Groaker 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: DailyDirt: These Things Are Not Really Making You Any Smarter, But Try Them Anyway?

    Groaker ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2015 @ 05:19am

    While in the 70s, it was believed that the brain stopeed growing at 16, and after the turn of the century, that the brain stopped at 26, neurosciences now believe the brain continues to grow -- that neurons continue to be reproduced.

    Unused, not hooked up into the other neurons, they lie fallow and die within a few weeks.

    Few games will provide real intellectual stimulation -- certainly not the one person shooters. Go or chess are likely exceptions if pursued beyond patzer (wood pusher) levels.

    I suspect that the best way to utilize the new neurons is to learn to do new things, or to try and keep up one's original field. Continuing challenge and stimulation are likely the most utile mechanisms for retaining intellectual capacity.

  • On the post: France Announces Plans To Hold The Internet Responsible For Terrorism

    Groaker ( profile ), 27 Jan, 2015 @ 02:51pm

    ISPs can put an end to this

    A weeks worth of leave for all ISP staff would put an end to this incredible idiocy.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Miracle Cures

    Groaker ( profile ), 24 Jan, 2015 @ 11:44am

    Fructose

    The body does indeed have a mechanism to metabolize fructose. It is called fructolysis, as opposed to the metabolism of glucose which is called glycoloysis. The body needs this ability because humans are omnivores, and they eat fruit. This particular dietary substance often contains a lot of fructose -- for example in pears, in which 2/3s of the sugar is fructose, watermelon, and many more. Many fruits have higher concentrations of fructose than so called "high fructose" corn syrup, which is 42% fructose. That is lower than table sugar, which is 50% fructose. Honey is about 40% fructose and only 30% glucose. Fructose happens to be sweeter than glucose, and were people satisfied with reasonable amounts, a mix of "high fructose" and glucose would be healthier because it would take fewer calories to produce the same amount of glucose.

    Alas human behavior is not like that. Whether glucose or fructose, fat or protein, some people will eat more calories than they expend, and the end result is obesity. Others care enough to exercise and/or diet to keep their weight down.

    In a reasonably healthy human, carbohydrates, proteins and fats are mostly interchangeable. A normal body can interchange one for another as needed. Not unlike a checking account in Switzerland, which can accept multiple curries and dispense them in different coinage.

    Eat too much protein or carbohydrates of any kind, and it will turn into fat.

  • On the post: The DHS Wants To Pitch In With The Cyberwar But Can't Even Be Bothered To Secure Its Own Backyard

    Groaker ( profile ), 15 Jan, 2015 @ 06:38am

    Incompetents

    US and State governments have a horrific level of failure in the writing of user based software.

    It took three attempts to produce a simple WIC (Women, Infants and Chidlren) program, and succeeded only because it was allowed to bypass the security requirements of HIPPA.

    The FBI has had multiple disastrous attempts at writing software. The last one was junked after spending a billion dollars on it.

    A children's immunization database, while noble in intent, was repeatedly funded even though it was demonstrated to be impossible to be functional. It could only work in poor states where the overwhemlming percentage of the immunizations were given under state, not private control. Independent physicians simply would have nothing to do with it.

    Security staff in at least one state were so incompetent that they were unaware that the mac address could be spoofed at the card level, and believed that a macid was absolute proof against an intruder.

    Governmental agencies like the FBI can not produce user centric software, how the hell do they expect to protect the nation, or even themselves, from crack attacks -- I guess they will just blame the technology emanating from North Korea.

  • On the post: DOJ, Which Once Claimed James Risen's Testimony Was Necessary, Now Tries To Block Other Side From Using Him

    Groaker ( profile ), 13 Jan, 2015 @ 08:43am

    DOJ

    The author has stated "the DOJ comes out of this looking terrible..."

    I must disagree. This (relatively) trivial offense can have no impact upon the sordid reputation of the DOJ. For that to occur, the DOJ would have to do something like carry out the Roman practice of decimation against the entire population.

