Legal correspondence from persons or groups in Quebec to companies which have offices in Quebec can be done only in French, or in both languages, at the person or group's discretion. I agree that Bell is a Canadian company, but they have offices in all provinces.
Legal correspondence from Quebec to another province, or within another province, would have to be done only in English, I think, unless it were New Brunswick.
MONTREAL, May 29/CNW Telbec/ - The Consumers' Union and a Montreal consumer, Myrna Raphael, ask the Supreme Court to authorise a class action lawsuit against Bell Canada on behalf of all Quebec consumers subscribed, before or after October 28, 2007, to one of its DSL Internet access services. Bell Canada, which announces in the promotion of its Internet access services "a constant speed, an access that is always fast, without frustrating slowdowns, even at peak hours" has installed on its network since last fall, surreptitiously, a mechanism that deliberately slows down, at peak hours, the transfer speed of its subscribers' data. To inspect the users' data and manage the Internet traffic, Bell uses a technology called Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) which breaches the right to privacy of the consumers using their Internet access services. Myrna Raphael has signed in 2006 a 3-year contract, wanting to take advantage of the constant speed offered by Bell Canada. For this consumer, as well as thousands of others, the constant speed was a key factor in her choice. Since Bell has systematically applied its slowdown measures, Mrs. Raphael and her spouse could not, in the evening, perform on the Internet any of the activities for which she had subscribed. The Consumers' Union therefore asks of the Court to declare illicit Bell Canada's policy regarding the unilateral and systematic slowdown of data transfer towards its hundreds of thousands of subscribers and to force Bell Canada to reimburse these consumers, to whom Bell does not offer what they paid for, 80% of the sum of their monthly subscription. The Consumers' Union also asks of the Court to force Bell Canada to pay 600 [Canadian] dollars in damages for any and all false representations made to their subscribers regarding the constant speed of the Internet access that it committed to provide them, to order Bell to cease all breaches to the right to privacy of its subscribers and to force the company to pay them 1500 [Canadian] dollars for breaching their right to privacy.
The Consumers' Union and Myrna Raphael, the designated person, are represented by the law firm Unterberg Labelle Lebeau.
Information: Anthony Hémond, analyst, politics and legislation for telecommunications, broadcasting, information technology and privacy, The Consumers' Union, (514) 521-6820 extension 253
Do not call this number if you don't speak French! The official language in Quebec is French, and this designated person may not speak English.
DISCLAIMER: This is not an official translation. I do understand French, however, as my mother tongue.
Not that sort of two-way TV. This story discusses a sort of two-way TV where there can be commands sent by the viewer, for interactive applications or choosing a pay-per-view program for instance.
That workaround seems not to work. I just tried sending "www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU" to someone on my MSN contact list, and Pidgin has been reporting a switchboard error.
"youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU" works, so does removing the hostname entirely. But leaving the "http://" out results in an error if you also have the complete hostname.
Something like this is really going to help those who want to stop smoking cigarettes... for good.
Here's a tip to the pharmacology companies, however: Us geeks won't like it if you invent a caffeine vaccine, because we will have lost our main source of energy!
They didn't ask to be modified like this. They were perfectly fine before we intervened. We intervened to make the plants more resistent to insects, to the heat and the cold, to shock during transportation... in short, more predictable, more reliable, more lucrative.
Who are we to decide what's best for the entire planet, anyway? We're only serving our own interests ($$$), and creating an imbalance in nature.
As humans, we are also imperfect. The errors we make have crept into dog breeding recently (article from May 23, 2007). As Slashdot readers, you probably know about all the bugs that have crept into computer programming, too. For instance: "I didn't think about the interaction between these two code modules, and my code crashed on start in that client's particular configuration. I'll send a patch ASAP." Now imagine a bit how you'd react if a scientist made any such oversight to even one gene of a species, sent the design into production, and in 25 years killed every specimen of a plant species (or even an animal species, or humans themselves), thus was unable to send a patch. Scary isn't it?
For these reasons, I suggest a complete ban of all genetic engineering. Our mistakes in this field will end up being genocides. However many scientists validate genetic research, however careful they are, however certain they are when making a modification... we will still end up killed by a simple... oops!
P.S.: A friend of mine wrote a great blog entry recently about human intelligence and how we are going to reverse evolution with it, then be completely owned; I think it applies very well to this story. Read it here, then think.
