Slashdot Mirror

But how can I sell you shit, when you know its shit?

Easy, don't tell us it's shit. Bill Gates is making a fortune doing that!

Wouldn't be a big deal normally, but they could have greater influence in a minority gov't. Lets hope they focus on things they understand, like health care.

Yes, but Paul Martin announced that he could do without a formal coalition.

One supports the other. If a movie/song is terrible, I delete it. If it's good, I buy it, and often, other movies/songs by the same artists. If you track my spending habits, my downloading is directly linked to my spending. I'm the same way with books, I hit the library and if I read something I know I want to read again, I buy it.

That's what borrowing from your friends is for. Where do you find out about these movies, songs, and books, if not from your friends?

Ok so nuclear might suck but recently presented study demonstrated that coal electricity is cause for much pollution.

A study done during last August east coast powerfailure as reported in this article that when electricity production was cut, the sky was more transparent and pollutants droped significantly. Transparency moved from 20km to 60km for instance.

So there is no doubt that we need to move away from these polluting energy sources.

Nice Post.

If I may add...

You have summarized quite nicely the whole point of Limited Liability - a natural person wants to reap the benefits of business, but wants to limit the liability that can be placed on him, so they divert it to an artificial entity.

Corporations are a modern invention, but Trusts have been around for thousands of years, but yet they haven't been abused to the same degree as corporations. Go Figure.

--
Mass Genecide in Canada - 19 *million* birds are to be killed
New avian flu strain hits Fraser Valley poultry farm
Funny how the virus respects the US-Canada border...

If you pause to consider that one fourth of the world is obese, that might not be as pleasant a job as you imagine.

I'm a Manitoban. Yes they absolutely want to waste taxpayer's money. Our current provincial government is what you would call extremely populist. They've been doing all kinds of whacky things like "reforming" labour laws. You'd really have to live here to understand just how nuts these guys are. Check out the fantastic back-patting on their web page.

They even have the intestinal fortitude to put on there "Balanced Budgets and Lower Taxes". The reality of the situation is that the Conservative party that they took over from, balanced the budget for many years in a row after cleaning up the mess left over from these yahoo's. Then passed legislation saying that if the government did run a deficit there would be all kinds of salary implications for the mucky mucks.

They just released their latest budget, raising many taxes. The NDP had now run a defecit 3 years in a row. You'd be VERY hard pressed to find anyone outside of NDP caucus who can call this a surplus budget. In fact there are many examples of news stories condemning their accounting.

Manitoba auditor: Budget contains deficit
Manitoba set to bring down 'realistic' provincial budget
Manitoba increases taxes

I could go on, but I think I'm about to explode with rage.

After the "inconclusive evaluation" of the use of cameras last year in a particular area in Edmonton, the police in Edmonton are going to try and "evaluate" them again. What's sickening is that people aren't fighting back against this. Sure, there are crimes committed, but the cameras caught one car theft and one guy holding a gun. That's all for a cost of $46000.

Yes, you read correctly, $46000. That's roughly the cost of putting a cop on the streets for half a year.

Fight back against the use of cameras as much as possible. Otherwise, Big Brother may creep up on us without us realizing it.

Some articles Like this one Talk about how Sun is also cutting 3 300 jobs. Sucky.

Bill C-250 means end of free speech

Now developers will have to compete with people who will live on poutine!

Anyway, just Google for "bagle q" to get more info. A nice deconstruction of how it actually works is at Trend Micro.

Mr. Soto's daily spamfest starts after he gets home from his $40,000-a-year job as a building supervisor at NYRE Management, a real-estate firm that runs Manhattan apartment buildings.

Hey.

I submitted the story about the Canadian spammer trio yesterday and it got rejected.

I also submitted an article from The Ottawa Citizen. Interesting bits in it. He claims to be retired, and used to make 140,000$ a week. He sent 30 million messages a day.

Notice how he calls anti SPAM activists "terrorists". Nice moniker there, just like Commie was in the 1950s/1960s.

Perhaps my joking remark about US invading Canada because of all that put off the editors? ;-). I knew that CAN-SPAM had a Canadian sounding name!

And according to the article, he's "just down the road" from a place called "Cow Shit Valley Farms".

