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The article says:

Massachusetts agencies have until 1 January, 2007, to install applications that support the OpenDocument file formats and phase out other products.

From a Tobacco Settlement document
  at the GAO, most state's fiscal years begin July 1, except Alabama and Michigan, where the fiscal year begins on October 1, and in New York, where the fiscal year begins on April 1.

I am having trouble figuring out from Google when the budget deadline is, but this would appear to imply that every Massachusetts agency will have to put in a budget request before this coming July for a related budget (i.e. hire some company to install it and train them), unless they can handle it in house (since OOo is free).

But government is not necessarily driven by a cost of $0. It seems to me that this means there is a great opportunity for open source software companies to get jobs from Massachusetts, and also for software developers.

There should be a big push to ensure that there are plenty of mature projects with easy to use GPL libraries supporting the OpenDocument format, and resources should be put into developing lots of different kinds of software that supports it. This will help ensure a diverse ecology including providers and users of these tools, open content, and increased momentum to buy into it. This could match what is called "Embrace and Extend". In Embrace and Extend [and Extinguish], as the Wiki notes, support of a given standard is announced, after the PR partial compatibility is provided, then proprietary functions get tacked on and finally widespread use of their mangled format in various products and tools makes it impossible to compete, and they own the (mangled) standard which they can then kill if they wish.

OpenOffice/OpenDocument can be marketed as superior to MS Office. It's just a matter of PR, isn't it Microsoft? And we don't even need any FUD, after all if we have SMIL in OpenDocument then we can integrate web-ready media, etc.

Perhaps a new brand could be created called "Office Plus".

Anyway, where M$ embraces and extends with proprietary and patented code, the free software community has the GPL.

And by putting more energy in to leveraging OpenOffice and OpenDocument format, including making it easy to do so, we can implement the Extend and Extinguish phase. If there are enough alternatives, including OpenOffice, reduced feature set but simpler to use software based on its code, tools such as database generated documents and fill-in forms, etc., we can build a suction to draw people away from M$ Office. There will be many alternatives even if M$ belatedly adds Import/Export for OpenDocument, by which time adding it will be even worse for Microsoft.

Personally I do contribute to debugging OOo as a user but have never gotten into its code or documentation though I should. Just imagining what it must be like has been too dauntin. But I certainly would like to be able to output reports in OOo format, and instead of CSV perhaps use OOo's Calc format for example.

As another example, I was working on workflow software that munges excel data, and thought about adding a spreadsheet input function (to wxPerl). This exists in WxWidgets, but it woul be nice if bits of OOo code found its way into there so that people could easily use OOo facilities, perhaps driven with some scripting from inside a document.

I just noticed as I was writing this that there are a bunch of perl modules on CPAN for OpenOffice for example, think I'll start there.

(from Google's cache, text-only version: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:2FYbHIvbi1YJ:ww w.holoscience.com/news.php%3Farticle%3Dre6qxnz1+&h l=en&lr=&strip=1)

Supernova 1987A Decoded

Supernova 1987A is the closest supernova event since the invention of the telescope. It was first seen in February 1987 in the nearby Magellanic cloud, a dwarf companion galaxy of the Milky Way, and only 169,000 light years from Earth. Close observation since 1987 has now provided proof that supernovae are catastrophic electrical discharges focused on a star.

>> The enigmatic and beautiful structure of SN1987A with its three axial rings. The brightening of the equatorial ring is obvious. The two bright stars are just in the field of view and are not associated with the supernova.
Credit: NASA/STScI/CfA/P.Challis.

A supernova is one of the most energetic events witnessed in the universe. The accepted explanation is that it occurs at the end of a star's lifetime, or red giant stage, when the starâ(TM)s nuclear fuel is exhausted. There is no more release of nuclear energy in the core so the huge star collapses in on itself. If sufficiently massive, the imploding layers of the star are thought to âoereboundâ when they hit the core, resulting in an explosion, and the blast wave ejects the star's envelope into interstellar space. The bright equatorial ring is caused by the collision of exploded matter from the star with the remnants of an earlier stellar "wind." The two faint rings are a problem. The best that theorists have been able to manage is to postulate some kind of rotating beam from an assumed supernova remnant, sweeping and lighting up a shell of gas expelled at an earlier epoch. The ad hoc nature of these explanations is obvious.

The detection of a pulsar remnant after some supernovae is explained by the implosion of the stellar core to produce a neutron star. Pulsars emit bursts of radiation up to thousands of times a second. It is believed that a pulsar must be a super-collapsed stellar object that can spin up to thousands of times a second and emit a rotating beam of X-rays (like a lighthouse). Commonsense suggests that this mechanical model is wrong when some pulsars rev beyond the redline, even for such a bizarre object.

