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It should be less boring, since there's less walking

If you are interested join the Silicon Valley EC2 user group. Next meeting on the 24'th this month. I think there will be a speaker from Amazon AWS proper More here

-"Police spokeswoman Tammy Ewin initially said no pepper spray was used on protesters, but Sgt. Clint Winkler, a supervisor on duty, told The Associated Press he tried to use pepper spray on one woman who would not leave, but it hit her glasses. She was then subdued with a Taser, Winkler said."

- "Winkler said campus police tried to quell the march, and at one point protesters grabbed the camera of a freelance media photographer and broke it. City police tried to help and said some protesters fought the effort to break up the march.

- "That's when they were told, due to the violence, that this was no longer a lawful protest," Winkler said. "They were told to disperse, peacefully disperse, and failed to do so we started down the sidewalk _ officers in front, K-9's behind us, and started pushing the crowd down the sidewalk.""

- ""The response was way over the top," Meieran said. "Why in the (expletive) were they using Tasers on these nonviolent protesters in the first place? I heard no dispersal order. What they're saying is total (expletive).""

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0821-01.htm

- "I was taken to the ground by a police officer during that time
      I was pepper sprayed the officer picked up my glasses sprayed my face
      with the pepper spray. Once I got to the ground I was then tasered in
      the thigh for what felt like an eternity. It was the most excruciating
      pain I have ever felt. I felt like I was burning. My hand reached
      down to feel what was on my leg and I felt an electrical shock running
      through my entire body. I could not stop myself from screaming. It was
      horrifying. I could not believe that after I had already been sprayed
      and on the ground they would then proceed to taser me."

http://pittsburgh.indymedia.org/news/2005/08/20117.php

"McNeilly said the officers' use of pepper spray and Tasers
at the protest was justified because protestors had turned
from peaceful conduct to active resistance that became an assault on officers.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_374322.html

Hmmm, I'm not saying I support the use of a TASER in this case, but it's not exactly a clear cut case of police brutality. A peaceful protest turned violent and she was at the front of the line, wrong place and wrong time?

Hmm, a little more digging gets this:
"And a breakdown of events (from a local man posting on Digg, corroborated by the news):

1. A man, Edris Robinson, strikes a cameraman covering the event (later charged with assault)
2. The cameraman runs to get police
3. Robinson runs to the crowd
4. Police find Robinson, try to apprehend him
5. His girlfriend, Deanna Caliguiri, tries to pull him away (later plead guilty to disorderly conduct and resisting arrest)
6. The cops use pepper spray on Deanna, she continues to resist
7. The cops warn Deanna a few times that they will taser her
8. The cops taser her"

That site also states some of the action happens offscreen on the youtube video
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/342/boards/view/viewthread?thread=3559981

Make your own conclusions I suppose

Oh wait, another oped piece here with a longer youtube video tha pushes "tasers are bad":
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/19/14057/0584
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVdH1G0KQt4 (again whatever happens that makes the cops taser the girl happens offscreen, but the video goes for 10 minutes)

Right on. If there is one man who could single-handedly change Washington with veto power, it would be Ron Paul. See this video for example. My only fear is that Congress would begin to abuse the 2/3 majority vote to overrule him. So are you part of a meetup group? I'm co-organizer for the Jacksonville, FL group. We have almost 120 folks in our group, and we're doubling in size every month! Exciting times...

If you're looking for *nix groups specifically, there's Uniforum, which meets at the IIT campus in Wheaton. Also, I run a PHP Meetup group which meets in Glen Ellyn.

mega conglomerates also provide high entry independent of government.

In broadcasting yes, but that's because the FCC sales licenses only to those with megabucks. Because of these airwave licenses the FFC sold, mass media is able to keep out competitors. Don't believe me, try to start your own broadcasting radio or tv station. Dispite modern techonolgy making it possible for more stations to occupy the same frequency bands, those who already have licenses fight tooth and nail to prevent more stations from starting. Pirate radio stations are usually shutdown by the FCC as soon as another local station complains even though there is no interference. As for print media, even staid newspapers are struggling, because of the internet. At the same tyme some groups are making good use of the net, such as Meetup, Indy Media, and Narco News.

of course how can you compete with Walmart and Target?

How did they get so big? By giving people low prices. If you want to fight them then when they plan to build a new store in your area you need to attend planning and zoning board meetings and voice your opposition. Make it known to local politicians your position, afterall they can't build a new store without governemnt approval. Then campaign at the state level to have the legislature pass a bill, and have the governor sign it, requiring them to provide health benefits to thier employees.

