Thanks for your reasoned and informative reply.

I've read the bible. Several versions (raised Christian). I've read parts of the Quran - not the whole thing. I've a nodding familiarity with most of the major faiths, a fair chunk of various sects and 'heresies' and various philosophies.
I've seen suggestions that god is the system. That god is the universe. That god is the indefinable 'something' that arises out of the complexity of sufficiently advanced systems. It's not new. It's not particularly radical. It may be new to you and if so I wish you well exploring the idea and the implications. The quest for knowledge is more important than the answers you find, IMHO, just don't get too attached - the Dao you can see is not the true Dao, don't you know.

I am not asking for citations expressing these ideas or sentiments. I am asking, specifically, for something to back up the claim that 'Science' has identified something akin to a hive mind and that this is god.

To your implication - you can skim religions looking for common elements. You'll find rules of communal behaviour, standards of ethics and morality and the like and from them you can try to extract a kind of unified meta religion. What you end up with says more about the basic necessities of humans living with each other in groups larger than tribe or small village than about any underlying universal truth.

You can also try and find the minimal definition for 'god' that doesn't contradict any of the big monotheisms which isn't too hard as they have all influenced each other and/or absorbed traits of the others. But even that fairly broad sketch has to be made very vague before you get to the point where you can say that a modern version of the 'universal unconscious' is the 'god' that the major religions describe.

Want to get a buzz contemplating your part in a system that may already be exhibiting signs of order at a level beyond the one at which you are personally aware? Go for it. Try to claim that 'science' has 'identified god' and I'm going to suggest that your need for 'proof' to bolster your own lack of faith is manifesting as aggression when questioned or challenged.

Or maybe you're just an Internet Tough Guy. Who knows?

These words do not mean what you think they mean.

I love systems that give rise to emergent behaviour at sufficient levels of complexity. I have no problem seeing the interactions of people as giving rise (having already started to give rise?) to something like this. I'm not sure if that's what you mean by a 'spirit of consciousness', but it's the most ... generous interpretation I can come up with.

In any event calling that 'god' is ignoring the very different definition of that word that most people have and comes across as dishonest. I would be interested in a citation or link to what you are claiming as 'fact'.

This is an interesting examination of the data that I presume you are referencing - http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2012/07/18/3546884.htm

Briefly, total cycling is up but it looks like per capita trip length is down. The assumption is that it is most likely MHL and lack of infrastructure. However, once you account for the aging of the population, that drop disappears and the impact of MHL goes with it.

Just FYI - the model M13 (with trackpoint) came in black with black keycaps - http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/categories.main/parentcat/9244

From your sig listing puppets ...

raiigunner and red4men look like they were designed to troll http://slashdot.org/~railgunner and http://slashdot.org/~red_foreman both of whom I came across posting in HiLJ's journal some years back. IIRC they both got into some fairly heated discussions with HiLJ back when he was more coherent.

I doubt there's anything to it, but it's odd to see those names again in this environment.

Sounds like you are maintaining a 'list of hate'. You talked about it back in April. I think the specific post has been deleted or redacted - I guess that makes it easier to shift position when you feel you need to and makes it easier to re-interpret the past so that it supports your current version of events.

Do you realise the irony of this statement in light of your claims of stalking? This constitutes more of a 'credible threat' than anything anyone has posted, here, to you.

Just to be clear, I don't think this is a credible threat, it's just closer to one than what you have been able to point to.

Oh I will. Statistically I've got anywhere from 30 - 50 years (given country, gender, current age, family history etc.). Given that the average age of death of male homeless in the US is early 40s, I'm backing me to outlive you. And yes, I know you 'make fast' and think you could pass for a man in his 20s.

Is this anything like you looking for work 6-7 years ago - where you wouldn't change your resume to meet current standards, or meet some of the people that various folks on this forum organised for you? Is it anything like you waiting until "suitable interest is generated and representation is made available" with respect to your stalking and your hope(?)/expectation(?) that 'someone' would do something about it? Or is your 'plotting' more like you waiting for god to 'gift' you with a home, a partner, a life ...?

'Cos, you know, your success rate, so far in terms of plot-to-fruition is about zero.

