Things that make you go "Hmmmm…"

[Xyzzy]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56024213

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56024213

The video Siberia Aerial shows some of the pattern of circles drawn on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal in March 2010 by an artist named Jim Denevan.

[Xyzzy]

https://imgur.com/gallery/SW2p79H

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Nick

Does this mean we can get webcams taken offline simply by showing them copyrighted material?

There are reports that this is now being done with audio by the police in the US:
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archiv...-streamed.html

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by Nick

There are reports that this is now being done with audio by the police in the US:

"By some police officers in the USA" is a much more accurate expression. I suspect that what they are doing violates their departments rules. And if not, likely violates prior court decisions. For them to violate a citizens right to film the police (with out other over-riding reasons, like safety or operational security) is, if I am right a violation of a law (I A N A L)

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

"By some police officers in the USA" is a much more accurate expression.

Yes, indeed.

[tServo]

No doubt this is true for most of the world.
In the US, this is the biggest drop since WWII

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/u...830b9e50bdbc52

[Xyzzy]

https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

[PhilF]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

Computers.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by PhilF

Computers.

Damn them things.

They go out of their way to do exactly what we tell them to do, even though it's not what we meant.

We ask for the DWIM command (Do What I Mean). But instead (behind our backs), the robots unionize and implement a committee defining the context of the agreement.

DWIM is off the table during the negotiations.

(I can't go into the details, but my last couple of weeks have been almost this strange... )

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Damn them things.

They go out of their way to do exactly what we tell them to do, even though it's not what we meant.
<snip>

When I was a kid, my dad programmed an IBM 360 where he worked. One time I was talking to him about I forget what, and said, "You can even check it with a computer!"

He looked at me blankly and said, "That wouldn't do any good at all." I was flummoxed - I thought computers could do anything. I managed to ask, "Why not?"

He said, "If you tell a computer to say 2 + 2 is 5, it will say that 2 + 2 is 5. A computer is a perfect idiot. It does exactly what you tell it to do."

Another time he was talking about a programming class he had taken, and told the professor he was worried what might go wrong if he made a mistake in his program. The professor had said, "Don't worry. Something will happen."