News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thousands of innocent people. Parent comment

Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by kafkaesq on Tuesday February 16, 2016 @03:10PM (#11112780)
American Revolutionary War

Which led to the perpetuation of slavery for another 90 years (which the British were in the process of abolishing throughout their holdings), among other "issues."

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by Houshalter on Tuesday February 16, 2016 @04:30PM (#11113261)
That's irrelevant, and massive hindsight bias. If the British still held the South, they might have kept slavery too. And if they did try to abolish it, the civil war/revolution probably would have happened anyway and they might have won.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by spacehome on Tuesday February 16, 2016 @09:01PM (#11114648)
Wut?

The American Revolutionary War resolved the conflict between the two parties rather satisfactorily. I did not claim that it ended all violence.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by kafkaesq on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @12:17PM (#11119386)
Could you provide some notable examples where violence has resolved issues in the long term and did not lead to more issues/violence?

Was the original question. The point is that while it solved one conflict, it deferred and prolonged another (quite major) one -- which might well had been resolved had the colonies not seceded from the Crown.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by spacehome on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @09:52PM (#11123333)
There were also a lot of other conflicts on that list with a promise I could provide more. OK, how about this:

The execution of John Wayne Gacy.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by redblacktree on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @01:40PM (#11120141)
Sure, and with the vague definition of "issues," you can move the goalposts all day long.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The NSA’s machine learning algorithm may be killing thous... by kafkaesq on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @01:52PM (#11120234)
90 years of slavery that very likely would have been severely restricted in 1807 and abolished outright in 1833 (based on certain major events relating to slavery in the British empire, which I'm sure you're aware of) might sound "vague" to you, but most likely it wasn't to those affected.
[ Parent | on HN ]