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Comment Re:Bubby? Is that you? (Score 1) 859

Yeah, that's a fair point. I think a lot of it is history. It used to be much harder to get someone's personal information than it is now. Society's institutions haven't kept up with this increasingly open, public world. I agree that technology is the right place to look for a solution, but I think such technology will only gain ready acceptance when it's accompanied by a shift in society's views.

Comment Re:Bubby? Is that you? (Score 1) 859

Your name, address, social security number, bank account balance, credit card transactions, passwords, medical history, and so on are simple facts. Should those who have access to that information be allowed to state those simple facts? In public, on the internet, where anyone and everyone can see it?

Why not? People who really want these data will be able to get them no matter what. There is no privacy anymore; the only thing protecting most people is that they just aren't interesting enough for anyone else to care.

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Sperm Travels Faster Toward Attractive Females Screenshot-sm 347

A new study has shown that even sperm can be superficial. Researchers found that males of many animal species, including humans, can adjust the speed and effectiveness of their sperm by regulating the amount of seminal fluid they produce during copulation. The determining factor on that amount of fluid seems to be whether the male finds the female attractive.

Comment Re:This might be controversial, but... (Score 3, Insightful) 116

As a fellow college student, I have to agree with you. I would hate to have to use a Kindle for my school reading. If the Kindle textbooks were cheaper by a significant amount (i.e. a factor of ten), then I might be forced to reconsider my stance for economic reasons, but even then I wouldn't like it. As I see it, the Kindle offers two advantages over paper books: lack of weight and easy searchability. These are both nice things to have, but certainly they don't outweigh the many disadvantages of the Kindle: need for a battery, annoying interface, a proprietary file format, etc.

For pleasure reading, the Kindle is even worse. When I read a book, I want to actually read a book, not some digital facsimile thereof. If I want to find something new to read, I want the ability to go to a bookstore or the library and browse actual, physical, paper books. If this makes me a snob or a technophobe, so be it.

Finally, I find it very amusing that Princeton is being all high-and-mighty about its Kindle project being sustainable. Paper books, if properly cared for, can last hundreds of years. I have some books that my parents purchased before I was born which are still in good condition today, and I'd like to be able to pass them on to any future children I might have. Will Amazon still support today's Kindle format 50 years from now? Maybe they will, but I'm a bit skeptical.

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