I thought that GPS could not be used by airplanes...
That is, a (civilian) GPS would not work at a speed above 200 miles per hour, reportedly to prevent terrorists from using it to guide smart bombs to their targets.
Actually a couple years ago, I was reading about somebody who wanted to coat the blades of various tools
with some sort of vaccuum deposited diamond film (possibly this... I don't know too much about this
process, the think i was reading also involved vaccuum chambers and heavy hydrogen and bombarding stuff
with microwaves... didn't sound like too practical a process on an industrial scale).. That was in 93 or so, so
it was probably something different... This sounds cool though =:-)
If I am not mistaken, the process involved some CO2 atmosphere in an oven, and bombarding a plate glass with
carefully phased ultrasonic waves. Within hours, the glass was coated in a very thin but scratch-proof
diamond film.
Reminds me one day when the girl who was reading the news on TV was wearing a blouse with HORIZONTAL black & white lines that were about 2 scan lines high.
Can you imagine the razzle-dazzle it did on NTSC???
The real problem here is the customers who insist upon complete
control. They think "publishing," and somehow think
that they have ultimate control over all things, and thus ultimate
control over how it is presented to the viewer.
The web is a different medium. You don't take radio rules
and apply them to TV, and vice versa. What works well for glossy
color magazines won't work well for an indie newspaper.
I'm still fighting battles with folks. The latest here is
the use of the corporate logo. The brand-identity weenies complain
that there has to be one inch of whitespace around the logo,
and the logo can not appear any smaller than certain dimensions,
and it has to appear in the correct colors.
A corporate image is something very important. It projects
the corporation's image upon the public, and as the most visible
part of the corporation, it is what the public percieves.
Graphic norms for corporate images are the guidelines to ensure
consistentness of the appearance. They have been elaborated by
skilled designers who are experts at making graphics look right.
It is quite fortunate that they are able to precisely specify
how a logo should be used ("1 inch of white space all around"),
so nerdy web monkeys who know fuck-all about graphic design won't
screw-up the all-important corporate image. By simply following
the graphical specifications, they can turn-out perfect work most
of the time.
Indeed the web is a different medium; the RGB phosphors
are not the same thing as the CYMK inks used on paper.
Most importantly, they do not share the same color "gamut";
colors that can't be printed look great on a screen (think of
a full green (#00FF00), and vice-versa. Whole treatises
have been written on the subject of conversion between RGB
and CYMK, and it's likely that plenty of ink will flow
for that subject. So, indeed, the graphics have to be, if not
wholly redesigned, at least, skillfully adapted for usage on the
web. The problem is that the print designers are only slowly being
make aware of the phospors limitations. So, instead of bitching
at the designers for the "silly 1 inch of white space",
tell him how the colours are rendered on a CRT, so he can adapt
his work to the new medium without botching it.
If Apple had released something like that, Microsoft
would have just pulled the plug on Microsoft Office for the Mac,
and guaranteed that people would have stuck with them anyway.
They've done that sort of thing before when they threatened
to kill Office for the Mac if Apple didn't adopt Internet Explorer.
Not only that, but back around 1984-1985, Microsoft threatened
to pull the plug on Excel for Macintosh if Apple went ahead and
released some kind of "Visual Basic" avant
la lettre for Macintosh, which would have made developping
visual, event-driven apps for the Mac very easy.
In many ways, Pascal was a better language, but Pascal had some inane limitations that stemmed from Wirth's academic orientation.
Fortunately, BORLAND sufficiently hacked at Pascal, and turned it into a much more useful product than C.
It's no accident that Apple developped it's Macintosh with Object Pascal.
The tech support guy quite happily told me that he ran
Red Hat at home, but wasn't allowed to tell me anything because
I wasn't running Windows...
Can't really blame him; if he told you what the format is,
and you fscked up something, you could have a good case against
HP (note: I didn't say that you'd win!)...
This is as it should be, and there is a long tradition
of such treatment. Read A Christmas Carol if you doubt me. Everyone
hated Scrooge because he was... well, you know. A c.a.
Scrooge didn't give a shit about being considered a cheap asshole.
He had his money, the only thing he cared for.
If you do, then we're in trouble when a more repressive regime
than the US attempts to indict us in the US for crimes against
their nation elsewhere.
Duh ? Crime against the nation??? Alleged copyright
infringement a "crime against the nation"??? Gee,
Hollywood must have been smoking some really good shit!!!
