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Technology

Gartner Says 3D Printers Will Cost Less Than $2,000 By 2016 170

colinneagle writes "Widespread adoption of 3D printing technology may not be that far away, according to a Gartner report predicting that enterprise-class 3D printers will be available for less than $2,000 by 2016. 3D printers are already in use among many businesses, from manufacturing to pharmaceuticals to consumers goods, and have generated a diverse set of use cases. As a result, the capabilities of the technology have evolved to meet customer needs, and will continue to develop to target those in additional markets, Gartner says."
The Courts

US District Court: Game Elements In Tetris Clone Infringe Tetris Co.'s Copyright 138

elegie writes "In the US, a District Court has ruled that the Tetris clone "Mino" infringes the Tetris Company's copyrights with regard to elements of the Tetris game design and gameplay. On one hand, a lawyer said that 'a puzzle game where a user manipulates blocks to form lines which disappear' would be noninfringing. At the same time, the Mino game's reuse of such Tetris elements as the dimensions of the playing field and the shape of the blocks constituted infringement. In addition, the Tetris game's artistic elements were not inseparably linked to the underlying mechanics and replicating an underlying idea and/or functionality (which would likely be uncopyrighted) would not justify copying visual expression from an existing game."

Comment Disturbing Quote (Score 1) 312

Seems this quote applies - from Adolf Hitler, Mien Kampf:
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure
of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the
benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any
curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation."

Comment History Repeats (Score 2) 459

Adolf Hitler, Mien Kampf:
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people.
As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children,
the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation."

Comment Re:The Right Tool for the Right Job (Score 5, Insightful) 266

I'm in agreement with this as well. I'm so tired of businesses and employers thinking that I always want to be 'on'. This is their desire and dream.

This is why I'm more protective of my time and privacy. Once you are leashed by today's technology, it become very hard to rid yourself of that shackle.

Comment Another excuse for Big Brother. (Score 2, Insightful) 404

I've always believed that "to solve crimes" was only a lame excuse to allow Big Brother to monitor the citizens.

Like many of the issues discussed here it really is about 'control'. Who has it and who wants to dictate it.

I've come to the conclusion that I fear an out of control Government more that I fear terrorists/serial killers/Death Flu/etc

Comment Re:Sun Microsystems: What are your theories? (Score 1) 152

I worked for Sun for 5 years and it is my opinion that the true cause for Sun's Demise is the Management. Over the last 8 years or so they forgot why they where a successful company and be came a large, unresponsive Corp.

I believe that they made the cardinal sin of thinking that they could dictate to their users rather than listening to what the customers wanted. (For example see Scott McNealy's comment about people not having privacy so get over it....)

Comment Word and TeX/LaTex are two different Animals (Score 1) 674

I think that this thread is comparing apples to oranges.

Word is a WYSIWYG editor, while TeX/LaTeX is more a Typesetting type of program.

In Word you layout your document exactly how you want it to be viewed, whereas in TeX/LaTeX you simply concentrate on the content and allow the program to typographically set your document.

I think they are each useful for their own purposes. I don't see one replacing the other at this time.
Math

The Perils of Simplifying Risk To a Single Number 286

A few weeks back we discussed the perspective that the economic meltdown could be viewed as a global computer crash. In the NYTimes magazine, Joe Nocera writes in much more depth about one aspect of the over-reliance on computer models in the ongoing unpleasantness: the use of a single number to assess risk. Reader theodp writes: "Relying on Value at Risk (VaR) and other mathematical models to manage risk was a no-brainer for the Wall Street crowd, at least until it became obvious that the risks taken by the largest banks and investment firms were so excessive and foolhardy that they threatened to bring down the financial system itself. Nocera explores the age-old debate between those who assert that the best decisions are based on quantification and numbers, and those who base their decisions on more subjective degrees of belief about the uncertain future. Reliance on models created a 'false sense of security among senior managers and watchdogs,' argues Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who likens VaR to 'an air bag that works all the time, except when you have a car accident.'"
Internet Explorer

IE Market Share Drops Below 70% 640

Mike writes "Microsoft's market share in the browser dropped below 70% for the first time in eight years, while Mozilla broke the 20% barrier for the first time in its history. It's too early to tell for sure, but if Net Applications' numbers are correct, then Microsoft's Internet Explorer will end 2008 with a historic market share loss in a software segment Microsoft believes is key to its business."

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