Umm... go look again, please... It's definitely labelled in the article as a TYAN motherboard. Which would be the same board that an earlier Slashdot article covered.
Of course... further down the page, there is another picture of a similar looking dual PIII board which is the SuperMicro board.
(It doesn't hurt to double check facts every now and then.. -_-;;)
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Reading through these comments surprises me because one would think that most people are law abiding citizens.
But that seems to not be the case.:|
Why am I saying this?
While MP3's themselves are just music files, has anyone out there really considered that hey... that [name your commerical band]'s mp3 song file is out there for download! Oh wait... maybe that's an illegal copy?
Nope. People tend more to go: Cool. *download* *listen*
Yes, privacy is a good thing. Yes, information wants to be free.
BUT. You are still knowingly downloading songs which are illegally being trafficked. Where the copyrights are being violated. And most people who do this, do it knowingly. You can't stick a CD that skips into a player and go doing whatever with it. You CAN stick ripped or rip-off mp3's into an mp3 player and play it wherever.
Who got paid when you downloaded that MP3? Who was the one who got SCREWED OVER?
Oh wait, I'm sorry, this is similar to the software pirating scene: It doesn't matter who get's screwed and who doesn't get paid, because it is cool, convenient, and cheap to download the mp3's.
People worked hard to make the song that some one out there turned into an mp3 and decided that it was his/her god-given right to send that file wherever it needs to go. To let it be free.
That would have been fine had that person owned the rights to it, but that isn't the case with many mp3's out there right now. Most of which are tracks ripped from a CD and placed on a server where other people download from.
That is a direct violation of the copyright laws.
People find the reasons they want to hear. And when people are looking for a way to preserve their own gains, they will readily ignore the law and the respect of other individuals.
I think MP3's are great. I just hate the pirating that's going on. If the new portable players of present day are mp3 players, then artists are truly getting screwed if they sell a few thousand CD's which ends up as mp3's for people who never paid a cent for it.
This doesn't result in freedom of the artist or removal of the middleman, people. It only means that you replace the corporate middleman with a bunch of charge-for-download or ratio sites where people "out there" somewhere ripped off hard working artists to make money for themselves. The artists don't get a damned cent for their work from all the millions of people playing their mp3's... oh I'm sorry, it's not "their" mp3, it's "everyone's" mp3 because information just wants to be free.
I want free music as much as the next person, but knowing some musicians and artists myself, I think it is pretty fsck'd up when you have people running multi-hundred megs-gigs of mp3's on servers and earning money from it to distribute data illegally all in the name of "freedom of information".
Basically, pirating sucks *ss. It did in the past and it does now. The only difference is that there are more supporters of it. That and instead of large corporations being hurt, alot of individuals are as well. But obviously, that is the least of the concerns and worries of the pirating population.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Wow, this sounds like another company who's going to take a big hit when their product comes out.
I mean.. seriously, when it comes to music transport over the net, it can very likely be said that mp3 is the currently favoured format. Introducing another format which only plays on a restricted system requiring an odd and at best, sometimes workable password/locking mechanism is doomed to failure.
Given the differences in keyboards, styles, alternating hands, sometimes single handed or single finger typing, or for those of us too lazy to move the chair over a foot or two, typing with a stick. Or typing when exhausted or half asleep or loaded on coffee.
It would be like: You entered the original pass phrase while you were standing up. But when you're in need of listening to the music, you're sitting down. Oops. What do you know, now you have just doomed yourself to having to enter the code in while standing up while using a particular keyboard.
I mean seriously, is it REALLY that hard to figure out what will not work in the public? Privacey is an issue. Free transport/playback is an issue. A biometric scan of someone's keystrokes which can identify them is something that would be a privacy issue. Making it a requirement to play music is a free transport/playback issue. {free as in freedom, not beer}.
Simply slapping on restrictions onto a custom player which offers NO BENFITS OR ENHANCEMENTS TO THE CUSTOMER is not going to work. Divx offered nothing benficial and actually resulted in lower quality because of all the encoding required. Sony's mp3 stick/wand/thing is like that as well. No real new benefits to the consumer but adding on a truckload of restrictions.
Do companies think this sells a product? It's like selling a computer case that's made of cast iron with a lock that only the company can open and you need to make an appointment to do so. And to boot, they charge you a whopping extra for the case with nothing in it.
Seriously, this is the kind of thing that makes me think that while the collective IQ of these companies may be formiddable, their collective understanding and common sense is sorely lacking.
NO BENEFITS TO CONSUMER + RESTRICTIONS = BAD PRODUCT & NO SALES.
I think the music industry is where that Sprint Representative in the black trenchcoat should go to offer those nice clearing up phone services. Maybe then, things will be clearer and better. But then again, that would be abuse to the poor representative.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Every now and then, movies which would otherwise not be noticed will look much better in light of this sadly done movie. {The only other disappointment in my mind movie-wise was WingCommander, but then again, I was a fan of that series. >:)}
The bad thing is that we've now been tainted by this film. The good thing is that our experiences will convince us to spread the news and good cheer about other better movies. Such as the new all-digital animation coming up...
But then again, I'm an annoyed optimist with a knack for wasting money on impulse decisions regarding movies. To be quite honest, the only possible good out of that movie would be the book you guys are contributing. - Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
First, please let me say that you have a product which in and of itself was unnoticed until it was learned that it could be more than what it was advertised to be. It could be a full-fledged computer with "freedoms" of access and change.
I can't say I have built up any good feelings for your company over the past month. And I can only wonder what your various courses of actions have done to the reputation of Circuit City.
There is something to be said for learning from playground rules back when we were all children. Ie, learn to play nice with other people or you'll be playing alone.
Judging from both what the company has said and done over the past month, I can only make the observation that the company either has little understanding of commerce law or little regard for it.
As for the modifications which makes the units harder to modify: cut ide pins, epoxy on the eprom, and a different bios.
Has it ever occured to you that these "fixes" would in effect make maintaining the machines at a later time or upgrading them extremely difficult or impossible?
It's almost like burning bridges after you cross them.
From the observable actions and announcements, I have severe reservations regarding the development program, leaving me to wonder if there won't be another "changing of minds and policies" overnight.
Banks judge people's credit histories on past history. As do most companies and institutions. People judge other people and entities and groups based on their past actions and reputations. More than anything, I suggest improving your attitude towards how to handle situations and avoiding the "panic induced" decision making process.
Ordered mine on the 12th of march and STILL have not recieved mine. Am I a happy camper? What do you think?
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I think others have noticed this already,but to reward people to turn in people who might be your friends and family or classmates whom you think are a possible threat... it sounds so much like the history we were taught in our social sciences class and war documentaries about other cultures... like that of the KGB and their secret police. Their reward system for turning in people who you thought were a threat to the way of life; be it your brothers, sisters, mother or father.
It sounds alot like some of the things I've read about the Nazi's. Conform to the perfect form and be pure. Anything else is crud and should be thrown out or burned out.
It sounds like military school and the various camps where non-conformity is seen as a threat to the unit as a whole. You are hazed or punished if you are different and you are rewarded for punishing those who are different.
Yes, I can see this will help our nation of youths find a better way. I can see how this will help reduce violence in school and in the lives of people as a whole. Why yes, reward violence and distrust. Punish honesty and individuality. That's the ticket.
