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Clark Withholds $60 Million Pledge to Stanford
vocaljess writes: "In an op-ed piece in Friday's New York Times (which you have to register to read, blah blah blah), Netscape creator Jim Clark has announced that he will withhold $60 million he had pledged to donate to Stanford University to build a center for biomedical engineering and science. He states "I believe our country risks being thrown into a dark age of medical research. Biologists are at the threshold of the most important set of discoveries in history, and rather than teach and lead, our politicians react and follow a conservative few. This legislative action will cause the United States to miss a revolution in biology.""
Here's the link to bypass NY Times registration:
C LAR.html
http://archives.nytimes.com/2001/08/31/opinion/31
What in the world has this got to do with biomedical research? It is you who seems the imature linux bashing 14 year old.
this news OLD. Which isn't really what the word 'news' means.
I've seen this attitude so many times I'll bite.
I'll head to Europe... but I'll be taking my share of the high tech stuff with me. The people who want to create a Christian Sharia can do so with the technology it creates. Historically, that's the dark ages of Europe, although I'm sure we can find it in our hearts to let you live at least as well as the Amish today.
But no TV or radio or telephones, damn it, because there's nothing in the Good Book about electrons. No remote power generation, no internal combustion engines, no antibiotics.
This sounds harsh, but we're not the ones who are trying to make this an "all or nothing" proposition.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken
Possibly because of the restrictive immigration and work-permit rules. And the increased competition to get into selected EU countries. It's getting harder to get in.
Hmmmm. I've ben to the UK, and they are "ahead" in cell phones in as much as they are all GSM, no old analog system left (or maybe none was deployed, thus the quick uptake on the newer system). It was also nice that they run their GSM at about 900Mhz so it works through walls and plants and stuff way better then here. Land line phones didn't seem any more advanced. Did you notice differently?
They didn't seem any more advanced in PDAs, in fact I think I saw fewer PDAs there then here (that was about two years ago though). So what seemed more advanced when you were there?
TVs didn't seem a bit different, but I didn't spend any real amount of time watching them, I was out at the pubs. The beer there I can state is clearly more advanced then ours. So how did their TV seem more advanced then ours?
Why does our public transportation system suck ? Blame the automobile industry. Why would they want people to pay X to ride a bus around when they REALLY SHOULD have their own auto (with all the associated wear and tear/etc.)..
The US is interested in itself. Nothing more. Why do you think our TV industry (VHS/NTSC) isn't compatible with the rest of the world (PAL) ? Whe6y do you think regional encoding came to be ?
Control. They want us to see the drivil that they want us to see, nothing more.
UPS Sucks
Give us a frigging break!
If you want to read the article, play according to the rules of the website. Register!
bash$
Although I would agree that Europe is ahead in mobile communications technology and TV and the like (as is Japan...those 3G phones are schweet) I would point out that they also have a lot of monopolies and pay a lot more for their services than we do. If the US had only one PCS technology deployed instead of 3 we probably wouldn't be so far behind...but then the prices also probably wouldn't be so low.
"Where quality is like a dead stinking rat - you just can't miss it."
A lot of CDMA phones (esp Nokia's) have that. I assume in part because Nokia already devloped it for the EU market. My friend with a Nokia didn't use any of it (other then storing phone numbers).
I can see some advantage to that. I was worried that my "GSM-1900" Nokia had gotten destroyed a few years ago when it (and I) accidentally fell into a hot tub. Actually a not-so-hot-tub at that moment. However after letting it dry all night it was pretty much OK for the next two years (until Sprint switched to CDMA). The vibrating battery decided to "do it's thing" about a half dozen times that night. I was sure it was destroyed, but it was OK too.
The same integration is happening here too, but I only know one person that has one. At least they are now smaller then a PDA plus the phone, at least in most cases.
Hmmm, I'm not sure that counts as being more advanced. I think it is just because they tied the scan freq to the AC freq (not surprising, we did too). So they got a different set of tradeoffs.
I do own one set of PAL DVDs, and they don't seem to make me uncomfortable, but I guess I'm getting a 60Hz physical refresh, with only 50Hz of new frames spread over it (it only looks odd for long smooth shots, like panning shots following walking).
It's because American consumers aren't as quick to blow their money and these gadgets as they are in Europe.
