) when stored in the database. There is a bfile subtype of the blob data type that allows for any size data point but is then limited to the file system's max file size because Oracle stores the data as an actual discrete file. Yes, Oracle is not the easiest product to administer. But, it is intended for use with difficult to manage databases so has all the bells and whistles necessary to manage large databases and unruley or unwieldy data. The first time you restore the database to 16:42:13 June 12, 1999 (or any other point in time) you will realize the power of the restore features too.
PostgreSQL is a fine product but I do not believe that it is ready for this size of database in a mission critical application (I am assuming that you would not be considering collecting this amount of data for a non-mission critical app)
I am really surprised we didn't get the "my database is bigger that yours" statements that is typical of the oracle news groups. But then again we at/. are a finer breed (cough).
While this situation does cause concern in the This-is-how-I-had-to-learn-it-you-should-have-to-d o-it-this-way-too portion of my brain. I can see a major benifit for creating better programmers.
Anyone who has read (providing they are not too lazy) much of Larry Wall's ramblings knows that the Laziness is the first great virtue of a programmer followed by impatience and hubris.
It seems to me that, actually, the first two of these virtues combined with new age (?) cheating technology will create better (potential, at least) programmers. Imagine the ingenuity involved with creating a program that writes essays to score in the high 90's on the professor's grading program.
Then again I guess that third virtue will knock it out. Pride in my work is what has always kept me from going beyond the thinking stage when it came to cheating.
Man, this has given me a great idea for a book. It would discuss how the doomsayer book market is destroying our minds attacking our pocket books and will cause the entire world to be frozen in panic by the year 2005.
the triple click of a cycloptic mouse? Oh please, whatever you do don't make me type! I might actually be forced to admit that I can't type. Yeah. sorry, I was baited. What do you expect.
I happen to agree that the easier the install the more people WILL install. but, then again I personally don't care what operating system *you* are using only which system *I* am using. Which happens to be the Mandrake (who the heck is McMillan?) distro.
I got them beat with my 10 tera byte hyper-holographic disc device. Contains no moving parts and has near instantaneous write time. Oh...BTW it is a write only device. See/dev/null.
Slashdot Mirror
Do you not understand the US legal system or was this hyperbole? The boy was not prosecuted he was arrested with sufficient probable cause (yeah,right). The arresting officer only has to apply this simple "probable cause" test to make an arrest. The police are not lawyers and the state's attorney in the case determined that no law was broken (or at least insufficient evidence that a law had been broken).
That being said, I do agree that it is another indication of our society going to that proverbial hell in a hand basket.
a few random points:
I'm sure that Ms. Beamon is bemoaning the price tag on this "scary" story. Not only did she have to pay for the legal representation she is seeking a private school for her little darling. Neither one of which comes cheap.
I also would like to reiterate what was said in an earlier post in case some of you may have missed it. The spelling and sentence structure problems would not necessarily wanted a low grade on this assignment. Not knowing what is in this child's IEP (if indeed he has one) or the exact requirements for the assignment makes it difficult to grade the piece out of context.
The story did have elements found in many of the "modern" horror stories found at any movie theatre or in any video store.
I guess either way it resolves the problem. I hope many other internet enabled software manufacturers are listening too.
This is one more indication that Linux has become a mainstream OS and another shot in the arm for the increased utilization of Linux outside of the mailserver realm.
Reading sensor: We already use the wheel touch sensor in the On-Demand interface to sense when the user begins a scrolling interaction. Since IntelliMouse users often leave their finger perched on the wheel while reading, an intriguing possibility is that dwell time on the wheel may prove useful as a predictor of how much time the user has spent reading content on a web page, for example. We have not yet tested the wheel sensor in this role.
Great, another way to suruptiously extract information from web users.I like the way they hid this aspect deep within the document.
I understand that straining at gnats and passing camels through needles are required courses in law school. But come on now. There has to be some limit. Can you see this corporation extorting a fee from each memeber of the human race for using their patents in the application of living?
Someone, Somewhere, there must be a judge with brains out there. I just cannot believe that we would allow this to happen to us.
I won't hold my breath, however.
"...the police (which we had paid off) showed up and arrested our counterparts ..."
While IANAL (but I watch them played on tv), I would be willing to bet that this is against the law in all municipalities in the US (except perhaps Chicago where there is a longstanding tradition (a joke folks!)).
Go ahead and moderate this to oblivion. It is not fit for human consumption. Mearly a rant to release the pressure building in my chest.
But since there actually is no time as stated in the article earlier in the continum of the is-now-and-always-will-be slashdot marked with the same date stamp as this post, all history is always current if, indeed, "history" and "current" have any meaning at all.
