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Domain: m-w.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to m-w.com.
Comments · 2,532
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imagine a beo.....imagine a beo.....Ohh. Err. nevermind.
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Re:Who?
Merriam-Webster thinks he may very well be an entrepreneur.
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Censorship is?
According to Merriam-Webster, censorship is defined as 1 a : the institution, system, or practice of censoring b : the actions or practices of censors; especially : censorial control exercised repressively.
How does Microsoft's inclusion of a function allowing someone to block things that they don't want to be viewed in their own private home, a function which is also entirely optional, count as censorship?
As much as I personally don't like it, those who have not reached their majority (age 18 in the US, differs elsewhere) have (basically) no legal rights. Thus, according to the law, their parents can make the decision about what they can see (or play, in this case) entirely legally. I mean, if you are old enough to take care of yourself, you can make decisions about things like this real simply, like by not enabling such "features" on your devices. If you aren't yet old enough to make such decisions, since you are considered a minor, then if the person who is legally responsible for you doesn't let you play Quake 5 when it comes out, too bad. Again, I don't agree with the almost complete lack of rights that minors get, and we could spend a long time talking about those rights in different places (especially schools, and their twisted hypocrisy), but that doesn't change the law; moreover, there are other places than here for that discussion. If you don't like the law, there are ways to change it. That doesn't mean that it's easy, or fun, but it is possible.
I don't recall anyone griping about the fact that lots of DVD players had the ability to disable viewing of discs that were rated at a certain level, but the function necessary to do so is built into lots of DVD players, both software and hardware based.
This article comes across as either a.) Microsoft bashing, OOOID (Or One Of It's Derivatives, another new phrase for your big list of acronyms) or b.) a little too much concern about "censorship." Or course, maybe I'm not paranoid enough, and the evil corporations and in league with the government and going for all they can take from us. -
Re:motor-less joints not unusual
From Merriam-Webster Online:
Main Entry: motor
Pronunciation: 'mO-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from movEre to move
1 : one that imparts motion; specifically : PRIME MOVER
2 : any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as a : a small compact engine b : INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE; especially : a gasoline engine c : a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energyDefinition 1 implies that almost all living-creature joints come with motors - they're called muscles. Sadly, the site is
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A monopoly can be more than one companyMore then one person has noted that there are two companies being named here (AOLTimeWarner and AT&T) and argued that if you have more than one company, you cannot have a monopoly. While this might be correct semantically, it is certainly incorrect in spirit.
Depending on which dictionary you go to, monopoly is either held exclusively by one company, or by a group. (Dictionary.com uses the word "group", while Merriam-Webster just refers to a single company.) The definition of "group" is what's important here. There are many instances in business history where competitors in one field got together to agree not to compete in certain ways -- most notably by price-fixing.
Free-market economic theory would indicate that CEOs would never do this, that they would decide to compete in any way possible to eke out more market share. Yet this does happen. We have documented cases of price-fixing across all sorts of industries: legal research, oil firms, even vitamin manufacturers. There are plenty of theories as to why it happens, though my personal favorite is psychological. I think that CEOs, when they're placed in charge of vast corporations they cannot entirely control or understand, become extremely risk-averse. This is why large corporations rarely innovate; it's also why a CEO might enter into a price-fixing agreement. It's just one less thing to worry about. At least for the CEO; everybody else usually suffers, in higher prices and poorer quality.
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Re:Not just Salt Lake
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demo!Every company I've ever heard of has wanted to see something you did on your own.
They want to know what you can do. And it does _not_ have to be 3D. I've seen a lot of great 2D demos.
Howeaver you said you don't know it yet so 2 great books on the topic are:
- Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus by Andre LaMothe
- 3D Game Programming With C++ by John De Goes
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Re:Protecting against Windows XP?
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Re:Less Opportuntity in Texas than in Mexico? Hehe
What does that tell you? So Hispanics and Blacks aren't very interested in careers in the IT field.
