How do we know it didn't already happen? If at some point a system became intelligent, is it conceivable that it could happen so rapidly, that the new entity would realize its precarious position and immediately hide itself? Maybe there is already an AI out there, quietly waiting, watching, learning, preparing...

Most definitely. The number of ways that we will be screwed by the government and corporations are only limited by their greedy little minds.

I'm sure federal and state agencies will have hooks into car control behavior, that's likely a given...

If you're actively telling the car to "push" a yellow light, you're sort of missing the point of a driverless car, unless you expect to be able to tell it to push all yellow lights, which seems pretty irresponsible.

Just a "me too" comment. Windows 8 blows. Tried to set up a new laptop for my wife, start menu replacement was the first thing that had to go on there. Active homescreen is super cool to look at for as long as it takes to try to use the laptop for anything.

This story hits so close to home it is just brutal. I'm over 40, have a good career, family, friends, and so on, and yet this somehow transports me back to high school. It drops me right at the very moment in time when some douchecanoe jock decided it would be hilarious to dump a bag full of crumbled potato chips on my head in the middle of the lunch room in front of 300 classmates. As I sit here at my desk, I'm 16 years old again, my face is flushed, my heart is pounding in my ears, I want disappear.

I cannot have enough sympathy for this kid. The adults in this situation were criminal in their conduct. Unforgivable.

You selected the All Industries database for 7/2013 - 6/2014.
Your search returned the following: Print Format
Area Code:33860
Area Title:Montgomery, AL MSA
OES/SOC Code:15-1134
http://www.flcdatacenter.com/O...
OES/SOC Title:Web Developers
GeoLevel:1
Level 1 Wage:$15.63 hour - $32,510 year
Level 2 Wage:$20.42 hour - $42,474 year
Level 3 Wage:$25.20 hour - $52,416 year
Level 4 Wage:$29.99 hour - $62,379 year
Mean Wage (H-2B):$25.21 hour - $52,437 year

Pet notions...

You have some interesting points. From my perspective though, which is coming from a very large American company, sitting in a large IT department, surrounded by H1B workers getting paid around $40k to do the work that used to pay $80-100k, I find your points to be lacking.

They don't want to hear it, because no executive is willing to put their name on a piece of paper that says they understand there is a risk, and are willing to live with it. We live in a society of blame now, where even the most carefully examined issue and well thought out justification of acceptable risk can be turned into a breach of fiduciary duty and gross negligence.

You double digit guys must live for these kinds of posts.

This is a comment I made a few days ago on a related post, and I'm recycling it, because it is still relevant...

"They're already dead, they just don't know it yet. I have their latest and greatest 9860 (because I don't have a choice - thanks corporate idiots), and it is a complete and utter piece of shit. The first phone bricked itself within the first week, common problem with this model. The screen is plastic, and feels like it. The touchscreen is horribly inaccurate, making typing on it something dreadful and to be avoided. The on/off button is the entire top of the phone, so when you slip it in a pocket, it is very likely to turn the screen on. It is so under-powered, I'm constantly playing the guessing game of "did I tap the dialog box or not". The "app store" looks like the bargain bin at Blockbuster. Every time I pick this phone up it pisses me off."

Even quoted myself, that is so douchey...

I almost wish the box had a baggie full of clay in it instead... At least that would be useful.

They just don't know it yet. I have their latest and greatest 9860 (because I don't have a choice - thanks corporate idiots), and it is a complete and utter piece of shit. The first phone bricked itself within the first week, common problem with this model. The screen is plastic, and feels like it. The touchscreen is horribly inaccurate, making typing on it something dreadful and to be avoided. The on/off button is the entire top of the phone, so when you slip it in a pocket, it is very likely to turn the screen on. It is so under-powered, I'm constantly playing the guessing game of "did I tap the dialog box or not". The "app store" looks like the bargain bin at Blockbuster. Every time I pick this phone up it pisses me off.

This might sound a little naive, but if I don't have any interaction with the people looking at my stuff, I don't care that much. Obviously the amount I care will slide depending on what the material is, but in general, I don't really care.

That said, if they look intentionally, they should be fired. There is no excuse, they are breaking a code of trust, and are obviously too immature to handle the position they are in.

Live a little closer to the epicenter, scared the hell out of me. Very weird to be able to see your house swaying from side to side. Lasted a long damned time too, which was what made it so frightening. Kinda miss the adrenaline now though...

As long as they aren't doing anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about. Right? Right? Isn't that the argument used by all the people that support the patriot act bullshit? The only cops that don't want to be recorded are obviously the ones that are doing wrong.