I was surprised by this remark by the Turnitin spokesperson:

Humans don't tend to consistently use a high probability word in high probability places

Isn't that exactly why the word and place are high probability -- because humans are likely to use the use a word in that place? And because they don't always do so, the probability is less than 1.

Without more explanation for this claim, it seems that injecting a dash of (AI-determined probabilistic) randomness could foil the detector.

The PC Magazine link in the Slashdot post has few details, but there are some more informative reviews online, including this one by Brick Fanatics:

https://www.brickfanatics.com/...

Whittaker was excellent in Broadchurch -- the three-series UK original on ITV, not the dreadful short-lived American remake. Broadchurch was definitely not sci fi, but David Tennant's portrayal of Detective Inspector Alec Hardy often reminded me of the Tenth Doctor, and now there will be two regenerations on the show's main cast.

I'm eager to see Whittaker's version of The Doctor.

It's the perfect time to re-visit the Halloween Documents from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Yes, much has changed.

Eric Raymond's archive: http://catb.org/esr/halloween/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_documents

The Halloween Documents provide an inside look at the internal dialogues within a large company confronted by change. Terms in broad general use today, such as FUD and "embrace, extend, extinguish" , originated here. The Halloween Documents are important historically, but are also well-worth another look today.

The notion of the "Protestant work ethic" is much older. Max Weber's book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, was written in 1904 and 1905 (in German), and Weber definitely wasn't writing about the baby boomers in the United States born fifty years later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weber

Here's what The Economist had to say last week about patents and patent reform (August 8 2015):

"Today's patent systems have created a parasitic ecology of trolls who aim to block innovation"
http://www.economist.com/news/...

"Patents are protected by governments because they are held to promote innovation. But there is plenty of evidence that they do not."
http://www.economist.com/node/...

It's a well-researched and thoughtful position.

Please, please, please do not remove "classic".

Please do feel free to experiment with other design OPTIONS. I don't understand the appeal myself, but perhaps they can bring in new readership and sponsorship -- that would be fine. But please do not FORCE me to use those designs by taking away classic and the functionality that I most value.

Sincerely,
A concerned reader of many years.

> Some recent uses of my fingerprints in which I
> had no real say...

Disneyland requires a biometric fingertip scan at the park entrances, ostensibly to deter fraudulent passes. Here's a 2008 blog post from Cory Doctorow:
http://boingboing.net/2008/03/15/fingertip-biometrics.html.

I was surprised to encounter this on a recent family vacation, and even more surprised to learn that it had been happening for years with no backlash from park visitors.

Biometric scanning for a theme park? Really?

Another relatively inexpensive option is the IEEE.
http://www.ieee.org/

Although the IEEE is encouraging members to switch over to digital only to reduce costs and waste, IEEE Spectrum and many of the technical society journals are still available on paper for those who want them.

- The society journals can be quite technical and specialized, but IEEE Spectrum maintains a broader focus.
- The IEEE Computer Society (www.computer.org) is the largest society in the IEEE, with lots going on and lots of publications.
- Other groups that might be of interest include the communications society (http://www.comsoc.org/), the robotics and automation society (http://www.ieee-ras.org/), or the society on social implications of technology (http://www.ieeessit.org/).

Likewise, it is better to provide high quality links within the summary. All to often, the links in the summary point to some guy's derrivative blog rather than original sources, and the higher quality links are found by scrolling down through highly moderated comments.

I can appreciate liking to blogs in order to encourage story submissions and reward submitters, but please also link to high quality sources.

Slashdot is still a great site, and better links would make it even more useful.

One of the best teaching resources, IMHO, is Richard Byrne's Free Technology for Teachers.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Highly recommended.

I ordered the AudioQuest K2 terminated speaker cable for all my friends this Christmas.

Only $6800 and check out the reviews! Only one left in stock, so better act fast. :-)

Well if they take out the penises all that will be left is tits, pussy, ass, faces, signs, and fake webcam drivers.

And Jon Lajoie will need to revamp the Chatroulette Song.
Classic.