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Comment Re:What good is a union (Score 1) 51

Who do you think's going to type in the prompts to the AI to make the visuals? Studio executives?? When SQL came out, it was marked as a way for managers to write database queries in a friendly language, with the implication that database programming would become a thing of the past. Ever worked on a project using SQL? And who wrote the SQL? In the world of software, at least, the "this technology will cause technical people to lose their jobs" more often seems to instead cause the creation of new sub-industries around the tech, with the truly gifted being able to specialize into the harder problems, and for us consumers we get increased quantity (or decreased price) at the expense of reduced quality. So far what I've been seeing with AI is repeating this same pattern, not the engendering of Skynet.

Submission + - Inkscape Version 0.91 is Released! (inkscape.org)

Bryce writes: "Four years since the last major Inkscape release, now news is out about version 0.91 of this powerful vector drawing and painting tool. The main reason for the multi-year delay is that they've switched from their old custom rendering engine to using Cairo now, improving their support for open source standards. This release also adds symbol libraries and support for Visio stencils, cross platform WMF and EMF import and export, a native Windows 64-bit build, scads of bug fixes, and much, much more. Check out the full release notes for more information about what has changed, or just jump right to downloading your package for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X."

Comment Just take your laptop and go! (Score 1) 1095

I don't think you need to fuss with region codes or any such. You'll need to change the timezone and that's about it. Since you've posted to slashdot asking whether you should bring your laptop, and used the word 'geek' 3-4 times, er yeah you probably are the type that would go into withdrawl without your laptop. It's a bit of a hassle to drag it around but you'll probably want it. If you have something lightweight like a netbook you'll definitely want it. Get a UK power adapter (AAA or pretty much any electronics store). A laptop is useful for three things while you're traveling: a) planning/researching/arranging tourist stuff, b) uploading photos, c) satisfying your internet/email/gamer addictions. Most hotels will have internet service for some fee. Your call on whether it is worth the money. You might be able to get free wifi from cafe/pub places but don't count on it. The British museum will hold your interest for a day. If you're in London for two weeks, you can probably hit all the major tourist attractions. Get any tourist guide and work your way through it. Once you learn the Tube you can pretty much get anywhere you want. Make sure to go to a play or musical or two even if that's not normally what you're into. Go to at least one castle and one cathedral too. For geek cred, go to the Eye of London and try to think of as many movies as you can that had a scene showing that in it.
Books

The "Copyright Black Hole" Swallowing Our Culture 278

An anonymous reader writes "James Boyle, professor at Duke Law School, has a piece in the Financial Times in which he argues that a 'copyright black hole is swallowing our culture.' He explains some of the issues surrounding Google Books, and makes the point that these issues wouldn't exist if we had a sane copyright law. Relatedly, in recent statements to the still-skeptical European Commission, Google has defended their book database by saying that it helps to make the Internet democratic. Others have noted that the database could negatively affect some researchers for whom a book's subject matter isn't always why they read it."
Communications

US Army Sees Twitter As Possible Terrorist "Operation Tool" 320

Mike writes "A draft US Army intelligence report has identified the popular micro-blogging service Twitter as a potential terrorist tool. A chapter titled 'Potential for Terrorist Use of Twitter' notes that Twitter members reported the July Los Angeles earthquake faster than news outlets and activists at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis used it to provide information on police movements. 'Twitter is already used by some members to post and/or support extremist ideologies and perspectives,' the report said. The report goes on to say, 'Terrorists could theoretically use Twitter social networking in the US as an operation tool.' Just wait until the Army finds out about chat rooms and email!"

Comment Re:Two possibilities (Score 1) 812

For FSM's sake, though, take a moment to "accidentally" delete his porn and such while you are going about this. That's just basic courtesy. Not to mention a good way to put yourself on any suspect lists that might come up.
Censorship

Domains Blocked By US Treasury 'Blacklist' 525

yuna49 writes "Adam Liptak of the New York Times reports today about the plight of a Spanish tour operator whose domain names have been embargoed by his domain name registrar (eNom). They pulled his domains after they discovered the tour operator's name on a US Treasury blacklist. It turns out he packages tours to Cuba largely for European tourists who can legally travel there, unlike Americans. The article cites 'a press release issued in December 2004, almost three years before eNom acted. It said Mr. Marshall's company had helped Americans evade restrictions on travel to Cuba and was "a generator of resources that the Cuban regime uses to oppress its people." It added that American companies must not only stop doing business with the company but also freeze its assets, meaning that eNom did exactly what it was legally required to do.' The only part of the operator's business in the United States is his domain name registration; all other aspects of his business lie outside the United States."
Robotics

Robots Entering Daily Life in Japan 164

USA Today is running a story about the emergence of robots in common aspects of life in Japan. Many simple yet social jobs are being filled by robots of increasing sophistication. The article suggests that Japanese culture is more open to such interaction than the majority of other cultures. Quoting: "For Japan, the robotics revolution is an imperative. With more than a fifth of the population 65 or older, the country is banking on robots to replenish the workforce and care for the elderly. The government estimates the industry could surge from about $5.2 billion in 2006 to $26 billion in 2010 and nearly $70 billion by 2025. Besides financial and technological power, the robot wave is favored by the Japanese mind-set as well. Robots have long been portrayed as friendly helpers in Japanese popular culture, a far cry from the often rebellious and violent machines that often inhabit Western science fiction."

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