If you can't prove this assertion then it is just idle speculation on your part...What do you want to do, start discriminating against white people because they're the only ones who apparently get into the field?
I see plenty of Blacks and Asians in my IT department, but none of them are managers, so it is obvious that there is discrimination in favor of White people going on. That is inequitable, unfair, and unjust to non-Whites.despite being a high school dropout, I managed to work my way up to an engineering and IT administration position at one of the biggest airports in North America.
Hmmm, a White dropout is able to make a success of himself, and I am unable to. The reason I am unable to succeed must be because of a personal failing on my part.
It must be because after I recently asked for a promotion to a programming position I was told I was unqualified even though I have over 220 college hours (60+ of which are IT classes with a 3.91 GPA) and know multiple operating systems and programming languages. Of course since Whites are not racist and there is no discrimination extant today then it has to be me, huh?Great! If we look even remotely similar, we could pull a passport swap, and not have to worry about those nasty immigration procedures.
Why even worry about he niceties of immigration? Why not make a run for the border? Don't you know that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) only goes after Mexicans, not Canadians?Yet, as a Slashdot contributor and reader, you're probably in the IT field, and probably quite affluent.
Well I made $27K US last year busting my ass in Operations, and I am living from check to check. If the White fuckers, err managers, above me would ever promote me then my answer to your question would be yes. As it stands I am making it but definitely not "affluent" (my main computer at home is a 300 mhz celeron with a 15" monitor!).Apparently, our definitions of "progressive" are divergent at best.
If you are not sure of the meaning of a word, consult a dictionary, don't make up a new meaning that no one else agrees with. Maybe this will help: Progressive
As for taxes, I don't mind paying them. After all I get national defense, interstate highways, meat inspections, etc. Everybody knows that companies don't break the law or act unethically and you can rely on Ronald McDonald not to serve you a e-coli infested burger. I guess as long as your heirs can sue Mickey D's then all is well with the world...Similarily, did that land belong to the Chicanos, or didn't it belong to the Mayans, Incans and Aztecs? You know, Hispanics are not native to Mexico. So, you're complaining that land that your people stole from the aboriginals only 300 years earlier has been stolen?
Jesus, as long a you get you history from the White Power movement then, yes you are correct. If you bothered to read some academic historical sources you would find out that that statement is false.
The Spaniards differed from the British in colonization methods. Whereas the British and Americans killed off the Native Americans, the Spaniards preferred to co-opt the natives. In short they intermarried with the natives and formed a whole new people, the Chicanos (this is before there was a border between the US and Mexico -- in fact this happened before the US and Mexico even existed).
And if you look at the so-called Mexican-American War, it was bogus, just like the Spanish-American War. Chicanos did not go out looking for a war, the White Americans did. What you don't seem to understand is that the Chicano people didn't come to the US, the US came to us and like the Native Americans we have been suffering ever since...Heheh. I'd be grateful. I'm sure that you have far more opportunity in Texas than you would in Mexico. Based on US Border Patrol activities in that area, it seems that lots of other Chicanos feel differently from you.
White politicans acting in our name are the ones increasing the conflict level on the border. Your average Chicano believes as I do, however there are plenty of "Mexican Americans" and "Hispanics" who would disagree with me. These are the people that Blacks call "Uncle Tom" and Chicanos call "Tio Taco", people who come from a disavantaged background and have made it with some help, then turn their backs on their people because their money has somehow "Whitened" them.
Many Chicanos do feel as I do: an uproar erupted when a young Mexican was murdered by a U.S. Marine, who not surprisingly got away with it. They say it was an "anti-drug" operation but does the U.S. have armed Marines patrolling the Canadian border?
I consider Canada a more "progressive" place because they do not seem to shoot at people from the U.S. trying to sneak into Canada...Gimme a break. You spout sheer idiocy.
When you can't attack the message, attack the messenger...And you'd do well to get a realistic viewpoint and an understanding of world history.
I am working on a History degree from the University of Houston. I'll bet I have read many more history books than you have...