Yes, let's make military styled training mandatory and let's assume everyone likes that kind of treatment. I mean.. God knows you must be an anti-American commie if you aren't with the program!
But.. oh wait. That's right, don't forget to turn in your friends who might be suspicious. I mean.. if you don't, your friend might turn you in for the reward!! I mean... what's more important? Friendship and close ties or getting rewarded and escape from punishment?
Yes, I can see that that is the best way society should function. Trust, honesty, ideals, invididuality, love, and compassion are all terms whose time has come and gone. Out with the old and weak and in with the new.
If you believe that's the way things should be, then WAVE is for you.
Personally, I like my freedoms and like being able to trust my friends, co-workers, classmates, etc. I don't like having to look over my shoulder to check to see if I'm being followed or if the girl I talk to about a new art exhibit coming up will turn me in for enjoying classical art and music.
What's the point of living in a democratic and free nation when you have to watch what you say and what you do around everyone for fear they will turn you in to the authorities for being a possible trouble case?
Why not just move to a fascist country with no civil liberties then? Why not just tear up the consitution now and be done with it?
We're human beings for crying out loud. We're not a herd of cows who happily and stupidly head out to be slaughtered, are we?
Are we?
If you're a student and a minor, stand up against this crap. Hundreds of thousands of American soldiers didn't die so you could live under a police state. People died for your freedoms and rights. Don't let it go so easily.
If you're an adult, why the hell are you just sitting there going "oh... that sucks"?? Why aren't you doing what the less-than-knowledgable and panicky parents are doing? Why aren't you going out and contacting your congressman and congresswoman and senators and writing letters?
Email them. Write snail mail to them. Contact them so they KNOW people aren't asking for this.
Because if you don't, then you can just wave goodbye to your freedoms.
That's all I gotta say.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Selling a website with a history, a current flow of traffic, and with banner recognition is like selling a building which has been doing business for about a few years. People in the area who frequents your site knows you and has a certain opinion about you. Your building's appearance and location(domain name) is to be taken into account. How well does the name work and how well does the site achieve it's main goal: awareness generation for the company.
It isn't how much you will be making from the site which determines it's value, but the potential growth factor and the awareness and visibility benefits the company will gain through the website.
Depending on your site's info, detail, and whether the current staff will stay on long enough to let the new members from the buying company learn the ropes, your site could be worth the $250K or more. But it all depends on the details and on negotiating.
You said they blanched at hearing the price, it could be that they are new to the business of web. And thought that since the only physical costs were web hardware, that it would be more like in the tens of thousands, not hundreds. That has to be explained to them.
You are selling a product which is quite large and much like producing artwork or a building and then selling it, the value isn't simply what the last business's profits were when _they_ used it.
It is the percieved potential profits which the new owners will be able to reap from it.
If I had a site like good-bikes.com(for example), and I used it to describe my collection of good bikes, but a biking company wants to buy the site out, should I judge the selling price at what I'm making off of the site? Hell no.
You need to evaluate the potential the site presents to the buyer. They see value in the site and they want to buy. It is your job then to determine what the site is worth to them in the long run and either convince them of that or decide that the buyers aren't serious enough or are not savvy enough about the web to understand the potentials.
The idea that you might be charging too much for the site is a possibility, but then again, always get a second opinion from other people and companies if possible before settling for less since the whole "shocked" thing could be a facade to weaken your resolve so you will lower the price far below what it could be worth.
Good luck in your sales of your domain/website.
Wing. TheReaper@ourmag.com - Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Interesting how things turn around again and again and again.
I've got two of these on special order from Circuit City and I don't know about anyone else, but when I paid in advance for them, I don't remember a contract being presented to me to be signed as a basis for buying this device.
In the advertisement at Circuit City, I don't see ANY references to a "must sign up for service to own this device".
When I got my Celphone, I _bought_ a cel phone, then called in to activate it. I could have modified the cel phone and what? Voided my warranty and that would have been it.
I don't think it is immoral or aethical to buy a $99 device and not sign up for the service. That's the deal I saw at Circuit City and that's the product that I'm buying. A piece of hardware.
If I had purchased the device from Netpliance directly, then yes, I would most likely be bound to them for the service as per their contract agreements.
But not from Circuit City. When I buy an "appliance", which is what this device is advertised as, I owe nothing to any company except perhaps the electric and water companies for their "service". But I could just as well work out another means of using that dishwasher or microwave or room heater by running it off of solar power. Is the power company loosing out in that case? If I catch rainwater and pipe it into my dishwasher, am I short changing the water companies?
Probably.
So when I go about making cute modifications to the I-Opener to use an alternative power-source, an alternative OS, an alternative means of data storage, and an alternative means of connectivity, is Netpliance getting short changed?
Probably.
But it isn't illegal. I'm not bypassing any form of encrpytion or copy protection system. I'm not bound by a contract to use their service. Nor is the ownership of their product in anyway tied to subscription to their service.
So how do they plan on enforcing their new contracts on the pre-orders which have already been paid in advance at all the Circuit Cities?
There is already a transaction which is in progress between buyer and Circuit City which has nothing to do with Netpliance save the fact that they are the people supplying the machines. If they decide to change anything to the machines and terms of use/sale contracts, it is between them and Circuit City, not the buyers(unless you bought the machine online).
I agree with what another poster said. If the machine comes in and is a different model from the one I ordered, I will refuse the package and ask for a refund.
I mean, if you pre-ordered and paid in advance for a "Series A10" player of some kind which comes with an S-VHS output so you can hook it up to your computer, but when you drop by to pick up the machine, they hand you a "Series A10b" which they claim is what they got and is the same, but is missing the S-VHS output, are you going to meekly accept this as another "oh well, that's how it goes"?
I hope not. And I certainly hope the folks out there who have been recieving their I-Openers are recording the Model and Serial numbers from their I-Openers so that other people who are buying the machines with pre-paid dollars can verify (without opening the machine up) whether they fall into the "pre-mod" or "post-mod" category so they can get their money back if the machine isn't what people paid for.
Just a few cents in the bucket.
(On the other hand, I agree also that I would easily go for a $200 machine which is like the I-Opener and runs Linux or any choice OS. I hope someone picks up on this and runs with the idea.) - Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Fear of Gods or fear of ourselves?
on
Planet Gattaca
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· Score: 1
Hi All,
I find it rather amusing that they would have to consider a public debate and consulting about the morality on the basis that religions find it a problem. But who's religion? Are we only referring to those who read the Bible or are we taking into account more than that?
Everytime someone announces a scientific discovery, people have cried God. Much like how Peter cried wolf. They say the scientists are trying to play God and that is wrong.
I'm sorry, but that is total bullshit. When the first surgeons operated on corpses, that was considered playing God. Their techniques and knowledge saved millions. When people covered the topic of artificial intelligences, there were people who screamed that they were trying to play God once again. When abortion issues came up, once again, the cry of playing God. And with artificial insemination to help infertile couples have children, people claimed they were playing God again.
When the cloning of sheep took place, people were outraged that these scientists were playing God. That what they were doing was wrong. More bullshit.
Now, when scientists have discovered a means to assemble a living thing from the most basic components to help further science, they feel they have to ask for religious consultation.
I don't think it is the fear of God, but the fear of Man. The fear that _WE_, could be the next test subjects. That if life can be created in a hospital, a laboratory, a test tube... that it would somehow debase _OUR_ lives to that of mere science. That _WE_ are no longer the center of the universes. That we are no better and no worse than any other life on this planet.