A recent example of conventional thinking can be seen on the Chandra website. On August 17, a news story was posted:
âoeSupernova 1987A: Fast Forward to the Past.â

>> Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/S.Park & D.Burrows.; Optical: NASA/STScI/CfA/P.Challis

Recent Chandra observations have revealed new details about the fiery ring surrounding the stellar explosion that produced Supernova 1987A. The data give insight into the behavior of the doomed star in the years before it exploded, and indicate that the predicted spectacular brightening of the circumstellar ring has begun.. The site of the explosion was traced to the location of a blue supergiant star called Sanduleak -69Â 202 (SK -69 for short) that had a mass estimated at approximately 20 Suns.

Subsequent optical, ultraviolet and X-ray observations have enabled astronomers to piece together the following scenario for SK -69: about ten million years ago the star formed out of a dark, dense, cloud of dust and gas; roughly a million years ago, the star lost most of its outer layers in a slowly moving stellar wind that formed a vast cloud of gas around it; before the star exploded, a high-speed wind blowing off its hot surface carved out a cavity in the cool gas cloud.

The intense flash of ultraviolet light from the supernova illuminated the edge of this cavity to produce the bright ring seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. In the meantime the supernova explosion sent a shock wave rumbling through the cavity. In 1999, Chandra imaged this shock wave, and astronomer

Before Katrina hit the coast Bush had declared Louisiana and Mississippi disaster areas, allowing FEMA to swing into action.

If FEMA was already preparing before Katrina struck at Bush's instruction, then why did it still take them four days to really begin rescue operations? And why isn't anyone talking about Bush's early disaster declarations now?

Obviously, officials would have been aware of the possibility of massive flooding, so they would have obtained the necessary vehicles. The trucks that did eventually roll into New Orleans even drove through flooded streets without a problem...

This story disappeared off of MSNBC's web site, but it can still be found in Google's cache.

And Mitchel Cohen writes. . .

[. . .]
the so-called looters are simply grabbing water, food, diapers and medicines, because the federal and state officials have refused to provide these basic necessities.

Les says that "it's only because of the looters that non-looters -- old people, sick people, small children -- are able to survive."

Those people who stole televisions and large non-emergency items have been selling them, Les reports (having witnessed several of these "exchanges") so that they could get enough money together to leave the area.

Think about it:

- People were told to leave, but all the bus stations had closed down the night before and the personnel sent packing.

- Many people couldn't afford tickets anyway.

- Many people are stranded, and others are refusing to leave their homes, pets, etc. They don't have cars.

You want people to stop looting? Provide the means for them to eat, and to leave the area.

Some tourists in the Monteleone Hotel paid $25,000 for 10 buses. The buses were sent (I guess there were many buses available, if you paid the price!) but the military confiscated them to use not for transporting people in the Dome but for the military. The tourists were not allowed to leave. Instead, the military ordered the tourists to the now-infamous Convention Center.

How simple it would have been for the State and/or US government to have provided buses for people before the hurricane hit, and throughout this week. Even evacuating 100,000 people trapped there -- that's 3,000 buses, less than come into Washington D.C. for some of the giant antiwar demonstrations there. Even at $2,500 a pop -- highway robbery -- that would only be a total of $7.5 million for transporting all of those who did not have the means to leave.

Instead, look at the human and economic cost of not doing that!

So why didn't they do that?

On Wednesday a number of Greens tried to bring a large amount of water to the SuperDome. They were prevented from doing so, as have many others. Why have food and water been blocked from reaching tens of thousands of poor people?

On Thursday, the government used the excuse that there were some very scattered gunshots (two or three instances only) -- around 1/50th of the number of gunshots that occur in New York City on an average day -- to shut down voluntary rescue operations and to scrounge for 5,000 National Guard troops fully armed, with "shoot to kill" orders -- at a huge economic cost.

They even refused to allow voluntary workers who had rescued over 1,000 people in boats over the previous days to continue on Thursday, using the several gunshots (and who knows who shot off those rounds?) to say "It's too dangerous". The volunteers didn't think the gunshots were dangerous to them and wanted to continue their rescue operations and had to be "convinced" at gunpoint to "cease and

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:wE7Dn7WQ_9kJ:ww w.thewmurchannel.com/hurricanes/4887230/detail.htm l+new+orleans+%2Bmayor+evacuation+%2Bdinner+%2Bsun day+%2Bsaturday&hl=en

According to the Louisiana governor: "Blanco said President George W. Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding."

