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Since all sorts of data collection happens anyway (grocery store cards, credit cards, direct and indirect marketing, profiles, etc.) I'd much rather have targeted advertising than not. While we do need to be very careful about what kind of information is shared, I really don't care that my grocery store knows I buy vegetarian foods, and I'd rather see ads for Morningstar Farms or Boca than for Foster Farms or Tyson.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Ah...I wasn't aware. Very interesting. All the Keno games I've seen in Vegas use balls for their main game, I'm not sure about the side games, though I'm sure most do, even if it's behind the scenes. What I find facinating is that no one in Las Vegas has ever matched 12 of 12 or better (keno is a pick as many as you want from 80, and 20 are picked, for those unfamilar with the game). The odds do suck, but how many billions of keno games have been played in the last 50 years?

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Regarding my above post, numbers divisible by three add up to three, six, nine, or another number divisible by three, not just three. Sorry for the quick post =)
The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

What a marvelous example of how mathematics is a form of (free and protected) speech.

Has someone tried to claim a patent on this? It's a neat little math trick, but the poster seems a little paranoid. Should we not tell the world that the digits in numbers divisible by three add up to three, in case someone tries to patent that too? It doesn't seem like this is a big problem. or even a free speech issue.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Next think you know, they'll be figuring out a way to crazy casino games like Kino...

There's an easy way to win at Keno - don't play. If you're looking to win at gambling, first remember that hotels are big and fancy for a reason, and second, play blackjack - that's as close as you're going to get to having "good" odds.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Essentially, the music industry is pissing off their customer base.

Unfortunatly, 99% of people who buy music have no idea who the RIAA is or what they do. While the /. crowd is pissed off, it doesn't change the fact that even people who can't "find what they want on Napster anymore" don't know much about the case or the reasons behind it. We all know about the RIAA, but Joe Musicbuyer doesn't.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

I thought paying my monthly bill was enough to buy me a right to watch television. Basic cable gives you only some TV-shows and programs. Most of it is crap, you pay CAD$ 40 for it and you still have to watch the ads. What do you think of that?

I was speaking of broadcast television, but I do see your point. But you're paying for more than just your channels...you're paying for upkeep of your cable system, the hardware, the reception, and the choice of more channels, regardless of what's on them. There are a good deal of problems with the current cable system (price, no competition except from satalite, etc.) My main point is that the price you pay for cable doesn't go toward the channels, it goes to your provider.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

and to top it off, it tries to cram the thing I hate the most down my throat- ads

You can feel free to move to the Pay-Per-View model for broadcast television anytime you want. In the meantime, ads pay for your television viewing. With newer technologies like Tivo or the "VCR", you can skip them all together.

It was interesting, when I was a kid, to tape an episode of Star Trek DS9 and come to the cold realization that out of that 60 minutes of time, less than 45 minutes of it was the program.

A nitpick: Most shows, including Deep Space Nine (in it's original run, syndicators often edit more) run for 48 minutes. The end credits are approximately a minute, as are the start credits. You're only down to 46 minutes of show.

I haven't watched television in over a year...

While I'm sure you think this noble, there's plenty that local television can give you that other media can't. No matter your hatred for local news, in an emergency, they're you're best source for updates. And I'm of the opinion that if you think EVERYTHING on television is a waste of time, there's probably something wrong with your perception, not necessarily the boob tube.

Watching the damned thing is a waste of your life- what's going to make for better memories- a brain full of Voyager and Buffy episodes or a brain full of conversation, creative work, and real experience that the television is never going to come close to giving you?

Books will also never give you "a brain full of conversation, creative work, and real experience". While I understand your point, it's silly since the only way to get those things is through those things. Cooking dinner doesn't do it either, but I don't think you're going to stop eating. Television is for entertainment. If you don't find it entertaining, don't watch it. But you shouldn't go in expecting to better your life. It's a nice diversion. That's all. Don't take it so seriously, it's not meant to be.

Kill the damned thing- it's completely opt-in, so you have no right to bitch about the fucking ads when you can turn it off and do something meaningful.

Doing something meaningful is wonderful. I don't suggest sitting in front of the television all your waking hours. But "kill" your TV? It's a piece of hardware. When you want to kill plastic, glass, and electronic equipment, the fault is yours and your mental condition, not the collection of parts.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

I tend to agree, but when people are trying to pass laws against what you enjoy doing it is not wise to expose your identity to them. Stand up and be counted, but only if you're not likely to be shot down.

That's why it's all the more important to stand up for it. When you have the chance to get shot down, it's important that everyone stand, so it's harder to hit any one individual.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Besides, when I search for porn, I want to be as anonymous as possible.