Come to a barrio in Texas or California and and spout the same nonsense you are going on about and I guarantee you will get your ass kicked. In fact, I only have one piece of advice for you: if you move to the U.S., move to Idaho. Maybe Randy Weaver's Ruby Ridge compound is for sale...
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Re:No. NAACP exists solely to profit from racism.
I have a few friends though (Guamanian, Hispanic) who CLAIM that rascism still exists and they are harmed every week in some way or another. I just feel it is their low self esteem causing them to feel this way.
That's right! The reason all the IT managers at the nationally recognized hospital system I work for are White is due to my low self esteem...I feel so obsolete. .
Wrong word. I think you meant obtuse (see the second entry).
Pendejo...
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Re:How we did it in the Marines - 1989 - 1993The general military standard, as I recall, is to place random 1s and 0s eleven times over the unwanted data. I believe I saw this on a TLC or Discovery program on cyber warfare.
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Here in Cali
Here in California, one of the free features you can get from PacBell is "anonymous call rejection". So if somebody is blocking Caller ID, they get a recording when they call you telling them that they need to unblock Caller ID if they want to reach you.
Alas, this doesn't work on most telemarketers. Reputable ones show up with a name and number, and disreputable ones just appear as "UNAVAILABLE" on my current Caller ID box.
Like the earlier poster, I'd be all over a MAPS-style database of telemarketers and other low-lifes, but it'll be a while before enough of us have the hardware to make it worthwhile. In another decade or two, though, I'm sure all the phones will come with a TCP/IP stack, and then we'll be in business. Of course, by then the direct marketers will be using microwaves to wiggle your tympanic membrane. -
Re:Is this a joke?
IRREGARDLESS
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Slashdot != A forum for proper English
First, I really put very little thought into writing proper English on slashdot. I don't proof read for it here. The only thing I care about is whether or not I'm conveying my message clearly. When the grammar is so poor as to make that difficult, then I care.
Second, you, and the vast majority of other users, know exactly what I meant.
Third, irregardless is a word, albeit a colloqial and not entirely accepted word. Please refer to Merriam-Webster's dictionary if you do not believe me. That is, incidentally, a little more than just "any" online dictionary, even if it is not quite OED. If you're reading slashdot, you're clearly more than willing and capable of reading broken english, never mind broken thought processes.
Fourth, I am more than capable of writing proper english when I so desire.
Fifth, if you're going to be a grammar nazi, please do yourself a favor and learn to spell grammar properly. Otherwise, the egg ends up on your face, not on your victim's face. Your comment is riddled with other flaws too. For instance, "meant" is the past participle and past tense of "mean", it simply does not fit in that sentence of yours.
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Re:This reminds me...
it is called humour (or humor, depending upon which side of the Atlantic you may be). You might want to look it up in a dictionary sometime...
This may help: humor (or humour) under entry #3
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Anacronistic DefinitionsAccording to Merriam-Webster, the word Adultery was first used in the 15th century to mean voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband; also : an act of adultery.
I'm guessing that was (is?) the definition of the Christian church from the time. As the population drifts from the political power of the church, we use our own definitions of morality. It's really up to the couple involved. I honestly doubt that other than those in an open relationship, few would consider the above definition not to be adultery.
Anyone know the legal definition?
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for those who don't remember it...
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Re:Check your link buddy
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have you been to..
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been there.This is not as bad as your situation but:
When I worked at a local ISP I was a level 1 tech who did office work (trash duty). I could have done web design, or other such things worth my paycheck, but because I was only 18 and still in high school I was never even considered.
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Re:This isn't going to play well, but...First of all, you're nitpicking over the word "homopobia". The Merriam-Webster On-Line Dictionary gives this definition:
homophobia : noun : irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals
You will note that it uses the word "or", which means that a homophobe need not be afraid of homosexuals. I think it is quite clear that you are "in favor of discrimination against" homosexuals.I don't think anybody believes that you "fear" homosexuals, but I and others believe that you do not give sustainable arguments in support of your position that homosexuals should not raise children. You say that you have met children raised by same-sex parents. Was something uniformly wrong with them? Something that you can prove was due to having same-sex parents? Please explain.
