Slashdot Mirror

I watched the whole committee session. Schmidt did reasonably well. Susan Creighton, a lawyer from Wilson Sonsini speaking for Google, not so much.

The chart showing Google Shopping almost always in the #3 position in organic results was interesting, and weird. I look forward to seeing more details on that in the SEO blogs.

Schmidt had a painful time replying to questions about Google's active encouragement of offshore pharmacy ads. He refused to say much. Part of the plea deal is that Google can't deny in public statements what they admitted in writing in their plea bargain. (If they do, the plea bargain is off and DOJ takes them to court on criminal charges.) So Schmidt can't claim Google did nothing wrong. He could have been more apologetic, though.

Susan Creighton had a rough time. Google pays Apple $100 million a year or so to be the default search engine on the iPhone. She was asked about that, and tried hard to evade answering the question, which was put to her several times before a grudging admission that Google paid Apple for that. That's a real antitrust issue - buying your way into a new market when you're #1 in a related market doesn't go over well.

10 miles of rail in one day

This makes me sad. In my state we're going to take several years and $25 million dollars to add a 1.5 mile section alongside an existing track.

http://www.projo.com/news/content/KINGSTON_STATION_05-28-11_KDOB7US_v9.3040bfb.html

Really? I thought it was all about trying to lift more than anyone else. I guess all those olympic medals were just distributed at random. "Most people assume their sport is as simple as it gets..

though curiously the DEA and FDA get plenty, within their respective scopes

Actually, they don't. Politicians are terrible at being proactive, they need to look like they're solving some major crisis in order to justify their continued employment to the people who vote for them. Much like IT, if there were no crises they'd be doing it right but nobody would give a damn about them anymore.

This is why only eight states have banned "synthetic marijuana", why until a few years ago several places had neglected to mention in their child labor laws that 12 year olds can't be strippers and so on.

...reminded me of the kind of quasi-legal nitpicking one sees in Slashdot posts almost every day. It's the same kind of thing you see when you have two children in the back seat on a long road trip, and one or both of them are determined to pick a fight, so whatever rules you lay down, they interpret them as literally and selectively as possible in order to violate the spirit of the rule while keeping tenuously to the letter. Child A pokes child B, so you tell them not to touch each other, at which point A pokes B with some object, arguing that he didn't poke B, the object did.

No worries, your children have a bright future in the Rhode Island State Legislature

Even if the Fed does do it, you still have to deal with the vast array of possibly conflicting regulations and the differences between them across state lines.

Further, I can cite two high-profile projects in New England alone that would be privately funded and whose construction and subsequent operation would provide jobs in the depressed region: Cape Wind and Weaver's Cove LNG. Both of which are being stymied by myopic local leaders and demagogues.

Frankly, I'm amazed at the Cape Wind company's tenacity: it's been like a decade since they started trying to get permission to build. That must be some valuable wind they're trying to tap.

The Mayor of Providence has proposed a similar tax in providence, although it would "only" be $150/student as opposed to $400. The arguments being made in both cities seem to be exactly the same: Students need to pay their "fair share". I'm kind of curious how we don't already pay our fair share, though, given that anyone who lives off campus pays property taxes and we bring millions into the local economy. (And in Providence, we're all the local economy has left)

Now I'm not one to go shouting about the Government and taxes, but student taxes are very clearly a form of regressive taxation. It just doesn't make sense to be trying to take money from a group of people who don't have all that much of it in the first place. But that seems to be the trend of taxation lately, more and more regressive so rich people can keep all of their "hard earned" money.

Like everyone else.

Or with merchandise like t-shirts, posters, models, etc. A quick look shows Hasbro making $480 million in the year that Transformers(2007) was released.

The point is, the data/information should be free. If you want a physical book, you pay for the book. If you like the experience of movie theaters, you pay for the experience.

You're absolutely right, and that's why we need either nuclear power or a large power transmission grid to lower CO2 emissions.

Wrong. Two billion people in the world don't have electricity. Carbon-based sources produce the most, and cheapest energy. Carbon-based sources are responsible for the doubling of human life expectancy.

Wrong. As you say many of those who's life spans have increased have no access to electricity, carbon based or not. What did increase most people's lifespan was the Green Revolution which was based on mechanization and petroleum, fossil fuels. However petroleum is not going to last forever, we have anywhere between 15 and 40 years before peak oil. Meanwhile solar panels and micro loans allow poor people who live no where near an electrical grid to start businesses such as a net cafe.

That also discounts the effects of high carbon in the atmosphere, such as poison ivy which grows faster and is more toxic with higher carbon levels. Or disease carrying mosquitoes gaining higher altitudes and latitudes infecting more people if the world warms.