Hmm, $50 for a mobile phone at 10 cents a text message means that even 10 yearolds have them. SMS is much more conveienent then email. And when you are happy to go and tip $30-40 on a meal in a resturant, its hardly "blowing your money".
The USA does have cheap fuel - albeit crap cars and crap mpg, and a few good TV progras (most are crap though). THats about it really.
Hmmmm. I've ben to the UK, and they are "ahead" in cell phones in as much as they are all GSM, no old analog system left (or maybe none was deployed, thus the quick uptake on the newer system). It was also nice that they run their GSM at about 900Mhz so it works through walls and plants and stuff way better then here. Land line phones didn't seem any more advanced. Did you notice differently?
GSM phones work at two frequencies - 900MHz and 1800MHz (the US is 1900MHz). There was a large analog infrastructure, but this has gone (or will be gone very shortly). The reasons for this have been rehashed here several times, but in the UK the caller pays for the call which has lead to something like >80% of the population with a mobile. Mobile numbers are obviously mobile numbers too - in the UK they start with 07, compared to 01 or 02 for land lines, and 08 and 09 for special rates (from free to expensive). In the US I believe that the owner of the cellphone has to pay a proportion if people call. I know the reasons, but it always comes as a surprise to Europeans when they find this out.
I'm not sure about landline phones either - I can't think of any obvious way that they are different. Ditto PDAs.
TV in the UK is available in widescreen (if you get digital signals via satellite or cable). I don't know if that is the case in the US.
Our pubs are infinitely more advanced, and so is the beer. How do you drink that stuff over there?
As long as some of our script kiddies eventually grow out that larval stage, we'll be the kings of computers
You produce script kiddies, and Gates, while we produce Berners-Lee and Torvalds...
The US is interested in itself. Nothing more. Why do you think our TV industry (VHS/NTSC) isn't compatible with the rest of the world (PAL) ? Whe6y do you think regional encoding came to be ?
Umm, if you want to bash the U.S., go ahead but get your facts straight. The following countries use NTSC: BAHAMAS, BARBADOS, BERMUDA, BOLIVIA, BURMA, CAMBODIA, CANADA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, DOMINICAN REP, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GREENLAND, GUAM, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, JAMAICA, JAPAN, KOREA SOUTH, MEXICO, NETH ANTILLES, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, PERU, PHILIPPINES, PUERTO RICO, ST KITTS, SAMOA, SURINAM, TAIWAN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, USA, VENEZUELA
I'd say that includes a lot of the rest of the world. NTSC was developed in the 30's for B&W display. The next version of NTSC was designed for color the early 50's and was constrained by the need to be backwards comaptible with existing NTSC B&W televisions. Meanwhile Europe, with a smaller installed base of B&W TVs, was free to design better (and incompatible) color standards.
So TV standards are really other countries deciding to incompatible with the U.S., not the other way around.
Like so many technologies, the first implementation is not always the best, and the U.S. tends to be one of the first countries to roll out a new technology. This plus the fact that the FCC tends to strongly support backward compatibility in new technologies with older standards, often makes the U.S. appear technologically backwards. On the other hand, in how many other countries would you still be able to use a 50 year old TV set or a 16 year old cell phone?
The conversion from film (24frames/s) to ntsc(60 fields/s) then to pal (50 fields/s) means there's a stutter every second on long pans.
One of the reasons I buy the US versions of DVDs when I can.
Ah! Yes, I knew about the call-ee pays (and in fact that land line costs are normally per call too right? it is normaly "free" in a "local calling area" here). I just hadn't really thought much about it. Of corse that would make cell phones more popular.
Yes, most cell phones here cost the person with the cell phone. There are exceptions, many systems now have the "first incoming minute free" (Sprint). Some do incoming calls free (NexTel -- maybe only with some plans). Most do cost though.
I also didn't know about all mobile numbers starting with 07. I'm not sure how important that is, but it is interesting.
Not really, there are a few HDTV stations (on-air in some places, on digital satellite for HBO, and I think Showtime). HDTV sets are not popular though. Nor are "normal" widescreen sets (which are mostly used for DVDs). There are "widescreen" broadcasts of shows on HBO, but they are normal NTSC broadcasts with black bars (-- including Band of Brothers, my TiVo is set already...)
I don't. At least not the mass market crap. The microbrews are pretty good though (some local restaurants and pubs brew their own). Even some of the "mass market microbrews" aren't bad. None of the mass market "microbrew" stuff was as nice as the the warm ale from the pubs the locally brewed stuff is as good as what I had in the UK (but not better).