And what is wrong with that? Aren't we flesh and blood? Aren't we destined to die and return to the Earth and to be recycled? Aren't we subject to the same birth and death cycles as any other creature on this planet is subject to?
Yes. We are. The only difference, I think, is that now, the test subject is ourselves. Now, we feel we are placed under the lens and the knife. It is personal now.
And that worry is fine. But don't make it a religious burden. Don't claim people are trying to play God when all they are trying to do is save lives and further our knowledge.
When you have people dictating life and death over all others, then you are confronted with a person who is playing God. When you see a person working to unravel the mysteries of life, you are seeing a scientist. Try not to confuse the two.
I'm surprised no groups have complained about AiBo the AI-dog or some of the simulation games where the player actually plays a God. It just reinforces the notion that people don't fear God's wrath, but fear their own sense of self being violated.
Peace to all and Happy Holidays!
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
If this is any indication of the shit that AMEX and DISCOVER will be facing in the future or of stuff they have been dealing with in the past, my hat goes off to them for their patience with people.
The guy is an idiot if he blows $25K at a casino. Gambling addiction or not. The credit card isn't the problem, its the person. The person. I mean... his basis for suing is that he lost $25K, because the credit card companies are egg'ing him on by offering online businesses a merchant account???
Hell, I might as well suggest that my next door neighbor sue for his wrist injury from overly frequent use of Porn sites. Why not sue the credit card companies over that? Sheesh.
Money management, budgeting, restraint. All very useful things in addition to the tool we have called a brain. And it seems obvious that this guy isn't in possession of any of the above. Or if he is, he should maybe consider suing God for his inability to use his faculties.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
The user should be the one who is responsible for the crimes committed with software if it is the user who uses the software for illegitemate uses.
In essence, if dangerous code has been written, it doesn't go around executing itself or targetting people on its own. Someone activates it for that purpose. Just like a gun, a knife, a needle, poison, or bombs. They just sit there on their own until someone comes around and decides they can do something bad with it.
Where the programmer themselves write the code and use it in harmful ways, then they are the ones who are responsible.
There are the cases where the user uses the software without knowing the results or effects that the software will create. Ie, trojans. In that case, the user is the victom and the person who used the technology of trojans to modify the program to do harm is the one to blame.
Basically, tools are just tools. They may have been made with ill intent and for dark purposes. But they need a user who will carry out that purpose. Guns are made to kill, but until someone uses one, they will not kill. Just as with software, until someone uses it to harm others, it will do no harm.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Not to sound crazy or anything,but those would actually make good game titles...
Holiday in Cambodia the Video Game: Depending on how it is worked out, a survivalist approach to keeping your tribe/village/town alive despite an occupation situation or external invasion operation while having to manage the townsfolk and keeping them alive with enough food and preventing injury would be excellent to prepare people mentally and emotionally for traumatizing situations where home invasion or kidnapping might be an issue.
Sim Concentration Camp: I think this has actually been done, but from the perspective of the prisoner... you basically try to escape the camp and avoid detection as much as possible before your spirit is broken. You have to follow rules and regulations and basically survive the camp as long as you can, working on finding a way out.
Of course, the flip side would be to manage a concentration camp and that would mean expansion and the logistics of personnel relocation and handling.
Drug War 2000: This would be a good game for youner teens to get into to help fight existing mentallity of younger people about drugs being "not so dangerous". By seeing the suffering, people can actually understand why their parents say "no". And why they themselves should say "no".
MS 5 year plan: Visual Stalin: The five year management cycle of a whole nation in order to improve or destroy it. What's so horrible about this? You have the choice of making your country into a dying cesspool or into a prosperous nation. It all depends on whether the person playing the game is focused on good or bad intentions.
Marshal Law: You're In Charge!: Basically Sim City with more killing and management of people in the city against their will. Either to control violent situations or to control the people. There is quite a bit a person can learn about crisis management when a panic occurs in the town and marshal law is enforced. For both the individuals and the people in charge.
Faces of Death with DX7: Unless this is a history lesson, there is little useful need for a game like this. Showing people the faces of the dead or dying is hardly educational or useful in any strategic way except to traumatize or desensitize the player to it. Or gross them out.
If you meant playing the various "evil" figures of the world's history and doing the strategic planning by being them and managing their reign, then it effectively becomes another war sim with loads of micro-management. But would be limited in education value as the views may be biased.:|
Take it with a grain of salt. You cannot blame games for ruining childrens' lives if the people who are the childrens' parents do not make headway to look after their own childrens' well-being.
You wouldn't let a child walk the streets of a dark alley without a few friends and even then, suggest they take the long way. You spend hours lecturing them about not talking to strangers... but you can't take the time to teach children about the rights and wrongs of morality.
If your child views the games' morales as more important than the ones you are trying to teach, then that's a problem you need to deal with and work out.
A person with a strong mind will enjoy the games or not play them. But they will hardly be brainwashed by them. With children, it is a different story. Which is why adults and parents, especially, should be there to make sure that their children are not taking in experiences you feel would be hurtful to them.
Striking at the game manufacturers for this is like blaming the stories in a book you read to your children for teaching them the wrong principles in life to follow. You're an adult, you should act like one. Especially if you have children. Find the time. Put in the effort. But don't place blame... because that doesn't help your child one bit.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I keep seeing posts like China's involvement in Linux is bad. China runs over students with tanks. China doesn't observe human rights. Etc. etc.
What one country does is their perogative.
However. You want that country to change? You want them to "improve" and see things your way? Great. By choosing Linux as an OS, doesn't that simply bring more of other cultures into China? Doesn't this bring information to a country which so many consider to be locked down?
What better way to liberate a people than by giving them information from the world?
But politics aside, China's involvement with Linux will be a good thing. While not every Chinese citizen has a computer, they can all think. Most of them if given half a chance at education are extremely talented and are inclined to mental manipulation of information and concepts. What new advancements could be gained by such exposure of a high quality OS to an additional few hundred million to billions of minds?
The goal of Linux was to be the OS which dominates the world, yes? If so, then doesn't this represent a major milestone? The cooperation and adoption of Linux by one of the world's largest countries?
It is a good thing for Linux. The recognition of the value of an OS by a country's government will have impact with the companies and software institutions of the world as in order to do business with China, they will have to run Linux compatible software.
This is a major step up for the Linux community and a day when the Linux community see's an influx of a new band of programmers and contributers as well as new ideas and cultural mores.
It is a chance for us as a community to show our good graces and not be shown as selfish egotists who are prejudiced against brilliant minds for the faults of a few in power in their country.
Just because the leaders of a country committed acts which we consider to be heinous does not mean that the people in China supported such an act.
Remember, it was a Chinese student who was killed fighting for Chinese rights. Killed by people in power in China who feared what? The flow of information. The flow of new ideas.
What is Linux? The embodiment of new ideas, of free information.
This is a good thing for both China and Linux.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
You DO NOT accept confirmed orders, then in the blink of an eye and without notice, cancel all the orders because you decided it would be in your own personal best interest to raise the price, change the configurations, and pretend the problem will go away.
It is insulting. It gives a clear message to Mac users out there. And that is:
"We don't care about you. We want to lure you in and screw you for all that you have. Then we want you to come back for re-fills.
