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Comment Re:Yes, it should be published (Score 1) 754

When and if they use it, we will be somewhat delayed while we realize "Hey, there's this new superflu that seems a lot like the one that Dutch guy came up with."

Except that the paper will already be there, so presumably he (at least) will be comparing novel H5N1 strains to what he came up with. On the other hand, the research has been done and the paper written. Presumably, several electronic copies exist in several locations, which means that the black hats could get their hands on it without too much trouble. So releasing the paper only makes it moderately less difficult for the black hats, but helps out the medical community.

Comment Depends on Context (Score 1) 448

If you're doing it to improve customer service by making sure that everyone can understand everyone else through a global network of call centers, it's innovation. It's the vocal equivalent of requiring employees to wear uniforms when they're interacting with customers. If you're doing it because you don't like Hispanics who are CLEARLY illegal immigrants because their first language isn't English, rights violation, or at least discrimination. PS French isn't my first language, yet the French people I know seem to really appreciate my effort to speak their language, in spite of an American accent.

Comment Arsenic life (Score 1) 1088

The difference between NASA and CERN: NASA: ZOMG WE FOUND ALIENS [when ONE person MIGHT have found life that subsisted on arsenate ONCE] CERN: Hey guys... We might have found a particle moving faster than light... Maybe. Want to check our work? We tried it a few (thousand) times, but we might have made a mistake somewhere. (PS If true this will upend a century of physics.)

Comment Re:Sustainable (Score 2) 98

How can this idea even be sustainable? You're going to find a sufficient number of people willing to give up their time to do these things for complete strangers with no guarantee of compensation?

The same way that Wikipedia is sustainable (at least so far). As long as volunteers get to choose how much time they give, I can see the system being fairly sustainable over a significant time period, at least in general.

It is a library, right? Free to join, no cost to check out? Where are the revenues going to come from?

Again, money might not be an issue here. Yes, it will cost something (but probably not all that much), but since it's a library (aka non-profit), donations could always be *highly suggested*

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