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Comment Re:NP vs. P doesn't exist in the real Universe (Score 1) 199

Of course the computer is thinking.

Our problem is that each time computers advance, we take away from them by saying that whatever they are able to do now is not thinking.

Furthermore, we take that away from people also: since computers can now do X, it means that X isn't thinking, and it also isn't thinking when people do X, as was mistakenly thought before we figured out a way to do it with computers.

All computation is a form of thinking. When a vending machine gives you a snack, it performed thinking. Moreover, it exercised free will.

Comment Re:Say what? (Score 1) 199

Even if the Schrodinger equation does purport to describe the real behavior, the problem with the article is that it assumes that the parallel superimposed states are accessible to us on a small scale, but not on a macroscopic scale.

But in fact, aren't they theoretical states? When it's time to observe a particle or whatever, we don't see all the states. We see one, and we just can't predict which one.

So we cannot observe a cat in two states such as "dead" and "alive" because we can't do that for a quantum particle either.

The parallel universes (PU) interpretation of QM gives a plausible intuitive explanation why. Maybe the Schroedinger equation is solved fully, but across PUs. Since PUs are available, the solution is unhindered by computational complexity (assuming P = NP, which is probably the case).

Cheap and fast splitting of reality into unlimited numbers of branches of parallel futures trumps P = NP.

Another problem with the whole thing is that (supposing the evolution of behavior in the universe to be a computation) the objects in a computed simulation are not aware that the simulation is going faster or slower, because their time is also simulated. If a simulation has to pause and solve an instance of an NP-hard problem, the entities being simulated do not perceive this extra passage of time: that is happening in the simulator's time, not in simulated time!

Comment I agree with the crackdown. (Score 1) 353

because these app providers are skimming money from the drivers. To hell with them; they deserve to be curtailed because of their greed and their stupid system that is vulnerable to such a crackdown.

There should be a true peer-to-peer system that doesn't skim any money, based on some light-weight "tracker" servers whereby clients can make initial contact.

Everything open source, too.

Then there is no place where to send a cease-and-desist letter. Shut down one tracker, four more open up elsewhere. Perhaps even operated in the cloud somewhere, in another country or whatever.

Make it so that anyone can add 100 lines of PHP to their server to add contact node to their server.

Come on, in an age where you can get any movie, music, warez or pr0n with complete impunity on a global scale, Seattle, of all authorities, is gonna stand between you and getting a ride with someone? It simply does not compute.

Comment If a en e-mail service CAN disclose keys ... (Score 1) 230

it is NOT secure!!!

Secure communication means that only you or your friend on the other end can disclose secrets, not the service in betwen.

If you run a truly secure e-mail service and Uncle Sam wants keys, the correct response is "sorry, can't help you; we do not have any keys".

Comment DO NOT USE GIT! Or you will be sorry. (Score 2) 238

Git is absolutely not a good first version control system for people who are clueless about version control. (Such as, evidently, your developers).

Git requires prior experience with at least two simpler version control systems. In git, you often run into scenarios that require you to understand its complicated repository representation so that you can choose the best steps to unravel them, based on understanding the ramifications of each approach.

The implementation of git is not hidden from the user behind a robust set of "no brainer" use cases.

The decentralized model alone will confuse the heck out of workers with no prior version control experience.

Use a system that has a centralized server from which working copies are checked out, like Subversion.

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