I know time exists. I just wasted 10 minutes of it writing this post (hope the boss doesn't get too upset).
"scientists have assumed that changes in the size and shape of these dendritic spines are related to long-term memory, but there has not been any experimental evidence to prove this association."
Even if we forego the lack of experimental evidence, nowhere does it imply that an increase in size or density relates to long-term memory. It only says that a change in size and shape is related.
does increase in size = better long term memory? There is some evidence that chemicals used to increase the size and number of dendrites in a rat's brain have changed a rat's behavior when presented with a new object to explore versus control rats. I saw the oh so non-technical report on one of the network news broadcasts. The scientists claim that this was due to an increase in the rat's ability to remember that the other objects in the cage were already explored. I saw no evidence in the brief news story to suggest that memory had anything to do with the new behavior. My devious mind began to think of other reasons for the new behavior. What if it had actualy affected thier ability to filter out their own smell and once the old object had been explored by them and other rats it had an objectionable odor to them? just one possiblity.
There are many questions this article raise and it answers only one question: What does the direct application of caffine on nerve cells do?: it causes them to release calcium and grow. Much more research is required.
In the meantime I will replace my intravenious caffine drip with a intracraneal drip and find out what I can.
I recall when I had to write a graphics format conversion utility for a little known application. This was not a simple task having to learn each file format and then how translate it to this new format. luckily, I had no need to translate between anyother formats or translate to any other formats (I had to avoid copy lefted code so pbm was out :( ). But it would have been impossible to maintain if the file formats for each format changed constantly. It is bad enough that I had to account for multiple versions of a particular proprietary graphics format.
Now, suppose they overcome the problem of keeping up with language changes. What about time? I am supposing this is talking about written language. I write something today using current local language terminology that changes over the next few years or I use some terminology that went out in the 60's or any combination (what a gnarly bad chuck of freakin' hackish). 10 years later it is translated in the meta-language. how the heck would it translate this and maintain integrity?
just because it is in common use doesn't mean that it is correct (see Microsoft)
"we'll "program" infants to be healthier later in life. "
"tinker with fetal DNA"
"governments may require children to be engineered "
"chips implanted in their brains"
This is tabloid journalism in technology reporting clothing.
Another problem occurs when new technology undermines a company's product. Anyone hold any stock in slide rule or buggy whip manufacturers?
my bad.
Cliff, one thing you did not mention was in which dimension is the table "big". If you are talking about many rows, Oracle has table partioning that allows for very fast indexed searches on "billions and billions" of rows. If you have rows that exceed 2GB Oracle can handle that quite nicely using standard file systems on any platform. If you have data points that exceed 2GB you may have a problem that only a change in platform can address. This would require a blob data type and has limitations (2 GB I believe) when stored in the database. There is a bfile subtype of the blob data type that allows for any size data point but is then limited to the file system's max file size because Oracle stores the data as an actual discrete file. Yes, Oracle is not the easiest product to administer. But, it is intended for use with difficult to manage databases so has all the bells and whistles necessary to manage large databases and unruley or unwieldy data. The first time you restore the database to 16:42:13 June 12, 1999 (or any other point in time) you will realize the power of the restore features too.
PostgreSQL is a fine product but I do not believe that it is ready for this size of database in a mission critical application (I am assuming that you would not be considering collecting this amount of data for a non-mission critical app)
I am really surprised we didn't get the "my database is bigger that yours" statements that is typical of the oracle news groups. But then again we at /. are a finer breed (cough).
Anyone who has read (providing they are not too lazy) much of Larry Wall's ramblings knows that the Laziness is the first great virtue of a programmer followed by impatience and hubris.
It seems to me that, actually, the first two of these virtues combined with new age (?) cheating technology will create better (potential, at least) programmers. Imagine the ingenuity involved with creating a program that writes essays to score in the high 90's on the professor's grading program.
Then again I guess that third virtue will knock it out. Pride in my work is what has always kept me from going beyond the thinking stage when it came to cheating.
Geez!
the triple click of a cycloptic mouse?
Oh please, whatever you do don't make me type! I might actually be forced to admit that I can't type.
Yeah. sorry, I was baited. What do you expect.
I happen to agree that the easier the install the more people WILL install. but, then again I personally don't care what operating system *you* are using only which system *I* am using. Which happens to be the Mandrake (who the heck is McMillan?) distro.
I suppose they would come in a pocket protector carrying cases to appeal to us geekoid /.ers
I got them beat with my 10 tera byte hyper-holographic disc device. Contains no moving parts and has near instantaneous write time. Oh...BTW it is a write only device. See /dev/null.