Look, I'll give you a hand - I'm in Australia (as I have mentioned and as you may gather from my spelling). Last news report I saw that mentioned prices suggested that hiring someone to perform a 'hit' was of the order of $5-10k. You could scrounge that up in about 5 years of begging (assuming about $20 per week). Maybe a bit more for the flight over. Hell, you could cut that right down by doing the 'work' yourself. You let me know when you're in Oz and I'll drop you my address.

If you're talking something more ... nebulous, I quit believing in your god some years ago. On the off chance that he/she/it does exist, send them 'round. There's some shit I want to 'talk' to them about.

Late reply, I know, but in case you are checking ...

The "Couch to 5k" program is designed to take you from not running to running 5km/3m. You start with intervals of running and walking and slowly increase the running portion. You can run at whatever pace you like and either measure your 'run' portions by the time you take or the distance you cover.

It was a great way for me to get back to running without over-straining and to introduce someone who had never run and found running uncomfortable and undesireable.

http://www.c25k.com/

I have a tiger-repelling rock you may be interested in ...

Late reply, but wanted to address the suggestion

Thank you - I realise that /. is hardly representative, that's actually what I am after. Subject and comments correlate with what interest I have and I prefer a known bias to something that may be better balanced and more comprehensive, but where I am less certain and less able to determine the bias(es).

I'm not from the US. A lot of my understanding of current political issues within the US come from this site. I find considerable value in reading the comments of nerds to issues that may not, in themselves, be News _for_ Nerds.

So add my vote to those saying that this _is_ the sort of thing I want to see on Slashdot (within reason, buyer beware, etc.)

As a non-USian, thank you for this insight.

People who pirate your game are not your customers. The number of people who, in the absence of an easily available pirated copy will instead purchase the game is vanishingly small.

A number of games have been released with no DRM. They have been pirated, heavily. Some have even been available for free. Piracy is not tied to the existence of DRM or even the ease/availability of the original. Piracy exists as a social phenomenon independently (or perhaps, intertwined with) the material being copied.

Finally, many games that have been released DRM free and/or at significant discounts to their launch price have shown an increase in sales - massive increases in some cases. From this, it seems to me that the key to piracy, the cost of development, DRM and customers is to recognise that chasing/preventing piracy is a cost with almost no return; that if you want to increase revenue by increasing customer base, then the largest group of potential customers are those who are currently not purchasing based on price.

Will this save a non-selling but technically or artistically excellent game? Maybe. But increasing DRM on the same game most certainly will not.

I would argue that $0.60 is the value people ascribe to the _promise_ that their privacy will be protected. How many times have we seen those who have made such promises fail to keep them - either by accident, attack or incompetence? Enough to make most other such promises seem pretty close to worthless.

Rich and poor are part of something that is close to a zero-sum game. For the rich to be rich, a lot of someone-elses need to be poor. To the extent that this is the inevitable outcome of people of different ability and circumstance, I agree there should be no foul. Beyond that, attempting to maximise personal gain, even while within the 'legal rules' is likely to cost someone, everyone or some combination in between. More, by working those rules as hard as they can, they become at least partially responsible for the ever growing body of law.

Finally, if you are describing their behaviour as "understand[ing] the [ethical] rules and ... what you can do with them" you are either missing the point of ethics or have a profoundly cynical view of what ethics are.

Privacy is not an absolute, it is conditional and comparative. Your nonsense and conspiracy wittering aside, declaring that in the presence of another you have no privacy is playing with semantics.

Psst, your obsessions are showing. Perhaps living in the public eye for so long has inured you to the subtleties of polite company; perhaps you are trying for deliberate shock.

It is the polite fiction that people living in close proximity engage in; it is the small politeness that we extend and receive whereby we don't pay attention to the actions, conversations or behaviour of people that we are not involved with. It's ignoring the telephone conversation on the bus seat behind you. It's not staring, unless staring is permitted. It is averting your eyes when the wind lifts a skirt or the pants split or any one of a number of accidents that would cause someone embarrassment. This is privacy without isolation. This is the privacy of a civilised society.

A reference to Gen 3:19, which in addition to 2 Thesselonians 3:10-12 seems to be pretty clear on the topic of demanding that other people support you and/or claiming that society owes you something (for nothing). I have raised the issue several times - I am interested for your response.