Privacy issues aside, we should all be proud of what we do, porn included. Looking at porn isn't illegal, and if you're looking at it, you (probably) don't have a moral problem with it.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

This time he's being sued by Ford Motor Company for pointing a domain name that the New York Times won't mention to Ford's website.

When did journalists turn into a bunch of pansies? So the domain name has the word "fuck" in it. It's a dirty word in our culture. But it's relevant to the story. The author of the piece wouldn't be including it to be funny, it's news, and should therefore be included. It's not as if readers won't have heard it anywhere before.

This same thing happened a while back with the term "nigger". It's very offensive, very hurtful (much more so than "fuck"), and it has a cultural history that most Americans aren't proud of. But at the same time, when it's relevant to a news story, you say it/print it. No one is going to accuse the journalist of being a racist because he mentions what someone else says. It's time for people to grow up and realize reporting the news means reporting it all, offensive letter combinations included.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

We tried not to run this, but there are too many submissions to ignore.

How many is too many? I have 100 friends and some stories about my website, my hobbies, my cat...

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

I started getting mod points after about 10 karma, and every few weeks. Once I got past 25 I started having them almost all the time (only 3 or 4 days in the last month I haven't have them). Appearently, however, many /. users are getting them a lot, at all karma levels.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Speaking of such things, has anyone else noticed (or been expiriencing) that moderation points are being handed out like they're going out of style? I've be a moderator 4 times in the last three weeks, and so have many others. This happening to anyone else out there?


The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

The US and British governments should get ahold of these for their spy agencies...they could set their laptops to self-destruct every time they're lost.
The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

It sounds like a great way to watch TV or read news headlines on the bus if you ask me, but the article discusses some more, um, useful applications.

Companies need to realize there's nothing more "useful" then what people want something for. Scientific and military applications are fine, but if they want to sell, they'll have implant TV, porn, and high level gaming. Government contracts are nice, but 90% of geeks using your technology to play Quake is even better.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

NASA's site seems either down, slow, or slashdotted. There's also the Solar System Live (http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Solar/actio n?sys=-Sf). It appears to be/do the same thing (though I haven't seen the NASA site).

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

So, basically, my Good Reverend, you want to reduce your spam level but not make any effort yourself to do so :-)

That's correct. I also want a ban on wildlands oil drilling, but I'm not chaining myself to bulldozers.

I submit that until you start doing some of the work yourself, you will not ever reduce your level of spam.

I do. I have filters, and I hit delete. I also vote for congressional representitives who represent my views. And I post to slashdot. That's GOT to count for something ;)

Until you start helping the rest of us that take the time to actually complain about it, may your mailbox be infested with the excrement of spammers!

Do you bite your thumb at me?

Here's a tip: spammers have "flamers lists" that they use to weed out addresses that are known to complain a lot...

I'm interested in such a list...keep looking!


The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

I'm glad someone took the time and effort to sue someone for spamming. Maybe it'll make other companies think twice before spamming me.

On second thought, it probably won't, unfortunatly.

Until then, I have my good friend, the "delete" key. Takes a second, gets rid of my problem. It's not THAT difficult.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Actually, there are many people who don't have Windows but still need to communicated with their friends and co-workers.

There's always ICQ, Jabber, email...

Besides, reverse engineering something for the purposeses of interoperability is not illegal

No, but is using a company's servers without their permission?

I suspect you see issues like this in a very black and white manner.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I pick my battles.

1. Laws are not always just or wise. History teaches us that laws are frequently put in place for entirely selfish or wrong reasons.

I agree 100%.

2. Fighting laws "in the system" is possibly the slowest and least effective means of changing a law. People don't wouldn't throw tea in harbors if it was easy (or possible) to change the law through the system.

What do you suggest? Civil unrest for the purpose of using the IM client you like? This isn't civil rights or taxation without representation. This is the right to use a company's network for purposes they don't agree with. I see a difference, do you?

3. I like enumerating things. :)

So I've noticed =)


The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

You forgot the forth option - stop whining that a company doesn't have something for you. The world has different operating systems. You choose to use one that most of the rest of the world doesn't use. I respect your choice. But that doesn't mean you have a right to steal the service from the company providing it simply because you don't happen to like the provided client or what you see as it's downfalls.

No offence, but too bad. You don't have a god-given right to AIM, and AOL doesn't have a obligation to give it to you.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

What it boils down to is that it's in AOL's best interest to support alternative operating systems.

Regardless of what you think, That's really up to AOL now, isn't it? Possibly breaking the law because you think AOL should be on your side anyway doesn't make you right.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Check out the Internet Law & Policy Forum (http://www.ilpf.org/) - There's all sorts of information on digital signatures, digital law, internet borders, etc.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

I agree that sometimes, flash sucks. But it doesn't have to. Flash integration on a site, like anything on the web, can look good if done right. Too bad the dack.com site is already slashdotted, or I'd stop by to see if it's a joke, an ugly page, or something in between. Any mirrors?