Heh. If that's true, I can't think of a better place for a spammer to live.

I wonder if the Bernard Balan in the Ottawa Citizen article is the same Bernard Balan against whom some interesting allegations were raised in this 1996 Google thread from alt.allsysop, and whether there is any substance to the allegations raised against that Bernard Balan (that is, the one in the alt.allsysop thread).

Certainly, the Bernard Balan from the 1996 thread, (who had the email address "glasswords@neon.win.net") appears to have had... an interesting history of spamming USENET advertising dialup pr0n BBSes in 1995. And it's interesting to note that the BBSes in question were in area code 905, which, if I know my area codes, is pretty darn close to Muskoka, which just happens to be the last known whereabouts of the Bernard Balan mentioned in today's article.

I wonder if the two Bernard Balans are the same individual or not.

Google is a truly fascinating resource, is it not?

Bad Press? Heck, they do that to themselves.

From this;

Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler Friday. "It is in his best long-term interest to develop his own commercial reputation in his own name."

Mr. Desler, that *was* his own name, you sanctimonious asshole.

Sigh.

SB

Software giant threatens mikerowesoftZDNet.co.uk,UK-8 minutes agoMicrosoft has set its lawyers onto a 17-year-old software writer from Vancouver, called Mike Rowe, because he has registered MikeRoweSoft.com, which the

Microsoft not pleased about mikerowesoft websiteAnanova,UK-3 hours agoA Canadian teenager called Mike Rowe who added the word soft to his name for his website title, has been ordered by Microsoft to hand over the domain.

Microsoft won't go soft on Mike RoweLondon Free Press,Canada-4 hours agoVANCOUVER -- Like any good fledgling businessperson, Mike Rowe knew

Microsoft lawyers threaten Mike Rowe (17)The Register,UK-5 hours agoIn what could easily be mistaken for an Onion story, Microsoft has unleashed the full fury of its lawyers on 17-year-old Canadian high-school student, Mike Rowe

Mike may be Rowe, but 'soft' is troubleSeattle Times,WA-7 hours agoBy The Associated Press. VANCOUVER, BC - Mike Rowe knew he needed a catchy name for his Web-site design company. But the folks

Big bully Gates targets teenTimes of India,India-8 hours agoVANCOUVER: No matter what Shakespeare said on the theme of nomenclature, Microsoft has thought it fit to sue a teenager whose domain name is a lot like the

Microsoft vs MikeRoweSoftIndependent Online,South Africa-10 hours agoVancouver, British Columbia - Mike Rowe thinks it's funny that his catchy name for a website design company sounds a lot like Microsoft.

Microsoft takes on teenNEWS.com.au,Australia-10 hours agoMIKE Rowe thinks it is funny that his catchy name for a Web site design company sounds a lot like Microsoft. "Since my name is Mike

Langford student battles tech giant over use of his domain name: Canada.com,Canada-Jan 17, 2004Mike Rowe, a Langford high school student who does Web site design part-time, is locked in a legal battle with one of the world's biggest companies.

Microsoft vs. Mike Rowe SoftWIS,SC-47 minutes ago(Vancouver, British Columbia-AP) Jan. 19, 2004 - It's Microsoft versus Mike Rowe-soft. Mike Rowe, 17, wanted a catchy name for his Web site design company.

Support CD Babyp2pnet.net,Canada-1 hour agoBecause Mike, who lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada (and a short drive from p2pnet.net's thriving central base : ) makes a

Microsoft Talk Legal to 17 Year-Old Owner of MikeRoweSoft DomainShortNews.com-2 hours agoMike Rowe, 17, from British Columbia, Canada decided to start up a small web business and called his domain MikeRoweSoft. Smart

Microsoft Corporation vs MikeRoweSoftOfficialSpin-3 hours agoVictoria, British Columbia -- (OfficialSpin) -- 19/01/04 -- A 17 year-old high school student, Mike Rowe, who just so happens to earn a few extra bucks...

Microsoft demands teen to give up domain nameSalem Statesman Journal,OR-7 hours agoVANCOUVER, British Columbia - Mike Rowe knew that he needed

This was on metafilter a few days ago.. The reason Mike Rowe is being sued by M$ is that there "might" be some confusion between the websites because of the design of Mike Rowe's website.