Many libertarians here on /. even supported ms business tactics and opposed any ruling on them as it would affect the free market.

Some may but I'm one that opposes any and all anticompetitive business practices, and if anyone doesn't then they are neither Libertarian nor freemarket advocates. Afterall a market is only free when there's free competition.

Big Brother in 1984 didn't give a damn about the "proles" (which is what all the other Big Brother threats up until now were about), all the surveillance was for making sure party members kept in line.

The surveillance was used to make sure nobody stepped out of line, be it party member or prole.

A few agents of the Thought Police moved always among them, spreading false rumours and marking down and eliminating the few individuals who were judged capable of becoming dangerous; but no attempt was made to indoctrinate them with the ideology of the Party. It was not desirable that the proles should have strong political feelings. All that was required of them was a primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was necessary to make them accept longer working-hours or shorter rations. And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice.

If there is to be any hope, it lies in the proles... the only problem is the proles are too fat and satisfied to do anything but yell at the TV or bitch on Slashdot. When was the last time anyone did anything about the injustices occurring all around us... For instance, you'd think there would be at least a few slashbots out there living somewhere near Norwich, CT. And you'd think that at least one of those slashbots would create a meetup group to publicly gather and protest the conviction of Julie Amero. Yet she faces up to 40 years in prison pretty much alone when everyone here sitting on their fat asses knows for a fact that she is innocent. Well, we'll do what slashbots and proles do... wait for the horribly unfair sentencing on March, 2 2007 to come and go, and then put up a free Julie Amero website... assuming a squatter doesn't get there first. Wow, that's conviction guys. It really is. I know those who died for our freedom would be really fucking proud.

Of course, even if you bastards did do anything, none of you have the balls to stand up and say "40 years for letting kids see pr0n?? That's a bit harsh. We should roll that back to a small fine or something."

http://www.sjgames.com/gamerfinder/
http://findplay.anvilwerks.com/
http://roleplayers.meetup.com/

(For starters.)

For AUD$350 I have a Devon Rex.

I get watery eyes, a blocked nose, slight trouble breathing and other 'allergy' symptoms around most other cats and some dogs, but I have never had any trouble with the Devon Rex breed. I've lived with two of them over the past 8 years and have often termed them 'hypo-allergenic' without needing them to be completely bald or paying $4000.

I'd recommend them as a 'budget alternative' plus they have wonderful personalities (like the Burmese but possibly smarter and friendlier) and make great indoor cats should you happen to live smack bang in the middle of the city like I do.

My own 'hypo-allergenic' kitten is right here.

For AUD$350 I have a Devon Rex.

I get watery eyes, a blocked nose, slight trouble breathing and other 'allergy' symptoms around most other cats and some dogs, but I have never had any trouble with the Devon Rex breed. I've lived with two of them over the past 8 years and have often termed them 'hypo-allergenic' without needing them to be completely bald or paying $4000.

I'd recommend them as a 'budget alternative' plus they have wonderful personalities (like the Burmese but possibly smarter and friendlier) and make great indoor cats should you happen to live smack bang in the middle of the city like I do.

My own 'hypo-allergenic' kitten is right here.

For AUD$350 I have a Devon Rex.

I get watery eyes, a blocked nose, slight trouble breathing and other 'allergy' symptoms around most other cats and some dogs, but I have never had any trouble with the Devon Rex breed. I've lived with two of them over the past 8 years and have often termed them 'hypo-allergenic' without needing them to be completely bald or paying $4000.

I'd recommend them as a 'budget alternative' plus they have wonderful personalities (like the Burmese but possibly smarter and friendlier) and make great indoor cats should you happen to live smack bang in the middle of the city like I do.

My own 'hypo-allergenic' kitten is right here.

I'm pretty much there with you.

There is no way that President Bush would ask, say, the NSA to do anything illegal is there?

And, although there may be a few renegades, there isn't much of official Washington that would use secrets for political gain.

But then there is the press which has recently developed some badly misplaced priorities, actively supporting and publicizing leaks of sensitive ongoing intelligence and military operations against the enemy over and over again. You would think it would be easy to understand that this harms our national security, yet much of the mainstream media passes over the issue in silence. On the other hand, they have endless energy and interest in a kerfuffle involving no crime.