But the Mayor had to sleep on it on start the evacuation the next morning:

http://weblog.sinteur.com/?m=20050828

In an interview on Eyewitness News, Nagin said his Saturday night dinner was interrupted by an urgent call from Governor Kathleen Blanco who asked Nagin to call the Hurricane Center.

Nagin said the Hurricane Center Chief told the mayor that if it was possible at all, he should order an evacuation due to winds that could reach 145 miles per hour sustained and 170 mile per hour gusts.

Nagin said he would consider ordering evacuations by Sunday morning and may employ buses and trains to help get people out of the city.

The mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday morning at 10 AM - over 14 hours after the president, governor, and the chief of the Hurricane center had requested it.

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that President Bush had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.

So says the Google cache of a CNN story about Katrina from before it hit. Why the hell does the President have to tell the Governor of Lousiana how to run her state in an emergency? And why hasn't the media picked up on the story of how utterly incompenent the folks in charge of New Orleans are?

Maybe because they're too caught up in trying to blame Bush?

And FWIW, I lived through Hugo hitting Charleston, SC back in 1989. If you've never been through such an event, you have no fucking idea what you're talking about. The infrastructure to even get help to those people (dumbasses, really) still in the area a severe hurricane strikes is gone. Bridges - gone. Roads - blocked by trees. Airlift? How? If the runway isn't under water what are you going to do with the big pile of supplies the C-17 drops at the end of the runway? There's no trucks to move it around and the roads are blocked anyway, and the people can't get to where the supplies are.

When you see all those individual pictures of devastation and despair they're very powerful. But that's nothing compared to actually being there and having it all shoved into your consciousness in parallel. It's not "That's a destroyed house", "This street's flooded", "That bridge is gone". It's more like "TheHouseIsGoneTheBridgeIsGoneTheLandIsFloodedTheT reesAreAlmostAllGone ThisEntireForestWasSnappedOffFifteenFeetAboveGroun d AllTheTreesLeftHaveHadAllTheirLeavesRippedOffThere AreBoats20MilesInland TheWindPickedUpHalfInchStonesAndShatteredEveryDamn Window" in-your-face.

Nothing functions. Not even disaster relief.

And Katrina was far worse than Hugo - the city Katrina hit is below sea level. Not many in Charleston were dumb enough to build in places like that.

Most people in the US lead such sheltered and pampered lives that quickly forget that there are no guarantees in life.

According to the Louisiana governor: "Blanco said President George W. Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding."

But the Mayor had to sleep on it on start the evacuation the next morning:

http://weblog.sinteur.com/?m=20050828

In an interview on Eyewitness News, Nagin said his Saturday night dinner was interrupted by an urgent call from Governor Kathleen Blanco who asked Nagin to call the Hurricane Center.

Nagin said he would consider ordering evacuations by Sunday morning and may employ buses and trains to help get people out of the city.

According to the Louisiana governor: "Blanco said President George W. Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding."

But the Mayor had to sleep on it on start the evacuation the next morning:

http://weblog.sinteur.com/?m=20050828 In an interview on Eyewitness News, Nagin said his Saturday night dinner was interrupted by an urgent call from Governor Kathleen Blanco who asked Nagin to call the Hurricane Center.

Nagin said he would consider ordering evacuations by Sunday morning and may employ buses and trains to help get people out of the city.

Found this Example forensic reports and methods

Full mirror on (prinatble page cached at Google)

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:1CvlEjwElaUJ:ww w.flexbeta.net/main/printarticle.php%3Fid%3D106++s ite:www.flexbeta.net+10+Days+as+a+Linux+User:+A+GN U+Perspective+on+things+printable&hl=en&client=fir efox-a

Google cache of the "printable" version.

clicky.

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:rqaS83p3KOIJ:ww w.flexbeta.net/main/articles.php%3Faction%3Dshow%2 6id%3D106+&hl=en&client=firefox-a

How about comparing length of service and overall cost in those figures? If I remember right, a shuttle launch costs around $500 million and a Soyuz is about $50 million. As long as you don't lose the crew, the important factor is total cost. I'd say that Soyuz delivers better value. Even if you factor in the number of crew killed, Soyuz comes out on top. According to this page, total crew loss on Soyuz is 4 and the Shuttle is 14. That means that Soyuz has one loss in 20 flights whereas the Shuttle is more on the order of 1 loss in every 8. I should also note that the last death in a Soyuz occurred in 1971.

(And the bird whose story you linked to hasn't in fact exceed it's engineered lifetime yet.)

According to this page, the engineered lifetime was one year. The article I previously quoted said that they hoped to get three years. Given that PCSat launched on 9/29/01, either figure puts us beyond its expected lifetime.

