Scientific theories are different from the way that "theory" is used in everyday life. I'll let dictionary.com explain it for me: "A theory in technical use is a more or less verified or established explanation accounting for known facts or phenomena". We can't do experiments to give "String Theory" enough support to actually call it a theory. So, for now, it's a hypothesis.
One would hope that anyone in Petrov's position would have made the same decision, clinging to hope even if it looked like it could be a genuine attack. In a nuclear war, no one wins.
The problem that I see with Star Trek Online is that it may only attract fans of the series. A lot of people pick up WoW without caring at all about the environment or stories, just wanting a hack and slash game. Star Trek has always been about diplomacy and character interaction before fighting. Unless Star Trek can offer something amazing and new (the big thing is their crew system), it won't be able to expand its user base beyond fans of the series who are drawn to the game for the chance to explore (and maybe roleplay) in the Star Trek universe.
Star Wars' MMO had it easier because almost everyone is familiar with the movies, and it doesn't have such a "geek" stigma associated with it.
First they came for the extremists
and I did not speak out
because I was not an extremist.
Then they came for the arabs
and I did not speak out
because I was not an arab.
Then they came for the filesharers
and I did not speak out
because I was not a filesharer.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Most people/companies find it acceptable to give up some security so that software development isn't greatly stagnated. What you're proposing would essentially kill open-source, which is a tremendous source of creativity. If we'd taken this road, our world would likely be less computerized than it is now. Less programs means less reasons to have a computer.
A small, family-owned grocery store in Upstate New York started a "pay by touch" system. They took it further by adding individualized rewards. The database will remember what each customer purchases, and offers them customized coupons, promotions and rewards.
http://www.paybytouch.com/news/pr_10-18-05.html
I can see it now:
"Burger King has until five o'clock p.m., Eastern time, Monday, August 14, 2006, to inform me in writing that it will forthwith give me Saturday nights off so I can write angry letters to Tycho and Gabe."
Blizzard made WoW for two different player bases: the hardcore player, and the casual player. A casual player is one who wants to play a little bit at a time, and not necessarily every day. The hardcore player has several free hours every day to play.
Now, let's look at the goal of an MMO, which is much less loosely defined (and maybe impossible to obtain) than a linear game. For most players, they have "beaten" the game when they've done all they can do to strengthen their character. Blizzard had to make a game with a reasonable goal, to keep both player types happy. Blizzard also had to make a game where both player types would feel rewarded for the effort they put into it, whether it's a lot of effort or a little.
A casual player gets the game and makes their character stronger by levelling him. He or she will hit some instances if time permits, getting good gear that is commonly dropped in them. The player will pick up a craft and find other ways to make money so he or she can buy better gear from other players. Most casual players won't get to level 60, which is currently the highest level. As they get to higher levels, they realize that they need to put more effort in to improve their character. Levels are slower, and good equipment becomes more expensive to buy. The casual gamers who are willing to work harder will usually reach level 60 in 6-12 months.
Upon reaching 60, the casual player realizes another thing: they need a new objective, because no more experience points can be gained. The only way to improve your character is through better gear. He or she will hit some of the high level 5-man instances and start collecting the first set of class-specific equipment. Beyond that, the vast majority of good gear is obtained by large raids. Unfortunately for the casual player, you can't log in and decide to join a raid. Raiding is a commitment. If you want to go to Molten Core, you'll need to collect fire resist gear, join a raiding guild that is still doing Molten Core, and be able to play for 5 hours a few times a week. Casual player realizes that he/she can't commit to this. If the player wants to do pvp, he or she will be easily killed by the hardcore gamers who have the time to raid. In frustration, said player will post angry messages on Blizzard's boards and quit. If you can't raid at 60, there is little to do.
Still, Blizzard manages to keep as many people content as possible. The casual player will play for a while before hitting a wall, and the hardcore player will be given new challenges and constantly better gear to obtain. Blizzard makes money from both.
For me, things became a lot worse. I endured a lot of bullying as well, which didn't stop after Columbine. What happened for me was that somehow a rumor got started that I had a "hit list". I hate fighting, I hate violence, and I see taking the life of another as the worst kind of crime, but my classmates forgot that. I suddenly had large numbers of classmates who were afraid to talk to me, and a few trips to the principal's after worried classmates went to him and explained that I was planning on "shooting up the school". Yeah, I was always a loner, but this only made it worse.
