Oh, really? Human brain activity is non-deterministic and sometimes unreliable. Exactly how does this translate to any kind of logic-based, deterministic system?
The 'singularity' is a particularly foolish pipe dream.
When I think of the earliest consumer electronics, I think of TVs and vacuum-tube radios, both of which have high-voltage components. Take the case off either, and a stray touch with a screwdriver can have "electrifying" results.
I'm guessing that the culture of closed consumer electronics systems started with early fears of liability if people tried to modify their electronics. Not that that stopped anybody (myself included).
I never stated that life is fair. But you know, please find someone who has continually gotten the short end of the stick and explain how life isn't fair. I'm sure they'll tell you that they know that first hand, and you're still a dick for thinking that they just need to "get over it." Have you ever tried giving someone a hand up instead of dispensing your amazing wisdom?
And for the record, I never said that being poor was "license to murder." I merely said that *I wasn't surprised by it* (you know, human nature being what it is and all...).
Ok, so all the worshippers at the altar of Capitalism will say nasty things to me, but I don't care. The bonuses, stock options, etc. that all these highly paid executives get is stupid. There is a point past which any more money you earn is something you'll never really need, it's just a pointless dick-measuring contest to see how high you can go on a pompous list in Forbes magazine.
And yes, this directly correlates to increased violence from people who struggle to afford things like medical insurance. That guy the CEO's limousine splashed with mud on the street this morning just lost his job last week from that factory the CEO "downsized" (to increase the price of stock $0.50 a share so he could cash out). Is it any wonder the downtrodden guy went apeshit and blew away half of a McDonald's when he learned that the CEO got 50 million richer *because* 1500 people got "downsized"?
Now instead of a Kaleidescape, I can buy an Xserve-RAID and rip all my DVDs to H.264. All my music, movies, photos... and now TV shows from iTunes (quicker than waiting for the end of the season for DVDs). Should be cheaper than a Kaleidescape, too.
[sarcasm]Because lines of code per hour is such a *great* metric for productivity.[/sarcasm]
Technically, with certain C compilers I can write entire programs on a single "line" of code. Please tell me how productive I am, then?
PHB's who measure productivity by lines of code/hr. get what they deserve. (Clue: it isn't nice).
Unless TiVo change their policies about gathering information on what I watch, forcing downloads of advertising and other content that I don't want, etc., I don't want a TiVo.
I think I'll wait and see what Jobs & Co. have cooked up in the new "iTV" device. Anybody heard anything from the Macworld keynote yet?
You and Prof. Christopher Yoo make the same fundamental mistake. Net Neutrality is *not* about preventing people from optimizing the Internet!
It *is* completely about preventing abuse of monopolistic power by telco companies. (This is espcially urgent in light of the reconstitution of the old AT&T). It is to prevent telcos from offering "protection" for your valuable content.
AT&T: That's an awful nice video service you've got there Mr. YouTube. It sure would be a shame if somthing were to happen to all those pretty little bits flowing over our network... YouTube: What could happen to them? AT&T: -laughter- Hey guys...he wants to know what could *happen*! -more laughter-
People always say that this can't happen because of competition. Again, bullshit. What ISP you use doesn't matter in the slightest; at some point, your bits *will* cross AT&T's network. If you don't pay the "protection", your poor little bits might have one hell of a time making it to their destination.
The average American is confused enough as it is.
Look, it's simple: all of the authorities and powers-that-be could have been in total agreement for the last 2 decades, warning people about global warming in every available media outlet and it wouldn't have mattered because Joe Sixpack doesn't give a shit. And politicians won't force people to do the right thing, because that doesn't get you elected.
Unless it unavoidably and directly impacts the price of beer or his ability to watch his favorite TV show, Joe wouldn't care if his SUV ran on mulched babies. "Scrubs" has it right: people are bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling. And global warming is Somebody Else's Problem.
From TFA: "So, perhaps the real bottom line is that legacy reclamation isnt a second-class project for tired developers. It is an important part of your IT process and needs access to your best, brightest and most flexible brains."
If only such decisions could be realized in today's business setting. Unfortunately, updating/migrating legacy systems (even mission-critical ones!) seems to be the assigned task for interns, new hires fresh out of university, and contract programmers in India.
I see the same complaints every time the UI changes on any program that people use a lot: "They changed the UI and now I have to learn a different one!"
You might have a legitimate grievance if the new UI is worse than the old one, but complaining just because it's different is annoying and stupid. Did you think that you'd never have to learn another UI, ever? Get over it.
Driving a car is very different than driving a team of horses, but that doesn't mean I'm upset that we're not riding in horse-drawn carriages. Sometimes different is GOOD.
"Imagine being present at the birth of a new industry."
I don't have to. I witnessed the birth and explosive growth of the software industry first-hand. I'm sorry, Mr. Gates, but if you have anything to do with birth of the next big industry, I think I'll give it a pass.
That's an interesting viewpoint, but a lawyer might not see it that way. Something like "you can't waive your rights."
