alexvr

Yeah, that does it. We live in a computer simulation.

It's a good reminder to me, as a developer, that people simply buy (or use) what they want, not what I think they want.

Awesome. I love the spider demo, especially -- the way it sticks and everything just feels right, to the point where it's too realistic for comfort. I felt like I was messing with a real spider.

I'm also curious to see what makes it illegal. Do you need a specific license to sell alcohol?

Note to self: don't post an enthusiastic comment on someone's thread if they have a similar name. I was really puzzled as to why I got so many downvotes on that comment.

You're wrong, though. I'm not the "author submitter." Believe it or not, Alex is a common name.

And what is an "astroturf attempt"?

Always wondered what it was like.

At first, looking at the more rote-recall-based verbal section, I thought it didn't live up to the conception that it was an IQ test. But the math section didn't look easy, especially without a calculator, and I imagine that test-takers of the day didn't prepare like they do today, so the unfamiliar format of the test was probably part of the selection process.

Thanks!

This could be big.

Wait till my grandma gets word of this...

Rather disinterpritive and conflascating, if you ask me

Apple, how dare you put a dictionary with a fake word on my Dock. Come on.

By taking it into account, they probably excluded people with medical issues that would skew the results. The study isn't perfect, so this guy has a point: People with genes that make them naturally strong may have related genes that contribute to their overall health. And the converse may be true for weak people.

After I clicked on this link I played the demo for over 4 hours on Linux. Such a fun simulator.

I bet they named the mouse Algernon.

I personally think copyright law provides enough protection for software. I think patents would actually harm innovation in the software world.

Algorithms are inherently protected, anyway - they're not like clever mechanical solutions that can be reverse-engineered by anyone with eyes and a brain; they're usually close-sourced when the author wants them to be. Patents may be necessary to protect products with transparent functionality, but software usually doesn't fit that bill unless it's deliberately open-sourced.

Even if you developed a strong AI algorithm that will change the world, there should be competition. It's not like Microsoft will hire a few engineers to rapidly develop something that transcends yours; it would be a reverse engineering challenge to any competition.

What if algorithms behind network protocols were patented? Computers would still be novelties and corporate tools, I think.

Made me close Chrome -.- And if I were using Windows I'd feel compelled to run a virus scan. Still sort of cool though, in a chaotic way

It's not logic. I just think it's messed up to ridicule someone for making something cool and getting a nice payday for it.

I should have known better about the age thing. I know it's a stretch to compare the two, but Summly seems more innovative than "a unique new social network" if you know what I mean. I give the kid tons of credit.

As a fellow 17-year-old, I have nothing less than respect for Nick. You're obviously doing something right if you sell your company for $30M before you're an adult. Who cares if he's not an AI researcher? The scholar who wrote this article can't bash this kid's product until he actually builds something useful. If he came up with a revolutionary AI theory, great. But the people who take an experimental idea and see the value in it are the people who change the world. Einstein came up with some good theories, but nobody will remember his name when someone uses the theories to create a time machine.

Are we going to ridicule Tesla Motors for making (highly innovative) cars because they licensed the steering wheel or navigation system from another company?

So true. I would normally have trouble believing that assembly is more expressive than C, but maybe the people who write assembly tend to be excellent at what they do? And JS is more expressive than Java, no? Maybe some of these are skewed by the sort of programmers that use them.

It's called sarcasm, bro. Don't get bent out of shape. I'm criticizing lawmakers for questioning a technology that will make navigation and calling hands-free and much safer.

People should have the right to do whatever the heck they want with their property. While these "lawmakers" are at it, they should ban all of the voice-enabled cars and force people to text and hold the phone while driving.

I was driving down the road in an unfamiliar place with my iPhone and Google Maps in my lap, looking at it every now and then, and I noticed that after looking for a second I was usually half a foot in the wrong lane. I thought, "Glass would make this much safer, much easier." It would be so great to simply see where to go in the corner of your eye. I think that's the most practical feature of the first version of Glass.

Gotcha. I thought he proposed simply substituting hits/attention for upvotes

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I feel like scoring by "attention" would subject comments to the same top-sticking, accelerating feedback loop. No?

You would think GoPro would see this coming. If I were CEO of the review company, I would demand that the article be reinstated and hope to God that GoPro sued me so I could get some extra cash and teach them a lesson. What on Earth were they thinking? Hire a lawyer for God's sake.

So developer comfort takes precedence over user choice? Or are you saying options are just way more difficult to implement than they are worth (considering the small proportion of users actually take advantage of them)?

What's wrong with giving users options? I think it's an insult to peoples' intelligence. Cars give users the option to drive into a brick wall at 80 MPH, but this doesn't mean people will be inclined to do so.

Yeah. Aesthetically, the black bar with its fat Arial (I think) characters looks out of place. I know they're trying to keep things simple to make their page load time super fast, but if someone can make the Matrix in JS with like 700 bytes, I think Google could make a unique, attractive menu to replace what it has now.

+1 for slides 18, 51, and, best of all, 54. Great presentation :)

I actually think it would be better without the navbar.

Google is my homepage, but when I want to go to Google Drive or Gmail, I type "drive" or "mail" into Chrome's search bar. I think the Chrome-OS-like menu would be better than the navbar. If they do remove it, they should at least make a point to maintain a page with links to all their services.