I was at the National Youth Leadership Forum for Technology about 3 years ago, a 2 week seminar in San Jose. 2000 other kids just as geeky as me, what a blast! Anyways, there were a lot of speakers who came there, one of whom was the CEO of Intel. After he'd given his presentation, he opened up to questions. One kid asked something to extent of, "What are you going to do now that AMD has a 64-bit processor?" The crowd 'ooo'ed at his guts for asking the question we were all dying to ask. The CEO laughed. "I wouldn't want to switch places with them," he answered complacently.
I wonder what he'd say now, three years later.
Sidenote for anyone who thinks it's funny to call it "antisocial behavior":
This refers to an antisocial personality disorder. This doesn't mean introversion, but someone who has no morals, remorse for wrongdoing or any capability of foresight. People with an APD are the stereotypical criminal masterminds or street-smart con-men. They are often charming at first, but their only motivation is their own desires. They can be fantastic at acting, pretending to be sorry, but see society as nothing more than a game to win, at any cost.
Poor Cobain's going to fall into oblivion. I need to check the lyrics to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" daily just to make sure he's actually singing in English.
What's really amusing while I'm on campus is when Myspace is down. Considering the construction of it and the vast amount of traffic, that's not rare. Students will greet each other with, "Oh my God, Myspace is down! I need to check to see if more people have added me!" It's like chickens with their heads cut off.
I went to my campus' computer lab to type up a paper before class (yeah, I wait until the last minute) and, of course, every computer was in use. I kid you not, 90% of the people using one of the computers was on a myspace page. To many younger internet users, it's become an important part of their social life.
Viral marketing is a relatively harmless marketing strategy that takes advantage of "word of mouth", using its audience to reach new audience. Consider the popular website homestarrunner.com, which has never used marketing but instead relied on its visitors to encourage others to visit. "Viral" comes from the idea that one person sees it, and shows it to several friends, who show it to several friends. This can reach a much wider audience than conventional marketing methods and cuts down on marketing costs.
Slashdot Mirror
Scientific theories are different from the way that "theory" is used in everyday life. I'll let dictionary.com explain it for me: "A theory in technical use is a more or less verified or established explanation accounting for known facts or phenomena". We can't do experiments to give "String Theory" enough support to actually call it a theory. So, for now, it's a hypothesis.
One would hope that anyone in Petrov's position would have made the same decision, clinging to hope even if it looked like it could be a genuine attack. In a nuclear war, no one wins.
Unknown Worlds, which made a great and popular mod of Counter-Strike called "Natural Selection", is funding its future projects by selling a sudoku clone they put together http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/half+life/play-sudoku -to-support-natural-selection-source-183904.php
Yes, this aspect of the law can certainly be abused. However, ambiguous laws would be much more dangerous.
The problem that I see with Star Trek Online is that it may only attract fans of the series. A lot of people pick up WoW without caring at all about the environment or stories, just wanting a hack and slash game. Star Trek has always been about diplomacy and character interaction before fighting. Unless Star Trek can offer something amazing and new (the big thing is their crew system), it won't be able to expand its user base beyond fans of the series who are drawn to the game for the chance to explore (and maybe roleplay) in the Star Trek universe.
Star Wars' MMO had it easier because almost everyone is familiar with the movies, and it doesn't have such a "geek" stigma associated with it.
Obviously, we need to start regulating this "internet" thing. The free exchange of ideas is a dangerous thing.
First they came for the extremists and I did not speak out because I was not an extremist. Then they came for the arabs and I did not speak out because I was not an arab. Then they came for the filesharers and I did not speak out because I was not a filesharer. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/050606_dolp hinfrm.htm
A group of dolphins has learned to use tools, with mothers teaching their daughters how to do so. That's pretty damn smart.
Just goes to show that you shouldn't take every slashdotted article for its face value.
Watch out for anonymous coward, he does not forgive!
Most people/companies find it acceptable to give up some security so that software development isn't greatly stagnated. What you're proposing would essentially kill open-source, which is a tremendous source of creativity. If we'd taken this road, our world would likely be less computerized than it is now. Less programs means less reasons to have a computer.
A small, family-owned grocery store in Upstate New York started a "pay by touch" system. They took it further by adding individualized rewards. The database will remember what each customer purchases, and offers them customized coupons, promotions and rewards. http://www.paybytouch.com/news/pr_10-18-05.html
Fighting against illegal copying of data is nothing new, but it's not nearly as hillariously cheesy these days:
0 332617729
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=483760909
I can see it now: "Burger King has until five o'clock p.m., Eastern time, Monday, August 14, 2006, to inform me in writing that it will forthwith give me Saturday nights off so I can write angry letters to Tycho and Gabe."
I buy used CDs.
Blizzard made WoW for two different player bases: the hardcore player, and the casual player. A casual player is one who wants to play a little bit at a time, and not necessarily every day. The hardcore player has several free hours every day to play.
