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Comment Sympathetic (Score 2) 54

If you can't make useful predictions within the parameters of your model, you can't test the ideas. Ergo, the shut up and calculate side does have a good argument.

Previously, in physics, there has been a three-way dance between theorists who develop the mathematical description, theorists who develop the mechanical description, and practical physicists who carry out observations both to test the theories and to apply them in practical terms. This dance kept everything moving.

This may or may not be the correct way to approach quantum mechanics. The rules are very different in that domain.

On the other hand, it's easy to spot the hostility between the groups and it's obvious that the anticipated new physics isn't getting found. New models are rare and are struggling. The dance hasn't completely stopped, but it is definitely in trouble.

But, of course, that might equally be down to the increased competition, the need to publish trivial results quickly rather than do anything profound, and the greatly reduced investment in blue sky science.

I'm going to suggest it's a mix of stuff. We need a lot more funding, a lot less aggro, and we either need to get the mechanical description partner back on their feet or we need to find an alternative to them if that sort of description just doesn't work in this arena.

But I think the science dance needs three sides. I think we're going to find that the calculate lobby can't advance a whole lot further on their own, and that they cannot produce a theory of everything without some idea of what an everything is.

Comment Re:All IP was transferred to RISC-V International (Score 1) 130

> There are no trade secrets or anything special in RISC-V.

It's not what's in it that matters, it's what's not in it.

If the Chinese people use chips without backdoors then they will have a global competitive advantage.

Of course Americans could also do that but domestic spying is too important to the fat unearned paychecks of the DC intelligentsia.

Comment Re:Ah yes, cheap batteries (Score 2) 100

No shit Sherlock, we're not talking AAA batteries, how brilliant of you to have noticed.

You were the one who said that the reason you knew cheap batteries can't exist was because you can't buy them in the local hardware store. That was trolling, pure and simple. You even got that badge of honor, "-1 troll," so you can tell people how awful slashdot mods down people who are only trolling, can't they take a joke? And you drew the response you wanted, so you are probably feeling pretty smug.

In fact, batteries have been getting better at a remarkable rate. Sorry you haven't noticed.

Comment Re:Worst Case Possible Security Flaws (Score -1, Troll) 47

Worse case is the complex total back door hidden in the A5+ gpu silicon that Kaspersky responsibly disclosed.

100% deliberate and not engineering code. Apple was able to patch in a block - for this one that we know about.

It's believed NSA used this backdoor to spy on Tucker Carlson's Signal messages. If they will spy on an American journalist they will spy on SK military generals any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

SK knows what's up and if anyone at Samsung betrays them they have means and methods.

Comment Re:8GB is only to claim lower starting price... (Score 1) 465

Suuure and "your mom" is different from the vast majority. People like almost all of those here: https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/c..., and here:: https://markellisreviews.com/t..., and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?....

So again: Very highly doubtful but I'll add in probably untrutful because you have failed to explain what you and "your mom" are doing that is different from everyone else.

Comment "Their devices" (Score 1, Troll) 41

I'm so glad I got off the Apple bandwagon when they started ignoring the Mac for iPhone.

I actually had linux running on my MBP for a while before buying a PC laptop to when it was time to upgrade.

Every convenience feature is potential spyware when they could have done it cryptographically secure from the beginning.

I actually had a good chat with on-staff cryptographers back in the 90's. This one gal was a genius at elliptic curves

Those were the days.

Comment Possible criminal negligence? (Score 3, Interesting) 17

If a manufacturer knows that a system has a specific defect that makes it dangerous to use in certain contexts, it is usually obliged by law to report those circumstances. The license agreement is not necessarily considered legally binding or protective where there is a case of wilful neglect. Deliberate actions are not treated the same as lack of awareness or even negligence. But even negligence may be treated unsympathetically by the courts, no matter what customers sign up to.

Given that this defect could have left exposed critical infrastructure, banks, and businesses whose work is in the national interest, one might even be able to argue a case that this gave succour to hostile powers.

The most probable outcome is nothing happening. Companies are risk-averse and Microsoft has expensive lawyers. But a class action suit for wilful endangerment isn't wholly impossible, and I could see the DOJ investigating whether laws were broken, but only after the election.

Comment Remote School (Score 0) 47

Some of these comments make no sense in the reality that remote schooling is now mandatary and enforced by law.

Kids in poor families who need to be on Zoom 6 hours a day do not have other options claimed here.

Unemployment meetings, seniors' telehealth, etc. all fit similar patterns. There is often no choice given.

Fix those maybe before claiming that a 1GB cap is plenty.

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