I am convinced now more than ever that the best way to
destroy DMCA is to use it. Make a CSS-protected DVD and sue Sony
for trafficking in a player that plays it.
Well, in order to MAKE that DVD, you have to ENCRYPT
it, and it is that ENCRYPTION that grants the "autorization"
to DECRYPT the DVD by a "legal" DVD reader.
Think of CSS (the "encryption") as a widget. CSS (the real DVD code) is a machine that makes a widget. (decodes the data) Now it is possible to patent the widget, or patent the machine, both of which I do not believe have been done.
Can't be. 'cause if it was patented, the algorithm would have been public knowledge (patents ARE public knowledge), and writing DeCSS would have not necessitated any reverse engineering at all, and would have been done mere days after the first DVDs hit the market.
So, that's why CSS is a trade secret rather than a patent or a copyright: "security" through obscurity.
But once you let the genie out of the bottle, it ain't coming back in...
Having journalists who are unafraid to dig into the private lives of politicians means that there is a far greater chance of scandal and corruption being uncovered and exposed, something which can only benefit society in the long run - who wants corrupt leaders?
"La liberté de presse ne s'use que lorsqu'on ne s'en sert pas"
Freedom of press only wears-out when you don't use it.
That's the slogan of "Le Canard Enchaîné", that french icon of journalism that uncovered more than one scandal and caused many public figures to resign...
Interestingly enough, that weekly has no advertising whatsoever; it solely survives through what people pay to read it, so it is a truly free newspaper.
Tried one once. It really sucks. It's like running on ice; the only way you can change your course is by the propulsion system. That is, you cannot decelerate faster than you can accelerate. A little bit like a jet boat, but much worse: there is no water resistance to slow you down fast... It's no surprising they didn't catch more than that...
I think that it's far more important that something be done about the sin and family-destroying habit of gambling. In Hong Kong, an average of 10% of every family's income goes to horse racing, and 30% of all men have what could be described as a gambling addiction.
Okay. Then, by your numbers, 30% of all men in Hong Kong are stupid. You said it, not me.
That's cultural. Orientals believe in predestination; so if they believe that they will win, nothing will stop them from gambling.
* * *
Ever have a bus full of Baptists stop in your driveway to try to pick up one more before going to the church? ... Then I told them if their bus wasn't removed from my driveway in under 30 seconds, I'd have them cited for trespassing, and slammed the door.
Reminds me of the last time the jehovah witness came to my place. I knew they were coming, 'cause I saw them bang on my neighbour's doors, then heard the same doors slam soon enough afterwards. Turns out that I was just about to take my shower, so when they rang the door, I answered them naked, and when they turned around, I just followed them on the street, until the corner, still naked.
They never came back.
I whish we had baptists here, so I could do the trick again on them...
Your argument also overlooked religion. I for one do not belive in gambling for religious reasons, and I would consider restricting your freedom to gambol because it offends my religion. I do not know how I would accually vote on this issue if it came up, but don't ignore it.
How about me considering restricting your "freedom" to religion because shoving your religion down my throat restricts my freedom to, say, gamble or simply enjoy anal or oral sex with anybody I want?
Don't shove your fucking religion down my throat, and I won'd shove anything down your throat, nor anything up your ass, for that matter.
Then I go around saying things like: "I win the lotto every week. All I have to do is not play. I net $52/year doing it...every year. Which is much more than the average joe who plays it and maybe wins $5 once every other year".
Actually, whenever a convenience store proposes me a lottery ticket, when the store is crowded, I say very loudly "I win $1 at every drawing, I don't buy a ticket". I'm sure plenty of people lining up behind me to buy one didn't buy...
Slashdot Mirror
That is, a (civilian) GPS would not work at a speed above 200 miles per hour, reportedly to prevent terrorists from using it to guide smart bombs to their targets.
Gotta moderate him up!!!
Where do you work? Just curious...
I hope they were happy writing you a $200 check for that...
Can you imagine the razzle-dazzle it did on NTSC???
A corporate image is something very important. It projects the corporation's image upon the public, and as the most visible part of the corporation, it is what the public percieves.