[In passing I note Space Daily is about as reliable as the wind.]

I fully understand your concerns over the source. I suggest Google or Boeing if you're looking for better info. I had heard the number before on major news outlets and was looking for confirmation.

The truss ... isn't a beam.

Whether you call it a truss or a beam, at the end of the day it's used to hook other elements of the station together. Can you explain how only one truss would cost $600 million? Even if you load it up with a bunch of gear, I just don't get the cost.

On a related note: On good thing about the Shuttle/ISS sucking up most of the space dollars is that it's forced us to fly deep space missions on a budget. For example, the two Viking landers in the 70's cost several billion because we made them powered landing systems. The airbag approach of the Mars landing systems has dramatically cut the expense, and we're getting really good science to go along with it. The great thing about flying less expensive, redundant systems is that if both survive the journey then you're ahead of where you would be with a single, more expensive system.

Shatter is sort of interesting, but there are a few mitigating factors:

* It's largely an application developer issue

* It's not something that can be used for an automatic remote exploit

* Someone, at least, thinks they've found a complete "workaround".

* Since Win32 is being replaced by .NET, it's being addressed.

I'm not usually one for ontological arguments, but in this case....Windows was designed from the ground-up as a single user system.

This is not correct. NT was designed "from the ground up" to be multiuser. Indeed, with its pervasive ACLs, it's "more multiuser", if anything, than the typical unix (including OS X).

I would agree with you that OS X is not superior in "every aspect" but I wouldn't say that the rest is at most, a wash.

Why not ?

...but they don't have a right to copy all of a libraries' book, nor do they have the right to distribute (AKA show to you) any pages from these books

Since it's constantly up and down, here's the Google cache. Mostly rationalization of this or that execution, wild claims of uncounted tanks and helicopter kills, US atrocities, stuff like that. If you've read it once you don't need to read it again. Pretty bad propaganda.

They don't

3 minutes to find 5 references to the ugly truth about DRM.

Revenue Implications Grow as More Kentuckians Shop Online
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:D2vchujp29wJ:ww w.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_44.htm+estimate+percen tage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
IRS Unveils Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative; Chance for 'Credit-Card Abusers' to Clear Up Their Tax Liabilities
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:B_ZGsIxdJqsJ:ww w.offshorepress.com/amnesty-IRS-media.htm+estimate +percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
States hunt down online cigarette buyers
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Wgy5LyWZWtEJ:ww w.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action%3FsiteNodeId% 3D136%26languageId%3D1%26contentId%3D29157+estimat e+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
Online tax collection targeted
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:i9kTiiJp7dIJ:th e.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Feb/08/bz/bz 04p.html+estimate+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxe s&hl=en
CIGARETTE TAXES IN NYC
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:z6YpvTYiV5QJ:ww w.nycclash.com/Taxes.html+estimate+percentage+of+u npaid+online+taxes&hl=en

The states and Feds desperately want embedded DRM to link purchases and taxes to change the discretionary tax collection to mandatory tax collection.

It's all a Mac vs. Dac ploy.

You didn't actually think Intel execs were being Arseholes solely just because they are(assholes), did you?
I expect a lot of pressure has been applied to Intel to get embedded DRM in as soon as convenient.

They don't

3 minutes to find 5 references to the ugly truth about DRM.

Revenue Implications Grow as More Kentuckians Shop Online
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:D2vchujp29wJ:ww w.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_44.htm+estimate+percen tage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
IRS Unveils Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative; Chance for 'Credit-Card Abusers' to Clear Up Their Tax Liabilities
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:B_ZGsIxdJqsJ:ww w.offshorepress.com/amnesty-IRS-media.htm+estimate +percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
States hunt down online cigarette buyers
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Wgy5LyWZWtEJ:ww w.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action%3FsiteNodeId% 3D136%26languageId%3D1%26contentId%3D29157+estimat e+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
Online tax collection targeted
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:i9kTiiJp7dIJ:th e.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Feb/08/bz/bz 04p.html+estimate+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxe s&hl=en
CIGARETTE TAXES IN NYC
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:z6YpvTYiV5QJ:ww w.nycclash.com/Taxes.html+estimate+percentage+of+u npaid+online+taxes&hl=en

The states and Feds desperately want embedded DRM to link purchases and taxes to change the discretionary tax collection to mandatory tax collection.

It's all a Mac vs. Dac ploy.

You didn't actually think Intel execs were being Arseholes solely just because they are(assholes), did you?
I expect a lot of pressure has been applied to Intel to get embedded DRM in as soon as convenient.

They don't

3 minutes to find 5 references to the ugly truth about DRM.

