I used that book to guide myself through a weight-los s program lasting from late July until Christmas about two years ago. I lost 45 lbs (I was being agressive and stayed on a 1500 cal/day diet with cardio workouts twice or three times a week plus normal walking). I have since gained back about 15 lbs but totally acknowledge it as an over-eating thing. The Hacker's Diet worked for me and I am getting ready to start it again. I guess the idea is you should never really stop.
I was watching my weight, as suggested in the book, and when I got 5lbs over my target weight (-10% per day weighted average) I would go on a little mini-diet for a couple weeks. This was working. But I stopped (various excuses, none are important).
arg. Republican party, of course! But neither would stand a chance against Bush... He's just too well connected. I'm betting he'll somehow manage a third term despite prohibitions against this....
Hi, what a great chance to plug Prosebush. This is a site where you can read and write stories with others in a wide range of genres. The stories can branch out as many times as you like so you can continue a branch or start a new one when you want to take the story in a different direction.
The community is completely unmoderated and has some non-fiction areas as well for people to discuss the site and writing in general (we have online workshops and so on).
Check it out! It may not be exactly what you are looking for but it is certainly a good place to start and may give you some good ideas...
Actually, they mention this as one of the technologies being considered. I think that someone involved with it may be taking part in the discussions on the list as well.
I think there are some efforts in the XML-RPC community and elsewhere to come up with a nice, free service "just like" passport. There is no reason why free tools developed for passport interaction couldn't be modified to use the free version instead (make this an option).
Look at Distributed membership and preferences
for a closer look (it is a good place to start). There has been a lot of traffic on their mailing list about this lately. Very interesting stuff!
Re:Why isn't XML-RPC considered bloat?
on
ESR On XML-RPC
·
· Score: 2
My biggest issue is that for XML-RPC to support things that are the biggest issues of distributed computing (e.g. keeping track of state) would add so much bloat to the XML parsing, string building, etc process for making a remote call as to make it unfeasible.
I think XML-RPC is to be used for basic stuff like finding out what MP3 someone is listening to or getting a relevant subset of some site's content that you can parse easily for inclusion on your own site. It's probably not (as you say) good for clusters and so on... But I don't think it's proponents want it to be used for that either...
ok, I thought that looked familiar... It looks to me like they want to develop a whole "universe" of these sites with different games, etc. I imagine licensing issues would keep them chained to some open gaming engine though (might be a good thing for non-MS gaming if they get really popular!). Course they seem to just have the Windows client available---not that I think this is a bad thing... they are obviously in business to make money. But seeing as how they are not charging for the games clients I hope a Linux version (or whatever the reader is running!) pops up soon.
It's ideas like this that will get online accounts, micropayments, and stuff like that into the mainstream. It is looking like people won't pay too much to play games online, but throwing money into a pot with a chance to double it! OH YEAH! That will add spice to a game and make a great revenue model. Wish I had thought of this... So much better than on-line gambling, etc. Please note that these guys are Canadian, eh? Or at least the company is...:)
Looking at the screenshots I though maybe I saw some Quake-like images there... I am not a gamer so I don't keep up on these things (OBVIOUSLY) but have they done something with the Quake code or is this a new from-scratch product they developed?
if they are totally dependent on MS to survive, then they are a parasite
Maybe a better term would be "symbiote"? Symbiosis indicates that two organisms (or whatever) are dependent on each other. The software companies need MS (well, they rely on MS's popularity to provide a large user base for thier product), and the proliferation of software for MS systems helps to make MS Windows, etc., a more popular platform. MS would not disappear if third party developers stopped doing software for it, but it would probably hurt MS. Similarly:) the 3rd party developers could migrate to different platforms when they start getting more of a market share than Windows currently enjoys.
I haven't seen too many flex-time policies that allowed people to take entire days off think.