Have a nice day."
Pick any VAR out there and let them even hint at trying to pull the same stunt. Watch the lawsuits fly.
Some people have complained that Intel is no better. But while they may price the chips high, they aren't taking orders, then cancelling them when things aren't going as well as they had hoped.
Most companies call a mistake in planning like this a loss. Apple should learn to play by the rules.
But obviously, how the customer feels isn't as important as how their pockets feel.
As for them reversing the action and calling people back, nice touch. But what about the people who got shoved to the bottom of the waiting list? What about people who have lost time and money? What about people who had contracts as a var to fulfill? Those were confirmed orders for goodness sakes! What if it had been medication or supplies for a war stricken nation? Who's ever heard of cancelling orders arbitrarily after they have been placed and confirmed??
Steve REALLY IS thinking differently. But it is really not clear whether he is thinking with his head and his heart in the right place. - Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Any tips for people who are interested in taking the road of the game developer/programmer?
There is quite a bit of in way of resources out there for people who want to code their own games but what about inspiration and determining how best to pick a direction to take a company and a team?
In short, where would newbie game developer/programmers best be able to find their coding compass to guide them?
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I really have to say.. if the parents willingly allowed and supported their children's growing addiction to "gambling" by buying more and more trading cards, then they should probably not be the legal guardians of those children anymore.
Seriously! Sueing Nintendo for something that they funded their children in doing. Perhaps they are not aware of somethings in life: Restraint. Parenting. Love.
If they really loved their children and cared for them as parents should, they wouldn't let Pokemon do the parenting and babysitting.
Next thing you'll know, parents will be suing milk formula makers for addicting their children to their chemical mixes. Or suing the government for addicting their children to di-hydrogen oxide.
Time to call child services or parental counseling if the parents have to resort to suing companies to get more money to pay for their habit instead of correcting that habit.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Seriously, though, this does sound right, considering the fact that people tend to have difficulty focusing on more than one thing at a time. The old adage about chewing gum and walking for some folk.:)
But I wonder, is this serial processing due to the need to comprehend in a temporal fashion though?
If we processed visually in parallel, then our concept of time would be blurred, would it not? Or am I just not getting enough sleep and swapping my attention between this screen and the second screen in an attempt to get work done hampering my ability to understand?
Who knows.:p
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
One of the main reasons there is such a stint over crypto is that it is considered a munition. So exporting it is tantamount to exporting live rounds, according to the law.
Here's something interesting: Quite a few posters here would suggest that such an association of crypto with munitions is silly. That crypto isn't like live rounds or armour. But if that is the case, then why is it that crypto is referred to as a technology to "protect" us from the government's eyes and ears? Why the mention of ssh for "protected" and "secured" channels of communication. Obviously cryptography is being used as a tool, one which proves to be as effective as a gun, flak jacket, armoured tank, or missle silo.
With cryptography, you can potentially run an underground operation without being detected. Your paper trail would take decades to decode or decipher, during which time, the statuet of limitations would expire. With cryptography, the order to assasignate would never be heard by anyone other than the person the message was intended. It is the cloak which pairs with the dagger. The stealth camouflage.
Yet there are still some people who argue that the idea of crypto being a munition is silly. Fine. Whatever.
The law is there not because the government thinks US citizens are the brightest folk on the planet. It is to offer a means to punish those who would think to leak the secrets, weapons, technology, secret keys, etc to other nations either out of sheer ignorance or for personal gain.
Powerful encryption is just as important as the latest technological advancement in military technology. It is useful if you have an understanding of how to use it which is on par or better than others who are using it. It is EXTREMELY beneficial if you are the only nation which holds control over it.
The laws cover US citizens no matter where they go. Or at least tries to. Some peope praise it for saving their asses when they get into trouble in other countries. Those same people scream their head off when those same laws follow them when they want to do something illegal outside of the jurisdiction of the states.
If you ran a company and needed to keep clientele secrets for a living. What would happen if your employees had a habit of going home with a headful of those secrets and tells them to a friend when off duty and off company grounds? Just because they aren't working, does that mean the rules and regulations won't apply until they check in again? Does THAT make sense? No. The rules would apply even after work hours and off company grounds. It is the nature of the situation which creates the necessities for these laws. Due to one viewpoint or another.
The ironic thing, of course, is that these laws were probably created by the very same type of people who are now seeking their removal. And in time, these new people will bring about laws which will become targets of yet another generation with different viewpoints.
Basically, if you don't like it, talk to your representatives. Send letters. Send emails. Change the law. It IS your right. Better that than sneaking around hoping to not get caught because you think the law is evil.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Right. And when you return from your hard day's work at the foreign embassy and return home, you will most likely find several darkly clothed individuals who represent the US government wanting to have a pleasant "chat" with you.
Seriosly, what you are suggesting is tantamount to hand delivering technology from the US to another nation. Whether it is by travelling several hundred miles or just across the street, you are basically giving technology to another foreign power. Embassy's only provide protection if that country decides to accept you. But since you will be willingly leaving the building everyday, that just means there will be people waiting for your return to dole out your punishment, if you have violated the law(s) through your activities.
One thing I don't get is why no one here admits Crypto is munition when everyone here admits that it should be used as such. Is it just denial?
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
So, what you are saying is that someone, in this case, a US citizen, is participating in the development of cryptography, yes?
And while that isn't a big deal, we add into the stew the note that this person is physically in the states.But the databases and code he is working with are outside of the states.
This has some ramifications. Namely, the person in question is developing cryptography. But not only that, he is helping a foreign organization develop it outside of the states. But he is using his knowledge of cryptography and/or programming combined with what he personally knows to aid the development of crpytography in another nation.
If the problem is somewhat hard to see, let's use another example. Nuclear weaponry and technology.
Let's say our friend is a US citizen and through an encrypted channel, is helping an organization in another nation work on nuclear weaponry. Sure, he doesn't have any documents on this side of the border and sure, all the work he is doing is stored remotely. But what do his actions amount to?
I'm not sure in our current state of "peace", but if it were during a war, this person would be considered a traitor and if caught, would be held for treason.
I'm not saying it is right or it is wrong. But the aiding of foreign nations to develope technology which could in turn be used against the states isn't exactly smiled upon.
But then again, I could very well be wrong and there is nothing wrong with communicating with foreign groups to help with the development of crypto and/or nuclear technology. I mean.. it's a free world, right?
On a side note, a knife painted like a banana is sort of silly, but it is still a knife and by that token, still dangerous and something to be respected. Even if the wielder is nothing more than a clown.
;) - Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
We as a society of _people_ are already quite sensitive to change in people. But even more so than this, we are sensitive to faults we see in ourselves.
Do we realise the price we may have to pay for the hope of intellect? Are we prepared to pay it with full knowledge of the cost.
I'm not talking about religious yes and no's, but quite simply, wondering whether we know where we are taking ourselves. Whether the price of failure.. and success may be too great.
I put "Flowers For Algernon" because that is what I thought of when I saw the topic. The gift of intellect is valuable. It could mean the difference between normal living with friends.. or it could mean a life of being demeaned and being less of a person.
There's nothing wrong with wanting more intelligence, to be smarter and better. That is what advancement is all about. Growth.
But can we live up to that potential? And can we live with the possibility of losing it forever after having tasted it?
