In 1954 Norbert Wiener published "The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and Society.
In it he said:"...let us remember that automatic machines, whatever we think of any feelings it may have or may not have is the precise economic equivalent of slave labor. Any labor which competes with slave labor must accept the economic conditions of slave labor"(p.220)

Is there any good answer to this forecast?

BBC world news has an article today on the student debt in th USA. There is a list of about 40 related articles.
There is not one mention about free university education in some countries...Finland :Germany (grad school) are a couple.I read about Finland in Linus Torvald's book "Just for Fun"

Back in the 50s a mathematician, Norbert Wiener, published "The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and society".

He wrote"...the automatic machine...is the precise economic equivalent of slave labor..."(p.220)

"... there is nothing in the industrial tradition which forbids an industrialist to make a sure and quick profit and to get out before the crash touches him personally."
"... will lead to an immediate transitional period of disastrous confusion." (p.219)

In "It's been a good life" (p.28) he is quoted as saying:

"I did not realize that my memory was remarkable until I noticed that my classmates didn't have memories like it.
After something had been explained to them, they would forget and would have to have it explained again. In my case it was only necessary that I be told once."

Some philosopher of science pointed out that if the physical properties of some substance varied over time in an apparently random way it would be almost impossible to have any scientific knowledge. e.g. if gold changed its specific gravity, colour, conductivity etc . randomly over a time period exceeding the usual human life time.
This would seem to apply to the output of creative artists, e.s.p and stock traders who actually have the Midas touch.(for a time!)

easiest way to send a short email to a friend with very poor vision

Would Gobolinux solve some of these problems?

search "The Times of India" for "swine flu"
You will find:
A: that there has been a 40% increase in swine flu cases recently.
B:that it requires 2 tests to confirm that a particular swab is swine flu rather than ordinary flu.
C: that the first test to establish that it is flu and not a common cold is cheap; but that the test to identify swine flu costs up to 5000 rupees (~$100)
D: that the second test is frequently not done and the results from the first test are assumed to be swine flu; which leads to a lot of false positives.
E: that some of the WHO experts had (have/) ties to pharma companies

Nice reference to Kipling.
The article in Spiegel Online has 3 parts; the third is:
Part 3: Learning How to Use the Internet Productively

If this had come first most of the article would be window dressing.
How could you expect kids to know anything if the schools don't teach?

From my perspective the "Singularity" has arrived.

I have access to over 1 million books on line; this is a greater library than anyone has ever had in the past.
And a "paper" library this large would require many servants to look up and run to bring the book that I requested.
When my kid was growing up there was no Gutenberg; I frequently had to say "I don't know" to many of his questions.
Now I just go to the internet
A fantastic increase in (my) knowledge

IIRC back in the fifties a BOAC aircraft crashed in the caribbean. It had 2 radio direction finders, one of which developed a small fault which caused it to indicate a different direction.The pilot had no other source of information, and picked the wrong instrument.
This problem with only 2 sources of information was not new.
Ships captains, before radio etc. never had just 2 chronometers as they had no way of knowing which was correct. So they had either one or 3 or more

Follow the money
The CDC states that only a PCR test can distinguish between seasonal flu and H1N1,
PCR tests cost between 100 to 300 dollars and takes about 2 days. ( the costs in India were said to be about 200 dollars.
The PCR machines are expensive; from 50,000 to 100,000 dollars.
They require trained staff
They can only do so many tests ia a day
The WHO talks about "confirmed" cases; but not about the lack of PCR machines in most of the world.

(Hearsay) a distant relative, a nurse in the USA, says that when the results of a "quick" test (that can only indicate flu or not flu,) comes back she is told to always mark it as H1N1.
The CDC stats that treatment should begin within the first 48 hours; i.e the time it takes to get the PCR result.
So the physician assumes the worst and initiates treatment appropriate to H1N1

(and esp. PaddyM's link showing other researchers see selection bias in the Canada study

I checked both links and could find no reference to SEEING selection.
Some commentators have SUGGESTED that there may have been selection.
No-one has noted that a number of provinces have found the evidence sufficient to halt the promotion of the c\vaccine.ie a number of medical people other than the researchers have seen something.

There are quite a few books about ubuntu. Try findind one on Kubuntu

I was told, when a kid, that I was tone deaf (I am english).
Had I been born in China would I be (or become) considered retarded because of my tone deafness?
A reference to a site that discuses this would be nice
Thanks