You say that you have seen studies and experiences that support your position, but then go on to vaguely condemn most studies as inherently biased and unreliable. Do you or do you not cite studies as evidence?
In your initial post, you use words like "probably" and "perhaps" and "might" to advocate a severe restriction that can and does cause serious harm, emotional and otherwise, to those it affects. I submit that you need much stronger ammunition than "maybe" before you can justify the prevention of loving, motivated caregivers from being allowed to bestow that love and care upon those most in need of it. Did you really take the time to read the response by Loundry above? Why do you believe that such a person should be prevented from adopting?
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Please look it up...Not to be a lexicographic nitpicker, but perhaps you should look up the definition of "guarantee" in the dictionary. A guarantee is not proof that a condition is true; rather it is an assurance (usually backed by money or a buy-back provision) that the condition is true. This is exactly what the "djbdns security guarantee" is. The usage by djb (and myself in my earlier post) is correct and entirely appropriate.
You claim that $500 is insignificant, but it proves that the author is willing to put his money where is mouth is. The ISC isn't doing this with BIND.
In any case, my best assurance about djbdns is the code itself. Take a look. It's absolutely paranoid about security-related issues. The same as qmail. Now take a look at BIND. Which do you feel is more secure?
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Re:They're forgetting something
What if you couldn't feed your family? or pay taxes to avoid jail? Here's the gig, pete, when we say "subsistence farming" it's not a job, it's a way to "subsist". Maybe if you were faced with death by starvation you would say "Damn. What a gyp. Now I have to sell my kidney".
And people are getting desperate enough to farm out organs when their land's no longer profitable.
here's what we in the big fancy internet world call "search engine results" :
wow! it's like a miracle. -
Crovax
I got my nick from the game "Magic the Gathering".
Lord Crovax was a vampire who fell in love with a dark angel he could not have.
I took the name when I was dating a gothic girl but it has sence lost its meaning.A friend of mine (not a
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Re:ALL type of certification is stupid.
Just becuase I post on slashdot with a strong opinons that entices people does not make me a 15 year old high schooler.
It's not your strong opinions but your juvenile ones that lead us to believe that you are 15 years old!
And I believe that the word you are looking for is incite, not entice...
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Re:ALL type of certification is stupid.
Just becuase I post on slashdot with a strong opinons that entices people does not make me a 15 year old high schooler.
It's not your strong opinions but your juvenile ones that lead us to believe that you are 15 years old!
And I believe that the word you are looking for is incite, not entice...
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You think being a MIB is all voodoo mind control? You should see the paperwork! -
site /.'ed already
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Re:XML is not an acronym.
The Merriam Webster dictionary says that an initialism is a special type of acronym.
You can see for yourself here.
Don't pick nits until you check your facts in multiple places!
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Re:French Toast!
Actually, this is an assumption. I have seen the word "disc" used to describe any sort of flat, circular object, frying pans included.
However, as Mr. Webster says, they are simply variants of each other. -
6th worstIf the list had been one job larger the 6th would have been tech support. Talking to all the local dumb people all day really gets you down. Very down. Verry verrry down.
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Re:I don't know what is scarierIn responce to your post I quote Isaac Asimov
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries,
is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny"
So "A. The process accidentally killed all mice, by creating a doomsday bug for them." is scarier.
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Re:Absolutely they will!Hehe, that's funny.
Did anyone else notice how Ballmer refered to the 'Unix phenomenon '?
If we look at Merrium Webster's definition of phenomenon:
2. a : an object or aspect known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition
b : a temporal or spatiotemporal object of sensory experience as distinguished from a noumenon
c : a fact or event of scientific interest susceptible of scientific description and explanation
3. a : a rare or significant fact or event b plural phenomenons : an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, thing, or occurrence usage see PHENOMENAUnix doesn't fit into any of these categories! Perhaps he should have said 'Unix foundation' because when you have a 35 year old server operating system, it seems pretty damn intuitive that it would be competition to a 5 year old Windows NT. There is nothing unusual or unscientific about that.