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Regardless if the software running the enbedded system is open or not, what's really important is how well it works and how likely it is to crash. I can't simply reboot my toaster, and I shouldn't have to.

I accept a certain about of instability in computer systems, there are many companies all working seperatly, and problems will happen. But for my vacuum, answering machine or lawn mower, I don't want to have to worry about crashes. I don't care what's in them, as long as it works, and works well.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

in case you didn't know, soybeans are commonly grown in America...

Oh, I know. I was going for humor. I eat a lot of soy =)

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Those damn hippies and their soybeans! Why can't they use an American fuel source, like corn, or beer?

Seriously, if true, this is awesome. I tend to hear a lot of stories about government repression of good alternative fuels, but it's hard to say which are true, and which aren't. Unfortunatly, I don't think President Bush would care too much. Too many jobs (and too much of his own money) in oil...

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

For the goatse.cx weary...

How about holding your pointing device cursor over the link and reading what it is? It's not THAT tough...

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

"Scientists studying how a new composite material reacts with microwaves have found that the waves refract in a way the defies a law of physics.

Somehow, I doubt it. The article headline says the same thing. The material doesn't defy anything, our knowledge of the laws is just lacking. It's a nitpick, but it's silly to say it defies the law.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Yes, the announcers/sportscasters on Battlebots are annoying. But we have to be reminded sometimes: the whole world isn't the slashdot crowd. Comedy Central/Battlebots/Everyone else involved has to try to appeal to a larger audience, including those people who watch sports with human athletes. I love the techie bits too, but I think Battlebots has a good mix - It could be all talk. At least Battlebots occasionally goes "behind the scenes" to highlight some of the robots. If everyone in the key demographics were /. readers and MIT grads, it wouldn't be an issue. But the real world has people who wanna hear silly anouncers and see things beat eachother, regardless of what the tech specifics.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Did they think they wouldn't be able to find the astronauts or NASA again if they didn't fill out customs paperwork? Do government agencies typically need to fill out such paperwork for other instances? Could they have been rejected and sent back to the moon? Who at the Hawaii airport decided that Cuban cigars, textiles from China, and moon rocks all fit into the same category?

It's just strange - will they do the same thing when people start going into space on their own? Will the Microsoft/Disney/Pepsico shuttle be required to declair if it has any fruit on board?

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

You missed the disclaimer at the top of his post. Also, look at his website. His nickname is just a coincidence.

Also, the metric system has one signifigant advantage, it's base units of measure are derived from the size of the earth, and the weight and volume of pure water. Traditional units have the benefit of having lots of prime factors. But that's about it.

(this isn't mine, I read it online, but thought it very fitting today. Enjoy.)

He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line ofthirty cubits to measure around it. -- 1 Kings 7:23

Friends, I'd like to take a moment or two to discuss with you the biggest whopper in the whole liberal lie of mathematics. The liberals like to tell us that pi is what they call a "transcendental number." This is, of course, shameless liberal jargon that has no meaning whatsoever. They are teaching our children that pi goes on and on forever without repeating itself, and that it is not representable by any polynomial with integer coefficients. This, my friends, represents only the latest in a long string of liberal lies meant to undermine God and his Creation.

The true value of pi is exactly three, as evidence by the Scripture quote above. It is universally agreed by all honest mathematicians that there is no evidence for a transcendental pi. Not one iota. Friends, you and I know that the Bible is the wholly inerrant word of God, and that the liberals are barking up the wrong tree. That doesn't stop them from spreading their socialist "transcendental number" propaganda. See, the liberals like stuff like this. They like anything that makes mankind think of itself as small and insignificant. This makes it easier for them to control the minds of our children. After all, why not listen to some liberal, if you are not capable of fully representing a single number?

This is an out-and-out lie.

The whole mathematical system has been invented by communists so that they can gain a foothold in decent society. Along with this comes the damnable "Metric" system, which was invented in the socialist Mecca of Europe. The liberals want us all to use this "Metric" system. They want to force us into conformity so that they can run our lives. They tried it once in the 1970s .. remember, that, friends? They put up all of those speed limit signs with metric measurements on them (kilowatt-hours? hectares? who knows!) Of course, God's good Christians responded warmly by shooting them down. Therefore, I am glad to report that the Metric system has not caught on in decent society, unless you count the increasing popularity of the nine-millimeter bullet.

Really, friends, the only unit of measure that we need is the cubit. This is a Biblical, Godly unit of measure that can be used for everything that the socialist Metric system is supposed to be used for. You can say "The Johnson baby was one tenth of a cubit long" or "It is 78.8 quintillion cubits to Alpha Centauri" (though the latter is a lie, of course; the stars are simply fixed points on a celestial sphere that lies somewhere beyond our planet Earth, which is the center of the Universe.) My swimming pool holds forty cubic cubits of water.