Revenue Implications Grow as More Kentuckians Shop Online
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:D2vchujp29wJ:ww w.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_44.htm+estimate+percen tage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
IRS Unveils Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative; Chance for 'Credit-Card Abusers' to Clear Up Their Tax Liabilities
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:B_ZGsIxdJqsJ:ww w.offshorepress.com/amnesty-IRS-media.htm+estimate +percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
States hunt down online cigarette buyers
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Wgy5LyWZWtEJ:ww w.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action%3FsiteNodeId% 3D136%26languageId%3D1%26contentId%3D29157+estimat e+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
Online tax collection targeted
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:i9kTiiJp7dIJ:th e.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Feb/08/bz/bz 04p.html+estimate+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxe s&hl=en
CIGARETTE TAXES IN NYC
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:z6YpvTYiV5QJ:ww w.nycclash.com/Taxes.html+estimate+percentage+of+u npaid+online+taxes&hl=en

The states and Feds desperately want embedded DRM to link purchases and taxes to change the discretionary tax collection to mandatory tax collection.

It's all a Mac vs. Dac ploy.

You didn't actually think Intel execs were being Arseholes solely just because they are(assholes), did you?
I expect a lot of pressure has been applied to Intel to get embedded DRM in as soon as convenient.

They don't

3 minutes to find 5 references to the ugly truth about DRM.

Revenue Implications Grow as More Kentuckians Shop Online
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:D2vchujp29wJ:ww w.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_44.htm+estimate+percen tage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
IRS Unveils Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative; Chance for 'Credit-Card Abusers' to Clear Up Their Tax Liabilities
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:B_ZGsIxdJqsJ:ww w.offshorepress.com/amnesty-IRS-media.htm+estimate +percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
States hunt down online cigarette buyers
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Wgy5LyWZWtEJ:ww w.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action%3FsiteNodeId% 3D136%26languageId%3D1%26contentId%3D29157+estimat e+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
Online tax collection targeted
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:i9kTiiJp7dIJ:th e.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Feb/08/bz/bz 04p.html+estimate+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxe s&hl=en
CIGARETTE TAXES IN NYC
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:z6YpvTYiV5QJ:ww w.nycclash.com/Taxes.html+estimate+percentage+of+u npaid+online+taxes&hl=en

The states and Feds desperately want embedded DRM to link purchases and taxes to change the discretionary tax collection to mandatory tax collection.

It's all a Mac vs. Dac ploy.

You didn't actually think Intel execs were being Arseholes solely just because they are(assholes), did you?
I expect a lot of pressure has been applied to Intel to get embedded DRM in as soon as convenient.

They don't

3 minutes to find 5 references to the ugly truth about DRM.

Revenue Implications Grow as More Kentuckians Shop Online
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:D2vchujp29wJ:ww w.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_44.htm+estimate+percen tage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
IRS Unveils Offshore Voluntary Compliance Initiative; Chance for 'Credit-Card Abusers' to Clear Up Their Tax Liabilities
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:B_ZGsIxdJqsJ:ww w.offshorepress.com/amnesty-IRS-media.htm+estimate +percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
States hunt down online cigarette buyers
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Wgy5LyWZWtEJ:ww w.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action%3FsiteNodeId% 3D136%26languageId%3D1%26contentId%3D29157+estimat e+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxes&hl=en
Online tax collection targeted
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:i9kTiiJp7dIJ:th e.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Feb/08/bz/bz 04p.html+estimate+percentage+of+unpaid+online+taxe s&hl=en
CIGARETTE TAXES IN NYC
      http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:z6YpvTYiV5QJ:ww w.nycclash.com/Taxes.html+estimate+percentage+of+u npaid+online+taxes&hl=en

The states and Feds desperately want embedded DRM to link purchases and taxes to change the discretionary tax collection to mandatory tax collection.

It's all a Mac vs. Dac ploy.

You didn't actually think Intel execs were being Arseholes solely just because they are(assholes), did you?
I expect a lot of pressure has been applied to Intel to get embedded DRM in as soon as convenient.

That post you slander as being a troll is quoting an actual source, while you are just throwing curses in likeness of a immature child.

I believe your dispute could be attributed to the recent, oh say 4-year old, dispute. Some people stole a aeroplanes in mid-flight and crashed them onto some buildings. Why is it the United States seeking to recompnse for damages {New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington District of Columbia} ?

I believe what you are trying to say is just what I had shown above. Thoughtful to prevent fraud, lets consider "a" and "the" in a given statute; after-all, a statute is an erected process and doesn't delegate authority to a corporation by immediate reference. A statute is used as a template in a contract, and the parties subject to their roles guided by the design of the statute, but what if there was a "United States" in a contract? You are confusing process with Process (note the "P"). Only proper nouns are capitalized.