There's also a quote on canada.com" where Mike Rowe says it would be "cool" to have the same phonetic name as the "famous company Microsoft". He had a website (or two) before this, according to the links on his web page.

The Canada.com article does say Copyright, not Trademark, and mentions his mistake of asking for money from Microsoft's lawyers, who are conveniently called "Smart & Biggar". This is just after saying he didn't set up the website to make money (it's $25 a page for his services btw.)

I doubt M$ will be able to win solely on his "sole intention to extract a large settlement", especially when there are only so many ways to organise a 3 section web page in english, i.e. with a top bar, a left bar and a content column. He did step in a big pile of dog poo with his comments though.

That would be funny, if the present U.S. financial mismanagement and the resulting weak U.S dollar hadn't been driving the Canadian dollar to new heights. Eighty cents and climbing. Maybe it will surpass the US$ again, as it did in the seventies.

The Loonie is so strong now, that it's negatively affecting our trade with the U.S. It's so strong that something has to be done quickly.

Having said all that, Vancouver is a great place to hold a conference.

yo.

All this extra security at airports, then add in the health-screening if SARS gets loose from China again. (One new case found) In that case, everyone might as well stay home.

Because we are getting a little tired of it.
Brief summary of what we have been wrongly blamed for lately.
Missed opportunity to help both our industries.

Because we are getting a little tired of it.
Brief summary of what we have been wrongly blamed for lately.
Missed opportunity to help both our industries.

Like the digital soldiers used to create the epic battle scene in RotK who decided to flee instead of fight.

I mean, you know nobody gives a shit whether you crash or not. If they did, they'd send a human up there.

If no wasn't an acceptible answer, then once aloft, I'd follow the pigeons. They seem to have it all worked out. Hang out on the rooftops where everybody is afraid to go. Nobody messes with you up there.

Here ya go, from an interview with special effects designer Richard Taylor:

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/sto ry.asp?id=7530006A-C103-4E13-9A55-F6EFCC111ACC

Why can't the US have a healthy 10-15% unemployment rate?

First of all, the US statistics are an illusion because many people who would be counted as unemployed in Europe aren't counted as unemployed in the US.

But even taking the US unemployment rate at face value, it is simply kept so low through massive foreign borrowing. If the dollar were devalued and the US economy deflated to the point of bringing it anywhere near balance, US unemployment would soar past European unemployment even with the US's already illusory standards.

It is going to be fun watching France dig itself out of the economic hole it threw itself into.

France is running its economy pretty conservatively. Europeans seem less wealthy than Americans (whether they actually are is another question) because European governments are making the necessary economically hard choices. The US, on the other hand, is living an economic lie, financed by unsustainable foreign borrowing.

Ths US trade deficit is $500bn, about 5% of GDP (e.g., here). US net foreign debt is $2.3 trillion, about 25% of GDP.

Bringing just the trade deficit into balance would require a massive increase in unemployment and a sharp drop in US GDP (here).

Maybe that 35 hours work week was a bad idea? Ha ha.

You make it sound as if the 35 hour work week was some kind of attempt to create a socialist paradise. It wasn't. It was an attempt to spread less available work among a fixed labor pool. What's the US alternative? Massive borrowing to maintain the illusion of wealth and to put the remaining unemployed out on the street.

And whether the US will be able to live with its tough position on welfare reform is an open question: welfare benefits are just starting to run out; even Americans don't seem to have the stomach to live with that. I predict welfare benefits will just keep getting extended.

Saddam Hussein captured alive
U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein in a raid near the ousted Iraqi leader's hometown of Tikrit, the head of the U.S. administration in Iraq said Sunday. 'Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,' Paul Bremer told a news conference.

Followed by the lead National story, with picture!

Minister flaunts sealskin coat
OTTAWA - Natural Resources Minister John Efford attended his first cabinet meeting Saturday wearing a sealskin coat and was promptly clubbed down by animal rights activists.

I really like living in Canada.

Saddam Hussein captured alive
U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein in a raid near the ousted Iraqi leader's hometown of Tikrit, the head of the U.S. administration in Iraq said Sunday. 'Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,' Paul Bremer told a news conference.

