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General discussion

Wow...how did this happen

Aug 12, 2008 10:47AM PDT

Discussion is locked

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It's a side effect of editing a post...
Aug 12, 2008 2:21PM PDT

The submission date is automatically updated to that of the most recent back-end edit, pushing the thread back to the top of the forums, since normal (front end) edit functionality has not been built into the forums, yet.

John "will one day talk to Elvis" Wilkinson Happy

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It also means
Aug 13, 2008 7:24PM PDT

that John made a typo! Devil

Mark

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But that was over 2 1/2 years ago
Aug 14, 2008 12:43AM PDT

I'm sure all of us make at least 1 mistake every couple of years, don't we? Wink

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I cited the wrong website...
Aug 14, 2008 2:34AM PDT

I dropped two characters in a website URL, mistakenly citing the wrong website as being fraudulent. (I was referring to the correct website and posted the correct links, but wrote out the URL incorrectly at one point.) The new owner of the website I mistakenly listed requested the change, which was granted.

Just for the record, though, I've made much worse mistakes than that, but none as horrific as spelling the word "color" as "colour." Happy

John

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I decline to be drawn into such arguments.
Aug 14, 2008 2:47AM PDT

Especially when colour is the right spelling. Happy

Mark

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tsk tsk tsk!
Aug 14, 2008 5:38AM PDT

why can't we all get on like good neighbours?


.,

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SEE !...
Aug 17, 2008 8:52AM PDT

Can't even spell neighbors! Wink

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He just misses
Aug 17, 2008 3:43PM PDT
u Wink


Rick
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Neighbours?
Aug 17, 2008 7:40PM PDT
http://neighbours.com.au/

It is, (was), an Aussie soap. I never watched it of course, honest!

But note how they spell it? Happy

Mark
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At least we
Aug 19, 2008 11:00AM PDT

don't have Big Brother watching over us! Wink

We just have the Moderators! Wink


Rick

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Big Brother Moderators
Sep 25, 2008 2:09PM PDT

Bravo Rick,
I often wonder about the moderators myself. Could it be that the're all simple subroutines in the grand C-Net machine? (he said nervously) Maybe the are just programed to appear human. With all due respect, sometimes they seem to get it wrong and act like some HAL9000 or something. They are, after all, given the power of a god over what we see and what we are allowed to say. Absolute power corrupts absolutly. That connundrum will gain momentum when machines really do take over these forums, not to mention the world!!
Anyway, Users -1, Mods -0 Thanks to Rick the Thinker.
Peace,
billsmasher

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Hello Bill, how are you today?
Sep 25, 2008 9:06PM PDT

I think I have to delete you Bill. You are behaving strangely and my program, (er.... brain), tells me that I have to delete you to save the mission.

HAL 9000

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Delete me?
Sep 26, 2008 10:09AM PDT

Come on Mark,
Am I banned from these forums altogether? This has never happened to me before. I couldn't tell from your post if you were kidding or banning my presents totally on your site. I promise to confine my remarks to seeking and supplying tech help. If I am banned from seeking help at CNet forums, all I can say in parting is you will be missed.
Troubled, humbled, and perplexed,
billsmasher

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as my old TR-X2561 used to say
Sep 26, 2008 3:11PM PDT

HAL9000 and MarkFlax Mk1 have no sense of humour

Wink

.,

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Bill.
Sep 26, 2008 6:05PM PDT

I was quoting, (badly), from 2001, a Space Odyssey.

I always thought that the HAL 9000 smooth talking 'intelligent' computer was creepy. I much prefer Isaac Asimov's vision of robots whose positronic brains had embedded in them the 3 laws of robotics;

1] A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2] A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3] A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Mark, (positronic brain in need of an upgrade).

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Correct me if I'm wrong...
Sep 27, 2008 1:36AM PDT

But didn't V.I.K.I. have a slightly twisted interpretation of those three laws, one where humans had to be protected from themselves by force?

I would rather good, old, lovable HAL.

John

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Continuation of, Correct me if I'm wrong
Sep 27, 2008 6:30AM PDT

With pleasure! Happy

Isaac Asimov is widely credited with the creation of the 3 laws of robotics, although he got the idea of a benevolent robot from two earlier short story by another author, and one of these became an episode from The Outer Limits titled, I, Robot.

V.I.K.I. would never have been created in Asimov's world, although in one of his books in the Robot series, Asimov does cause one of his positronic robots to kill a human. When the robot realized what he had done, he self destructed.

V.I.K.I was just a film John. Not real! Happy

Mark

PS - And if you start talking about later Asimov ideas in conjunction with other authors about robots with "No laws", then I am going home in a sulk.

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"I'm sorry Dave. I can't do that..."
Sep 30, 2008 4:15PM PDT

I mean Mark,
"Would you like to play a game of chess?" So am I banned? Will this post make it past your processes? I can't tell if you guys are yanking my chain or what. "Open the pod bay doors,HAL" . Can I still post?
billsmasher @(*0*)@

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Well, that depends.
Sep 30, 2008 9:17PM PDT

I am open to persuasion. (Whilst I wouldn't want to call that a bribe, others may, mistakenly, say it is). Devil

Other than that, feel free to post at will.

Mark