I just google-searched some information. Maybe you can explain this result of a quick google search?

IRS Publication 521, p. 7: Definition of United States-this definition will surprise you!
"United States defined. For this section of this publication, 'United States' includes the posessions of the United States."

19 Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS) 883-884: Foreign Corporations-The United States government is a foreign corporation with respect to a state.

What extent of territory do the United States of America comprise? In order to answer this question intelligently, it is necessary to ascertain the meaning of the term "United States."
[Definition 3 in Hooven & Allison above] Indeed, the Articles of Confederation were merely an agreement between the thirteen States in their corporate capacity, or, more correctly, an agreement by each of the thirteen States with all the others. There were, therefore, thirteen parties to the confederation, and no more, and the people of the different States as individuals had directly no relations with it. Accordingly, it was the States in their corporate capacity that voted in the Continental Congress, and not the individual members of the Congress; and hence the voting power of a State did not at all depend upon the number of its delegates in Congress, and in fact each State was left to determine for itself, within certain limits, how many delegates it would send. Hence also each State had the same voting power. Even the style of the Continental Congress was "The United States in Congress assembled," -- not (as the present style would suggest) "The Delegates of the United States in Congress assembled"; and if the style had been "The Thirteen United States in Congress assembled," the meaning would have been precisely the same.

[Definition 1 in Hooven & Allison above] Secondly. -- Since the adoption of the Constitution, the term "United States" has been the name of the sovereign, and that sovereign occupies a position analogous to that of the personal sovereignties of most European countries. Indeed the analogy between them is close, at least in one respect, than at first sight appears; for a natural person who is also a sovereign has two personalities, one natural, the other artificial and legal, and it is the latter that is sovereign. It is as true, therefore, of England (for example) as it is of this country, that her sovereign is an artificial and legal person (i.e., a body politic and corporate), and, therefore, never dies. The difference between the two sovereigns is, that, while the former consists of a single person, the latter consists of many persons, each of whom is a member of the body politic. In short, while the former is a corporation sole, the latter is a corporation aggregate. Who, then, are those persons of whom the United States as a body politic consist

If I have to comment on what my code is doing, in the majority of cases there is a problem with how my code is written. Comments for why something is done in code is a lot more useful when the why is not obvious. That and API documentation (publically explosed method headers, for example) are where I see comments being uself. The article takes commenting to an extreme, and ignores the real problems which create the desire to comment heavily. From TFA:


function beginBattle(attacker, defender) {
        var isAlive; // Boolean inidicating life or death after attack
        var teamCount; // Loop counter // Check for pre-emptive strike
        if(defender.agility > attacker.agility) {
                isAlive = defender.attack(attacker);
        } // Continue original attack if still alive
        if(isAlive) {
                isAlive = attacker.attack(defender);
        } // See if any of the defenders teammates wish to counter attack
        for(teamCount = 0; teamCount < defender.team.length; i++) {
                var teammate = defender.team[teamCount];
                if(teammate.counterAttack = 1) {
                        isAlive = teammate.attack(attacker);
                }
        } // TODO: Process the logic that handles attacker or defender deaths

        return true;
} // End beginBattle


All of these comments get in the way of reading the code. However they're required because this method is not written well. The variable names are not self describing. The method also violates the Single Responsibility Principle on multiple counts. The method is also too long (mainly due to the SRP violations). Instead of spending the time mudding up the code with comments, spend the time refactoring the code so that the majority of the comments aren't necessary in the first place. Comments main purpose is to assist a developer in understanding the code. If too much of this assitance is necessary, it is probably due to problems with the code itself; even problems which may have a negative impact on the codebase beyond readability issues.

Actually, this so-called mistake is found earlier than the "proper" construction with try to. Not that that makes it right, but in this case there's a huge amount of evidence for try and: authors who have used it include Austen, Dickens, Thackeray, Henry Adams, Melville, Twain, Fitzgerald, and many others. The evidence shows that it's often colloquial--it's found in letters or representations of speech more often than in formal writing--but is still widespread at all levels of usage.

The fact is, the infinitive in English (such as the "stop" in your example "Try and stop me") does not necessarily require "to," and "and" can often be used for emphasis--granted, typically in colloquial use. Some examples of verbs taking infinitives with "and" are be sure ("Be sure and tell me when you're leaving") and go or come ("What's he want to go and do that for?").