I'm hoping for means to improve the intellect of people. But I'm also hoping that by the time that option is available, people are ready for that improvement. And the possible ramifications of it.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
For my given area and considering that Pacbell is the only one which could provide me with the service and still remain within my ability to pay for the line, it was a good choice for me. The reliability and quality of service has also proven to be quite good.
Though admittedly, their service and deal will probably be eclipsed by something bigger and better by the time my one year term of service is over.;)
Thanks for the two cents. I'll be sure to seek out the other line providers in the future as my ability to pay increases.:)
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
It isn't so much as "who" to go to for setting up a server. But rather, it is "what" is written in the contract between yourself and the group providing you with service.
For instance, one possibility would be to check out pacbell for their ADSL service. *Shrugs* Some people believe that pacbell service is flakey. Some believe otherwise. My use so far has been without problems. So your milage may vary.
But then again, it depends on what part of the world you are in. California is expensive no matter how you look at it. ^_^;
It also depends on what kind of server you are hoping to setup. If you need a server with a high upload bandwidth, it may still be feasible to go with DSL, but you will need to be quite close to the central office(s). Cable modems for high speed upload is near impossible within the californian area and is probably not a good choice to rely on in the long term for places outside of california.
But it all depends on how you want to get things done and what you want to GET done. If you can split the cost for a T1 with some budies, hats off to ya.;) But as far as californian dsl with pacbell goes, 1.5m/384k is as good as you can get. I think the cost for that would be about $199/month. (Check their site: www.pacbell.com)
Btw, to conduct business,you don't need to rent out office space. You can conduct business at home so long as you have your city's approval and the house has been inspected for any violations of the fire code/etc. Check with your cityhall for the rules and regulations regarding running a business.
For your own benefit, and YMMV, but it is probably better to get ISP service from the Telco directly. However, do this only if you know their ISP department/staff is knowledgable and competent. The reason for this suggestion is that if the ISP and telco service is from two different groups, you may get into support issues and finger pointing rather than getting problems fixed. But as noted above, YMMV(Your mileage may vary.).
Good luck with your ISP/Telco search.:)
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
The quality and quantity of bandwidth in different parts of the world vary. The price varies as well.
For myself, DSL is a much better and cost effective choice when compared to what cable modems would offer me in the same area.
Where I live, cable modems usually have a 128kb cap on the upstream. IP's are assigned via DHCP. Connections with server processes detected are killed automatically. Users have a usage limit of XXGB of data per month.
The DSL service, on the other hand, uses static IP addresses, has a guaranteed bandwidth of 384kb/128kb, but the download can go as high as 1.5mb, depending on line quality. Mine is 1.1mb. We have no caps on the amount of data transferred. We have no limits on what server processes we run on our end of the line.
But what you eventually pay for is what you are looking for. I went with the DSL because it was the best choice in my area. Cablemodems are great for people outside of california. But I'll offer this warning now: Cable modems are only good so long as everyone in your cluster behaves. Or you'll be seeing your ping times go up and your bandwidth go down. My own ping times are in the 50ms-120ms range from home to most places on the net.
But it's buyer beware, so to most people outside of the California area, Cable modem is great. As are Radio/Microwave broadcast solutions. But something like what they are doing in Tucson for that price would score big business in California where bandwidth is being used up very quickly, making high bandwidth connections expensive and wireless hight bandwidth options desirable.
Just my two cents
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Slashdot Mirror
Umm... go look again, please... It's definitely labelled in the article as a TYAN motherboard. Which would be the same board that an earlier Slashdot article covered.
Of course... further down the page, there is another picture of a similar looking dual PIII board which is the SuperMicro board.
(It doesn't hurt to double check facts every now and then.. -_-;;)
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Reading through these comments surprises me because one would think that most people are law abiding citizens.
But that seems to not be the case. :|
Why am I saying this?
While MP3's themselves are just music files, has anyone out there really considered that hey... that [name your commerical band]'s mp3 song file is out there for download! Oh wait... maybe that's an illegal copy?
Nope. People tend more to go: Cool. *download* *listen*
Yes, privacy is a good thing. Yes, information wants to be free.
BUT. You are still knowingly downloading songs which are illegally being trafficked. Where the copyrights are being violated. And most people who do this, do it knowingly. You can't stick a CD that skips into a player and go doing whatever with it. You CAN stick ripped or rip-off mp3's into an mp3 player and play it wherever.
Who got paid when you downloaded that MP3? Who was the one who got SCREWED OVER?
Oh wait, I'm sorry, this is similar to the software pirating scene: It doesn't matter who get's screwed and who doesn't get paid, because it is cool, convenient, and cheap to download the mp3's.
People worked hard to make the song that some one out there turned into an mp3 and decided that it was his/her god-given right to send that file wherever it needs to go. To let it be free.
That would have been fine had that person owned the rights to it, but that isn't the case with many mp3's out there right now. Most of which are tracks ripped from a CD and placed on a server where other people download from.
That is a direct violation of the copyright laws.
People find the reasons they want to hear. And when people are looking for a way to preserve their own gains, they will readily ignore the law and the respect of other individuals.
I think MP3's are great. I just hate the pirating that's going on. If the new portable players of present day are mp3 players, then artists are truly getting screwed if they sell a few thousand CD's which ends up as mp3's for people who never paid a cent for it.
This doesn't result in freedom of the artist or removal of the middleman, people. It only means that you replace the corporate middleman with a bunch of charge-for-download or ratio sites where people "out there" somewhere ripped off hard working artists to make money for themselves. The artists don't get a damned cent for their work from all the millions of people playing their mp3's... oh I'm sorry, it's not "their" mp3, it's "everyone's" mp3 because information just wants to be free.
I want free music as much as the next person, but knowing some musicians and artists myself, I think it is pretty fsck'd up when you have people running multi-hundred megs-gigs of mp3's on servers and earning money from it to distribute data illegally all in the name of "freedom of information".
Basically, pirating sucks *ss. It did in the past and it does now. The only difference is that there are more supporters of it. That and instead of large corporations being hurt, alot of individuals are as well. But obviously, that is the least of the concerns and worries of the pirating population.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Wow, this sounds like another company who's going to take a big hit when their product comes out.
I mean.. seriously, when it comes to music transport over the net, it can very likely be said that mp3 is the currently favoured format. Introducing another format which only plays on a restricted system requiring an odd and at best, sometimes workable password/locking mechanism is doomed to failure.
Given the differences in keyboards, styles, alternating hands, sometimes single handed or single finger typing, or for those of us too lazy to move the chair over a foot or two, typing with a stick. Or typing when exhausted or half asleep or loaded on coffee.
It would be like: You entered the original pass phrase while you were standing up. But when you're in need of listening to the music, you're sitting down. Oops. What do you know, now you have just doomed yourself to having to enter the code in while standing up while using a particular keyboard.
I mean seriously, is it REALLY that hard to figure out what will not work in the public? Privacey is an issue. Free transport/playback is an issue. A biometric scan of someone's keystrokes which can identify them is something that would be a privacy issue. Making it a requirement to play music is a free transport/playback issue. {free as in freedom, not beer}.
Simply slapping on restrictions onto a custom player which offers NO BENFITS OR ENHANCEMENTS TO THE CUSTOMER is not going to work. Divx offered nothing benficial and actually resulted in lower quality because of all the encoding required. Sony's mp3 stick/wand/thing is like that as well. No real new benefits to the consumer but adding on a truckload of restrictions.