Maybe the media will start taking the war more seriously if Al Qaeda makes significant progress in their announced goal of killing four million Americans. Or maybe not. If there are more successful large scale terrorist attacks in the United States, aided by the media's disclosure of on-going military and intelligence operations, I expect that the majority of the media won't engage in self-examination, but will rather most likely start banging the drums from the fever swamp. The fever swamp runs deep, and support for the President among the media is thin.

Well, if the other party gains power, maybe things will change... or maybe not.

Thank goodness we are a country where you can still engage in dissent against the mainstream.

You're thinking of Western Australia. :p I'm still not convinced Perth actually exists. I mean, sure, it's on the maps, but when was the last time you ever heard anything about Perth on the news, or met anybody from Perth, or had Perth's existence validated in any other way?

You're thinking of Western Australia. :p I'm still not convinced Perth actually exists. I mean, sure, it's on the maps, but when was the last time you ever heard anything about Perth on the news, or met anybody from Perth, or had Perth's existence validated in any other way?

There's also sites like OkCupid.com, which is IMO the best in terms of fun features, and actual real profiles, unlike all other sites (no exceptions) where you have to pay, none of which I will name them here, since they don't deserve any advertising.

Then there's meeting sites like MeetUp where you can find groups of people with similar interests.

General rule: don't waste your time and money on any paid sites, no matter how good the reviews (most likely written by the site staff) make them look.

Just like everybody else here, I'm wondering what possessed Meetup.com to charge this much money, and to make the volunteer organizer responsible for the bill. Then I took a look at the size of the company.

Anyone else think 26 full-time employees, a full board of directors, and apparent VC funds are overkill for a company like this? Sure, they bring a lot of value added features to organizing local groups, but this isn't an amazingly difficult web app, and with VC funding on board, you just know the target valuation will force aggressive community-killing fees.

Charging a flat high fee for groups of any size makes no sense. This will be another good idea, bad execution dot-com failure. If they have to charge those kinds of rates, it's clear that they didn't bootstrap the company in a judicious manner. It's too bad, because they provide a nice service. Evite.com will probably get some of their refugees.

What they offer is a place for someone to go to find groups to meet with on subjects they are interested in. Meetup provides an initial place to publicize the group, so someone can try starting one even if they don't know too many other people who share their interest. I organize the Spanish group in Akron and while there may not be a huge number of people who will see the meetup page for it it is more than will see a page I put together somewhere else, and it is easier to do.

The meetup isn't just targeted to the socially active. It is good for the socially inactive as a way to get out of the house. It is a lot easier to strike up a conversation among people with whom you share a common interest than it is to go to a bar and talk to random strangers.

Having said all that, I'm in three groups. They all started out with one or two people last fall. The Investor's Business daily group now gets 10+ and is pretty good. The Spanish group gets 5 or so some nights and just me on others. The Chinese language group is still at one or two and may fold since our dormant organizer quit once he found he was going to be charged. Meetup admits that the new fee structure will shake out some of the weak groups, which is probably a good thing.

You could also view maps of which neighbors are interfering with your access point, and negotiate in personover a beer while comparing the gadgets attached to your belts. Y'know, build some community with your locals, and become part of the oldest P2P system.

I've met a bunch of people in my neighborhood at the local hotspot coffee shop. Of course, I'm a dork like that. Start a MeetUp.

I'm not sure I want a plush Cowboy Neal, thankyou.

Wouldn't that be a Cowboy Neal furry?

I thought Slashdot Meetup was already doing basically the same thing.

How about more people around Gainesville/North Florida sign up so we can get together.

I am not from Brazil, but see that the Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are the first and fourth most active Linux meetup groups in the world. How did you get introduced to Linux?

Maybe Microsoft has reason for fear?

When's your next Slashdot Meetup??

Hey, if you're in the DFW area, why not join the Slashdot Meetup? About four or five of us get together each month and it's a good time.

I tried to load this so-called "Channel 9" site using Mozilla Firefox 0.8, and I was shocked by what I saw. Not one, not two, but nine Windows Media player objects were embedded in the page, and all of them started playing at the same time! All this nerdy cacophony sounded like a Slashdot Meetup was coming out of my speakers.

Needless to say, I am appalled that Microsoft has shunned well-regarded web standards in designing this so-called "blog." I plan to blog about it myself. What does the blogosphere think?