Graphic norms for corporate images are the guidelines to ensure consistentness of the appearance. They have been elaborated by skilled designers who are experts at making graphics look right. It is quite fortunate that they are able to precisely specify how a logo should be used ("1 inch of white space all around"), so nerdy web monkeys who know fuck-all about graphic design won't screw-up the all-important corporate image. By simply following the graphical specifications, they can turn-out perfect work most of the time.
Indeed the web is a different medium; the RGB phosphors are not the same thing as the CYMK inks used on paper. Most importantly, they do not share the same color "gamut"; colors that can't be printed look great on a screen (think of a full green (#00FF00), and vice-versa. Whole treatises have been written on the subject of conversion between RGB and CYMK, and it's likely that plenty of ink will flow for that subject. So, indeed, the graphics have to be, if not wholly redesigned, at least, skillfully adapted for usage on the web. The problem is that the print designers are only slowly being make aware of the phospors limitations. So, instead of bitching at the designers for the "silly 1 inch of white space", tell him how the colours are rendered on a CRT, so he can adapt his work to the new medium without botching it.
Not only that, but back around 1984-1985, Microsoft threatened to pull the plug on Excel for Macintosh if Apple went ahead and released some kind of " Visual Basic " avant la lettre for Macintosh, which would have made developping visual, event-driven apps for the Mac very easy.
Apple killed the " Visual Basic ". And "got" Excel.
It's no accident that Apple developped it's Macintosh with Object Pascal.
How could a PhD in computer science want to be an MCSE????
Can't really blame him; if he told you what the format is, and you fscked up something, you could have a good case against HP (note: I didn't say that you'd win!)...
Scrooge didn't give a shit about being considered a cheap asshole. He had his money, the only thing he cared for.
Duh ? Crime against the nation??? Alleged copyright infringement a "crime against the nation"??? Gee, Hollywood must have been smoking some really good shit!!!
Dunno, but last time I masturbated, I certainly didn't give it out, much less for free...
Well, in order to MAKE that DVD, you have to ENCRYPT it, and it is that ENCRYPTION that grants the "autorization" to DECRYPT the DVD by a "legal" DVD reader.
Can't be. 'cause if it was patented, the algorithm would have been public knowledge (patents ARE public knowledge), and writing DeCSS would have not necessitated any reverse engineering at all, and would have been done mere days after the first DVDs hit the market.
So, that's why CSS is a trade secret rather than a patent or a copyright: "security" through obscurity.
But once you let the genie out of the bottle, it ain't coming back in...--
Here's my mirror
Just asking, I'm new to Ottawa...
--
Here's my mirror
--
Here's my mirror
Having worldwide domain names isn't justified for such cases.
--
Here's my mirror
" La liberté de presse ne s'use que lorsqu'on ne s'en sert pas "
Freedom of press only wears-out when you don't use it.
That's the slogan of "Le Canard Enchaîné", that french icon of journalism that uncovered more than one scandal and caused many public figures to resign...
Interestingly enough, that weekly has no advertising whatsoever; it solely survives through what people pay to read it, so it is a truly free newspaper.
--
Here's my mirror
It really sucks. It's like running on ice; the only way you can change your course is by the propulsion system. That is, you cannot decelerate faster than you can accelerate. A little bit like a jet boat, but much worse: there is no water resistance to slow you down fast...
It's no surprising they didn't catch more than that...
BTW, what's that regulation against hovercraft???
--
Here's my mirror
--
Here's my mirror
That's cultural. Orientals believe in predestination; so if they believe that they will win, nothing will stop them from gambling.
* * *
Reminds me of the last time the jehovah witness came to my place. I knew they were coming, 'cause I saw them bang on my neighbour's doors, then heard the same doors slam soon enough afterwards. Turns out that I was just about to take my shower, so when they rang the door, I answered them naked, and when they turned around, I just followed them on the street, until the corner, still naked.
They never came back.
I whish we had baptists here, so I could do the trick again on them...
--
Here's my mirror
How about me considering restricting your "freedom" to religion because shoving your religion down my throat restricts my freedom to, say, gamble or simply enjoy anal or oral sex with anybody I want?
Don't shove your fucking religion down my throat, and I won'd shove anything down your throat, nor anything up your ass, for that matter.
--
Here's my mirror
Actually, whenever a convenience store proposes me a lottery ticket, when the store is crowded, I say very loudly " I win $1 at every drawing, I don't buy a ticket ". I'm sure plenty of people lining up behind me to buy one didn't buy...
--
Here's my mirror