  • On the post: Hollywood Privately Acknowledges Six Strikes Program Isn't Doing Much, Guaranteeing It Will Get Much Worse

    Groaker ( profile ), 13 Jan, 2015 @ 08:28am

    Imprison anyone who has seen a real life computer, or a picture of one.

  • On the post: Apple's Insistence On DRM And Other Restrictions Means EFF's New App Is Android-Only

    Groaker ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2015 @ 10:36am

    Re: Re:

    Since the early 80's I have become rather anti-apple. They are no longer particularly innovative, they are overpriced. This is the result of changes in the proprietary nature of hardware and software. The Apple ][ was a good deal because anyone could create hardware and software for it. That is no longer true.

    MS is even worse. Totally non-innovative except for selecting companies to buy and copy from. It used to take a half hour to compile and link an MS program that was done in less than a second by Borland. It was only then that MS "discovered" that was possible and copied the capability.

    Computers are in the midst of a new revolution, and neither MS nor Apple are paying attention.

  • On the post: Former CIA Director May Face Charges Under Espionage Act, Showing How Ridiculous Espionage Act Is

    Groaker ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2015 @ 10:54am

    Pillow talk is one of the basic, standard, and most productive methods of espionage. That Betrayus should fall for this, even with a presumed friendly, demonstrates his incapacity for anything more complex than guarding a telephone pole in the middle of Alaska.

    And yes, Betrayus was his nickname to the troops, when he was an unknown low grade officer.

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    Groaker ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2015 @ 07:18pm

    There are actions and statements from a politician for which the most minor reparation possible, is the commission of seppuku, in the public square, without a second, through the use of a bamboo sword.

    Delauter owes a far greater demonstration of penitence.

  • On the post: Baltimore PD Hides Its Stingray Usage Under A Pen Register Order; Argues There's Really No Difference Between The Two

    Groaker ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2015 @ 10:15am

    Re: Inevitable

    That is the institutional part of lying -- that the Fourth doesn't mean what it says it means.

  • On the post: Baltimore PD Hides Its Stingray Usage Under A Pen Register Order; Argues There's Really No Difference Between The Two

    Groaker ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2015 @ 10:13am

    Re: Re: Liars

    Everybody includes each and every person in the courtroom with the possible exception of silent observers. Judges as well as prospective and seated jurors lie as well.

  • On the post: Baltimore PD Hides Its Stingray Usage Under A Pen Register Order; Argues There's Really No Difference Between The Two

    Groaker ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2015 @ 10:10am

    Re: Re:

    Some of the aging view LEOs as incorruptible models of purity. So do people of every other age group. Seeing this from the young is particularly irksome.

  • On the post: Techdirt Podcast Episode 6: Should Kids Be Forced To Learn Coding? Or Economics? Or Stats?

    Groaker ( profile ), 09 Jan, 2015 @ 08:11am

    This is truly a problem. Elementary statistics courses are almost always centered around the model of the Bell (normal) curve, which has as a similar relationship to the real world as does Disneyland. It is really impossible to gain a significant understanding of the meaning of statistic analysis without a fair amount of calculus. It is not one or the other that is needed, but both. Algebra, Geometry and Trig (though perhaps not in its present form) are necessary for building a base of mathematics, as well as practical everyday use. Prior to retirement I saw well educated individuals believe that having SAS, SPSS, R or S on their PCs allowed them understand statistics. And finding any statistical test that appears to yield p>0.95 is absolute proof of their hypothesis.

    People need an understanding of the sciences. It is an embarrassment to the educational system that such a large percentage of people do not understand evolution, believe that the sun rotates around the earth or that the killed flu vaccine can cause flu.

    History, and the arts are also grossly neglected. Few graduate college understanding that the US is a violent and aggressor nation, believing instead that our nation is peace loving and a champion of human rights.

    Few have any appreciation for the arts, except those which grind out a loud beat approximating the heart rate.

