Messages

1

Aneristic Illusions / Re: Random News Stories

« on: Yesterday at 11:25:35 am »

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/purple-wisconsin/211690051.html  My home state is getting very stupid.

What the fuck.

2

Aneristic Illusions / Re: Random News Stories

« on: June 14, 2013, 08:06:04 am »

Goood news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22895161

Human genes may not be patented, but artificially copied DNA can be claimed as intellectual property, the US Supreme Court has ruled unanimously.

The court quashed patents held by a Utah-based firm on two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

The opinion said DNA came from nature and was not eligible for patenting.

The US biotechnology industry had warned any blanket ban on such patents would jeopardise huge investment in gene research and therapies.

"We hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in Thursday's opinion.

But his ruling said that synthetic molecules known as complementary DNA can be patented "because it is not naturally occurring".

Very cool!

3

Apple Zone / Re: Thoughts?

« on: June 14, 2013, 06:06:07 am »

Apparently I look like I'm ready to bite the head of the nearest bystander when I'm concentrating.

Ironically I always look happy and approachable just before I decapitate someone.

Good.
Make them feel safe enough to come within reach.

4

Apple Zone / Re: Open Bar MMXIV^2: Solace of Quantum

« on: June 12, 2013, 01:03:31 pm »

Damn.

Seconded.

And here i was going to bitch about my colleague deleting the original excel files his department took weeks to assemble the info for, after making a back-up of his desktop link to the file.

5

Apple Zone / Re: Open Bar MMXIV^2: Solace of Quantum

« on: June 07, 2013, 01:03:58 pm »

Don't be too hard on yourself, meetings like this are designed to induce a near-coma state to make you hyper-suggestible.

The thing to remember is that if you're in a meeting, nothing good will come of it. Beware if you haven't noticed the lurking awful.

Thanks, I'll remember that.
Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a meeting-type meeting and a workshop-type meeting, because those last ones are usually fun and at least somewhat productive. (they burn daylight ofcourse)

6

Apple Zone / Re: Open Bar MMXIV^2: Solace of Quantum

« on: June 07, 2013, 11:22:25 am »

I just got my nose rubbed in my humanity.

I was in a meeting where we were being told about the needed overtime for teh coming month and i just sat there nodding, not really noticing something wasn't right.
I remember hearing every word and understanding the concepts behind them but somehow I didn't react, just like everyone else there.

Until the entire staff flipped out on hearing the news that we were going to work saturdays and sundays for three weeks on end. Mandatory. Then i realised i had just suffered from the Asch-conformity effect or something.
Working 3 weekends means no free day for anyone for 26 days.
Luckily everyone flipped out (strange how one group can react so differently from another) and it got changed to voluntary saturdays.

This experience scared the fuck out of me. Apparantly i am a meek little sheep with no willpower.

7

Discordian Recipes / Re: Best of all possible uses for oatmeal.

« on: June 05, 2013, 11:23:51 am »

I never tried cinnamon. Good idea!
Coconut milk sounds strange, can you describe the taste?

8

Aneristic Illusions / Re: Turkish Protests

« on: June 05, 2013, 11:21:26 am »

NTV has issued an apology for failing to cover the original protests and is now covering the situation in detail. They stated that their viewers felt betrayed and many of their employees have resigned in protest there are some videos of NTV employees leaving the building to join protesters. Several other TV channels are now covering the protests as well.

In Istanbul last night, some police joined protesters in their pro-Turkey/pro-republic chants ("Red, White, Red White" - the colors of the Turkish flag).

Meanwhile, 24 people have been arrested in Izmir for posting on social media. Most of the major news outlets are covering this in a negative way though, so its likely that they'll soon be released.

In other news, Erdogan showed up for a planned meeting with the PM of Morocco. The PM of Morocco refused to meet with him. In some of the regions where Erdogan won strong support during the election, people are holding signs apologizing for their votes, others are holding signs saying "You say you're holding back 50%, but we're already here." Thats a reference to Erdogan saying that he was holding back his supporters and if he gacve the word they would come out and 'end the protesters'. Dunno what kind of leader threatens half his population with the other half, but it appears that his comments may have actually eroded his base somewhat.

In Gezi Park, protesters are now celebrating with buffets of free food and exercise programs. The police have fallen back completely around Taksim Square/Gezi Park.

Even though the violence has calmed, the protests continue to grow in size, the protest in our local town was in the thousands of attendees and the police stood by and cheered.

Should be an interesting next few days.

ETA: Apparently Erdogan's next stop on his North Africa tour was Tunis. The Tunisians are also boycotting him and the groups invited to a state dinner with him have declined the invite.

 

That could get interesting.

9

Aneristic Illusions / Re: Random News Stories

« on: June 05, 2013, 11:18:30 am »

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/04/digital-hit-man

"I call your sister asking about you, and the minute we get off the phone, she's dialling you. I pull your sister's phone records and I'll have your phone number, and that's how I'll find you."

