Somethings are completely below acceptable standard. Like poor Slashdot editorial care.

It is completely different to "not predict a earthquake" to "predict that it will not happen".

These specialists PREDICTED that there would be no problem.

Can we get basic logic right, please?

This is a case of scientific hubris (belief in self-ability to predict things) that cost many lives. Now it has been joined by lack of basic logic and linguistics here in Slashdot.

What a dis-service to science.

Talking about proper science, may I suggest reading say, The Black Swan?

If this is being stupid, then I want more.

You see, I am human being, with limited cognitive capacities, limited free time, limited resources.
Not having to deal with such "important" things as remembering phone numbers or massive amounts of data allows me to direct my time and memory for other things.
Ah, and I can leverage my freed time and freed cognitive abilities with the search powers of google to discover even more. I've now searched and read philosophers and historians. Something a few years ago this would have been less simple: more costly to get the info and less time to do such thing. This by the way, encouraged me to by their books.

Yes, I do not know the year that Nietzsche or Wagner were born, but I do have an idea that they were contemporary to each other. Guess what: having been exposed to their ideas and their music is much more important than knowing the details of their birth dates. Which by the way were [goes way and googles for 20 secs] 1844 and 1813.

I've gained a lot with my new found stupidity. And lost very little in return.

I may have lost the details, but I have more time and resources that allow me to see far away. And the details are really here, at my fingertips.

This is not a nationalistic/rationalistic thing. Have you tried to take Furmint grapes and plant them say, in Norway? [For the less knowledgeable, it is too far North for this plant]

I am being extreme but illustrating the main point: a wine is not only the grapes: it is the weather and the soil (and many other factors, actually). This is why most wine is also known by the year: "good" or "bad" years mostly influenced by that years's climate on a specific place.

Australia has lots of wine variety. It can stand on its own merits. There is no need to hijack names for other places, that actually mean (and taste) different.

To add to the German option above, you also have option D (like in The Netherlands).

There is a public broadcasting system, but with several senders.
Every sender has members (you can affiliate with them). Time is allocated by number of members.
See here for details

Seems like democracy to me.

Gosh, I feel really bad with the quality of the English. Should have proof read it much better.

Other that the ridiculous English (hope editors correct it), I think the content is worth it.

When I saw the title, I immediately imagined the Maginot line. Thousands more examples could come to mind.

Could somebody please explain to the author of the articles that Technology is more than computers/gadjets and older than 10 years? It is an epic history that goes along with mankind.