Internetnews is reporting on Sun's introduction of JavaFX at JavaOne today. Looks like a combination [of Java] Applet, Flash, Javascript, and AJAX with a friendly programming interface. Does this really spell the end of AJAX? I sincerely hope so. Nothing built on Javascript will ever achieve the security, cross-platform reliability, and programmatic friendliness that Web 2.0 needs. Proprietary solutions and vendor lock-in are also dead ends. JavaFX has the potential to satisfy this opportunity even better than did Java over a decade ago. Along with AJAX, let's hope JavaFX also puts paid to Microsoft's viral [ActiveX] and JScript, and, more importantly, that it really is a web scripting language that developers can grok. Let me rephrase:
Leftlane is reporting on General Motors' introduction of the Volt today. Looks like a regular car, with an environmentally-friendly twist! Does this really spell the end of fuel cars? I sincerely hope so. Nothing built to use fuel will ever achieve the security, reliability, and environmental friendliness that Earth 2.0 needs. Proprietary solutions and vendor lock-in are also dead ends. The Volt has the potential to satisfy this opportunity even better than did the GMC Sonoma over a decade ago. Along with fuel cars, let's hope the Volt also puts an end to Chrysler's viral line of lead-fueled cars, and, more importantly, that it really is a car that people can drive. Ok, I'll admit it. I was bored.
But this hyped-up Slashdot story got me going. I hate publicity disguised as news stories... And it just asked for a car analogy.
As an aside, I have made a comment already on such a hyped-up post and it was also a car analogy. Figures.
The scope of the invention is using the computational power of many inexpensive computers to create a system capable of high-performance computation via distribution of a task amongst the individual computers.
What if this "equipment" you speak of is actually a Windows Server System cluster? Containing dozens, if not hundreds, of old hosts. Some of them could be eliminated if the memory/CPU is used more efficiently (or turned off, and used later if a software system needs more juice).
Also, have you thought for even one second that the government has used computing longer than you have? They have records of births, deaths, census data, driver's license information, criminal records, statistical data (at least in Canada) and more, and these records span many years. Many computers used by the government run software systems 24/7 and are used until the end of their useful lives; they are very old.
Some of them are also just used for data entry and such tasks. Surely a supercomputer isn't needed here, so the oldest available system is used. Windows 98 is not exactly readily available nowadays (unless you have a backup CD somewhere still, and it's not scratched to death or something, and you haven't lost your license after an upgrade to 2000; if so, power to you), so the taxpayers have to pay up for licenses of Windows 2000 or XP for the government. And hardware upgrades.
Or the government can use Linux and squeeze more out of their systems.
This is a godsend for those people who grit their teeth involuntarily at night, like my father. The enamel on his teeth is most likely all gone already. (And those people who are nervous before exams in school and grit their teeth, etc.)
And, who knows, we might even be able to avoid filling teeth in the future; just apply/create some enamel in a cavity after burning the bacteria, neutralising the acid and stuff like that.
Not really. Not even mozilla.org either. That would be about:blank.
I don't need to download a page every time I start my browser, render it and slow it down, then replace it immediately with another page I want to visit. That's another part of system optimisation, and it avoids unnecessary strain on slashdot/mozilla/other servers, too.
"Performance $OBJECT manufacturer, $COMPANY recently released a new addition to their flagship $BRAND line of $OBJECT(s), the $MODELNUMBER. This $OBJECTDESCRIPTION features the company's $SUPERLONGFEATURENAME, support for $ANOTHERFEATURENAME ($ABBR), it includes one of $COMPANY's $OTHERPRODUCTHERE, and it's rated for operation at a currently industry leading $OWNAGESPEC."
Seriously, this sounds a lot like any other marketing gimmick ever invented. And it is just asking for a car analogy. Simply replace $COMPANY with Chevrolet, and start imagining the rest..!
My e-mail address is strongbad@homestarrunner.com . I very eagerly await your e-mails showing the virtues of Vliazzgra, CîàLI5 and RolexReplixas and their ever-increasing importance in our society.
I wish to thank you in advance for this valuable information. You can never get really up-to-date on these things.
P.S.: Since I had already read about Mr. Linhardt and Spamhaus, I thought this was to bring more info to me on this matter. It seems that this The Register article (from Mar 23, 2007) actually refers to a statement made by Spamhaus from Sep 2006!
Default judgments obtained in U.S. County, State or Federal courts have no validity in the United Kingdom and can not be enforced under the British legal system. A Plaintiff seeking to have such an order enforced must re-file the case in a British court of law and prove jurisdiction, as well as the small matter of proving the merits of the case, all of which were in this case bogus and would not have stood up in any court if tested. Spamhaus had advised Mr Linhardt from the start that a U.S. judgement would be invalid outside of the United States and that he would need to re-file his case in the United Kingdom. Spamhaus understands that David Linhardt does not wish to file in the United Kingdom because his activities are illegal here. With source, of course. Emphasis mine. The entire document linked here is worth reading.