Sincerely,
Seth Finklestein
Autoblogumatic Blogupilator

No, I definately come from a ruder intellectual background. As another illustration of how different our perspecives are, I have been thinking that I'm coming from a theoretical point of view and you from the applied!

I'm at work, so I can't spend as much time, but I've certainly enjoyed this debate, and learned a few things. I'm part of the Math meetup, if by chance you're based in the DC area, we can continue this or other discussions face to face.

jaz

What is the level of actual interest in technology? Is it merely seen as a way to get money, or Indians going into it because they have a real interest and curiosity?

I started a Robotics Meetup in the hopes of getting robotics clubs running in places that don't have them, but it hasn't been very successful. Only 82 members worldwide. However, of the top five cities, three are Indian, the top two being Mumbai and New Delhi with 11 and 10 members respectively. I just want to know if this is a factor of high population, or if Indians are entering technology because they enjoy it.

If people weren't in front of their computers 24/7 maybe they wouldn't be isolated and lonely..

How do you expect to meet people if you don't use a computer to go to the places that have been set up for people to meet new people?

Propose a campground as the next venue.

Yes, IAAL. I switched careers into IT a few years ago. Why? It is a long story.

First, reconsider becoming a lawyer. Consider carefully the advice of lawyers who are no longer practicing -- there are many of them. Ask them why they left the law. You might start here.

Then, if you still think that you want to study and practice law, find a law library and the intellectual property (IP) section therein. Many local bar associations have small law libraries, and law schools tend to have larger ones. The definitive work on copyright used to be Nimmer on copyright, which will provide more citations to case law than you will know what to do with. The librarian (or perhaps the lawyers and paralegals using the library) will be able to direct you to the cases cited. Nimmer probably has his counterparts in related IP fields (e.g., patents, trademarks, tradenames, and trade secrets), but I do not know the titles off hand. These counterpart books will also provide citations, both to case law and to other sources of authority, such as statutes, regulations, and treaties. If the library has such counterparts, they will probably be in the IP section of the library, along with Nimmer. The books containing the cases are often elsewhere in the library, not in the IP section.

Third, consider your choice of law school carefully. Most law schools offer only one, introductory course on IP law, but some law schools (e.g., George Mason University in Northern Virginia, near D.C.) provide several advanced courses beyond that introductory course. Having those additional courses could make a difference in determining whether you receive the job offers that you want.

Fourth, remember that most lawyers practicing patent law have a technical background, e.g., an engineering or science degree. You would probably need to have considerable technical knowledge in order to practice patent law. Sometimes, you will also need to pass the patent bar exam (cannot remember the official name of this exam) as well as the bar exam of the jurisdictions in which you wish to practice.

Last, while in law school, consider taking at least one course on federal income taxation and perhaps an additional course devoted to the taxation of property transactions (sometimes called "capital transactions"). Nearly every business transaction involving IP is certain to have important, complex tax consequences. You need to know those consequences in order to help the client plan the transaction.

That's the only socializing I ever even did back then.

Only now I've advanced to the much better realm of LiveJournal, and meetup has replaced BBS Happy Hour/GtG/MnG/Bash/whatever-your-group-called-it.

It looks like fun.

I found this meetup site

In some cases these (award winning) sites might be useful. volunteermatch and meetup Good Luck.

Dean's improbable sprint to internet cash-and-glory will only get him so far. And then the incredibly labor intensive huge Democratic machine will have to take over.

If you look at Dean's main Website and official blog you'll notice that it's not just fundraising that's going on. There are 150,000 people involved in Dean Meetups and thousands more have already sent over 100,000 handwritten letters to voters in New Hampsire and Iowa. Plus there are scores of independent websites discussing and promoting Dean from various perspectives. He's got more troops on the ground than the Democratic Party - particularly if you count the union troops he's already recruited as his and not the Democrats', per se.

What Dean's doing isn't taking over the "Left Wing" or even the Democratic Party so much as it is taking over the middle of the road. He's steamrolling right down the center with a good dose of traditional American common sense (although his invocation of Thomas Paine is a bit lame, at least it's an error in the right direction). He's redefining what the center of the road means.

And this whole thing about his - and his fans' - "anger" is just off the point. George W. is an idiot, and he's calling the Emperor naked and saying clearly that we should replace him with all haste. People aren't angry at Bush so much as disappointed and disgusted because Bush doesn't live up to the Main Street American values that Dean invokes.