There is a flavour of flex-time that lets you have one day off for every nine worked (or one hour for every day). One policy in particular was "work 40.5 hours per week", so you just had to pull 81 hours every check. In the department I was in this meant people took one extra day off every two weeks... It also meant that people could (in theory) work any hours they wanted as long as they got the job done. Most people came in early on general meeting days but worked causally the rest of the time. It took a while before I figured out everyone's individual work periods.
Con: that day is usually coincident with a day another co-worker needs your: help, expertise, advice, signature, presence in a meeting/etc.
I guess we are all living in a high-tech world where you don't need to be anywhere physically to get work done. Unfortunately, that is something that often only works in theory. When you are working with a group of other people you need to be there to work with (or for) them. I realize that there are jobs that can largely be done independently and only require group meetings when certain milestones are achieved, but many jobs involve working in groups, and consulting with people in those groups.
How many people have been at a meeting that went nowhere because "someone" was "taking thier day". Don't get me wrong. I am all in favour of flexible work schedules and in a well organized operation this would probably lead to happier and more productive employees, but this freedom has to be tempered with responsibility. It would be nice if flex-days were not taken on days when inter-departmental meetings were taking place, or during times when that person is a central figure on a project. It is important to realize that when you are gone, everyone who needs you is screwed (unless you spend the day answering email and phone calls, which defeats the purpose of taking the day off).
My suggestion (or feeling anyway) is that a four day week (every two weeks) is a good idea but that everyone should take thier flex-day at the same time (so a particular workgroup might agree to take every second Friday off when possible).
Imagine a system that can accept appointment requests for you and based on rules you specify, either accept, reject, or notify you of this appointment request. This sounds great, right: agent based appointment scheduling. Might save everyone a lot of time, etc.
Okay, pretend you want to build this system. If your agent wants to schedule you (or you do it yourself) for an appointment at 2:30 and you are currently engaged until about 2:15 it may only be a good idea to schedule this if the travel time is less than 15 minutes.
Now you could specify a "map" of your normal stomping grounds and the distances between some of them, and let the computer do the math, but this is limiting and requires "thought". If all the little networked devices involved in all this scheduling know thier co-ords (either stored, accessed from a database, or by GPS) the whole problem becomes easier. You enter some upper/lower bounds for travel times (over some set ranges) and the whole system becomes more more general.
Finally, one of the best reasons to have security and encryption is so people can prove they are who they say they are... If you build geographics into the authentication this may be useful but wouldn't it be easy to spoof the location? The input has to come from somewhere...
No seriously, all they'll remember is Neo.. just let it be.. At least he got rid of the bill&ted image..
Look, are you sure? I thought Wayne and Garth played Bill and Tedd, or vice versa... I mean those guys were actors. I'm talking about the Matrix here, not some movie!:)
I can't get the site or see images on the google cache so I am gonna ask this here:
Would "typing" resemble someone playing a two handed game of Missile Command? (or perhaps Centipede and Missile Command at the same time?)
On a related, and more serious, note has anyone ever tried those "cyber gloves" that let you type in midair. I am thinking of the gloves that Neo uses in Johnny Mnemonic, but I was pretty sure that a product like this actually existed. Is this the case? I am thinking some kind of VR system would be needed right? Arg.
The question of the day is, would it cost more to pay M$ for the unaccounted-for pieces of software, or to switch to Linux?
Well, as much as I love Linux (and I do) and other Open Source stuff I would have to say that it would probably cost WAY more to switch to Linux than it would to do an audit and throw money at Microsoft. I am certain that MS would agree to a lump-sum payment or something based on the number of computers the department is using, etc. If not there is an audit and a reconing, then it all goes back to normal for the workers.
Compare this to the long process of retraining everyone, document conversion, in house program porting, endless configuration snags, hirings, consultants coming in (and since it's government, staying for years), etc. This isn't a five person consulting service here, it's an operation that has about 3,500 computers (from the article) that would all need to be set up, and thier users re-trained. Just the burden on Human Resources would probably be more costly than paying up.