Slashdot Mirror
Legal correspondence from persons or groups in Quebec to companies which have offices in Quebec can be done only in French, or in both languages, at the person or group's discretion. I agree that Bell is a Canadian company, but they have offices in all provinces.
Legal correspondence from Quebec to another province, or within another province, would have to be done only in English, I think, unless it were New Brunswick.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.
MONTREAL, May 29 /CNW Telbec/ - The Consumers' Union and a Montreal consumer, Myrna Raphael, ask the Supreme Court to authorise a class action lawsuit against Bell Canada on behalf of all Quebec consumers subscribed, before or after October 28, 2007, to one of its DSL Internet access services.
Bell Canada, which announces in the promotion of its Internet access services "a constant speed, an access that is always fast, without frustrating slowdowns, even at peak hours" has installed on its network since last fall, surreptitiously, a mechanism that deliberately slows down, at peak hours, the transfer speed of its subscribers' data.
To inspect the users' data and manage the Internet traffic, Bell uses a technology called Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) which breaches the right to privacy of the consumers using their Internet access services.
Myrna Raphael has signed in 2006 a 3-year contract, wanting to take advantage of the constant speed offered by Bell Canada. For this consumer, as well as thousands of others, the constant speed was a key factor in her choice. Since Bell has systematically applied its slowdown measures, Mrs. Raphael and her spouse could not, in the evening, perform on the Internet any of the activities for which she had subscribed.
The Consumers' Union therefore asks of the Court to declare illicit Bell Canada's policy regarding the unilateral and systematic slowdown of data transfer towards its hundreds of thousands of subscribers and to force Bell Canada to reimburse these consumers, to whom Bell does not offer what they paid for, 80% of the sum of their monthly subscription. The Consumers' Union also asks of the Court to force Bell Canada to pay 600 [Canadian] dollars in damages for any and all false representations made to their subscribers regarding the constant speed of the Internet access that it committed to provide them, to order Bell to cease all breaches to the right to privacy of its subscribers and to force the company to pay them 1500 [Canadian] dollars for breaching their right to privacy.
The Consumers' Union and Myrna Raphael, the designated person, are represented by the law firm Unterberg Labelle Lebeau.
Information: Anthony Hémond, analyst, politics and legislation for telecommunications, broadcasting, information technology and privacy, The Consumers' Union, (514) 521-6820 extension 253
Do not call this number if you don't speak French! The official language in Quebec is French, and this designated person may not speak English.
DISCLAIMER: This is not an official translation. I do understand French, however, as my mother tongue.
Also, first post.
... or still taken down by MediaDefender's DoS. I can't read what Revision3 says about this on their blog.
;)
Disclaimer: I am new here
Not that sort of two-way TV. This story discusses a sort of two-way TV where there can be commands sent by the viewer, for interactive applications or choosing a pay-per-view program for instance.
:)
In before Big Brother references!
Sorting Through the Analog to Digital TV Mess
Many Analog TV Watchers Aren't Aware of Upcoming Switchover
FCC Says Analog TV Lives Until 2012
The script seems to issue a 404 now at the music download URL. Just so you know.
Sorry. I meant "Leaving the http:/// in results in an error". Actually:
/watch?v=something: not blocked if you omit the host
www.youtube.com/: blocked
youtube.com/: not blocked
http://www.youtube.com/: blocked
http://youtube.com/: blocked
That workaround seems not to work. I just tried sending "www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU" to someone on my MSN contact list, and Pidgin has been reporting a switchboard error.
"youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU" works, so does removing the hostname entirely. But leaving the "http://" out results in an error if you also have the complete hostname.
In Internet Explorer (version 6, anyway):
Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Multimedia: Play animations in web pages (uncheck).
Something like this is really going to help those who want to stop smoking cigarettes... for good.
Here's a tip to the pharmacology companies, however: Us geeks won't like it if you invent a caffeine vaccine, because we will have lost our main source of energy!
Why don't we just leave the plants alone?
They didn't ask to be modified like this. They were perfectly fine before we intervened. We intervened to make the plants more resistent to insects, to the heat and the cold, to shock during transportation... in short, more predictable, more reliable, more lucrative.
Who are we to decide what's best for the entire planet, anyway? We're only serving our own interests ($$$), and creating an imbalance in nature.