So let's fight the fight, friends. Let's fight transcendental numbers. Let's fight the Metric system. Let's wage a war against the liberals that intend to enslave our minds through obfuscated mathematics and anti-God systems of measurement. Write your congressman and school board and insist that they use books that teach that pi == 3 and transcendental numbers don't exist. We can do it, my friends. We can do it if we all stick together.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

Though Paypal's been around for a while, Amazon's honor system is pretty new. They're popping up all over the place because they're new, and because a lot of site operators are just testing the waters. It doesn't hurt me to have a couple little logos on my site, especially if they might bring me cash to run the site. It's a free system to let users who are interested donate - of course it's popping up everywhere.

I think it's FAR too early to say that micropayments are a failure, and that we need to Save Our Sites. Most folks run sites out of love, and will continue to do so. Micropayments are just a way that we might be able to make some cash doing what we would do anyway.
The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.

You've made a lot of good points. Ultimately, however, you fail to realize your points apply to network television, not just Star Trek. Actors have contracts. All shows of all non-present eras make references to the present. All shows exist in a universe with "zero consequences". Some more of your points:

The Trek writers cannot develop characters that are remotely believable. Only mindless, one dimensional cliche's.

Trek characters, IMO, are deeper than most sitcom or hour drama characters. we'll have to agree to disagree.

They cannot handle character development. They tried on DS9, but it was always herky-jerky and forced. People didn't develop over time, they developed in one of their two or three designated character development episodes. Even then they couldn't convince anybody with an IQ above 74 that it was remotely natural and believable. At the end of TNG, everybody was almost exactly the same as they were Season 1. Let's not even mention Voyager.

Again, I disagree. Trek characters are considerably more developed - Take a look at Picard season one compared to Picard seasons six and seven. Hell, look at all the characters. Your point isn't specific to Star Trek, you could replace the title with any show that's ever been on television.

They cannot handle long-term story arcs. The Trek way is to start a war in one ep and forget about it for oh......8 episodes or so, with a few infrequent cut and paste mentions here and there. Even then, you can forsee the outcome 3 seasons in advance. Their "surprises" are incredibly weak and convoluted. God forbid they start a conflict in an ep that isn't the season finale!

The DS9 Dominion War was too long and got silly...but it's silly to say they "forgot" about it. it was always in the background.

No character ever dies unless the actor playing them asks for more money or quits in frustration when the writers can't think of anything to do with them. Everybody has their nice 6 year contract.

Trek actors, as far as I know, don't have set contract lengths at the beginning of the runs of each series. We saw various characters (most notably Tasha, Judiza and Kes) all leave, and they all left for different reasons. Once again, your points are NOT specific to Trek, but to television in general.

The writers cannot come up with a new and exciting story, most of it is recycled from other Trek shows, and even if they can write a script you could consider "passable" everything is neatly wrapped up by the end of the hour.

That's one of the oldest jokes about television - from the Leave it to Beaver days to now - the drama gets wrapped up before the show's over. This is NOT something just Trek deals with, and says nothing of the Trek writing.

The surroundings are always sterile and unrealistic. Unless you count the one, single "plot-device-personal-possesion" each major character has.

As stated by other posters, when Trek goes dark, fans don't like it. Once more, most shows are "sterile and unrealistic" - it's fiction, remember? And if you'd like, I'll supply you with a huge list of personal possessions each character has and appears in episodes.

The solution to any problem is a particle-of-the week/technical thing we have never heard of before. While the "realistic" and "logical" soltion is impossible because of veteron radiation or something.

This is called a "plot device". Maybe you've heard of it. Non-sci-fi shows have a non-sci-fi version - drama is interesting because the "easy" way is often impossible. Star Trek didn't come up with it.

The Federation believes itself to be infallible.

The Fonz believes himself to be cool. So?

All bad guys are one-dimensional caricatures who either die or come around to the infallible Federation way of doing things. Not to mention the fact they look like 50 other aliens we have seen.

Make-up departments don't have the biggest budgets. Besides - humans play the characters. Get over it.

Here's the bottom line: Star Trek is a popular franchise with a core group of fans and many fringe fans. Trek's fans are probably more dedicated than any other besides possibly soap opera fans, and Trek fans tend to use the internet a little more, so you hear about it a little more. Trek still makes money, and there will always been a new series on the horizon as long as money keeps coming in. The most important point you should remember, however, is that Star Trek is a television show. If you don't like it, don't watch it. It contains human actors wearing make up. It's written by human beings with a much tougher job than most television writers, because of the history they need to know with every episode. But it's just TV. Just fiction. Don't get so worked up.

The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else.