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Comment Re:Wait a second... (Score 1) 216

They're allowed to have an opinion, too, and they are scientists, after all, which means we might actually want at least to consider what they have to say. We're free to disagree with them, but we really should have some good reasons for that.

Those who aspire to become nuclear physics do not study a "nuclear scientific method"; they learn how to apply the scientific method to the field of nuclear physics. Folks who want to become climate scientists do not study a "climate-scientific method"; they learn how to apply the scientific method to the field of climate science.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Would I pay attention to a similar group of medical doctors, or chemists? Sure, why not?

Comment Re:Why oh Why (Score 1) 105

They can sell it, but they can't sell it out from under you.

Who can't sell what out from under me? Sole copyright owners can sell their code at any time out from under anyone. It's their legal right.

You cannot change the license after the fact.

You can take your GPL project closed, but anyone who obtained your code under GPL license prior to that can continue to use, modify, and redistribute that code under terms of said license.

Comment Re: In after somebody says don't run Windows. (Score 3, Insightful) 467

That's a cute but transparent attempt to sidestep the issue.

Apple says if I buy a computer from them, they'll place arbitrary restrictions on what I can do with it. This means that it might not do things that I tell it to do. This also means that it might do other arbitrary things that I don't tell it to do, or even that I tell it not to do.

You might consider these acceptable terms for the use of your general-purpose computer. I do not consider them such for mine.

Comment Re:Not trying to excuse what he did (Score 1) 376

You're making it sound like he's some sort of psychopath or something.

We're talking about someone who's demonstrated repeated success in identifying and starting unsavoury online relationships with female students who have difficulties asserting themselves.

Whatever random noise you wish to employ as a label for that is fine by me.

Comment Re:Popcorn time! (Score 1) 376

It was not. Quoth TFA,

After talking to a psychiatrist in September 2014 about what she described as a “breakdown,” Harbi decided to collect evidence of Lewin’s behavior to take to MIT. Within five days of searching, Harbi said, she found 10 other women whom Lewin had befriended and contacted on Facebook with inappropriate, sometimes identical messages. Lewin then blocked her from seeing his Facebook friends, she said.

Generally speaking, Harbi said, the women live in countries where speaking out about sexual harassment is taboo -- countries “where the culture is that it is better to actually not speak at all, because you’ll be a disgrace to your family.” Lewin confessed his love for several of them, chat logs show, but often denied those feelings to women who asked about the others.

Comment Re:Popcorn time! (Score 1) 376

Just because she's creeped-out by it, doesn't necessarily mean it's inappropriate.

Of course it's completely inappropriate for her to be creeped out by it.

She was (IMO appropriately) creeped out because someone in whom she'd placed trust initiated private contact with her. As it later emerged, this someone has a history of preying on females whom he's apparently tagged as "vulnerable", just as he tried to take advantage of it in this case.

Maybe my problem with what you said is that we don't agree on definitions, so here's a couple of mine:

"Maybe you'd like to have dinner with me sometime?" from someone you don't want to hear that from. <-- Unwelcome advance.

"Would you send me nudies of yourself?" from someone who is working with you in a professional setting, is 3 or 4 decades your senior, AND contacts you outside of official channels just to ask you this question. <-- "Creepout" territory.

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