Do companies think this sells a product? It's like selling a computer case that's made of cast iron with a lock that only the company can open and you need to make an appointment to do so. And to boot, they charge you a whopping extra for the case with nothing in it.
Seriously, this is the kind of thing that makes me think that while the collective IQ of these companies may be formiddable, their collective understanding and common sense is sorely lacking.
NO BENEFITS TO CONSUMER + RESTRICTIONS = BAD PRODUCT & NO SALES.
I think the music industry is where that Sprint Representative in the black trenchcoat should go to offer those nice clearing up phone services. Maybe then, things will be clearer and better. But then again, that would be abuse to the poor representative.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
It was good because...
Every now and then, movies which would otherwise
not be noticed will look much better in light of
this sadly done movie. {The only other disappointment in my mind movie-wise was WingCommander, but then again, I was a fan of that series. >:)}
The bad thing is that we've now been tainted by this film. The good thing is that our experiences will convince us to spread the news and good cheer about other better movies. Such as the new all-digital animation coming up...
But then again, I'm an annoyed optimist with a knack for wasting money on impulse decisions regarding movies. To be quite honest, the only possible good out of that movie would be the book you guys are contributing.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Hi Netpliance,
First, please let me say that you have a product which in and of itself was unnoticed until it was learned that it could be more than what it was advertised to be. It could be a full-fledged computer with "freedoms" of access and change.
I can't say I have built up any good feelings for your company over the past month. And I can only wonder what your various courses of actions have done to the reputation of Circuit City.
There is something to be said for learning from playground rules back when we were all children. Ie, learn to play nice with other people or you'll be playing alone.
Judging from both what the company has said and done over the past month, I can only make the observation that the company either has little understanding of commerce law or little regard for it.
As for the modifications which makes the units harder to modify: cut ide pins, epoxy on the eprom, and a different bios.
Has it ever occured to you that these "fixes" would in effect make maintaining the machines at a later time or upgrading them extremely difficult or impossible?
It's almost like burning bridges after you cross them.
From the observable actions and announcements, I have severe reservations regarding the development program, leaving me to wonder if there won't be another "changing of minds and policies" overnight.
Banks judge people's credit histories on past history. As do most companies and institutions. People judge other people and entities and groups based on their past actions and reputations. More than anything, I suggest improving your attitude towards how to handle situations and avoiding the "panic induced" decision making process.
Ordered mine on the 12th of march and STILL have not recieved mine. Am I a happy camper? What do you think?
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Hey all,
I think others have noticed this already,but
to reward people to turn in people who might be
your friends and family or classmates whom you
think are a possible threat... it sounds so much
like the history we were taught in our social
sciences class and war documentaries about other
cultures... like that of the KGB and their secret
police. Their reward system for turning in people
who you thought were a threat to the way of life;
be it your brothers, sisters, mother or father.
It sounds alot like some of the things I've read
about the Nazi's. Conform to the perfect form and
be pure. Anything else is crud and should be
thrown out or burned out.
It sounds like military school and the various
camps where non-conformity is seen as a threat
to the unit as a whole. You are hazed or punished
if you are different and you are rewarded for
punishing those who are different.
Yes, I can see this will help our nation of youths
find a better way. I can see how this will help
reduce violence in school and in the lives of
people as a whole. Why yes, reward violence and
distrust. Punish honesty and individuality. That's
the ticket.
Yes, let's make military styled training mandatory
and let's assume everyone likes that kind of
treatment. I mean.. God knows you must be an
anti-American commie if you aren't with the
program!
But.. oh wait. That's right, don't forget to turn
in your friends who might be suspicious. I mean..
if you don't, your friend might turn you in for
the reward!! I mean... what's more important?
Friendship and close ties or getting rewarded and
escape from punishment?
Yes, I can see that that is the best way society
should function. Trust, honesty, ideals, invididuality,
love, and compassion are all terms whose time has
come and gone. Out with the old and weak and in
with the new.
If you believe that's the way things should be,
then WAVE is for you.
Personally, I like my freedoms and like being able
to trust my friends, co-workers, classmates, etc.
I don't like having to look over my shoulder to
check to see if I'm being followed or if the girl
I talk to about a new art exhibit coming up will
turn me in for enjoying classical art and music.
What's the point of living in a democratic and
free nation when you have to watch what you say
and what you do around everyone for fear they will
turn you in to the authorities for being a possible
trouble case?
Why not just move to a fascist country with no
civil liberties then? Why not just tear up the
consitution now and be done with it?
We're human beings for crying out loud. We're not
a herd of cows who happily and stupidly head out
to be slaughtered, are we?
Are we?
If you're a student and a minor, stand up against
this crap. Hundreds of thousands of American
soldiers didn't die so you could live under a
police state. People died for your freedoms and
rights. Don't let it go so easily.
If you're an adult, why the hell are you just
sitting there going "oh... that sucks"?? Why
aren't you doing what the less-than-knowledgable
and panicky parents are doing? Why aren't you
going out and contacting your congressman and
congresswoman and senators and writing letters?
Email them. Write snail mail to them. Contact them
so they KNOW people aren't asking for this.
Because if you don't, then you can just wave
goodbye to your freedoms.
That's all I gotta say.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Just my two cents.
Selling a website with a history, a current flow
of traffic, and with banner recognition is like
selling a building which has been doing business
for about a few years. People in the area who
frequents your site knows you and has a certain
opinion about you. Your building's appearance
and location(domain name) is to be taken into
account. How well does the name work and how well
does the site achieve it's main goal: awareness
generation for the company.
It isn't how much you will be making from the
site which determines it's value, but the potential
growth factor and the awareness and visibility
benefits the company will gain through the
website.
Depending on your site's info, detail, and whether
the current staff will stay on long enough to
let the new members from the buying company
learn the ropes, your site could be worth the
$250K or more. But it all depends on the details
and on negotiating.
You said they blanched at hearing the price, it
could be that they are new to the business of web.
And thought that since the only physical costs
were web hardware, that it would be more like in
the tens of thousands, not hundreds. That has to
be explained to them.
You are selling a product which is quite large
and much like producing artwork or a building and
then selling it, the value isn't simply what the
last business's profits were when _they_ used it.
It is the percieved potential profits which the
new owners will be able to reap from it.
If I had a site like good-bikes.com(for example),
and I used it to describe my collection of good
bikes, but a biking company wants to buy the site
out, should I judge the selling price at what I'm
making off of the site? Hell no.
You need to evaluate the potential the site
presents to the buyer. They see value in the site
and they want to buy. It is your job then to
determine what the site is worth to them in the
long run and either convince them of that or
decide that the buyers aren't serious enough or
are not savvy enough about the web to understand
the potentials.
The idea that you might be charging too much for
the site is a possibility, but then again, always
get a second opinion from other people and
companies if possible before settling for less
since the whole "shocked" thing could be a facade
to weaken your resolve so you will lower the price
far below what it could be worth.
Good luck in your sales of your domain/website.
Wing.
TheReaper@ourmag.com
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Interesting how things turn around again and again
and again.
I've got two of these on special order from
Circuit City and I don't know about anyone else,
but when I paid in advance for them, I don't
remember a contract being presented to me to be
signed as a basis for buying this device.
In the advertisement at Circuit City, I don't see
ANY references to a "must sign up for service to
own this device".