Followed by the lead National story, with picture!

Minister flaunts sealskin coat
OTTAWA - Natural Resources Minister John Efford attended his first cabinet meeting Saturday wearing a sealskin coat and was promptly clubbed down by animal rights activists.

I really like living in Canada.

Saddam Hussein captured alive
U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein in a raid near the ousted Iraqi leader's hometown of Tikrit, the head of the U.S. administration in Iraq said Sunday. 'Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,' Paul Bremer told a news conference.

Followed by the lead National story, with picture!

Minister flaunts sealskin coat
OTTAWA - Natural Resources Minister John Efford attended his first cabinet meeting Saturday wearing a sealskin coat and was promptly clubbed down by animal rights activists.

I really like living in Canada.

...blame Canada!

"Canadians too patriotic, Americans say in study"

Canadians should be careful not to appear "boastful" to Americans, who are insecure because of the war in Iraq and admit they are annoyed by northerners showing off the maple leaf on their luggage when they travel, a federal report says. In focus groups held this fall in four U.S. cities where the federal government is opening consulates, Americans acknowledged they do not know much about Canadians. Many did not know Canada did not support the United States in the war in Iraq. "Some participants expressed a certain amount of annoyance at what is perceived as a systematic attempt by Canadians to make the statement that they are not Americans by sporting the maple leaf," said the recently released report.

"This underscores the American sensitivity at feeling rejected by the rest of the world ..."

The report says even Americans who blame the Bush administration to some extent for their country's poor relations with the world do not seem to understand why friendly countries and neighbours such as Canada would want to distance themselves from Americans. An American from San Diego is quoted saying: "What bugs me about Canadians, if I may, is that they wear that damn patch on their bags, the Canadian flag patch. That way, they differentiate themselves from us."

Canadians are "very patriotic," freely acknowledging they are from Canada while abroad, observed a respondent from Raleigh, N.C. "Americans will tend to not even want to tell people because they think they'll get bad vibes from them," he added.

The report is based on eight focus groups conducted in September by Millward Brown Goldfarb in San Diego, Raleigh, Denver and Houston where Canadian consulates are in the process of opening.

Pierre Bechard, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, said Millward Brown Goldfarb was paid $49,543 for the October report and focus groups.

He said the findings will act as a baseline for the consulates to work to understand how much Americans understand about Canada and how they feel about their relationship with their northern neighbour.

From the findings, federal employees opening the consulates will have their work cut out for them. Most participants said they were "shocked" by a fact sheet about Canada that they were given during the focus groups.

"A few express some concern over the U.S.'s implied dependence on Canada for energy ... However, Canada should be careful not to appear 'boastful,' which could backfire, as Americans do not like to be reminded of any kind of dependence on another country," the report warns.

It says while there is some resentment over Canada's refusal to join the Americans in the war with Iraq, it is currently tempered by "a feeling of uncertainty as to whether the war should have been waged at all.

"Also, unlike France, which is viewed as having forcefully opposed the States, Canada is viewed more as having stayed on sidelines."

Incidently, QNX has been establishing itself in the Automotive sector for quite some time. Here's a few article excepts, etc.

Life-or-death code [Registration Required]
Bugs hold danger as cars and hospitals rely more on software

QNX Software Systems Ltd. makes software for both. Bugs might present minor problems, but the Canadian company has found a way to keep devices from crashing completely, said product management director Sachin Lawande.

QNX operating system revs up for the road
Robust brain of smart-vehicle computers is able to repair itself

Should Bill Gates worry? If he's going after high-reliability markets then we will beat him without question, says Mr. Dodge. But let's be realistic here. Technology doesn't always win everywhere and Microsoft has the marketing. People are used to rebooting their PC every day. We've had customers running QNX for 10 to 15 years without rebooting.

Driving the Future
Click here to see the Audi A8 L's MultiMedia Interface, powered by QNX

Windows CE (now called Windows Automotive) lost out to QNX Neutrino, a real-time operating system from a company with two decades of experience in life-support systems and nuclear power plantsand few plans to run Audi's life in the future. With Microsoft, confided one Audi manager, You were always thinking they had plans to control more than your dashboard. (Microsoft automotive business unit general manager Bob McKenzie says that Microsoft would like to partner with automakers on more extensive projects in the future.)