Try is different--it really does require a following verb, while "go" and "come" can often be considered to be used independently of the next verb (that is, "Come and get it!" could mean "Come to get it," but "come here, and then get it" is a valid interpretation). For this reason, you can use try to when appropriate, but try and is very common and there's no reason to avoid it when it feels right.

Google's Cached page:

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:qloFh8l4wmsJ:ww w.audioorigami.co.uk/FloppyProject/FloppyDIYMotor. htm+floppy+diy+motor&hl=en&client=firefox-a

Nah, see what happened was in the 60's, record companies paid cash directly to DJs, under the table, to play songs. "i'll give you $100 if you play $song".

You're missing a few points. First, the original payola was in the 50s, not the 60s. In the original payola scandal, the DJs were implicated for accepting bribes of cash, drugs, hookers, etc directly in return for airplay.

That scandal took down some crooks, but it also took down some good DJs. And it gave a lot more of the decision-making power to the stations and program directors and took it away from the DJs, in order to avoid further scandal.

But since there's a lot more songs than time to play them, the labels needed a new way to make sure that their new 'hit' single got played.

To accomplish this, the majors came up with the independent promotion system -- meaning that a label would contract an independent promoter to get the song on the air. If anything unseemly happened, it was a matter strictly between the promoter and the radio station, not the record label. This allowed the labels to 'outsource' the corruption and at least pretend to be clean.

By the late 70s/early 80s, independent promotion had become institutionalized (and centralized) to the point that paying an independent promoter might not get your song on the air, but not paying would ensure the song stayed off the air, no matter how big the song. IIRC, Pink Floyd was a guinea pig for this -- at a time when The Wall was one of the top selling albums, "Another Brick in the Wall" was one of the top selling singles and the band was promoting a concert tour, they didn't get any radio play in LA. Their label hadn't paid for independent promotion in the LA market.

As the independent promotion system was institutionalized, there were a number of dodgy mafia-connected people getting involved in the RIAA side as well. Tommy Mottola, for example, the former US boss of Sony Music, started as an independent promoter in the 70s, and Frank DiLeo (who played this guy in Goodfellas) was Michael Jackson's manager in the 80s, and was tight with 'our friends in New York and Chicago'.

What bothers the record labels is not that there's corruption or that they have to pay for spins, it's that they have no control over what they're buying -- the label owes whatever the promoter says it owes, and there's no resonable correlation between the number and quality (ie 8.15 am is a better time than 10:00 pm) of spins and the payment rate. If it was up to labels, I imagine they'd rather just buy the time outright.

Forget the fact that all this is illegal, but when Clear Channel bailed out on independent promoters it took away the only leverage the promoters had. With the Justice Department now getting involved and Congressional hearings likely at some point, our RIAA friends will line up and take their wrist-slapping and be glad to be rid of independent promotion.

Although it's almost 15 years old, the book Hit Men is a great look at how the music business got to be the reeking cesspit it is. I only hope that when there are hearings, the record companies get reamed as hard as the mafia middlemen for setting up the system in the first place.

An article from Colorado's legislature suggests that the primary complaint from farmers is that "most agricultural activities are based on daylight hours as opposed to clock hours, and crops and livestock maintain their schedules regardless of the time reflected on the clock."

Because the farmers and their families would still have to work with their product during certain margins of the day to accomdate the plants, they would have to readjust their schedules to do non-farm things like shop for food, meet with a bank, etc.

In the case of agribusiness, they would have to readjust the schedules of their employees.

I was looking for a free application like that a few weeks ago and found this guy's nice write-up of desired features.

Two great references: This early punk band ("Wasted Youth") had a song called "WireHead" with the refrain:

No more pain, there's a wire in my brain

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Ks5iBSLuLA8J:21 6.194.99.1/portal/forum/viewtopic.php%3Fp%3D8146%2 6sid%3Da7aa55795968a8bc3c4667517b9c6fca+%22no+more +pain%22+%22wire+in+my+brain%22&hl=en [Google cache]

This, in turn, was likeley inspired by Larry Niven's SF short stories about the implanting of "drouds" (this back in 1970!):

The droud was the connector between any wall socket and Louis Wu's brain
http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=207

The new standard calls for 42v not 48.

It looks like there is the Toyota Crown Royal which uses 42v and a "new SUV from GM" that will use 42v as well. Source.

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Homebrew Maytag Gas Battery charger
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PS: You may want to read up on "detox" - see this for a brief explanation. (quick google search for "unschool detox"

I'm not just shouting from a bridge - the type of education I discuss is often called "unschooling" or "child-led" education. It's radically different, and surprisingly effective. It's public school turned 180 degrees - and results are simply incredible.

Here's an explanation. Here's a manual. Here is a writeup.