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Only females?The article mentioned they they were able to only clone females. Why? As I know little of cloning was the Jurasic Park guy telling the truth?
And did the group engineering this great feet of science consult an ethics group of any kind?
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Re:Blinded by color?laws are not intended to make sense. laws keep lawyers and judges and congressmen and legislators and (etc) employed.
as long as M$ can prove they acted with due dilligence , they should be able to win the case. unfortunately, as with any lawsuit, aint no such thing as a sure thing.
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Re:Oniric?From M-W:
Main Entry: oneiric
Pronunciation: O-'nI-rik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek oneiros dream; akin to Armenian anurj dream
Date: 1859
: of or relating to dreams : DREAMY
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Re:Say no and let them be damned...I believe the phrase you are looking for is "ulterior motive":
ulterior: [other stuff removed] 2 : going beyond what is openly said or shown and especially what is proper.
Taken from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
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books, books, books, .....What language(s), what Operating System(s)?
For any language Programming Pearls by Jon Bently(Addison-Wesley) is great.
For Linux-
The Unix Programming Environment by Brian W. Kerninghan and Rob Pike(Addison-Wesley)If your using ANSI/ISO C++ then:
- C++ Primer, Third Edition, by Stanley B. Lippman and Josee Lajoie(Addison-Wesley)
- The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup(Addison-Wesley)
- The C++ standard Library, A Tutorial and Reference by Nicolai M. Josuttis(Addison-Wesley)
If you are using C++ and Windows I'm moving to Canada. And you should have The Official Reference Library for Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0(Microsoft Press)
In my opinion these books kick ass.
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Re:Ever hear of "3% surcharge on credit card sales
Now these may all go by different names (surcharges, access fees, interest rates, etc.) but what they all are is a privately levied tax. It's not illegal either because the consumer is free to not buy/use said product and shop elsewhere.
Uh... sure. You can call that a tax if you want. Heck, you can call it a flooblezoop if you please. But the normal meaning of tax is different. People will use it metaphorically like that, of course. Unless, of course, you expect the MasterCard Police to come and arrest you if you don't pay your cash advance fee, in which case you'd be correct. -
Another ancient license agreementI have an Edison Gold Moulded Records cylinder that looks to be from 1905 or so. It also comes with a license agreement:
This record is sold by the NATIONAL PHONOGRAPH COMPANY upon the condition that it shall not be sold to any unauthorized dealer or used for duplication and that it shall not be sold, or offered for sale, by the original or any subsequent purchaser (except by an authorized jobber to an authorized retail dealer) for less than thiry five (35) cents apiece.
I presume that the price mentioned is the original retail price; that would effectively prevent people from opening used wax cylinder stores. I guess that's why we don't see such stores today, eh? -
I missed it.The page was
Would someone who read the story please post a summary for the rest of us?
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my .02 dollars
- XML validator
- Merriam-Webster dictionary
- www.wdvl.com/Authoring/
- WebImage
- gifoptimizer.com
- WS_FTP
- Cute HTML
- CGi documentation
The dictionary and gifoptimizer.com are the ones I use the most.
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my .02 dollars
- XML validator
- Merriam-Webster dictionary
- www.wdvl.com/Authoring/
- WebImage
- gifoptimizer.com
- WS_FTP
- Cute HTML
- CGi documentation
The dictionary and gifoptimizer.com are the ones I use the most.
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Sites of InterestThe Fandom.TV web site (http://www.fandom.tv)
The Fandom.com web site (http://www.fandom.com)
Fandom.com's dead trademark on Fandom Note:Dead May 01, 2000
Fandom.TV's Trademark Status Note:Application Oct 31, 2000
Fandom.com's suprisingly new trademark on Fandom Note:Application Nov 14, 2000
Most interestingly though from Merriam-Webster the word
FANDOMMain Entry: fandom Pronunciation: 'fan-d&m Function: noun Date: 1903 : all the fans (as of a sport)
The word is in the dictionary and it appeared around 1903, why is this word even allowed to be trademarked???!!!