Obviously there's more, but that gives you an idea of what's happening.

Incidently, QNX has been establishing itself in the Automotive sector for quite some time. Here's a few article excepts, etc.

Life-or-death code [Registration Required]
Bugs hold danger as cars and hospitals rely more on software

QNX Software Systems Ltd. makes software for both. Bugs might present minor problems, but the Canadian company has found a way to keep devices from crashing completely, said product management director Sachin Lawande.

QNX operating system revs up for the road
Robust brain of smart-vehicle computers is able to repair itself

Should Bill Gates worry? If he's going after high-reliability markets then we will beat him without question, says Mr. Dodge. But let's be realistic here. Technology doesn't always win everywhere and Microsoft has the marketing. People are used to rebooting their PC every day. We've had customers running QNX for 10 to 15 years without rebooting.

Driving the Future
Click here to see the Audi A8 L's MultiMedia Interface, powered by QNX

Windows CE (now called Windows Automotive) lost out to QNX Neutrino, a real-time operating system from a company with two decades of experience in life-support systems and nuclear power plantsand few plans to run Audi's life in the future. With Microsoft, confided one Audi manager, You were always thinking they had plans to control more than your dashboard. (Microsoft automotive business unit general manager Bob McKenzie says that Microsoft would like to partner with automakers on more extensive projects in the future.)

Obviously there's more, but that gives you an idea of what's happening.

``Let's just say if . . . anybody that used Colgate toothpaste, their life expectancy was lowered by 10, 15 years. What do you think would happen to Colgate toothpaste? It would be outlawed. Well, we know that's what happens to men living a gay lifestyle.''

In fact, at the rate that they were (are?) losing money, having their operations shut down temporarily probably saved them a fortune. Sadly it looks like they have not been allowed to go bankrupt.

But according to this article, the company indicated was not spamming, but mistaken due to spam from a rival firm. Perhaps a joe-job, or just creative butt-covering?

He wasn't so much fired or kicked out so much as top-down-sized.

Patent could be worth billions Legal fight ahead. Tiny Longueuil firm sparks firestorm in New Zealand with warnings to pay up faces stiff resistance.

After years of struggles, Edward Pool's tiny, little-known Longueuil firm is hoping to finally start cashing in on controversial patents he says should give it royalties on every international e-commerce transaction.

Lax, outdated U.S. patent laws are stifling innovation in Canada's small technology companies, lawyers warn. And experts say the managers of smaller companies may want to consider whether fighting these laws is worth their time and money. [snip]

It might be interesting to know, that the he was drinving in a 50km/h zone: that's 31.25mph...

So he was going at over 2 times the speed limit.... and 2 second prior to that, 3 times the speed limit...

The Ottawa Citizen newspaper just had a profile on QNX as part of their semi-annual high-tech review. It goes into quite a bit of detail about QNX's recent move into the automotive space. Ottawa Citizen Link: QNX operating system revs up for the road

At my office, we have Win2K Group Policies which prevent CD Autorun. Is my company violating the DCMA?

This whole thing is rediculous. Can't anyone do anything down there in America(TM) without getting sued anymore?

Come to Canada, everything is legal up here!

Sierra Wireless just released a new phone today. The Vancouver Sun did a story this morning, which said "the first model will work with wireless networks using the GSM and GPRS standard used throughout Europe and on some North American networks, including Rogers AT&T Wireless and Microcell's Fido in Canada."

Unfortunately, it runs Windows Mobile software, but the layout of the keyboard is very cool.

There's even a FAQ for IT people///

We get a lot of meat-heads going out to the bars in Vancouver, but lately it seems we're having shootings, some of them pretty bad. It seems to me this is an attempt to stop this sort of thing from happening. That and the fights, stabbings, etc.

One thing to note, this is not all bars, only those who want in on the system and are willing to shell out for it. There will be a lot of bars in the Vancouver area that don't want in on the system, or can't afford to do it, so it won't happen for them. Largely the ones doing this will be the uber-hip trendy bars anyway. I could care less.

What Happens When a Linux Geek Takes Over a Canadian Football Team ?