Now, will they consider Open Source for new systems in the future? I sure hope so. Probably they will just keep paying the piper though.
I was using this site as a primary text for the graph theory class I was taking. It was much less obtuse than the textbook for the course (it's always good to use more than one source anyway).
Actually, mostly I was just "being clever"... I really don't think that these things will be in widespread use by private citizens anytime soon. There might be some industrial applications (law enforcement, forestry, search and rescue, etc spring to mind).
I think the safety concerns and traffic problems are addressable though. Consider onboard GPS units and altimeters to guide people in transit. Also consider large, lightweight parachutes augmented by mars-lander like airbag contraptions (probably the most dangerous accident will be those that occur at altitudes too low for parachutes to be effective.
To sum up: Industrial use? Yes. Wealthy private enthusiasts? Yes. Average Joe going to work? Probably not any time soon (but I could sure have fun with one!).
Personal flight will never be widespread. Falling to your death is just too high a risk for a normal person. And personal ground transportation is OK (not great, but good enough).
Actually there is little reason to believe anyone would want to fly by any means when a perfectly good steamer line goes between London and New York on a weekly basis. With brandy and whist to pass the time, one scarcely minds a few days travel, I dare say.
Only a madman would allow himself to be transported in a flying machine. The risks are outrageous. Even if one was to survive such a flight the damage to one's reputation (being thought of as a reckless anarchist) would certainly not be worth the time saved or the risk.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, using /dev/zero is a better idea. Using /dev/urandom you never know, you may randomly get a Metallica song and then you're screwed.
Not to mention the fact that you would get WAY better compression...
So where did you get the beta light!?! I have been searching for a useful one ever since I read the SAS Survival Handbook back in the mid-eighties!!!
I used that book to guide myself through a weight-los s program lasting from late July until Christmas about two years ago. I lost 45 lbs (I was being agressive and stayed on a 1500 cal/day diet with cardio workouts twice or three times a week plus normal walking). I have since gained back about 15 lbs but totally acknowledge it as an over-eating thing. The Hacker's Diet worked for me and I am getting ready to start it again. I guess the idea is you should never really stop.
I was watching my weight, as suggested in the book, and when I got 5lbs over my target weight (-10% per day weighted average) I would go on a little mini-diet for a couple weeks. This was working. But I stopped (various excuses, none are important).
arg. Republican party, of course! But neither would stand a chance against Bush... He's just too well connected. I'm betting he'll somehow manage a third term despite prohibitions against this....
Oh great, now the third party vote will be split between Sauron and Cthulu. Perot will NEVER get elected now! :(
Hi, what a great chance to plug Prosebush. This is a site where you can read and write stories with others in a wide range of genres. The stories can branch out as many times as you like so you can continue a branch or start a new one when you want to take the story in a different direction.
The community is completely unmoderated and has some non-fiction areas as well for people to discuss the site and writing in general (we have online workshops and so on).
Check it out! It may not be exactly what you are looking for but it is certainly a good place to start and may give you some good ideas...
Actually, they mention this as one of the technologies being considered. I think that someone involved with it may be taking part in the discussions on the list as well.
--8<--
I think there are some efforts in the XML-RPC community and elsewhere to come up with a nice, free service "just like" passport. There is no reason why free tools developed for passport interaction couldn't be modified to use the free version instead (make this an option).
Look at Distributed membership and preferences for a closer look (it is a good place to start). There has been a lot of traffic on their mailing list about this lately. Very interesting stuff!
--8<--
I think the URL for the review is mangled... The real one is here:
http://www.thedukeofurl.org/reviews/misc/libranet1 90/printable.shtml
--8<--
My biggest issue is that for XML-RPC to support things that are the biggest issues of distributed computing (e.g. keeping track of state) would add so much bloat to the XML parsing, string building, etc process for making a remote call as to make it unfeasible.
