Comment Re:trap (Score 3, Funny) 344
embiggen?
That's a perfectly cromulent ending, but I think AC was going for "extinguish".
Comment Re:I always know exactly where I am. (Score 1) 520
Directly above the center of the earth.
Unless, of course, you live in Australia.
Duh.
Comment Re:So we still have... (Score 1) 756
I'm as pro-technological advance as the next
Civilizations wax and wane, ebb and flow. If Roman technological and economic advance had continued unabated, there may have been a Europe-wide steam train system by 700 AD, perhaps. But it didn't.
Maybe, just before the Sun's increased emissivity becomes a serious problem, our descendants will fall back into some sort of dark age/world war/counter-enlightenment. Who knows?
I just think it's a bit silly to assume that Moore's Law will be obeyed continuously for the next billion-odd years, without considering that maybe there will be sociological forces that come into play.
California Continues To Push For Violent Game Legislation 167
Back in February, the US Court of Appeals shot down a California law that banned the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. Shortly thereafter, State Senator Leland Yee petitioned the US Supreme Court to review the case. Now, along with California's Psychiatric and Psychological Associations, Yee has filed an amicus curiae brief with Court that elaborates on the reasoning behind the law. Within the brief (PDF) are some interesting quotes: "Parents can read a book, watch a movie or listen to a CD to discern if it is appropriate for their child. These violent video games, on the other hand, can contain up to 800 hours of footage with the most atrocious content often reserved for the highest levels and can be accessed only by advanced players after hours upon hours of progressive mastery. ... Notably, extended play has been observed to depress activity in the frontal cortex of the brain which controls executive thought and function, produces intentionality and the ability to plan sequences of action, and is the seat of self-reflection, discipline and self-control." The video game industry has filed its own amicus brief to dispute Yee's claims.
Comment Re:Pictures versus digital photos... (Score 1) 345
Hypothetical question:
Supposing there are a series of photographs of portraits that are in the public domain, but the images all have the frames in shot.
I don't think the frame should be in shot, so I write a bash script to remove the frames in bulk. Not only has a great deal of technical sophistry gone into this (I'd be surprised if 2% of the general population were capable of doing that), but the resulting
Are these new images in the public domain?
My gut feeling says they should be, but I don't see the difference between your actions and mine.
Whilst I don't know enough copyright law to know if the NPG is in the right or not, as a UK taxpayer I'm firmly against this legal action. Our culture is enriched by these images; let them be free!
Comment Re:Mac'D's (Score 1) 979
Since NASA's already been there, explored, sent back GigaBytes of data... I'll take that bet.
Would you rather send me the money via PayPal? I also accept credit and debit cards.
Would you rather send me the money via PayPal? I also accept credit and debit cards.
