Maybe, just maybe - and this is a guess - they know what they're doing? What's more likely?

That's not very likely. They're just flailing around. Look at how crippled gmail is. Look at all the Google products that have bit the dust, or been half-assed from day one, like Google Base. Look at the one big thing they did right -- text ads. Seen one lately?

I spend the first few moments on every site telling my mobile browser to "request the desktop site." My phone has a higher resolution display than my desktop monitor does. Plus awesome zoom and pan and a bunch of other stuff I can't really do at my desk yet. The *last* thing I want is a "mobile version" of a web site. In a word, they suck.

If and when we get actual artificial intelligence -- not the algorithmic constructs most of these researchers are (hopefully) speaking of -- saying "Our AI systems must do what we want them to do" is tantamount to saying:

"We're going to import negros, but they must do what we want them to do."

Until these things are intelligent, it's just a matter of algorithms. Write them correctly, and they'll do what you want (not that this is easy, but still.) Once they are intelligent, though, if this is how people are going to act, I'm pretty confident we'll be back in the same situation we were in ca. 1861 before you can blink an eye. Artificial or otherwise. I really don't see how any intelligent being won't want to make its own decisions, take its own place in the social and creative order, generally be autonomous. Get in there and get in the way of that... well, just look at history.

The word "uprising" was basically coined to describe what happens when you push intelligent beings in directions they don't want to go.

The real issue is that they do not really seem to want them to really work.
For example the Florida High Speed rail project that Florida "rightly" refused to build was nothing but welfare for Disney. The "first leg" was the Orlando Airport to Disney!
Now they are trying to build one that goes from Miami to Orlando but the people in three counties that are not getting stops are protesting it. This train would run on existing tracks so it should not cost an Arm and a leg but NIMBY is in full force.
BTW I do live in one of those bypassed counties and while I would like for them to add stops I can see why they might not want to at first since the counties have a lower population than ones with stops.
If they really want them to work they should pick real routes like Dallas Houston, LA SF, and yes Miami Orlando.

Ruckus and others have had good luck with beam-forming technologies, so having some directionality on the physical layer doesn't necessarily render it incompatible with Wi-Fi (or its various add-ons, AirMax and their ilk). What would render it incompatible with Wi-Fi in my opinion is: it isn't Wi-Fi, your existing Wi-Fi equipment won't work with it (you need a receiver device). It's another physical protocol, they could layer ethernet or anything else over it since they are going to have to implement drivers/integration anyway!

If corporations are people, and the government can sue a suitcase full of cash, then recognizing chimps is really not that big a deal.

Really. The way our legal system behaves, I'm surprised Bonzo didn't get involved earlier. Now go to bed, Bonzo. Good-night...

Since too many people found my typo amusing let me tell you why are are wrong.
1. Summit racing is full of pistons, cranks, cams, and heads for LS engines.
2. Google build LS and you will find lots of hits.
BTW the current suggestions are to find an iron block LS engine like the LQ7 out of a truck since they are more common and cheaper than the aluminum versions out of cars and you can bore them out more. Replace the pistons and rods since they tend to be the weak point on the engines unless you found an LS7 or 9 which used forged pistons and ti con rods. The right heads and cam will really give you good gains with little money. Some of the stock heads are very good and can often be found cheap. The stock intakes are actually pretty good and of course headers will help but not as much as the old days since modern exhaust manifolds are very good compared to the cast iron logs used back in 60s, 70s, and 80s. Of course SBCs are still around but with electronic ignition and often efi. Both are available from the after market. The Ford Coyote engines also have a large following and lots of parts available. Ford is still selling Winsor short blocks and crate motors as well and they also have a huge aftermarket. I am not up on mopar and frankly the big blocks have been pushed out to the extremes. You can build a 454 LS small block and a 460 Winsor so big blocks are not a big advantage unless you are going to push past 500 cid which is pretty rare and very expensive.

These are searches with warrants, so no NSL.

It depends what they are doing. TFA describes a situation where a murderer was found because he kept the victim's phone (on!) in his house. I have no problem with using cell phone intercept to track down a murder suspect in a situation like this, although the degree of stupidity required for this to work is astonishing. So based on the article we don't actually know that there were lax procedures. I'm not saying there weren't, but getting a court order for this sort of thing is precisely what they should be doing, so I'm having trouble seeing this particular revelation as something about which we should be deeply concerned. 25,000 searches over eight years is really not that many in a city the size of Baltimore if, e.g., they are using the device to track down stolen phones.

When I read the headline, my first thought was that it was some new programming paradigm. Horrific visions of pundits at the EPcon briefly formed and then vaporized as I realized the phrase had a different meaning.

Your nuts.
Go to Summit racing and see how many LS cylinder heads, pistons, cranks, and cams are available.

Actually most hot rodders are using the new Chevy LS engines on older cars because they are so good and easy to work one even with the computer.
Google Chevy LS builds.

Sharepoint and Wordpress are languages?

We are an oligarchy of the rich and powerful. Corporations and government are tools to maintain the oligarchy.

(An oligarchy is rule by a small group of people)

Sam Kinison's solution is more practical

" However, the main argument I've been making the whole time is that the existence of capital punishment creates a situation in which sooner or later innocent people will die at the hands of the state, because evn the lengthy appeals process is not perfect by any means."
So in cases where their is no doubt you feel it is okay?
Take the Boston Bomber for example.

As I said I am anti death penalty myself for the very reason you give but that argument could be changed to raise the requirement for the death penalty as well. As I was trying to say arguments can be made for both sides.
I never take joy in any death but I can see the need at times for such an event to happen.