http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c721 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:57:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c721
In the UK you are not allowed to fly within 50 metres of someone else's house.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c718 Wed, 22 May 2013 10:53:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c718
f) within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft;]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c908 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:59:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c908 your constant defense of KNOWN criminals like infringer-millionaire Dotcom of Mega;

If he was being tried in the UK your post would be in contempt of court.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130505/14372422951/court-finds-fantasy-stories-obscene.shtml#c898 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:33:27 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130505/14372422951/court-finds-fantasy-stories-obscene.shtml#c898 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c892 Tue, 21 May 2013 10:19:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c892
http://piratesonline.go.com/]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c49 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:21:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c49
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c440 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:11:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c440 it's exactly the same situation where the blind get no relief from what they have to pay for a license for a TV that they cannot watch.

Actually the do get relief.

They get to pay half price (and since it covers the household there may be people who can watch covered by the license). Also if no one in the household can see then they may as well get a b/w tv and then the license is MUCH cheaper.

So actually these big companies are a lot worse than public organisations like the BBC.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c815 Sun, 19 May 2013 13:50:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c815
What this amounts to is that robots will take over the world by coming round and doing our housework for us.

This is only a threat because we haven't figured out how to hand out the pocket money fairly when we aren't doing the chores.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c792 Sun, 19 May 2013 13:48:20 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c792
The machine we created solves the optimisation problem - but we still decide what the problem is.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c776 Sun, 19 May 2013 13:45:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c776
The point is that we don't really know what intelligence is. We set up a problem - only to discover that the problem is susceptible to a brute force approach.

Actually Chess is solvable in principle simply with the rules of the game, a simple tree search algorithm and a sufficiently powerful computer. In the end that was the approach that prevailed. Attempts to play chess the way humans play the game proved to be futile.

Unfortunately good chess playing programs are poor opponents from the entertainment point of view - but the internet solved that problem by making human opponents more available!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c437 Sat, 18 May 2013 11:14:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c437 RadioLab did a story about machines that learn. An example was that by watching a pendulum, it figured out f=ma. Elementary, sure, but it's something that took people a while to figure out.

However it was set up to figure out pendulum equations so its achievement is no greater than that of the chess playing computers.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c421 Sat, 18 May 2013 11:06:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c421 and people used to be getting no nearer to heavier-than-air flight until, suddenly, they were nearer.
You mean Stringfellow?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c147 Sat, 18 May 2013 05:40:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c147 There isn't anything that humans can do that machines are naturally incapable of doing, just things that we haven't yet figured out how to make machines do.

Note the "we" in that sentence.

My observation is that everything that we thought required "intelligence", e.g. chess, has turned out in practice to be susceptible to a brute force approach of one kind or another. We are still absolutely no nearer having a machine that is really intelligent - as defined by your own criterion "being able to figure out how to do things it can't yet do."]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/01413623104/one-simple-copyright-reform-idea-government-edicts-should-never-be-subject-to-copyright.shtml#c388 Fri, 17 May 2013 01:58:56 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/01413623104/one-simple-copyright-reform-idea-government-edicts-should-never-be-subject-to-copyright.shtml#c388 If someone has a copyrighted work and an administrative agency adopts it as a standard by reference, that doesn't thrust the work into the public domain.

The administrative agency should NEVER do this - because it is clearly an act of favouritism.

So, by preventing such corruption this new law would have an extra benefit!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110315/12411713502/dailydirt-new-models-not-funding-science.shtml#c194 Thu, 16 May 2013 07:54:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110315/12411713502/dailydirt-new-models-not-funding-science.shtml#c194
Q. What does Fermi Lab contribute to the defence of the United States?

A. It makes the United States worth defending!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c685 Wed, 15 May 2013 11:15:49 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c685 The thing is Ninja that the public is one of the stakeholders, and they are represented at the table by the politicians they elected or the people those politicians appoint to do the job.

So, according to you, rightsholders and the people that run their organisations like MAFIAA etc don't have a vote. LAst time I looked they still did so I conclude that they are also represented by the politicians and so shouldn't get another voice around the table.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c679 Wed, 15 May 2013 11:09:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c679 I can walk outside and yell hey creator of whatever have you orphaned your project? If they do not respond I can steal their work.

You forget that - in this proposed law- you still have to PAY for the work so that if the rightsholder turns up later they will get the money.

This is only concerned with preventing the copyright system from blocking the creation of derivative works by default.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c672 Wed, 15 May 2013 11:07:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c672 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c640 Wed, 15 May 2013 11:04:07 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130510/03475523032/copyright-holders-will-define-details-uks-orphan-works-bill-not-public.shtml#c640 That's what the politicians are there for. They are the ones who are supposed to be representing the public and the commons.

And you forget , sir that your argument has been made before on this forum and roundly debunked on amny occasions.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/08141123095/homeland-securitys-ice-group-cuts-off-dwolla-bitcoin-transfers.shtml#c229 Wed, 15 May 2013 10:29:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/08141123095/homeland-securitys-ice-group-cuts-off-dwolla-bitcoin-transfers.shtml#c229 On this, I will agree with you, to an extent. BitCoin suffers from a problem: It is extremely volatile. Its value fluctuates too much, making it terrible for storing value.

No Bitcoin is not volatile. The dollar is volatile - when measured against Bitcoin...]]>