Comment Yeah, but... (Score 2, Funny) 369
Why would someone brand something that was supposed to be an intelligent machine as "W".
Comment Re:It is VERY impressive (Score 2, Informative) 203
In fact, humans will also adapt under such circumstances. The first reports were as early as 1896, but we have a great video that we show our students in Psych 1 here at the University of Iowa that demonstrates a british student who wears world inverting specs for a week or so. At first, she can't do simple things like write her name or make tea, but later in the video it shows her sketching, riding her bike down a country road, and doing all sorts of other things that require visual perception to accomplish.
It really is a remarkable phenomenon.
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But as to the "hard wired" face perception stuff, I think you might be on the wrong track there.
Comment Re:A Strawman for the Symptom (Score 0, Flamebait) 723
Meanwhile, the real issues at hand continue to get worse and go unaddressed. Like the fact that the EU just extended music copyright to 95 years (maybe in an effort to catch up with the United States?). Or the fact that people who collect digital music en masse couldn't possibly have bought it all in the first place. Or the important differences between illegal digital distribution and traditional theft of goods or money.
Unfortunately, while all of these are real and relevant issues, the people pirating on the pirate bay, in large majority, just don't care about any of them.
If Copyright were only 1 year, do you really think that people wouldn't still be pirating films by aXXo the day of DVD release?
The Pirate Bay is about theft, plain and simple. It may be true that the monetary losses are not nearly what the record companies claim, and it may be true that the media conglomerates are really out for money for themselves rather than to support the starving artists, but the propaganda is propaganda on both sides.
People pirate movies because they want to watch movies without paying for them. If you're one of the unique snowflakes that pirates movies because you bought every DVD on earth and just want a nicer and non-DRM format, that's cute. But you are not the majority. The majority are thieves.
I think once BOTH the *IAAs and the pirates have a little bit of self-realization is when some real work can be done on copyright. But the pirates are every bit as self delusional as the record labels right now.
Comment Re:Why? (Score 4, Insightful) 406
If I was in their position, I would do whatever it took to be acquitted.
Would you? Suppose you were the guy who runs the Pirate Bay: Your entire identity and celebrity rests on the fact that this website is still accessible. Do certain things and you are forever known as a sell-out, especially after the ridiculous amount of media attention you have heaped on yourself (even in the days before they started being idiots about the trial).
I think there are certain things you wouldn't sacrifice. I think there are social contracts you would choose not to violate.
Do I think these guys really believe in the freedom of information, in the freedom of speech, in the "free format" garbage that gets spewed all over this and other websites? No, of course not. But, their followers certainly do, and that's all that matters here.
I think this is just one side of the cost-benefit analysis. Risk jail time and large fines, but gain media attention and more devout fans.
I don't think these guys are any more brave or principled or high-minded than the guy who goes to jail for his gang rather than snitch on the leader. You'd think that selfish, personal greed would take over, but at some point, you can't sacrifice your identity.
Bionic Arm Might Go Into Clinical Trials 107
prostoalex writes "The bionic arm project sponsored by DARPA is nearing completion, and might undergo clinical trials. 'The arm has motor control fine enough for test subjects to pluck chocolate-covered coffee beans one by one, pick up a power drill, unlock a door, and shake a hand. Six preconfigured grip settings make this possible, with names like chuck grip, key grip, and power grip. The different grips are shortcuts for the main operations humans perform daily.'"
Submission + - University Rejects Google for Its Privacy Scruples
freepay writes: "In a weird case with implications for personal autonomy, The Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper reported that the University of Pennsylvania wanted Google instead of Microsoft to replace its crash-prone email system — but selected Microsoft instead. According to the article, the key issue was that Google did not want to include applications such as Blogger within the contract.
"'We felt that it was appropriate to keep a separation between the information that administrators would have access to in Google Apps and some of the more consumer applications that students would want to use and control in their personal lives,' Rajen Sheth, product manager for Google Apps for Education, wrote in an e-mail."
"Microsoft, on the other hand, was extremely easy to work with...""
"'We felt that it was appropriate to keep a separation between the information that administrators would have access to in Google Apps and some of the more consumer applications that students would want to use and control in their personal lives,' Rajen Sheth, product manager for Google Apps for Education, wrote in an e-mail."
"Microsoft, on the other hand, was extremely easy to work with...""
