I understand Einstein disliked the untidy nature of particle physics and the Standard Model, and wanted to discover an elegant, geometrical explanation for quantum phenomena. Is the current discovery a step in that direction?

The result, he claims, was a dramatic improvement in his ability to hear pitch, including the sour notes he produced himself.

could it not have been a dramatic deterioration of his ability to hear his off-key notes?

eh? who established that? citation please.

I suggest that perhaps artists have not necessarily improved our civilization on the same scales as scientists and engineers.

Plato, is that you ???

After all, this isn't Soviet Russia, where the govt. controls the megacorps!

- t.

B is really a non-profit, being sustained by donations from A.

A's long-term goal is to drive C out of the market.

I am no game theorist, but common sense tells me that A should dispose of B later rather than sooner, since B is in its pocket anyway. Together, their 66% has a much better chance of taking over the other 33%.

Whereas if A first destroys B by withdrawing funding, then B's userbase is likely to bifurcate and go to A and C, in which case A's 50% would be fighting C's 50%, a much less advantageous situation than the first.

What I should do if I were A:

1. Keep sponsoring B, and together with it drive C out of the market
2. Withdraw funding from B, hopefully destroying it
3. Profit!

You know who A, B and C are.

I have no idea about the Gnome development process or the community, so I won't comment on that specific point.

But if you're making the general statement that political ideology is unnecessary, and is mutually exclusive with technical skill, you may want to think again.

Writing the best code is an important goal, but don't you also need to think why and for whom you're coding? I'm sure you wouldn't want to think of yourself as a coding machine that mindlessly churns out the best code for whoever happens to own it. If you discern on that point, then you are already politically aware.

It is the hegemony of the have-s that makes some have-nots regard the politically motivated as zealots and lunatics.

Don't let them take you unawares, and turn you into their willing shill.


- t.

What a coincidence -- that is also the year of Linux on the Desktop!

That's the problem with you geek types. You see, all you can think of playing with is your wife's iPhone. And then you complain about not getting it enough!!!

You want to continue till there are too many horror stories and ecosystems are fucked up?
GM technology hasn't had hundreds of years for us to observe the scale of its impact. If mankind continues to poke at the balance of ecosystems, you might just get your wish.

Is eradicating malaria, West Nile, etc. really worth the risks?

Let me guess -- you do not live in a tropical country.