Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment This isn't a victory for Behring-Breivik. (Score 3, Insightful) 491

Someone once pointed out that hoping a rapist gets raped in prison isn't a victory for his victim(s), because it somehow gives him what he had coming to him, but it's actually a victory for rape and violence. I wish I could remember who said that, because they are right. The score doesn't go Rapist: 1 World: 1. It goes Rape: 2.

What this man did is unspeakable, and he absolutely deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. If he needs to be kept away from other prisoners as a safety issue, there are ways to do that without keeping him in solitary confinement, which has been shown conclusively to be profoundly cruel and harmful.

Putting him in solitary confinement, as a punitive measure, is not a victory for the good people in the world. It's a victory for inhumane treatment of human beings. This ruling is, in my opinion, very good and very strong for human rights, *precisely* because it was brought by such a despicable and horrible person. It affirms that all of us have basic human rights, even the absolute worst of us on this planet.

Comment Re:Fast-paced chess on steroids (Score 2) 124

Many, many more variables to account for in Starcraft than Chess. Also, Chess is turn-based, while SC is real-time, so obviously there is the potential for your move to be countered before you even finish it. Now, the amount of memorization done for Chess is far greater than for SC, especially if a game goes deep. SC is so much more loose and more open-world than Chess that it doesn't lend itself to memorization of moves like Chess and its rigid structure do.

Comment Re:Fuck 'em (Score 2) 344

I watch movies for free all the time over at a friend's house. He rented or bought them, I paid nothing. If he loans me the physical media, is that illegal? I still paid nothing. Now just stretch it a bit further and say he ripped it for the purposes of back up, then loaned me that copy? There isn't a lot of difference in these scenarios, and it proves, that yes, you can legally watch movies for free sometimes.

Comment Re:One by one the dominos fall... (Score 3, Insightful) 146

"The problem is that, as the market shows, most people neither need nor want gigabit or even 100meg. even 50/20 is more than most people will ever use."

And 64kb of ram is all any computer will ever need, too.

I'm not saying we necessarily need more now, or that we can afford it now, but let's not put arbitrary limits on future capacity based on today's experiences or make decisions that impede progreess. It doesn't hold up.

User Journal

Journal Journal: in which i am a noob all over again 17

I haven't posted a journal here in almost three years, because I couldn't find the button to start a new entry. ...yeah, it turns out that it's at the bottom of the page.

So... hi, Slashdot. I used to be really active here, but now I mostly lurk and read. I've missed you.

Comment Why? (Score 1) 91

Why did it take over five years for the patent office to issue the patent? What was Nintendo supposed to do? Wait on their groundbreaking product for an extra four years after completion? Either way, the process is ridiculous and serves no one but the lawyers, and clogs up our legal system.
Idle

Study Finds Most Would Become Supervillians If Given Powers 419

It probably comes as no surprise, but researchers have found that most of us would gladly put on a mask and fight do-gooders if given super powers. From the article: "But power also acts like strong cologne that affects both the wearer and those within smelling distance, Galinsky noted. The person gains an enhanced sense of their importance, and other people may regard them with greater respect as well as extend leniency toward their actions. That combination makes for an easy slide into corruption."

Comment Re:Culprit ? (Score 1) 376

How do we know piracy took a chunk of sales from this movie, or any movie, or any song or video game, for that matter? Intellectual property that has been pirated does not directly equal a lost sale. Often, the pirates were not going to pay either way. They were not going to go see this movie, nor buy the cd, nor buy the video game. Did they get to enjoy something for free? Yes. But that is not a direct correlation to lost profits.
Education

Quantum Physics For Everybody 145

fiziko writes in with a self-described "blatant self-promotion" of a worthwhile service for those wishing to go beyond Khan Academy physics: namely Bureau 42's Summer School. "As those who subscribe to the 'Sci-Fi News' slashbox may know, Bureau 42 has launched its first Summer School. This year we're doing a nine-part series (every Monday in July and August) taking readers from high school physics to graduate level physics, with no particular mathematical background required. Follow the link for part 1."

Slashdot Top Deals

OS/2 must die!

Working...