Now, let's look at the goal of an MMO, which is much less loosely defined (and maybe impossible to obtain) than a linear game. For most players, they have "beaten" the game when they've done all they can do to strengthen their character. Blizzard had to make a game with a reasonable goal, to keep both player types happy. Blizzard also had to make a game where both player types would feel rewarded for the effort they put into it, whether it's a lot of effort or a little.
A casual player gets the game and makes their character stronger by levelling him. He or she will hit some instances if time permits, getting good gear that is commonly dropped in them. The player will pick up a craft and find other ways to make money so he or she can buy better gear from other players. Most casual players won't get to level 60, which is currently the highest level. As they get to higher levels, they realize that they need to put more effort in to improve their character. Levels are slower, and good equipment becomes more expensive to buy. The casual gamers who are willing to work harder will usually reach level 60 in 6-12 months.
Upon reaching 60, the casual player realizes another thing: they need a new objective, because no more experience points can be gained. The only way to improve your character is through better gear. He or she will hit some of the high level 5-man instances and start collecting the first set of class-specific equipment. Beyond that, the vast majority of good gear is obtained by large raids. Unfortunately for the casual player, you can't log in and decide to join a raid. Raiding is a commitment. If you want to go to Molten Core, you'll need to collect fire resist gear, join a raiding guild that is still doing Molten Core, and be able to play for 5 hours a few times a week. Casual player realizes that he/she can't commit to this. If the player wants to do pvp, he or she will be easily killed by the hardcore gamers who have the time to raid. In frustration, said player will post angry messages on Blizzard's boards and quit. If you can't raid at 60, there is little to do.
Still, Blizzard manages to keep as many people content as possible. The casual player will play for a while before hitting a wall, and the hardcore player will be given new challenges and constantly better gear to obtain. Blizzard makes money from both.
For me, things became a lot worse. I endured a lot of bullying as well, which didn't stop after Columbine. What happened for me was that somehow a rumor got started that I had a "hit list". I hate fighting, I hate violence, and I see taking the life of another as the worst kind of crime, but my classmates forgot that. I suddenly had large numbers of classmates who were afraid to talk to me, and a few trips to the principal's after worried classmates went to him and explained that I was planning on "shooting up the school". Yeah, I was always a loner, but this only made it worse.
Oh, and the bullying didn't stop either. Figures.
The very basis of the scientific method is continuously questioning what we believe. Otherwise, we'd still think that the world was flat.
I was at the National Youth Leadership Forum for Technology about 3 years ago, a 2 week seminar in San Jose. 2000 other kids just as geeky as me, what a blast! Anyways, there were a lot of speakers who came there, one of whom was the CEO of Intel. After he'd given his presentation, he opened up to questions. One kid asked something to extent of, "What are you going to do now that AMD has a 64-bit processor?" The crowd 'ooo'ed at his guts for asking the question we were all dying to ask. The CEO laughed. "I wouldn't want to switch places with them," he answered complacently. I wonder what he'd say now, three years later.
John Dvorak, San Francisco Examiner, February 1984
Dvorak: Visionary of the Future
This refers to an antisocial personality disorder. This doesn't mean introversion, but someone who has no morals, remorse for wrongdoing or any capability of foresight. People with an APD are the stereotypical criminal masterminds or street-smart con-men. They are often charming at first, but their only motivation is their own desires. They can be fantastic at acting, pretending to be sorry, but see society as nothing more than a game to win, at any cost.
Diagnostic Criteria in the US
But yeah, this legislation is a bunch of crap.
Poor Cobain's going to fall into oblivion. I need to check the lyrics to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" daily just to make sure he's actually singing in English.
What's really amusing while I'm on campus is when Myspace is down. Considering the construction of it and the vast amount of traffic, that's not rare. Students will greet each other with, "Oh my God, Myspace is down! I need to check to see if more people have added me!" It's like chickens with their heads cut off.
I went to my campus' computer lab to type up a paper before class (yeah, I wait until the last minute) and, of course, every computer was in use. I kid you not, 90% of the people using one of the computers was on a myspace page. To many younger internet users, it's become an important part of their social life.
Viral marketing is a relatively harmless marketing strategy that takes advantage of "word of mouth", using its audience to reach new audience. Consider the popular website homestarrunner.com, which has never used marketing but instead relied on its visitors to encourage others to visit. "Viral" comes from the idea that one person sees it, and shows it to several friends, who show it to several friends. This can reach a much wider audience than conventional marketing methods and cuts down on marketing costs.
Ah, except that's when recessive genes start to become a concern.