It's time to forget about environmental propaganda and start being concerned with the lives of individuals who need abundant, cheap energy to survive, and to thrive.

Fossil fuel is only cheap to those who produce and consume it because they get to pass on the external costs to others. If users had to pay the costs of pollution they'd be paying much more. They'd also be paying more if fossil fuels were not subsidized by the government. Yes, subsidized. The coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and petroleum industries receive billions of dollars in government subsidies. In the video My Climate Bill 'Has Huge Subsidies For Clean Coal! Huge!'" on YouTube rep Markey details some of the government subsidies all these industries get. In another video "Chevron agrees to lobby with Sierra Club to end coal subsidies".

Quite simply many people like you believe energy from fossil fuel is cheap, but if they had to pay the full price they'd know the truth, it is not. In markets where fossil fuels and nuclear power did not get subsidies and had to pay for the pollution created alternative and renewable energy sources could compeat.

Falcon

Not what the OP is looking for, but here's a commercial product that tracks buses and children using GPS and RFID.
Yeah, I know. Big Brother, etc.

Which must be why foreign governments are considering bailing out their automakers too, right?

Which countries are?

Canada? Which is bailing out the U.S. companies operating in Canada?

Or Sweden, which is bailing out Saab and Volvo, owned by GM and Ford, respectively?

Or Germany, which is bailing out Opel, another GM brand?

Or Britain, which is bailing out Ford and Vauxhall (Vauxhall is a GM brand)?

I guess there is France, which is bailing out its two automakers, Renault and Peugeot. But nothing suggests their either of those two are on the edge of collapse; rather, the government is throwing money at them to insure that plants are not closed, and jobs are not lost. Pure stupidity. But subsidies are not a new game for the French.

The American automakers brought this crisis on themselves. Most, if not all of the foreign manufacturers will stay alive because they have the resources to survive the lean times; the American companies look as if they decided to not generate *any* profits, and rely upon a government bailout to survive if needed.

Note also that you don't convert an SUV plant to making hybrids in "weeks", as you so blithely assert. Sure, you can shut the SUV plant down in weeks (at a cost in jobs), but you're not switching production so quickly as all that.

No, actually, Honda has a *5-minute* retool. While that's not the standard, both Toyota and Honda can do incredible restructuring of their production in a matter of weeks, not months/years.

*shrug*. I guess you can try and blame the customer. I'd say that it *is* the automakers fault that they were unable to compete with the foreign transplant operations, and it *is* the automakers fault that they were unable to flexibly adjust production to match customer demand, and it *is* the automakers fault that they did not have the financial wherewithal to plan for or survive a downturn.

This crisis is 100% the automakers fault. The market is a tough place, and you can't survive it if you make decade upon decade of bad decisions.

http://www.projo.com/projocars/content/ca_safetyconflict_08-31-08_SRBCU5F_v9.207b3f9.html

Here is a link about the differences.
Frankly the US and EU requirements are very close. The US frontal crash test is at a higher speed with a ridged barrier. It is a tougher test.
The US lacks the pole test but is going to add it.
The EU doesn't test without seat belts.
The US has a higher speed for side impacts.
The EU has a test for child safety seats in cars which the US lacks.
So simply put the tests are different some US tests are harder and some EU tests are harder.
They probably now work out about the same for cars.

Although the police are required to _have_ a search warrant, they are not required to show it to you. See this article I agree this sucks, but such is the current state of US law.

Big problem is safety. Handling batteries for hybrids right now is a delicate business without a whole lot of trained technicians. An accidental shock will kill you with the size of the battery on a hybrid, and probably by extension on an all electric car. There's an article from the Providence Journal about repair shops servicing hybrids that should give some perspective on the 'certified technician' issue: http://www.projo.com/projocars/content/CA-HYBRIDSERVICE_05-10-08_LA9V0UK_v17.252cbc8.html Because of the problems associated with infrequent charging stations, IEEE has an article suggesting that trucks might be one of the first to go electric on a large scale - if you have fixed routes it becomes a lot easier to strategically plan charging stations and lowers the startup cost. http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jul08/6439

Actually it was Lucas who wanted the UFOs, even more so then was finally made. It was Spielberg who talked him down to what the final film became... Check out this linkfor a fuller explanation.

...can go to hell. Internet predators? What about THIS guy?

http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20060509_w girl9.12926f99.html

Hastert doesn't know what a predator is.

--
BMO

While that is still up for debate, if said reports do exists one would think that they would have been better publicized?

Capitol Hill Blue is questionable, but the article itself was originally published February 24 in the Providence Journal. A Google News search for Walter Soehnge reveals additional sources.