When I got my Celphone, I _bought_ a cel phone,
then called in to activate it. I could have
modified the cel phone and what? Voided my
warranty and that would have been it.
I don't think it is immoral or aethical to buy
a $99 device and not sign up for the service.
That's the deal I saw at Circuit City and that's
the product that I'm buying. A piece of hardware.
If I had purchased the device from Netpliance
directly, then yes, I would most likely be bound
to them for the service as per their contract
agreements.
But not from Circuit City. When I buy an
"appliance", which is what this device is
advertised as, I owe nothing to any company except
perhaps the electric and water companies for
their "service". But I could just as well work
out another means of using that dishwasher or
microwave or room heater by running it off of
solar power. Is the power company loosing out in
that case? If I catch rainwater and pipe it into
my dishwasher, am I short changing the water
companies?
Probably.
So when I go about making cute modifications to
the I-Opener to use an alternative power-source,
an alternative OS, an alternative means of data
storage, and an alternative means of connectivity,
is Netpliance getting short changed?
Probably.
But it isn't illegal. I'm not bypassing any form
of encrpytion or copy protection system. I'm not
bound by a contract to use their service. Nor
is the ownership of their product in anyway tied
to subscription to their service.
So how do they plan on enforcing their new
contracts on the pre-orders which have already
been paid in advance at all the Circuit Cities?
There is already a transaction which is in
progress between buyer and Circuit City which has
nothing to do with Netpliance save the fact that
they are the people supplying the machines. If
they decide to change anything to the machines
and terms of use/sale contracts, it is between
them and Circuit City, not the buyers(unless you
bought the machine online).
I agree with what another poster said. If the
machine comes in and is a different model from the
one I ordered, I will refuse the package and ask
for a refund.
I mean, if you pre-ordered and paid in advance
for a "Series A10" player of some kind which comes
with an S-VHS output so you can hook it up to your
computer, but when you drop by to pick up the
machine, they hand you a "Series A10b" which they
claim is what they got and is the same, but is
missing the S-VHS output, are you going to meekly
accept this as another "oh well, that's how it goes"?
I hope not. And I certainly hope the folks out
there who have been recieving their I-Openers
are recording the Model and Serial numbers from
their I-Openers so that other people who are
buying the machines with pre-paid dollars can
verify (without opening the machine up) whether
they fall into the "pre-mod" or "post-mod"
category so they can get their money back if the
machine isn't what people paid for.
Just a few cents in the bucket.
(On the other hand, I agree also that I would
easily go for a $200 machine which is like the
I-Opener and runs Linux or any choice OS. I hope
someone picks up on this and runs with the idea.)
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Hi All,
I find it rather amusing that they would have to consider a public debate and consulting about the morality on the basis that religions find it a problem. But who's religion? Are we only referring to those who read the Bible or are we taking into account more than that?
Everytime someone announces a scientific discovery, people have cried God. Much like how Peter cried wolf. They say the scientists are trying to play God and that is wrong.
I'm sorry, but that is total bullshit. When the first surgeons operated on corpses, that was considered playing God. Their techniques and knowledge saved millions. When people covered the topic of artificial intelligences, there were people who screamed that they were trying to play God once again. When abortion issues came up, once again, the cry of playing God. And with artificial insemination to help infertile couples have children, people claimed they were playing God again.
When the cloning of sheep took place, people were outraged that these scientists were playing God. That what they were doing was wrong. More bullshit.
Now, when scientists have discovered a means to assemble a living thing from the most basic components to help further science, they feel they have to ask for religious consultation.
I don't think it is the fear of God, but the fear of Man. The fear that _WE_, could be the next test subjects. That if life can be created in a hospital, a laboratory, a test tube... that it would somehow debase _OUR_ lives to that of mere science. That _WE_ are no longer the center of the universes. That we are no better and no worse than any other life on this planet.
And what is wrong with that? Aren't we flesh and blood? Aren't we destined to die and return to the Earth and to be recycled? Aren't we subject to the same birth and death cycles as any other creature on this planet is subject to?
Yes. We are. The only difference, I think, is that now, the test subject is ourselves. Now, we feel we are placed under the lens and the knife. It is personal now.
And that worry is fine. But don't make it a religious burden. Don't claim people are trying to play God when all they are trying to do is save lives and further our knowledge.
When you have people dictating life and death over all others, then you are confronted with a person who is playing God. When you see a person working to unravel the mysteries of life, you are seeing a scientist. Try not to confuse the two.
I'm surprised no groups have complained about AiBo the AI-dog or some of the simulation games where the player actually plays a God. It just reinforces the notion that people don't fear God's wrath, but fear their own sense of self being violated.
Peace to all and Happy Holidays!
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
If this is any indication of the shit that
AMEX and DISCOVER will be facing in the future or
of stuff they have been dealing with in the past,
my hat goes off to them for their patience with
people.
The guy is an idiot if he blows $25K at a casino.
Gambling addiction or not. The credit card isn't
the problem, its the person. The person. I mean...
his basis for suing is that he lost $25K, because
the credit card companies are egg'ing him on by
offering online businesses a merchant account???
Hell, I might as well suggest that my next door neighbor sue for his wrist injury from overly
frequent use of Porn sites. Why not sue the credit
card companies over that? Sheesh.
Money management, budgeting, restraint. All very useful things in addition to the tool we have called a brain. And it seems obvious that this guy isn't in possession of any of the above. Or if he is, he should maybe consider suing God for his inability to use his faculties.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
The user should be the one who is responsible for the crimes committed with software if it is the user who uses the software for illegitemate uses.
In essence, if dangerous code has been written, it doesn't go around executing itself or targetting people on its own. Someone activates it for that purpose. Just like a gun, a knife, a needle, poison, or bombs. They just sit there on their own until someone comes around and decides they can do something bad with it.
Where the programmer themselves write the code and use it in harmful ways, then they are the ones who are responsible.
There are the cases where the user uses the software without knowing the results or effects that the software will create. Ie, trojans. In that case, the user is the victom and the person who used the technology of trojans to modify the program to do harm is the one to blame.
Basically, tools are just tools. They may have been made with ill intent and for dark purposes. But they need a user who will carry out that purpose. Guns are made to kill, but until someone uses one, they will not kill. Just as with software, until someone uses it to harm others, it will do no harm.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Not to sound crazy or anything,but those would actually make good game titles...
Holiday in Cambodia the Video Game:
Depending on how it is worked out, a survivalist approach to keeping your tribe/village/town alive despite an occupation situation or external invasion operation while having to manage the townsfolk and keeping them alive with enough food and preventing injury would be excellent to prepare people mentally and emotionally for traumatizing situations where home invasion or kidnapping might be an issue.
Sim Concentration Camp:
I think this has actually been done, but from the perspective of the prisoner... you basically try to escape the camp and avoid detection as much as possible before your spirit is broken. You have to follow rules and regulations and basically survive the camp as long as you can, working on finding a way out.
Of course, the flip side would be to manage a concentration camp and that would mean expansion and the logistics of personnel relocation and handling.
Drug War 2000:
This would be a good game for youner teens to get into to help fight existing mentallity of younger people about drugs being "not so dangerous". By seeing the suffering, people can actually understand why their parents say "no". And why they themselves should say "no".