As humans, we are also imperfect. The errors we make have crept into dog breeding recently (article from May 23, 2007). As Slashdot readers, you probably know about all the bugs that have crept into computer programming, too. For instance: "I didn't think about the interaction between these two code modules, and my code crashed on start in that client's particular configuration. I'll send a patch ASAP." Now imagine a bit how you'd react if a scientist made any such oversight to even one gene of a species, sent the design into production, and in 25 years killed every specimen of a plant species (or even an animal species, or humans themselves), thus was unable to send a patch. Scary isn't it?
For these reasons, I suggest a complete ban of all genetic engineering. Our mistakes in this field will end up being genocides. However many scientists validate genetic research, however careful they are, however certain they are when making a modification... we will still end up killed by a simple... oops!
P.S.: A friend of mine wrote a great blog entry recently about human intelligence and how we are going to reverse evolution with it, then be completely owned; I think it applies very well to this story. Read it here, then think.
P.P.S: I'm Canadian.
But this hyped-up Slashdot story got me going. I hate publicity disguised as news stories... And it just asked for a car analogy.
As an aside, I have made a comment already on such a hyped-up post and it was also a car analogy. Figures.
That was his moment of connectivity for today.
See you tomorrow on another Slashdot article, LiquidCooled!
"Hi. I'm here to apply for a patent.
The scope of the invention is using the computational power of many inexpensive computers to create a system capable of high-performance computation via distribution of a task amongst the individual computers.
We call this technology Beowulf.
There is no prior art."
Location: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/28/01 11205
:)
You may want to put your comment there.
Connecting with the youth? And why?
The youth are not old enough to vote.
What if this "equipment" you speak of is actually a Windows Server System cluster? Containing dozens, if not hundreds, of old hosts. Some of them could be eliminated if the memory/CPU is used more efficiently (or turned off, and used later if a software system needs more juice).
Also, have you thought for even one second that the government has used computing longer than you have? They have records of births, deaths, census data, driver's license information, criminal records, statistical data (at least in Canada) and more, and these records span many years. Many computers used by the government run software systems 24/7 and are used until the end of their useful lives; they are very old.
Some of them are also just used for data entry and such tasks. Surely a supercomputer isn't needed here, so the oldest available system is used. Windows 98 is not exactly readily available nowadays (unless you have a backup CD somewhere still, and it's not scratched to death or something, and you haven't lost your license after an upgrade to 2000; if so, power to you), so the taxpayers have to pay up for licenses of Windows 2000 or XP for the government. And hardware upgrades.
Or the government can use Linux and squeeze more out of their systems.
This is a godsend for those people who grit their teeth involuntarily at night, like my father. The enamel on his teeth is most likely all gone already. (And those people who are nervous before exams in school and grit their teeth, etc.)
And, who knows, we might even be able to avoid filling teeth in the future; just apply/create some enamel in a cavity after burning the bacteria, neutralising the acid and stuff like that.
And this is where I point you to the title of the comment: "Here is a picture of the modified mice" ;)
Not really. Not even mozilla.org either. That would be about:blank.
I don't need to download a page every time I start my browser, render it and slow it down, then replace it immediately with another page I want to visit. That's another part of system optimisation, and it avoids unnecessary strain on slashdot/mozilla/other servers, too.
My Linux setup is so optimised that this first post is actually made before opening Firefox and typing slashdot.org.
Ha!
"Performance $OBJECT manufacturer, $COMPANY recently released a new addition to their flagship $BRAND line of $OBJECT(s), the $MODELNUMBER. This $OBJECTDESCRIPTION features the company's $SUPERLONGFEATURENAME, support for $ANOTHERFEATURENAME ($ABBR), it includes one of $COMPANY's $OTHERPRODUCTHERE, and it's rated for operation at a currently industry leading $OWNAGESPEC."
Seriously, this sounds a lot like any other marketing gimmick ever invented. And it is just asking for a car analogy. Simply replace $COMPANY with Chevrolet, and start imagining the rest..!
My e-mail address is strongbad@homestarrunner.com . I very eagerly await your e-mails showing the virtues of Vliazzgra, CîàLI5 and RolexReplixas and their ever-increasing importance in our society.
I wish to thank you in advance for this valuable information. You can never get really up-to-date on these things.
P.S.: Since I had already read about Mr. Linhardt and Spamhaus, I thought this was to bring more info to me on this matter. It seems that this The Register article (from Mar 23, 2007) actually refers to a statement made by Spamhaus from Sep 2006!
This is old news. Or, as I call it, just "olds".
TFsummary failed to mention this.