Busybox Developer Responds To Andersen-SFLC Lawsuits 316
Bruce Perens writes "I'm the creator of the Busybox program. I have released a statement on the past and current Busybox lawsuits, which do not represent my interest."
The Perfect Way To Slice a Pizza 282
iamapizza writes "New Scientist reports on the quest of two math boffins for the perfect way to slice a pizza. It's an interesting and in-depth article; 'The problem that bothered them was this. Suppose the harried waiter cuts the pizza off-center, but with all the edge-to-edge cuts crossing at a single point, and with the same angle between adjacent cuts. The off-center cuts mean the slices will not all be the same size, so if two people take turns to take neighboring slices, will they get equal shares by the time they have gone right round the pizza — and if not, who will get more?' This is useful, of course, if you're familiar with the concept of 'sharing' a pizza."
Comment Re:Distraction (Score 1) 237
As far advanced as Western science is, it is remarkable how much more complete mothers' knowledge is.
Western civilization is all about the brain; we are a very intellectually-driven society. Technology certainly exemplifies that quite well. But I find that mentality to be very limited; we glorify our knowledge, but neglect our minds.
The human mind has such untapped potential. For centuries, philosophers have argued that how we interpret the world is how the world is. If we interpret pain, the world as we know it is painful.
Distracting one's mind away from the objective present creates a new "reality," which seems/is as real as the "real" world. It is an overused reference, but this is at the heart of the Matrix. How do we know what is real? If we can tap into the power of our minds to create our own realities, people suffering from burns, or broken hearts, or even chicken pox, can change their reality into one in which they do are not experiencing their particular discomfort.
This is exactly what mom was doing for us when she gave us a lollipop to take away our pain, or put a cartoon band-aid over a wound. Our definition of "reality" shifted into one where our pain doesn't exist.
It is wonderful that technology can help people achieve these reality shifts, but man has the power to do that without technology.
Comment Re:Ummm...the economy? (Score 2, Insightful) 759
I think the problem is one of economics and reproduction.
I think the entire RIAA could be eliminated tomorrow, leaving only the recording artists, equipment manufacturers, studios, and listeners. I think that would reduce this excessive profiteering and make the world better for everyone...
except the employees of the RIAA. All of them are getting paid to do a job that does not NEED to be done, from a global standpoint at least. Their children are fed off of their salary. I think that the job they do creates no virtue in this world, and improves the quality of life only for themselves, their families and other RIAA employees.
There are plenty of other obsolete jobs in this country, that could have been replaced long ago by automation or computation. Think about cashiers or clerical workers. This is not to say that the workers of such jobs are in any way inherently inferior to anyone else, but the jobs they are doing are USELESS. In the short term, from a government's perspective, the decision makes sense to keep them employed, as it keeps our GNP higher.
But in the long term, you have to recognize that we are killing ourselves here. We are filling landfills with useless garbage that nobody wants. THIS SHIT DOESNT FALL FROM THE SKY, WE ARE CREATING IT!! There is a giant stain of brown shit emanating from New York City. It's visible from Sandy Hook in NJ. Its half as big as the horizon and cannot be denied. It is a direct result of misapplied economic power. Here are some other examples of such power misapplied:
-- war
-- the white cardboard in twinkie packs
-- sneakers with lights on them
-- every goofy useless plastic toy(get your kid a basketball or something)
Keep this up and our landfills will become our homes, then our graves.
It is absolutely up to us to change our own fate. Do what you can, value your own work, hear and be heard.
And please try to reproduce sparingly.
I think the entire RIAA could be eliminated tomorrow, leaving only the recording artists, equipment manufacturers, studios, and listeners. I think that would reduce this excessive profiteering and make the world better for everyone...
except the employees of the RIAA. All of them are getting paid to do a job that does not NEED to be done, from a global standpoint at least. Their children are fed off of their salary. I think that the job they do creates no virtue in this world, and improves the quality of life only for themselves, their families and other RIAA employees.
There are plenty of other obsolete jobs in this country, that could have been replaced long ago by automation or computation. Think about cashiers or clerical workers. This is not to say that the workers of such jobs are in any way inherently inferior to anyone else, but the jobs they are doing are USELESS. In the short term, from a government's perspective, the decision makes sense to keep them employed, as it keeps our GNP higher.
But in the long term, you have to recognize that we are killing ourselves here. We are filling landfills with useless garbage that nobody wants. THIS SHIT DOESNT FALL FROM THE SKY, WE ARE CREATING IT!! There is a giant stain of brown shit emanating from New York City. It's visible from Sandy Hook in NJ. Its half as big as the horizon and cannot be denied. It is a direct result of misapplied economic power. Here are some other examples of such power misapplied:
-- war
-- the white cardboard in twinkie packs
-- sneakers with lights on them
-- every goofy useless plastic toy(get your kid a basketball or something)
Keep this up and our landfills will become our homes, then our graves.
It is absolutely up to us to change our own fate. Do what you can, value your own work, hear and be heard.
And please try to reproduce sparingly.
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"This isn't brain surgery; it's just television." - David Letterman