Frank Ahearn calls himself a "digital hit man" -- if your reputation is threatened by something online, he can help.

He made his name in 2010 with his book How To Disappear, which detailed the methods needed to maintain a sense of privacy in an online world that tracks so much of what we do. Ahearn spent 20 years working as a skip tracer -- someone who specialises in tracking down missing people, whether they want to be found or not -- and much of How To Disappear focused on how to stop people like him who might use their skills for nefarious ends like identity theft.

His latest book -- The Digital Hit Man -- goes on the offenive, describing the tools that Ahearn uses to repair reputations once information gets online. Fake identities, fake websites, photo distortion, SEO-rigging -- all legal methods he relies on to help his clients distort what comes up when someone searches for them. While he offers clients the chance to disappear, he's not cheap -- he can charge as much as $35,000 (£23,000) at a time.

Wired.co.uk had the chance to speak with Ahearn about his work. 

Wired.co.uk: Which problems do you solve?
Ahearn: I solve two problems. One is if you are in a situation and you are afraid, or you want to just disappear so nobody can find you. Or if there's information online about you that's a disaster for your life, I can assist you by using deception and digital manipulation.

Who comes to you for help?
It depends. With the disappearing, it ranges from victims of stalkers to wealthy people who are concerned about their digital safety. With digital manipulation, it's wealthy people who are in some "interesting" business situations, or they want to make sure their 15-year-old daughter isn't putting her information on the net. Or it's that stupid thing of getting drunk and driving into a building and you don't want your future clients to read about that. The beauty of the internet is that sometimes secrets of the past are surfacing today.

So it's more about deflecting attention?
Right. That's really misdirection. I'm of the philosophy that you can't delete online information. If you don't own the website or blog, there's nothing you can do about it. To give an example, I have a client -- this is pretty harrowing -- his daughter is about six years old. Her mother was violently killed. Her and her mother share the same name, and my client says she's reaching the age where she's surfing the net, and she's going to search for her own name and find out about her mother's violent death. So I created all this content using the mother's name, tricking it out, suppressing it, manipulating it, so that's not the first thing she sees when she types her name in.

I see a growth industry here over then next few years.

Indeedy. Interesting to say the least.

10

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Helen Fisher's "The Brain in Love"

« on: June 05, 2013, 08:17:01 am »

Those TED talks are great, as is your essay.

I especially like the conclusion:

   I guess my takeaway can be summed up by relating a conversation I once had with an old friend, when he was bitterly heartbroken; he said “Love is nothing but a bunch of chemicals”. The answer to that, of course, is “So are we”.

11

Or Kill Me / Re: Shhhh, just five more minutes.

« on: May 31, 2013, 11:21:50 am »

Awww CPD, no offence but I hope you never "make it".
Fuck em. Their inability to handle your Godlike Sun-Rays of Awesome is not your problem.
They can block it out just like they block out all the glaringly obvious horrible shit that is constantly happening around us all.

I love the way you write.

But I'm here now, enjoying the peace, trying to sop it up like gravy with crusty bread to savor it longer, pull it into my skin and carry it with me when I leave.

12

Techmology and Scientism / Re: Hot Shit! It's the future I've been waiting for!

« on: May 30, 2013, 01:13:12 pm »

Hang on, let me see if i got this right.
Gravity compresses space and makes local time go slower.
Expanding space makes local time go faster.
It sounds like a 'wherever you go, there you are'  problem, the effect that gives you speed is the same effect that makes the journey take longer.
The extend to wich you accelerate is directly proportional to how much subjective time you experience.

Wait, doesn't getting closer to the speed of light make local time go slower?
Then this engine should be combined with traditional acceleration:
Use one for the trip there, making you age faster than your peers back on earth, and use the other for the trip back making you age slower than your peers back on earth.
The net difference in experienced time should be zero.

13

Or Kill Me / Re: Dystopia

« on: May 30, 2013, 11:28:12 am »

Yep.

Though Pent's is also quite cool.

The meaning of life is an opinion.

Both should go into the memebomb database. I'd do it, but i have to get back to work.

14

Think for Yourself, Schmuck! / Re: TED suggestions

« on: May 29, 2013, 01:11:22 pm »

Found these while researching my final paper and I really loved them, the guy is a very entertaining speaker:

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

It's a short paper but I'll post it later.

Dammit, i was going to post those.
Great guy, for a noble.

15

High Weirdness / Re: unmeasurable particle created???

« on: May 29, 2013, 11:29:35 am »

This book helped me wrap my head around it a bit.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8243716-how-to-teach-quantum-physics-to-your-dog

It's been a while since i read it though, so I can't remember the details except that it was fun and interesting.