I encourage you to look at any of those and then this C++ proposal (from the ISO people).

http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers /2004/n1736.pdf

Let me know what you think.

I mean exactly that. I don't see any reason think the current antimatter production methods are the last word on the subject.

In 1945 they were using accelerometers to seperate U235 and U238, which was very inefficient. Today they use lasers to separate the isotopes at a tiny fraction of the former cost/pound (orders of magnitude). Why are you sure similar gains can't be made with antimatter?

I don't know how authoritative this link is, but if it can be believed the maximum theoretical efficiency of production would give you antiprotons at $5 million per gram using current energy prices. Clearly we won't ever get the maximum theoretical efficiency out of any process, but we may get close enough for non-state actors to produce a non-trivial amount.

Check out this racist scumbag's post history:

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:VSD0wH6fOiEJ:20 9.157.64.200/~ccmay/in-forum+ccmay&hl=en

Or browse around:

http://www.google.com/search?&q=ccmay

Tough to stomach, but needs to be known.

• video of interference in Manassas
• list of complaints filed with the FCC (search for Manassas) (HTML cache
• Manassas, VA BPL search

Another AC writes (why won't any of these people say who they are?)
>Manassas, VA adopted BPL last year and has shown demonstrations of folks
>using HAM all throughout the city. No interference whatsoever.
>AFAIK, of all of the commercial deployments, none have been shown to
>negatively interfere with amateur radio. The claims of interference
>seem like little more than FUD to me. Everybody wants something
>to complain about.

Well, you're quite documentedly wrong. I did Google manassas, va bpl and got a top hit that led me to a MS Word document of FCC complaint filings, together with links to the complaints filed on the official FCC web site. See Google's cache for a HTML version of the word document.

Another contains WMV video of a radio experiencing interference in Manassas, VA. and watch "706 listening to BPL on 40 meters, while another transmits".

I could only find reference to stealthat.com, a site created to "provide information regarding one Leo Stoller," in the google cache. Where'd it go?

courtesy of Google Cache

I don't see anyone arguing the merits of Google's action, so I will. From what I can see from the Google cache of the web site, I see that following:

1. They perform automated queries on Google to get the map pieces in order to produce composite images. (Terms of Service violation)
2. They produced composite images from Copyrighted material. (Copyright violation)
3. They hosted (distributed) the composite images made from Copyrighted material. (Copyright violation)

This gives Google good reason to shut down "Google Wallpapers" as it stands. I don't think it Google has any claims against the python script itself, just its users (which includes "Google Wallpapers").

This differs from "Google Sightseeing" and "Chicago Crime" (as far as I know, since I can't verify util the sites are back up), which only link to maps on Google, which means

1. There are no automated queries. The user must click on the link to view the image.
2. No derivative product is made. They only provide a link to Google.
3. No distribution is made. The maps are solely on Google's server.

Funny, you can still get to the python script that generates the wallpapers from the cached pages of http://gmerge.2ni.net/ on Google itself:

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:lNdeCgLHUdwJ:le vinux.org/~2ni/gmerge/+google+maps+wallpaper&hl=en

Get it while its still there! :)

I take small comfort in knowing that I am not the sole person on this planet to suffer this delusion

My eyes and ears will have to disagree with IMDB, your DVD and your wife. Until I get home and watch my own DVD, I continue to claim that Tim the Enchanter was played by Billy Connelly. Come to think of it, isn't John Cleese actually in that scene, as Lanceleot?

Yes, I've done a quick google and found few references. I'll come back and eat crow tomorrow if I've had some kind of mental blackspot over this...

google cache link

XBox and playstation do. The proof is here in applications were cost REALLY counts. Where are ALL the game systems? Thats right PPC.

As for the notebook/power issue lets take a look:
P4 3.2 GHz = 6.3 GFLOPS (82 watts)
Pentium M 1.6 GHz = 3.6 GFLOPS (24 watts)
PPC970FX 1.6 GHz = 6.3 GFLOPS (22 Watts)

P4 and 970 benchs from Top500.com. Pentium M from scaled comparison with P4.

So what is apple talking about? Well Pentium M Speedstep probably has better power management to turn the clock down dynamically during occational use (like a word processor). Other than this add-on feature the pentium family has NO advantage other than market clout. The PPC gets P4 performance with pentium M power draw.

Lots of good tech has died because of stronger competitors with weaker products.

There are other problems with spaces in file names, or at least the Microsoft way of doing spaces in file names.

See this article. I am posting the google cache because the page itself returns a database error.

If you're feeling paranoid enough, how about some other questions that same developer has asked around other forums. Try piecing something together.