    Just where in curricula, is there sufficient time to delve into meaningful studies of the enormous amount of human knowledge?

    And as human knowledge expands exponentially, the problem only becomes worse.

  • On the post: James Clapper Claims That Sony Hack 'The Most Serious Cyberattack On The US Yet'; Which Suggests No Serious Cyberattacks

    Groaker ( profile ), 09 Jan, 2015 @ 07:51am

    With this remark it is clear that as a government employee, Clapper is either to ignorant to express an opinion, is in violation of his oath of office, or most likely both.

  • On the post: Spanish Judge Says Use Of 'Extreme Security Measures' For Email Is Evidence Of Terrorism

    Groaker ( profile ), 09 Jan, 2015 @ 07:48am

    Looks like Franco is saddling up, and getting ready to ride.

  • On the post: Appeals Court Orders Government To Return Non-Child Porn Files To Convicted Man

    Groaker ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2015 @ 07:18am

    Our government believes that it owns what is seen as temporarily in our care, that it owns us as slaves who can be beaten and killed at a whim, and that we have no recourse to these actions.

  • On the post: Border Patrol Drone Fleet Straying Far From The Borders When Not Being Loaned Out To Whatever Agency Comes Asking

    Groaker ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2015 @ 03:20pm

    Re: Drones are Over-Rated

    I don't have the time or inclination to point out all of your fallacies. Two will have to do.

    1) Drones need not have the abilities and limitations of airplanes. Quadracopters are quite capable of keeping up with the twists and turns a human can make. Though heading into a building might foil them at the present. Drones the size of a preying mantis could be launched from the mother drone and follow an individual into a building. If that tech isn't here, it will be soon.

    2) One of the differences between a drone and a human pilot, is that it takes one man to pilot a plane. Multiple drones can be set up to monitor enormous areas with just a few people. Then if something significant occurs, the time and places of interest can scanned by computer for face recognition, following an individuals movements.

    There are many other issues as to just why drones are a far greater privacy risk than planes. I leave it to the reader to think of some.

  • On the post: Broadband, Airline Industries Are Incredible Innovators — When It Comes To Giving You Less But Claiming It's More

    Groaker ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2015 @ 03:30pm

    It is not just overt price, but availability. At the present time there is a critical shortage of normal saline and Ringer's lactate solution. This outrageous situation is expected to last for at least another year. How many people are going to die because pharmaceutical companies can't, or rather won't, make up sterile IV bags with 0.85% sodium chloride?

    Really tough to follow a well and long known script to make sure there are no contaminants, and that the solution is sterile.

  • On the post: Appeals Court Orders Government To Return Non-Child Porn Files To Convicted Man

    Groaker ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2015 @ 03:23pm

    A nice excuse for thievery. What court would listen to an argument that a nongovernmental thief found it too difficult to return what he had stolen.

    It is the standard plaint of the agents of this government. I don't want to have to follow the law because it is too difficult.

  • On the post: FBI Waking Up To The Fact That Companies With Itchy Trigger Fingers Want To Hack Back Hacking Attacks

    Groaker ( profile ), 02 Jan, 2015 @ 01:36pm

    Re: Re: FBI

    There are more types of chemist than just about any other occupation in the world, so there is no such thing as a simple chemist. A general chemist would be an appropriate appellation.

    Science = bad only for the ignorant. Most would have never been born were it not for the sciences, and of those that managed to come into the world alive, 2/3 would have left it before age 5.

    The living third had horrible lives. Infested by all sorts of parasites and bacteria. Head and body lice alone must have made life miserable. For most, clothes were worn until they fell apart, and were rarely washed. Baths were considered unhealthy (as well as immoral), and a great number of people had two baths. One when they were born, another on their wedding day. I can not imagine the crusts and odors that would have built up. Perfume chemists were (and remain) in high demand.

    I could go on endlessly, but those who despise the sciences know nothing of science or history.

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