No to both - you justify much of what you do by very selective and often novel interpretations of the Bible. I am trying to show you that your conclusions are not supported by the 'evidence' you offer.

Why? So you can make some outrageous claim about how much more holy you are for not working? So you can claim that because what you do is difficult (and is therefore work in the sense of requiring effort) and so you are 'owed' some kind of living? So you can continue to claim to be a victim because people you deem to be less worthy continue to have the things you want (but deny wanting)?

Oh, I do. Unlike what seems to be a typical US affliction, I am fundamentally socialist in outlook and have no problem with paying to a common pool from which can be drawn funding for public works like roads, health care, education and the like - even those things which do no directly benefit me still benefit the society in which I live and a rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes.

Oh, you mean to you. Why? I'm happy enough to do so, but don't really see the point.

I am addressing your complaint that you are being treated in a fashion that you do not wish and (implied) is neither fair nor typical. You are claiming a 'right' that is absent because of your behaviour, not some conspiracy to keep you down.

Please. Your posts are a constant rant about the suffering you have experienced at the hands of some cabal, originally from undernet and carious IRC channels and BBSs and going on to constitute the population of ... well, wherever you happen to be - various employers, the city of LaJolla.

You live in a public space. The space is shared. How does your behaviour differ from the other people who share that space with you? Do they walk with their hands raised, loudly praying? No? Then as the only person who does so, you are going to attract attention. As you well know. One example of many. Please drop the disingenuous act.

I don't know, nor do I care. You have seized on the word 'right' and ignored the context in which I used it. Instead you are asking that I address a completely unrelated matter that is linked only by the word 'right'. Please stop the pedantry and semantics, they are argumentative and add nothing to the discussion. Are you claiming that nothing in that list prohibits you from acting as you do? Of course not, that's not the point. Nothing in that list prohibits people from watching you, staring at you and/or following you. I'm trying to address your complaint about the 'gang stalking' behaviour you claim to suffer.

FFS, stop with the pedantry. It lost it's ability to trump an argument some time in primary school. You claim collusion by people you first met on various IRC channels and BBSs with later employers and current citizens of LaJolla. Conspiracy. One of several you have advanced.

In this discussion alone you resort to games of semantics and passive-aggressive requests for proof. You have talked about how people have reacted to your loud prayers, and the like.

Pedantry. Piss off. There you go, your passive-aggressive behaviour has caused another person to 'attack' you. Now you can get your buzz from being a victim. No, don't thank me, it's the least I can do. Remember to claim that it was completely unprovoked.

That's life, for you. Unexpected accidents. Minimise them where you can and stay fit and healthy so you can deal with the ones you can't avoid. Sorry, do you have a point? I don't understand what you are getting at.

Says the man who thinks seagulls are surveillance drones. Let's just say that if my neurons are missing timings, it's not so as you'd notice.

*laugh* You keep trying to do this. Last time it was with breathing. No, my hips and ankles are fine. I practice a martial art, regularly, stretch frequently and often do a fair bit of barefoot running and wear minimalist shoes when I'm not actually barefoot. My hips and ankles are, I dare say, in much better shape than yours.

No, actually. I live in a warm and humid climate and am active. I sweat. My problem is running the risk of dehydration not some kind of water-logged tissues. But I'll mention your concerns to my doctor at my next visit. I did the last time you made this accusation and he was puzzled. Maybe you are ahead of him in your reading of the latest medical literature. Care to share your source?

I know confronting your own mortality is pretty damn scary, but it's OK. We are all going to die, one day. What matters is how you live.

*laugh* Six years ago I had just emerged from an abusive relationship. My health and fitness were at a low ebb both emotionally and physically. Since then ... hmm, let's see. I've had a knee reconstructed, some potentially cancerous patches of skin removed, a broken finger, a detached ligament, a couple of sprains numerous bruises ... I _live_. I enjoy life. The knee is back to as close to 100% as to be indistinguishable. I've got a neat scar from the skin removal. My finger makes a neat 'click' some mornings. The ligament (and bone fragment) re-attached and I have avoided mallet finger. The sprains and bruises have been in the pursuit of increased strength, fitness and fun.

Your turn.