News Stories

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by LeoXiao

I'm incidentally also in a German lit class right now, and we just finished a unit on Wagner's operas. I hear that Hitler liked Wagner quite a lot. Going by the "Confucius" Institute standards, we ought to have read the Führer's thoughts on the work. I'm sure it would've been quite enlightening.

Say whatever you want about Wagner but I just follow him due to severe case of 8th grader syndrome....he's good for that at least

[willx]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Say whatever you want about Wagner but I just follow him due to severe case of 8th grader syndrome....he's good for that at least

He's also good for spending a couple days of your life if you have nothing else to do with it. This might be how I'm spending a chunk of my Christmas!

Der Ring des Nibelungen

The cycle is a work of extraordinary scale. Perhaps the most outstanding facet of the monumental work is its sheer length: a full performance of the cycle takes place over four nights at the opera, with a total playing time of about 15 hours, depending on the conductor's pacing. The first and shortest opera, Das Rheingold, typically lasts two and a half hours, while the final and longest, Götterdämmerung, takes up to five hours, excluding intervals. The cycle is modelled after ancient Greek dramas that were presented as three tragedies and one satyr play. The Ring proper begins with Die Walküre and ends with Götterdämmerung, with Rheingold as a prelude. Wagner called Das Rheingold a Vorabend or "Preliminary Evening", and Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung were subtitled First Day, Second Day and Third Day, respectively, of the trilogy proper.

[Endless Soul]

Originally Posted by willx

He's also good for spending a couple days of your life if you have nothing else to do with it. This might be how I'm spending a chunk of my Christmas!

~snip~

His work really is quite good, and his style is unmistakable. I once heard an interview with Hans Zimmer who based some of the music in Gladiator on the Wagnerian style (It's the part where Commodus is having his Triumph.).

Anyhow, back to the news.

Endless "Tannhauser" Soul

[SeijiSensei]

Japan Shelves Plan to Slash Emissions, Citing Fukushima

This cannot come as a big surprise. Taking the reactors offline eliminated 30% of Japan's power generation capacity which is being replaced by firing up old coal and natural-gas plants. "In the year through March, Japan released the equivalent of 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, more than 7 percent higher than the year preceding the nuclear accident and 14 percent higher than levels in 1990."

One might criticize Japan for not investing more heavily in renewables, but what's past is past. The proposed plan includes a mix of renewables and energy conservation and assumes no nuclear generation before 2020. The target is to reduce carbon emissions by 3.8% compared to 2005.

[4Tran]

Japan's push to abandon nuclear power is going to have a lot of consequences, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. If Japan has any ambitions of challenging China's strengthening hegemony of East Asia, then growing their fossil fuel dependence is a huge step backwards. I think that it's a big mistake to go anti-nuclear.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

To abandon nuclear power for Japan is ideological, but not practical. Other countries have vast gas or coal deposits, Japan has little of either. And to think, this is all because of one irresponsible power company who we now know, is completely incompetent. Reputation can take generations to repair, even though before the Tsunami Japan had little issues with nuclear power.

[ArchmageXin]

Originally Posted by Vallen Chaos Valiant

To abandon nuclear power for Japan is ideological, but not practical. Other countries have vast gas or coal deposits, Japan has little of either. And to think, this is all because of one irresponsible power company who we now know, is completely incompetent. Reputation can take generations to repair, even though before the Tsunami Japan had little issues with nuclear power.

Against: Japan's powerful Nuke lobby also prevented any kind of meaningful regulation.

Support: One Japanese man who built a super-sized Sea-wall, blocked the rising sea and saved the nation from a second nuclear meltdown.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/in...aved_a_ja.html

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

Against: Japan's powerful Nuke lobby also prevented any kind of meaningful regulation.

Support: One Japanese man who built a super-sized Sea-wall, blocked the rising sea and saved the nation from a second nuclear meltdown.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/in...aved_a_ja.html

"Corporate ethics is different from compliance," Oshima said, echoing Hirai. "Just being 'not guilty' is not enough."

love this quote,

unfortunately for the world the bureaucrats have taken over.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

Against: Japan's powerful Nuke lobby also prevented any kind of meaningful regulation.

Support: One Japanese man who built a super-sized Sea-wall, blocked the rising sea and saved the nation from a second nuclear meltdown.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/in...aved_a_ja.html

*shakes head* How much more would it have cost to have built the 50 foot wall? Almost certainly ALLOT less than the cost associated with a full out meltdown.