I think XML-RPC is to be used for basic stuff like finding out what MP3 someone is listening to or getting a relevant subset of some site's content that you can parse easily for inclusion on your own site. It's probably not (as you say) good for clusters and so on... But I don't think it's proponents want it to be used for that either...
Read more about it at XML-RPC.com!
--8<--
couldn't you just feed the line out to some recording device's line in?
--8<--
ok, I thought that looked familiar... It looks to me like they want to develop a whole "universe" of these sites with different games, etc. I imagine licensing issues would keep them chained to some open gaming engine though (might be a good thing for non-MS gaming if they get really popular!). Course they seem to just have the Windows client available---not that I think this is a bad thing... they are obviously in business to make money. But seeing as how they are not charging for the games clients I hope a Linux version (or whatever the reader is running!) pops up soon.
--8<--
It's ideas like this that will get online accounts, micropayments, and stuff like that into the mainstream. It is looking like people won't pay too much to play games online, but throwing money into a pot with a chance to double it! OH YEAH! That will add spice to a game and make a great revenue model. Wish I had thought of this... So much better than on-line gambling, etc. Please note that these guys are Canadian, eh? Or at least the company is... :)
Looking at the screenshots I though maybe I saw some Quake-like images there... I am not a gamer so I don't keep up on these things (OBVIOUSLY) but have they done something with the Quake code or is this a new from-scratch product they developed?
--8<--
Hmm... no. I was referring to individual companies that base their entire product line around a single product
point taken...
--8<--
if they are totally dependent on MS to survive, then they are a parasite
Maybe a better term would be "symbiote"? Symbiosis indicates that two organisms (or whatever) are dependent on each other. The software companies need MS (well, they rely on MS's popularity to provide a large user base for thier product), and the proliferation of software for MS systems helps to make MS Windows, etc., a more popular platform. MS would not disappear if third party developers stopped doing software for it, but it would probably hurt MS. Similarly :) the 3rd party developers could migrate to different platforms when they start getting more of a market share than Windows currently enjoys.
--8<--
Was this post a troll? :) I mean you are running a browser now to post and read so the immeadiate desire to use Archie has faded, right? :)
Anyway, I found something here with Google: http://archie.emnet.co.uk/
Please let me know how this pans out. I never really needed to use Archie (too much of a youngun I guess) but I remember accessing it with Mosaic.
--8<--
I haven't seen too many flex-time policies that allowed people to take entire days off think.
There is a flavour of flex-time that lets you have one day off for every nine worked (or one hour for every day). One policy in particular was "work 40.5 hours per week", so you just had to pull 81 hours every check. In the department I was in this meant people took one extra day off every two weeks... It also meant that people could (in theory) work any hours they wanted as long as they got the job done. Most people came in early on general meeting days but worked causally the rest of the time. It took a while before I figured out everyone's individual work periods.
--8<--
Pro: you get to take a day off occasionally.
Con: that day is usually coincident with a day another co-worker needs your: help, expertise, advice, signature, presence in a meeting/etc.
I guess we are all living in a high-tech world where you don't need to be anywhere physically to get work done. Unfortunately, that is something that often only works in theory. When you are working with a group of other people you need to be there to work with (or for) them. I realize that there are jobs that can largely be done independently and only require group meetings when certain milestones are achieved, but many jobs involve working in groups, and consulting with people in those groups.
How many people have been at a meeting that went nowhere because "someone" was "taking thier day". Don't get me wrong. I am all in favour of flexible work schedules and in a well organized operation this would probably lead to happier and more productive employees, but this freedom has to be tempered with responsibility. It would be nice if flex-days were not taken on days when inter-departmental meetings were taking place, or during times when that person is a central figure on a project. It is important to realize that when you are gone, everyone who needs you is screwed (unless you spend the day answering email and phone calls, which defeats the purpose of taking the day off).
My suggestion (or feeling anyway) is that a four day week (every two weeks) is a good idea but that everyone should take thier flex-day at the same time (so a particular workgroup might agree to take every second Friday off when possible).