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Fandom = dictionary term
Claiming a trademark on a descriptive term like "fandom"
From the article...
Though the dictionary definition of "fandom" dates the word back to 1903, it first gained prominence in the 1930s, when readers who had letters published in sci-fi and fantasy magazines began writing to each other.
Then from Webster's Dictionary
Main Entry: fandom
Pronunciation: 'fan-d&m
Function: noun
Date: 1903
: all the fans (as of a sport)However, both www.fandom.com and www.fandom.tv are competing in the same industry (sic) then perhaps fandom.com can claim that fandom.tv is not fair use.
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Need money....
try Banner ads(Like
The more traffic you get the more money you make, and because you are already onBTW: I think these things sound way cool.
If I post a link to your page on mine will you send me one?
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Re:Special Effects: Very Good. Few Ads: Great!The effects with the eyes were good and the worm was nice but the settings sucked. When they were in the desert you could clearly see were the set ended and the dropcloth background started. It was the same in the castle. That and many of the events I was hoping to see were completely removed.
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Re:Language is what language is
Take the difference between American-English and England-English, somewhat quite similar. I believe that Spanish rooted in Spain sounds much more intelligent, smooth, and educated
And we Chicanos say the Spanish Castilian accent sounds to our ear like the British-English does, unnatural.
When it comes to affectations, I guess the operative rule is "to each his/her own"...
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Re:What about the BSA (Wandering quite OT)
You would find it harder to find a rational argument for respect of god.
That is why I do not try. Nevertheless, there are more learned people than I who have addressed this very question. Whether you believe in God or not, you may find C.S. Lewis's 'Mere Christianity' to be a good read. The first section deals with this topic. Whether you agree with his views or not is up to you, of course, but even if you don't, you may find it insightful and thought-provoking. It never hurts to know more about what you're disagreeing with.
Your argument that tolerance should be all encompassing, even to criminals, is unsupported.
My argument is, in fact, that tolerance should -not- be all encompassing, especially with regard to criminals. And most especially with regard to criminals who commit crimes of inhuman cruelty. If you commit a crime, it is only right that you pay for it.
Nevertheless, I can remain courteous and polite to a murderer any time I wish, not insulting him (and if he's the one with the gun, it may be quite wise.) Even if I'm calling the cops on him, I shall treat him as a fellow human being. I can put on a friendly face to a person even if I find them utterly disgusting. And even the worst of situations can be made tolerable, if not actually better, by a bit of stubborn refusal to be uncheerful. But any point added to the Scout Law would have to be all-encompassing. I may be too human to follow the Law every single moment, but it should be a worthy thing to try.
As for adding a New Point to the Scout Law... well, how's about visiting old Merriam-Webster again...
tolerant
Function: adjective
1 : inclined to tolerate; especially : marked by forbearance or endurance
2 : exhibiting tolerance (as for a drug or an environmental factor)
I assume the first meaning is the one that's important to you (although as anyone who's been on those cold camping trips can tell you, the second can be a nice bonus!). The problem is, there are some situations when a Scout should not merely endure. A Scout is Brave. Brave to stand up for the needs of the minority when it is unpopular to do so, Brave enough to speak the truth when it would be easy not to, Brave enough to give his life to save another if need be.
Tolerance is a noble trait in many situations, but it cannot be all-encompassing. The Scout Law names qualities that are all-encompassing and worth aspiring to, whether we are able to actually achieve those aspirations every second of every day or not.
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Re:Multics and Unix acronymAccorting to Ken, its "a week pun on multics". It was developed initialy, just after Bell Labs pulled out ot the multics project, and KT purposly did some things differently then multics.
The pun is that its phoeniticly simmilar to eunich.
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Re:8000 for denmark?
I think there is a more relevant reference.