Plus sometimes I visit places that stock wonderful imports.
Go ahead... I dare you to find an ICE COLD soda in London!
It can't be done.
These freaks try to serve Coke to you warm! If you order Coke in a restaurant you have to request ice, and even then they only give you TWO CUBES OF ICE!?
Ok, but get this. Besides selling warm Coke. They do not sell Mountain Dew anywhere!!!
It's hard to imagine a place on earth which does not have the Dew, but it exists in Europe. The really weird thing is that they run Mt. Dew advertisements on TV, but they've air brushed out the Dew logos and put in Pepsi. It's FREAKY!
The only explanation I could come up with is that Mt. Dew tastes even worse warm than Coke does.
The United States will never lose an edge to Europe in the tech market as long as we have plentiful stocks of ICE COLD Mountain Dew and Coca-Cola!
How do you drink that stuff over there?
We serve it cold!
(rimshot)
Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
Bud is shit, you should try steinlager.
NZ has GSM on vodaphone at 900 MHz.
My vodaphone works just about everywhere except the sticks and some national parks.
PAL TV has better colors and resolution.
You can even tell if a newsreader has shaved today.
- Kaos games and encryption systems developer
This is a DVD of a TV show (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), so I'm not sure it was filmed at 24fr/sec rather then slapped onto beta tape at 60fr/sec. I'm not really sure how they "film" TV shows though.
I would own the US version if there was one. It is likely I'll buy the US version when Fox, UPN, and WB settle out on who gets how much of the money from it. Then I can stop using the crappy "world" DVD player.
P.S. did you mean 24/sec to 50/sec to 60/sec? I'm watching a PAL disc on a NTSC device, not NTSC on PAL.
The US public transportation system sucks in part to the passenger trolley systems being bought by GM, for the purpose of tearing them down. GM and allies bought over 100 trolley systems. This eventually resulted in federal antitrust charges, which they were found guilty of. The judge was sympathetic and fined the companies involved $5000, and the executives responsible were fined $1 each.
-J5K
The libertarian solution to the failures of capitalism is to apply more capitalism til the failures are fixed.
Why do you think our TV industry (VHS/NTSC) isn't compatible with the rest of the world
Um, because we invented it and did it first? Same reason we have a different electrical standard? Whe you're the first place to roll something out, you're stuck with the first mistakes,too -- the second guy to do something has a better chance to get it right.
Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
The USA does have cheap fuel
I just filled up at $1.70/gal, which is probably higher than most places in the US. But I remember paying $1.50/gal about 15 years ago, so I guess things aren't exactly going to hell...
albeit crap cars and crap mpg,
My Saturn cost about $12k four years ago, and has averaged between 40-45 MPG, depending on season. It is a solid car, and hasn't needed any repairs in the (almost) 100k miles so far, just oil, tires, and plugs. It is quiet and smooth.
and a few good TV progras (most are crap though)
Most? Hmmm. Yeah, you are right there.
As far as the stem cell research goes, I think that there are too many dimwits that decide with their emotions, and poorly at that. Oooh, it's ugly, and I'm squeemish! Oooh, it's killing life. Funny, I bet few of these people have actually butchered animals for the meat they eat every day. Is that ugly? (There is no feeling quite like the first time you rip the skin off a rabbit in one big pull.) Is it killing? Yes, but so what? Living and dying is a law of nature.
Is scientific research with human cells (tissue or whatever) hurting anyone? I don't see any evidence of that. Can it help? Hell yes!
If someone can explain (without emotional crap) why this research is a detriment to the public, I would sure like to hear the reasons. If they are intelligent and compelling reasons, I could change my mind, but right now I think the reasearch should be encouraged.
A dingo ate my sig...
On a different note, this has everything to do with the movie AI (a most excellent movie, but a most stupid audience). The great question was:
If we can do it, should we?
-- Frank Hsueh, frank.hsueh@gmail.com
Pal is backwards compatible with old B&W televisions.
I read slashdot for the articles.
Cryptnotic
My other first post is car post.
Thats because GE makes out refridgerators, not Lucas Electronics...
After Clark's recent billion dollar losses with the dot com crash and his $250 million yacht purchase, perhaps Clark might be backing out to satisfy his ~$10000/day lifestyle, while still saving face...
just a thought