Check the EULA of any software package. There is always boilerplate to the effect that you can't sue the makers of the software for any reason related to use of the software. Complete hogwash. I assure you that this does not indemnify the makers of software from liability.
Just because software is labeled "Beta" does not mean that the software gets a free pass. Otherwise the entire industry would just label *everything* Beta and have done with.
I hereby stake my claim to a monopoly on the distribution of "virtual reality" entertainment, including but not limited to "holodeck simulations", direct neural links, etc.
Just because none of the entertainment companies I represent offer these forms of entertainment at a price the marker is willing to pay or in a format that the public desires does not mean I am not entitled to vast sums of money!
At least in the U.S. (where I'm from), copyright is an "opt out" form of copy protection. I'd rather it was "opt in".
Early physical and psychological development in humans is spurred by, and social behavior is learned through, imitation. We are, it appears, hard-wired to imitate other humans. Art and self-expression are rooted in imitation of others and almost all art forms are taught by imitation (called "technique") and most art is derivative of earlier expression.
In light of all this, it seems absurd to insist that anything I think, say, or do is "original." It seems doubly absurd to insist that because I thought of something "first", that I and my descendants deserve compensation in prepetuity for my "original" idea.
As widely discussed here on Slashdot, the current basis for "Intellectual Property" in the U.S. is patent and copyright. It appears that the framers of the U.S. Consitution shared the same idea that all works are at least in part derivative. They attempted to create a framework wherein people would have an incentive to *share* their ideas, after a *limited* time in which to capitalize on the *expression* of their ideas. I personally take issue with the idea that this conveys "property" rights, in either the legal or practical sense.
In closing, I defy anyone to identify my personal infringement of intellectual "property" that may or may not be contained in the firings of the neurons in my brain, or the unlicensed performances for friends of portions of movies, etc. That's some "property" (*laugh*)...you can't even identify who is currently in possession of it at any given point in time!
Slashdot Mirror
No. When you understand why we can't perfectly predict the weather, you will understand why we will never be able to replicate brain function.
Resistance is not necessary, the "singularity" is a fairy tale.
Oh, really? Human brain activity is non-deterministic and sometimes unreliable. Exactly how does this translate to any kind of logic-based, deterministic system?
The 'singularity' is a particularly foolish pipe dream.
When I think of the earliest consumer electronics, I think of TVs and vacuum-tube radios, both of which have high-voltage components. Take the case off either, and a stray touch with a screwdriver can have "electrifying" results.
I'm guessing that the culture of closed consumer electronics systems started with early fears of liability if people tried to modify their electronics. Not that that stopped anybody (myself included).
So, basically, you're saying that if God were DRM, would we be philosophically opposed to it?
;-)
Seeing as how this is Slashdot, I think I know the answer to that one.
And in any case, if DRM were God, if it was working right, we wouldn't even know it was working at all.
I never stated that life is fair. But you know, please find someone who has continually gotten the short end of the stick and explain how life isn't fair. I'm sure they'll tell you that they know that first hand, and you're still a dick for thinking that they just need to "get over it." Have you ever tried giving someone a hand up instead of dispensing your amazing wisdom?
And for the record, I never said that being poor was "license to murder." I merely said that *I wasn't surprised by it* (you know, human nature being what it is and all...).
Ok, so all the worshippers at the altar of Capitalism will say nasty things to me, but I don't care. The bonuses, stock options, etc. that all these highly paid executives get is stupid. There is a point past which any more money you earn is something you'll never really need, it's just a pointless dick-measuring contest to see how high you can go on a pompous list in Forbes magazine.
And yes, this directly correlates to increased violence from people who struggle to afford things like medical insurance. That guy the CEO's limousine splashed with mud on the street this morning just lost his job last week from that factory the CEO "downsized" (to increase the price of stock $0.50 a share so he could cash out). Is it any wonder the downtrodden guy went apeshit and blew away half of a McDonald's when he learned that the CEO got 50 million richer *because* 1500 people got "downsized"?
Poor IBM.
I have an idea though: everyone will drop all their "bad" patents at the same time. On the count of 3. Ready? 1...2...
I'm confused - are they only going to use the Metric system on the Moon?
or is it more like: "Dude, did you see that?! NASA totally went Metric on the Moon's ass!"
Now instead of a Kaleidescape, I can buy an Xserve-RAID and rip all my DVDs to H.264. All my music, movies, photos... and now TV shows from iTunes (quicker than waiting for the end of the season for DVDs). Should be cheaper than a Kaleidescape, too.
Great...
So we're going to pick up an alien version of "The View"?
[sarcasm]Because lines of code per hour is such a *great* metric for productivity.[/sarcasm]
Technically, with certain C compilers I can write entire programs on a single "line" of code. Please tell me how productive I am, then?
PHB's who measure productivity by lines of code/hr. get what they deserve. (Clue: it isn't nice).
Here. You're welcome.
Unless TiVo change their policies about gathering information on what I watch, forcing downloads of advertising and other content that I don't want, etc., I don't want a TiVo.