The cynicism of the corporate-owned press is that we don't have any values to speak of beyond consumerism and the money to support our "American way" habits (and their advertisers). According to this cynicism all politicians are a bit false, so calling them naked is a bit beside the point. Dean's not a cynic, not false, and is using the Net to communicate directly with others who love America and see higher ideals as once again attainable by it, rather than a continued slide into blustering corruption.

He' proving the Republic still has some blood in its veins. He's no Thomas Jefferson (alas), but could well become the best US president since FDR.

I am in the exact same situation, and have been for 2.5 years now. I find that several things help quite a bit: 1) a mid-day walk to a local coffeeshop to get outside and get your fix at the same time; 2) keeping the television as far away from you as possible; 3) going to local networking association events to both meet other developers and find clients (meetup.com is a great way to find these). 4) KEEP IN TOUCH with your friends and make a point of going out with them. Schedule it if you must. 5) Whatever you do, don't work after 'quitting time'. I found that because the work was always in the next room, I always worked on it... until midnight... and never got a break, because there was no 'hometime'. As a result I snapped and buggered off to do volunteer development at an NGO in Croatia. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee. That's a long way from Toronto ;)

From the article:
In afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Dell was up 67 cents at $35.19.

There are social movements about to save american jobs in the technical sector. As horrible as this is bound to be for the economy at home, it's always been "bout tha dollar dollar bill y'all" so this is the one and only thing that will bring these jobs back to American soil.

My girlfriend and I had dinner one night recently with the CTO of CS First Boston (he's a church buddy of hers) who was responsible for the decision to move many of the jobs of his subbordinates. This is a topic that I feel quite passionate about, but due to the nature of the social occasion I was understanably polite about it. But I felt the need to at least mention it and perhaps have a rare opportunity to get into the mind of someone calling the shots in this capacity.

Among the points that I raised was that from a national security standpoint, American companies are creating a great incentive for cultures across the globe to become technically savvy. A good many of these cultures may likely be unfriendly to the USA and the companies creating these incentives. By the same token, I believe that knowledge of computing is so far reaching that there is an element of historical inevitability to all cultures acquiring this knowledge. But I still believe that American companies are accelerating forces that they may not even realize are beyond their control in order to impact their finances in a very immediate way. In my view, it's just myopia. Plain and simple.

Paper petitions are no more effective than electronic ones. The electrons or paper are not what is important--what is important is a large enough demonstration of public sentiment and awareness that a politian can fear reprisal.

That being said, I do recommend writing your representatives directly. Letting them know that the people with the opinions are actually their constituents is very important.

Also, raise public awareness. Write to your local papers, and join your local election reform meetup (need one more for Cleveland, Ohio anyone?).

Have you checked Meetup.com. It may not be a professional organisation but at least you get to meet people.

Also web developers is quite a broad term. Many designers also call themselves web developers even though many of them have no clue about programming. They still develop websites so are still able to use the web developer title.

I wonder if they realize that they just wireless-enabled a 2600 Meeting ?

Should be plenty of fun this friday !

Meetup has a topic for E-democracy. From the description, it reads "Meetup with other local citizens to discuss how technology can enhance the democratic process." Who better than Slashdotters to thoroughly engage their fellow citizens on this very important topic?

Meetup has a topic for E-democracy. From the description, it reads "Meetup with other local citizens to discuss how technology can enhance the democratic process." Who better than Slashdotters to thoroughly engage their fellow citizens on this very important topic?

So I take it, this is your vote for a friday /. MeetUp

Next thing you know you'll be playing stratego with all the other nerds.

Have you seen some of these chicks? How 'bout that 'sparmonic' babe? If I have to pretend to be as nerdy as her to cream insider her jeans...I, SIR AM ON THE CASE!!!

If you want to understand the invented languages of Tolkien, a good place to start is with a meetup group.

Some people take their Elvishness pretty sillyessny...erm meant to say seriously... :)

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.

Don't forget that Meetup isn't just about Slashdot anymore, (nor was it ever, in fact!). You could network with other Pagan Parents, for example, you could meet other Adult Fans of Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons nerdboys/girls, Dachshund enthusiasts or try your hand at learning Elvish (thatis, if learning Spanish isn't quite grabbing your interest these days). I've noticed some very cute girls in my local Elvish Meetup. Been hoping to meet a nice girl geek either there or at the Sci Fi Meetup.