* Bob Young, founder of Red Hat and Lulu.com buys Canadian football team the Hamilton Ticats.
* Ticats playbook submitted to SourceForge for development. Fans of the Canadian Football League are invited to submit revisions.
* Initially puzzled by open source strategy, other CFL teams begin using the plays.
* Ticats adopt open-channel Wi-Fi for communications between coaches and quarterbacks using new helmet developed under the GPL, known as the GNU-Helmet. Xs and Os on playbook diagrams are replaced with 1s and 0s. Fans begin to show up at games with laptops to IM the assistant coaches.
* Ticats playbook becomes bestseller .
* First season is devoted to eliminating bugs. Bob Young called an eccentric, fringe player. Headline screams "Playbook Bazaar -- Bizarre!"
* Innovation in CFL play explodes. Stadiums host record crowds. US newspapers run stories, but most assume that the sport in question is actually soccer.
* Bill Gates surprises press by purchasing Seattle Seahawks.
* In the third season, CFL continues to gain momentum. Young brokers a revolutionary agreement with the Australian Football League incorporating new rules and tactics. Games become more interesting. Cable channel TechTV signs contract to air every CFL game. US viewers begin to abandon NFL games in droves.
* NFL sues, claiming a process patent on option plays
* Clear-Channel takes over 90% of US stadiums and inks 10-year contract with NFL. Fans are routinely strip-searched for illicit food and drink items as they enter stadiums.
* Gates responds to decrease in attendance at games by inking broadcast deal with all four networks to air games simultaneously.
* Canada announces increase in immigration. MIT Beavers win Division Championship.
* Electronic Arts announces that "Madden NFL 2007" will be open source. Furor erupts. New version quickly surfaces in which characters can be forced to play soccer.
* NYT article notes that enrollment in youth football programs across North America are up, as are demands for reinforced padding and elastic straps for eyeglasses. 'Football is all about brains!" bellow coaches.
* 2010 - Ticats win Grey Cup for the first time in decades. Average size of defensive lineman is 5'7", 155 lbs.

Yes, that's what the Canadians think, anyway.

Congress hides some of Pentagon's spying project in other agencies


They're probably right, of course.

Canada.com has a story on how crappy the gov't grown dope is.
There was also a story on CBC radio about a Compassion Society testing the federal dope, and the dope had high levels of arsenic -- so much so that most countries wouldn't import it for medicinal uses or scientific tests. They said that its THC levels were around 4% while the average type grown by the Compassion Society was 12.5%. Even though the gov't pot was gamma-irradiated, there were 4x the number of biocontaminates in it over the organic homegrown.

The figures may be slightly off, but that is what I recall, and the damn Vancouver Island CBC website is woefully lacking in content and archives.

...it still can't touch the Visualabs GroutFree Fiasco, which must go down as the all-time champion.

I know I have seen fuel explosions that look like a mushroom cloud (sure it is not as BIG as a nuclear explosion). It was shaped like a mushroom, I call it a mushroom. Oh and Hydrogen explosions do pack a wallop. Hydrogen explosion at a Petro Canada refinery near Toronto. "The explosion sent a fireball into the sky, blew out windows in nearby homes and the force of the blast shook houses kilometres away."

specific to airport delays, with pictures and one here

Not really an idea for a course, per se, but I wouldn't let users install any software onto PCs. Good luck!

Yes, Canadians pay less on health care than Americans. But ours is the 2nd most expensive system in the world. Australia, Sweden and much of northern Europe operates "as good or better" systems much cheaper AND most allow people some level of choice in health care (like Australia's 2 insurance systems or Sweden's private hospitals who compete for your government voucher). England is going through some serious rethinking of their "national health system" right now with people considering a change to an Australian system.

But not all is doom & gloom, some cutting edge work is being done here.

Maybe that's why the prices were so high when British Columbia sold power to California 2-3 years ago? News Story

Sure price fixing and all that (seperate discussion in possible flame war below), but I wonder if this is a factor? BC to California isn't the shortest distance.

Forget that. I think we're going to go with the time honoured American tradition of overreacting and turn you guys away at the border.

HOWEVER, if you come bearing A&W Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda, I will greet you at the border myself.