EBay makes you use a credit card for bids over $15,000. So now that this auction is past that limit, you'll be able to reverse the charge if you don't recieve the goods...
Of course it's always possible that there is a "high altitude ecosystem" and that we're been too ground level focussed to notice. It seems pretty feasible for bacteria to have evolved to survive at altitude. It's not that hard - there would be plenty of energy available from the sun - the main problem would be the cold, and a little less oxygen than at ground level.
Such bacteria probably wouldn't fare too well if it drifted down to ground level, which could explain why we haven't bacteria like this before.
Telstra still has to cover the cost of whatever you download - so the charges do make it onto your bill. Why do you think it's capped at 512kb downstream? They can't afford for you to be using more than that - which explains why on the uncapped downstream plans, you have to pay if you use extra bandwidth.
As you can see here, there is a 180Mbps satellite link to the US. The main problem with a satellite link is that the latency just doesn't compare to the cable.
Also, cable is pretty cheap compared to launching and running a satellite.
The censorship in place in Australia restricts what you can have available on your server, not what you can download from overseas. At no point on the network is filtering mandatory.
I think people age getting confused about computer voting vs. internet voting - you can have computer voting (instead of the current manual or mechanical/computer system), without connecting the computers you use to the internet.
It's perfectly feasible to have computers at the polling stations. It would mean an accurate count the first time, and avoids much the concern about people cracking the system. We should concentrate on getting the computer voting system up and running, and worry about the extra issues raised by connecting to the internet later on.
For those who don't know (i.e. anyone outside australia), Andrew Olle was a journalist with the abc (the government new agency), who died suddenly from a brain tumor.
First Oracle's Network Computer bites the dust, and is followed by a string of similarly ill fated attempts.
The iMac was Apple's idea of a network computer, and a success, but of course it's still a proper personal computer as well.
Maybe the Network Computer will be the killer product in 5 years, but at the moment it involves giving up too much for too little gain, even if the cost is less than a PC.
But standards can often get in the way
of the cool stuff.
With netscape's current market share, it's not really in the position to do something different, just so you could do something "cool". Who's going to spend the time developing to make use of it?
I don't really think that he put in 155 weeks non stop. It should be pretty easy to do in an hour or so a week - which hardly makes it an unhealthy habit.
I'm sure you've spent more time on Slashdot that that per week, and for what?
It sure would be a bizzare expierence to have your legs ripped off, electrodes stuck in, and finding yourself attached to a giant car, 10 times your height, which you could then drive by thinking about walking...
Titanium is not just an outright replacement for aluminum. In offshore yacht racing, titanium is banned as a material for the railing posts - the titanium was failing after being welded - and the rails of a yacht are one thing you don't want failing!
Sometimes it's better to stick with materials that we properly understand.
The law already says that obvious stuff is not patentable.
That's right. The problem is that the law does not define what is obvious. A comment on slashdot saying "well duh! I could have thought of that" doesn't count!
A bigger shortage of talent, will mean that management has to think twice before telling their developers to get to work on some half baked idea. I'm sure more than half the work done at the moment is wasted in cancelled projects, or in useless end products.
Limited resources would encourage better allocation.
I'd imagine we'll just run out of fossil fuels sometime in the next 1000 years, so we'll have to change to clean alternatives.
I guess the only question is how much damage will we have done by then, and if it will be possible to reverse it. Anyone have an estimate on how many years fossil fuel we have left?
Windows would simply lose it's market share if this were to happen - only business would be able to afford it, and once consumers stop buying, software developers are going to develop for whatever becomes the consumer standard instead.
Slashdot Mirror
EBay makes you use a credit card for bids over $15,000. So now that this auction is past that limit, you'll be able to reverse the charge if you don't recieve the goods...
Such bacteria probably wouldn't fare too well if it drifted down to ground level, which could explain why we haven't bacteria like this before.
Remember not to get them wet, or they'll multiply!
Telstra still has to cover the cost of whatever you download - so the charges do make it onto your bill. Why do you think it's capped at 512kb downstream? They can't afford for you to be using more than that - which explains why on the uncapped downstream plans, you have to pay if you use extra bandwidth.
Also, cable is pretty cheap compared to launching and running a satellite.
A map of Australia's links to the US and the rest of the word is here.
The censorship in place in Australia restricts what you can have available on your server, not what you can download from overseas. At no point on the network is filtering mandatory.
A bigger step forward would be for the US Backbone providers to come up with an equitable cost arrangement.
It's perfectly feasible to have computers at the polling stations. It would mean an accurate count the first time, and avoids much the concern about people cracking the system. We should concentrate on getting the computer voting system up and running, and worry about the extra issues raised by connecting to the internet later on.
Not every computer needs to be on the net guys!
The Sydney Morning Herald's take on the article.
For those who don't know (i.e. anyone outside australia), Andrew Olle was a journalist with the abc (the government new agency), who died suddenly from a brain tumor.
The iMac was Apple's idea of a network computer, and a success, but of course it's still a proper personal computer as well.
Maybe the Network Computer will be the killer product in 5 years, but at the moment it involves giving up too much for too little gain, even if the cost is less than a PC.
With netscape's current market share, it's not really in the position to do something different, just so you could do something "cool". Who's going to spend the time developing to make use of it?
And not just cutting edge - at the rate it's going, Mozilla is going to have more features than any application on earth, let alone any browser.
I wonder if it'll ever get out of beta!
I'm sure you've spent more time on Slashdot that that per week, and for what?
It does come with Tetris, right?
Though i guess the old boo would have added a few zeros to that just to keep the cash burn rate up!
From the coverage that spud guns get on slashdot, you'd think shooting potatoes around was a mainstream geek hobby!
It sure would be a bizzare expierence to have your legs ripped off, electrodes stuck in, and finding yourself attached to a giant car, 10 times your height, which you could then drive by thinking about walking...
Sometimes it's better to stick with materials that we properly understand.
That's right. The problem is that the law does not define what is obvious. A comment on slashdot saying "well duh! I could have thought of that" doesn't count!
A bigger shortage of talent, will mean that management has to think twice before telling their developers to get to work on some half baked idea. I'm sure more than half the work done at the moment is wasted in cancelled projects, or in useless end products.
Limited resources would encourage better allocation.
I'd imagine we'll just run out of fossil fuels sometime in the next 1000 years, so we'll have to change to clean alternatives.
I guess the only question is how much damage will we have done by then, and if it will be possible to reverse it. Anyone have an estimate on how many years fossil fuel we have left?
If they can't release anything on time, how do you think they are going to get an appeal together that fast!
Linux is free.
An IMac is $1000.
Windows would simply lose it's market share if this were to happen - only business would be able to afford it, and once consumers stop buying, software developers are going to develop for whatever becomes the consumer standard instead.