For the same reason you don't ban gasoline, fire extinguishers, or commercial aircraft.

Even if you do not believe that each human being has the natural right to self-ownership, and thus the natural right to defend that self-ownership, in every case, the benefits of the objects in question far outweigh the actions of a few evil individuals who use examples of those objects to assist in their evil acts.

Nope, I didn't bother looking it up, but niether did I say it was illegal.

Allofmp3: We pay monthly deductions to ROMS. The distribution of the royalties to the authors fully depends on ROMS. ROMS (as well as RAO [Russian Authors' Organisation]) distributes the royalties based on sales amount.

Now I wonder if you've read up on the falling out between ROMS and the RAO. My guess is no.

Now I'd have to ask if you sincerely believe that any significant portion of these licensing fees paid to the government body known as ROMS gets forwarded to the artists whose music is being sold on allofmp3.com. I'm thinkin 'round about none of it...but no, i cannot back that up. Prove me wrong. (It'd actually make me rather happy if you did)

So to reiterate my point, since you seem to have missed it: I have nothing against allofmp3.com, but I will still buy a CD if I know profits aren't going to the RIAA, and the CD is from an artist who I want to support. That's the way to truly foster the production of GOOD music--not corporate endorsed, mass-media overplayed drivel.

The RIAA can kiss my @$$

Her view on government-mandated maternity leave is certainly in conflict with libertarian values. However, she is certainly cuter than her competition. After all, politics is just a beauty contest, right?

Rob Malda caught in circle-jerk--kills self

I just read this on a news site. It doesn't mention many details but says Slashdot's founder Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda (AKA Stewart Denton) has been found dead. Murdered himself after being caught in a ----------- scandal with fellow Slashdot editors (using aliases). Whether or not you were a fan of his openly gay attitude and right wing political views, you cannot deny his contributions to the alternative sexuality community. As a memorial, he will be ass reamed one last time before his pasty white body is burried. It is indeed a black day as he will be sadly missed by his former turd-burglars (for The Turd Report). Truly a homo-geek icon.

keep posting stuff about cmdrtaco, it gets modded down quickly.
here is an example.....


Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda caught in circle jerk--kills self

I just read this on a news site. It doesn't mention many details but says Slashdot's founder Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda (AKA Stewart Denton) has been found dead. Murdered himself after being caught in a circle jerk scandal with fellow Slashdot editors (using aliases). Whether or not you were a fan of his openly gay attitude and right wing political views, you cannot deny his contributions to the alternative sexuality community. As a memorial, he will be ass reamed one final time before his pasty white body is burried. It is indeed a black day as he will be sadly missed by his former turd-burglars (for The Turd Report). Truly a homo-geek icon.

Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda caught in circle jerk--kills self

I just read this on a news site. It doesn't mention many details but says Slashdot's founder Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda (AKA Stewart Denton) has been found dead. Murdered himself after being caught in a circle jerk scandal with fellow Slashdot editors (using aliases). Whether or not you were a fan of his openly gay attitude and right wing political views, you cannot deny his contributions to the alternative sexuality community. As a memorial, he will be ass reamed one final time before his pasty white body is burried. It is indeed a black day as he will be sadly missed by his former turd-burglars (for The Turd Report). Truly a homo-geek icon.

-Metrollica

I just read this on a news site. It doesn't mention many details but says Slashdot's founder Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda (AKA Stewart Denton) has been found dead. Murdered himself after being caught in a circle jerk scandal with fellow Slashdot editors (using aliases). Whether or not you were a fan of his openly gay attitude and right wing political views, you cannot deny his contributions to the alternative sexuality community. As a memorial, he will be ass reamed one final time before his pasty white body is burried. It is indeed a black day as he will be sadly missed by his former turd-burglars (for The Turd Report). Truly a homo-geek icon.

-Metrollica

Certainly not, Peter Blake was killed by robbers in the Amazon earlier this year. That's piracy.

A writer at the Providence Journal is paralyzed from the neck down. He writes by staring at letters on the screen. Seriously.

It far more important that the Florida counties not change their rules after the elections. Palm Beach clearly didn't count dimples at least since 1990. Recounting them now would change the rules.

Maybe you meant This shitty editorial on it.

I'm from Rhode Island. In our lame little state it is ILLEGAL to use false information aobut yourself on the net. Goodbye pseudonymity! Here is a shitty editorial on it
xm@GeekMafia.dynip.com [http://GeekMafia.dynip.com/]

I'm from Rhode Island. In our lame little state it is ILLEGAL to use false information aobut yourself on the net. Goodbye pseudonymity! Here 's a shitty editorial on it
xm@GeekMafia.dynip.com [http://GeekMafia.dynip.com/]