I think I'll wait and see what Jobs & Co. have cooked up in the new "iTV" device. Anybody heard anything from the Macworld keynote yet?
Bullshit.
You and Prof. Christopher Yoo make the same fundamental mistake. Net Neutrality is *not* about preventing people from optimizing the Internet!
It *is* completely about preventing abuse of monopolistic power by telco companies. (This is espcially urgent in light of the reconstitution of the old AT&T). It is to prevent telcos from offering "protection" for your valuable content.
AT&T: That's an awful nice video service you've got there Mr. YouTube. It sure would be a shame if somthing were to happen to all those pretty little bits flowing over our network...
YouTube: What could happen to them?
AT&T: -laughter- Hey guys...he wants to know what could *happen*! -more laughter-
People always say that this can't happen because of competition. Again, bullshit. What ISP you use doesn't matter in the slightest; at some point, your bits *will* cross AT&T's network. If you don't pay the "protection", your poor little bits might have one hell of a time making it to their destination.
WARNING: You have exceeded your buzzword quota for the day. Any future buzzword emissions will result in fines from the EPA.
The average American is confused enough as it is.
Look, it's simple: all of the authorities and powers-that-be could have been in total agreement for the last 2 decades, warning people about global warming in every available media outlet and it wouldn't have mattered because Joe Sixpack doesn't give a shit. And politicians won't force people to do the right thing, because that doesn't get you elected.
Unless it unavoidably and directly impacts the price of beer or his ability to watch his favorite TV show, Joe wouldn't care if his SUV ran on mulched babies. "Scrubs" has it right: people are bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling. And global warming is Somebody Else's Problem.
From TFA: "So, perhaps the real bottom line is that legacy reclamation isnt a second-class project for tired developers. It is an important part of your IT process and needs access to your best, brightest and most flexible brains."
If only such decisions could be realized in today's business setting. Unfortunately, updating/migrating legacy systems (even mission-critical ones!) seems to be the assigned task for interns, new hires fresh out of university, and contract programmers in India.
I see the same complaints every time the UI changes on any program that people use a lot: "They changed the UI and now I have to learn a different one!"
You might have a legitimate grievance if the new UI is worse than the old one, but complaining just because it's different is annoying and stupid. Did you think that you'd never have to learn another UI, ever? Get over it.
Driving a car is very different than driving a team of horses, but that doesn't mean I'm upset that we're not riding in horse-drawn carriages. Sometimes different is GOOD.
"Imagine being present at the birth of a new industry."
I don't have to. I witnessed the birth and explosive growth of the software industry first-hand. I'm sorry, Mr. Gates, but if you have anything to do with birth of the next big industry, I think I'll give it a pass.
Oh, so all the rest of us just imagined the biggest failure of capitalism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly
If only all those explorers could have waited a few hundred years...
That's an interesting viewpoint, but a lawyer might not see it that way. Something like "you can't waive your rights."
Check the EULA of any software package. There is always boilerplate to the effect that you can't sue the makers of the software for any reason related to use of the software. Complete hogwash. I assure you that this does not indemnify the makers of software from liability.
Just because software is labeled "Beta" does not mean that the software gets a free pass. Otherwise the entire industry would just label *everything* Beta and have done with.
...c'mon baby!
It sounds like the FCC needs to invoke the "no glove/no love" rule.
Or will we call it Web2008? Maybe WebXP? How about WebDuo2?
=P
I hereby stake my claim to a monopoly on the distribution of "virtual reality" entertainment, including but not limited to "holodeck simulations", direct neural links, etc.
Just because none of the entertainment companies I represent offer these forms of entertainment at a price the marker is willing to pay or in a format that the public desires does not mean I am not entitled to vast sums of money!
Middle-men of the world unite!
At least in the U.S. (where I'm from), copyright is an "opt out" form of copy protection. I'd rather it was "opt in".
Early physical and psychological development in humans is spurred by, and social behavior is learned through, imitation. We are, it appears, hard-wired to imitate other humans. Art and self-expression are rooted in imitation of others and almost all art forms are taught by imitation (called "technique") and most art is derivative of earlier expression.
In light of all this, it seems absurd to insist that anything I think, say, or do is "original." It seems doubly absurd to insist that because I thought of something "first", that I and my descendants deserve compensation in prepetuity for my "original" idea.
As widely discussed here on Slashdot, the current basis for "Intellectual Property" in the U.S. is patent and copyright. It appears that the framers of the U.S. Consitution shared the same idea that all works are at least in part derivative. They attempted to create a framework wherein people would have an incentive to *share* their ideas, after a *limited* time in which to capitalize on the *expression* of their ideas. I personally take issue with the idea that this conveys "property" rights, in either the legal or practical sense.
In closing, I defy anyone to identify my personal infringement of intellectual "property" that may or may not be contained in the firings of the neurons in my brain, or the unlicensed performances for friends of portions of movies, etc. That's some "property" (*laugh*)...you can't even identify who is currently in possession of it at any given point in time!