--8<--
Imagine a system that can accept appointment requests for you and based on rules you specify, either accept, reject, or notify you of this appointment request. This sounds great, right: agent based appointment scheduling. Might save everyone a lot of time, etc.
Okay, pretend you want to build this system. If your agent wants to schedule you (or you do it yourself) for an appointment at 2:30 and you are currently engaged until about 2:15 it may only be a good idea to schedule this if the travel time is less than 15 minutes.
Now you could specify a "map" of your normal stomping grounds and the distances between some of them, and let the computer do the math, but this is limiting and requires "thought". If all the little networked devices involved in all this scheduling know thier co-ords (either stored, accessed from a database, or by GPS) the whole problem becomes easier. You enter some upper/lower bounds for travel times (over some set ranges) and the whole system becomes more more general.
Finally, one of the best reasons to have security and encryption is so people can prove they are who they say they are... If you build geographics into the authentication this may be useful but wouldn't it be easy to spoof the location? The input has to come from somewhere...
--8<--
No seriously, all they'll remember is Neo.. just let it be.. At least he got rid of the bill&ted image..
:)
Look, are you sure? I thought Wayne and Garth played Bill and Tedd, or vice versa... I mean those guys were actors. I'm talking about the Matrix here, not some movie!
--8<--
I can't get the site or see images on the google cache so I am gonna ask this here:
Would "typing" resemble someone playing a two handed game of Missile Command? (or perhaps Centipede and Missile Command at the same time?)
On a related, and more serious, note has anyone ever tried those "cyber gloves" that let you type in midair. I am thinking of the gloves that Neo uses in Johnny Mnemonic, but I was pretty sure that a product like this actually existed. Is this the case? I am thinking some kind of VR system would be needed right? Arg.
Thanks
--8<--
Well, as much as I love Linux (and I do) and other Open Source stuff I would have to say that it would probably cost WAY more to switch to Linux than it would to do an audit and throw money at Microsoft. I am certain that MS would agree to a lump-sum payment or something based on the number of computers the department is using, etc. If not there is an audit and a reconing, then it all goes back to normal for the workers.
Compare this to the long process of retraining everyone, document conversion, in house program porting, endless configuration snags, hirings, consultants coming in (and since it's government, staying for years), etc. This isn't a five person consulting service here, it's an operation that has about 3,500 computers (from the article) that would all need to be set up, and thier users re-trained. Just the burden on Human Resources would probably be more costly than paying up.
Now, will they consider Open Source for new systems in the future? I sure hope so. Probably they will just keep paying the piper though.
--8<--
I was using this site as a primary text for the graph theory class I was taking. It was much less obtuse than the textbook for the course (it's always good to use more than one source anyway).
Math students everywhere are feeling this pain!
--8<--
Actually, mostly I was just "being clever"... I really don't think that these things will be in widespread use by private citizens anytime soon. There might be some industrial applications (law enforcement, forestry, search and rescue, etc spring to mind).
I think the safety concerns and traffic problems are addressable though. Consider onboard GPS units and altimeters to guide people in transit. Also consider large, lightweight parachutes augmented by mars-lander like airbag contraptions (probably the most dangerous accident will be those that occur at altitudes too low for parachutes to be effective.
To sum up: Industrial use? Yes. Wealthy private enthusiasts? Yes. Average Joe going to work? Probably not any time soon (but I could sure have fun with one!).
--8<--
Actually there is little reason to believe anyone would want to fly by any means when a perfectly good steamer line goes between London and New York on a weekly basis. With brandy and whist to pass the time, one scarcely minds a few days travel, I dare say.
Only a madman would allow himself to be transported in a flying machine. The risks are outrageous. Even if one was to survive such a flight the damage to one's reputation (being thought of as a reckless anarchist) would certainly not be worth the time saved or the risk.
--8<--