Humans really are too petty and short sighted to rely on rational self interest to keep them from being negligent.

[monir]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Humans really are too petty and short sighted to rely on rational self interest to keep them from being negligent.

It's all about short term goal/profit. We just aren't built to think in long term for the most part.

And speaking of short term goal...

House Approves Bill That Will Allows Policy Renewal

Bwahahahahahahahahah

Originally Posted by Xellos

love this quote,

unfortunately for the world the bureaucrats have taken over.

I do too.

[ganbaru]

Toronto council to make Ford mayor in name only
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...11-16-00-08-23

Chicago hacker tied to Anonymous given 10 years in prison
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9AE0X520131115

[killer3000ad]

Warner Bros: Our false DMCA takedowns not a crime

In response to a copyright infringement lawsuit launched by the MPAA, Hotfile counter sued Warner Bros. two years ago for abuse of its DMCA takedown process on numerous occasions.

The file-hoster alleged that after giving Warner access to its systems the studio wrongfully took down hundreds of files including demos and Open Source software without holding the copyrights to them. The takedowns continued even after the movie studio was repeatedly notified about the false claims.

While Warner later admitted the accusations, the movie studio argue that they are not to blame because the mistakes were made by a computer, not a person. As a result, the false takedown request were not “deliberate lies.”
........

So if I automate my downloads and accidentally download something of theirs, it's not my fault right? A computer did it. /sarc

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by killer3000ad

Warner Bros: Our false DMCA takedowns not a crime


So if I automate my downloads and accidentally download something of theirs, it's not my fault right? A computer did it. /sarc

Well if -

1. They own the machine.
2. They know that the machine is being used for that purpose.
3. And wilfully allows it.

They are complicit of the crime, not necessarily directly guilty (which would be the machine).

[ArchmageXin]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

love this quote,

unfortunately for the world the bureaucrats have taken over.

How is it the government's fault? If the government said you need a 4 feet fence and you built exactly a 4 feet fence, then a 6 feet thief leap over it and rob your house, is it the government's fault?

This is what I find amusing about regulations. Government does not mandate the absolute maximum, it provide a floor for the bare minimum. The engineers/corporate are not stopped from going beyond the absolute minimum.

[Zakoo]

It's about nuclear plants, not some half assed house, you need to imagine and prevent the unimaginable.

A law that prevents or protects nothing has no point of existing aside adding uneeded pressure.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by ArchmageXin

How is it the government's fault? If the government said you need a 4 feet fence and you built exactly a 4 feet fence, then a 6 feet thief leap over it and rob your house, is it the government's fault?

This is what I find amusing about regulations. Government does not mandate the absolute maximum, it provide a floor for the bare minimum. The engineers/corporate are not stopped from going beyond the absolute minimum.

i didn't say government i said bureaucrats.

i probably should have been more clear but i mean the paper pushers and bean counters types which are in both public and private sector. People who just does the min and never ever take responsibility if something goes wrong.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

i didn't say government i said bureaucrats.

i probably should have been more clear but i mean the paper pushers and bean counters types which are in both public and private sector. People who just does the min and never ever take responsibility if something goes wrong.

There is some psychology behind that. If the work culture promotes blame and blacklist, who would want to take any responsibility at all?

[AnimeFan188]

Think NSA Snooping Is Bad? Check Out MPAA Theater Security:

"Hollywood studios are urging theater operators to crack down on in-theater
camcording with the deployment of night-vision goggles, low-light binoculars and
security cameras.

The latest version of the Motion Picture Association of America’s “Best Practices to
Prevent Film Theft” (.pdf) also suggests old-school surveillance, like “random bag
and jacket checks for prohibited items” and to “observe patrons” when entering the
theater."

See:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...ater-security/

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by AnimeFan188

Think NSA Snooping Is Bad? Check Out MPAA Theater Security:

"Hollywood studios are urging theater operators to crack down on in-theater
camcording with the deployment of night-vision goggles, low-light binoculars and
security cameras.

The latest version of the Motion Picture Association of America’s “Best Practices to
Prevent Film Theft” (.pdf) also suggests old-school surveillance, like “random bag
and jacket checks for prohibited items” and to “observe patrons” when entering the
theater."

See:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...ater-security/

Used to work in a cinema. We have already been using those methods since....'04/05?

Under the pretext of checking for bombs.

[ganbaru]

China says Xinjiang police station attacked by axe, knife-wielding mob, 11 dead
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9AG02G20131117

Republican businessman McAllister wins U.S. House race in Louisiana
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9AG01X20131117