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

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Re:Meeting some of the dumbest people (Score 1) 144

Your average "snowflake" needs a civics lesson more than they need rifle training.

A few lessons in discipline wouldn't go amiss either. Interestingly enough, one of the easiest ways to teach large groups of people discipline in a short time is part of basic training in all branches: close order drill.

Comment Re:Meeting some of the dumbest people (Score 1) 144

There are always going to be people who are willing to use violence to get what they want, including violence against the USA. Sometimes an all-volunteer military is enough to keep them at bay, and when that's the situation, snowflakes won't need to put themselves in harm's way to keep the rest of us safe. But there are times that that's not enough, and we need to build our forces up to a higher level than that can manage. When that happens, some of us will be picked to defend the rest of us regardless of what they want so that this nation can survive. That's why veterans get extra points in Civil Service exams, get subsidies to pursue their education and medical care for the rest of their lives: to repay us for our sacrifice. If you don't think that's appropriate, you must not think very much of your country.

Comment Re:Stop milking the superhero movies (Score 1) 175

If you really want to see Superman done right, find a copy of the Superman Serial produced by Columbia Pictures in 1948, and its sequel, Atom Man vs, Superman from 1950. They're the first two live action films about The Man of Steel, and the start of Noel Neill's "career" as Lois Lane.

Comment Re:Nightmare Workplaces += AI Bullshit Story (Score 1) 144

Those under 25 might find themselves with a new job as a military conscript late next year.

And if so, it may well turn out to be the best thing that's ever happened to them, although they probably won't believe it at the time. Not only will they get food, shelter and a paycheck out of it, they'll come away with some new and marketable skills as well. And, once they're out, they'll have access to subsidized schooling to put a polish on those skills and low cost world-class medical care for the rest of their lives.

Comment Re:Penny-wise (Score 1) 72

Yes, but that's not what I responded to. If you'll look at the OP, you'll see that among other things the poster suggested that the company was getting rid of some "worthless patents," and this one accidentally got included. That's what I responded to. Sorry for any confusion.

Comment Re:Penny-wise (Score 1) 72

It's very unlikely that any pharma company is holding on to worthless patents. If nothing else, getting a patent granted takes both time and money, and there's no point in patenting something unless you have a use for it. And, when you apply for a patent, you have to make one or more claims, each one of them describing a use for whatever you're patenting that you want protected. No use, no claims, no patent.

Comment Re:How to stop this (Score 1) 66

There is no "But I want to do this and did not intend to break the law" Exception to the law.

Currently, you're right, because in order to prove somebody guilty, the prosecution must not only that they committed the act they're accused of, they did so by intent, even if they didn't realize that it was a crime. However, there is in the USA and many other nations, a legal doctrine that covers this: Strict Liability, that means that proving that the defendant had the requisite intent no longer applies. Thus, it doesn't matter that you thought the girl you banged was an adult, you're guilty of statutory rape if she's still a minor. The same goes exactly if you sell her tobacco or alcohol. All it would take would be for Congress to pass a law making it a crime for a ChatBot you control to claim to be a licensed therapist, lawyer or physician and specifying that it's a Strict Liability crime, and that defense goes right out the window, with the problem of prevention being dumped on the owner's and/or programmer's laps.

Slashdot Top Deals

Ya'll hear about the geometer who went to the beach to catch some rays and became a tangent ?

Working...