MS 5 year plan: Visual Stalin: The five year management cycle of a whole nation in order to improve or destroy it. What's so horrible about this? You have the choice of making your country into a dying cesspool or into a prosperous nation. It all depends on whether the person playing the game is focused on good or bad intentions.
Marshal Law: You're In Charge!:
Basically Sim City with more killing and management of people in the city against their will. Either to control violent situations or to control the people. There is quite a bit a person can learn about crisis management when a panic occurs in the town and marshal law is enforced. For both the individuals and the people in charge.
Faces of Death with DX7:
:|
Unless this is a history lesson, there is little useful need for a game like this. Showing people the faces of the dead or dying is hardly educational or useful in any strategic way except to traumatize or desensitize the player to it. Or gross them out.
If you meant playing the various "evil" figures of the world's history and doing the strategic planning by being them and managing their reign, then it effectively becomes another war sim with loads of micro-management. But would be limited in education value as the views may be biased.
Take it with a grain of salt. You cannot blame games for ruining childrens' lives if the people who are the childrens' parents do not make headway to look after their own childrens' well-being.
You wouldn't let a child walk the streets of a dark alley without a few friends and even then, suggest they take the long way. You spend hours lecturing them about not talking to strangers... but you can't take the time to teach children about the rights and wrongs of morality.
If your child views the games' morales as more important than the ones you are trying to teach, then that's a problem you need to deal with and work out.
A person with a strong mind will enjoy the games or not play them. But they will hardly be brainwashed by them. With children, it is a different story. Which is why adults and parents, especially, should be there to make sure that their children are not taking in experiences you feel would be hurtful to them.
Striking at the game manufacturers for this is like blaming the stories in a book you read to your children for teaching them the wrong principles in life to follow. You're an adult, you should act like one. Especially if you have children. Find the time. Put in the effort. But don't place blame... because that doesn't help your child one bit.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I keep seeing posts like China's involvement in Linux is bad. China runs over students with tanks. China doesn't observe human rights. Etc. etc.
What one country does is their perogative.
However. You want that country to change? You want them to "improve" and see things your way? Great. By choosing Linux as an OS, doesn't that simply bring more of other cultures into China? Doesn't this bring information to a country which so many consider to be locked down?
What better way to liberate a people than by giving them information from the world?
But politics aside, China's involvement with Linux will be a good thing. While not every Chinese citizen has a computer, they can all think. Most of them if given half a chance at education are extremely talented and are inclined to mental manipulation of information and concepts. What new advancements could be gained by such exposure of a high quality OS to an additional few hundred million to billions of minds?
The goal of Linux was to be the OS which dominates the world, yes? If so, then doesn't this represent a major milestone? The cooperation and adoption of Linux by one of the world's largest countries?
It is a good thing for Linux. The recognition of the value of an OS by a country's government will have impact with the companies and software institutions of the world as in order to do business with China, they will have to run Linux compatible software.
This is a major step up for the Linux community and a day when the Linux community see's an influx of a new band of programmers and contributers as well as new ideas and cultural mores.
It is a chance for us as a community to show our good graces and not be shown as selfish egotists who are prejudiced against brilliant minds for the faults of a few in power in their country.
Just because the leaders of a country committed acts which we consider to be heinous does not mean that the people in China supported such an act.
Remember, it was a Chinese student who was killed fighting for Chinese rights. Killed by people in power in China who feared what? The flow of information. The flow of new ideas.
What is Linux? The embodiment of new ideas, of free information.
This is a good thing for both China and Linux.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
On my entertainment setup(lousy, but usable).
I've thought of doing it on the computer, but that
would mean WinCroak. So I'm patient and will wait
for better DVD code. (Keep up the good work!)
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
You are a multi-billion dollar corporation.
You DO NOT accept confirmed orders, then in the
blink of an eye and without notice, cancel
all the orders because you decided it would be
in your own personal best interest to raise
the price, change the configurations, and pretend
the problem will go away.
It is insulting. It gives a clear message to Mac
users out there. And that is:
"We don't care about you. We want to lure you in
and screw you for all that you have. Then we
want you to come back for re-fills.
Have a nice day."
Pick any VAR out there and let them even hint at
trying to pull the same stunt. Watch the lawsuits
fly.
Some people have complained that Intel is no
better. But while they may price the chips high,
they aren't taking orders, then cancelling them
when things aren't going as well as they had
hoped.
Most companies call a mistake in planning like
this a loss. Apple should learn to play by the
rules.
But obviously, how the customer feels isn't as
important as how their pockets feel.
As for them reversing the action and calling
people back, nice touch. But what about the people
who got shoved to the bottom of the waiting list?
What about people who have lost time and money?
What about people who had contracts as a var to
fulfill? Those were confirmed orders for goodness
sakes! What if it had been medication or supplies
for a war stricken nation? Who's ever heard of
cancelling orders arbitrarily after they have been
placed and confirmed??
Steve REALLY IS thinking differently. But it is
really not clear whether he is thinking with his
head and his heart in the right place.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Hi John,
Any tips for people who are interested in
taking the road of the game developer/programmer?
There is quite a bit of in way of resources out
there for people who want to code their own games
but what about inspiration and determining how
best to pick a direction to take a company and a
team?
In short, where would newbie game developer/programmers
best be able to find their coding compass to
guide them?
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I really have to say.. if the parents willingly allowed and supported their children's growing addiction to "gambling" by buying more and more trading cards, then they should probably not be the legal guardians of those children anymore.
Seriously! Sueing Nintendo for something that they funded their children in doing. Perhaps they are not aware of somethings in life: Restraint. Parenting. Love.
If they really loved their children and cared for them as parents should, they wouldn't let Pokemon do the parenting and babysitting.
Next thing you'll know, parents will be suing milk formula makers for addicting their children to their chemical mixes. Or suing the government for addicting their children to di-hydrogen oxide.
Time to call child services or parental counseling if the parents have to resort to suing companies to get more money to pay for their habit instead of correcting that habit.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? ;)
Seriously, though, this does sound right, considering the fact that people tend to have difficulty focusing on more than one thing at a time. The old adage about chewing gum and walking for some folk. :)
But I wonder, is this serial processing due to the need to comprehend in a temporal fashion though?
If we processed visually in parallel, then our concept of time would be blurred, would it not? Or am I just not getting enough sleep and swapping my attention between this screen and the second screen in an attempt to get work done hampering my ability to understand?
Who knows. :p
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
One of the main reasons there is such a stint over crypto is that it is considered a munition. So exporting it is tantamount to exporting live rounds, according to the law.
Here's something interesting: Quite a few posters here would suggest that such an association of crypto with munitions is silly. That crypto isn't like live rounds or armour. But if that is the case, then why is it that crypto is referred to as a technology to "protect" us from the government's eyes and ears? Why the mention of ssh for "protected" and "secured" channels of communication. Obviously cryptography is being used as a tool, one which proves to be as effective as a gun, flak jacket, armoured tank, or missle silo.
With cryptography, you can potentially run an underground operation without being detected. Your paper trail would take decades to decode or decipher, during which time, the statuet of limitations would expire. With cryptography, the order to assasignate would never be heard by anyone other than the person the message was intended. It is the cloak which pairs with the dagger. The stealth camouflage.
Yet there are still some people who argue that the idea of crypto being a munition is silly. Fine. Whatever.
The law is there not because the government thinks US citizens are the brightest folk on the planet. It is to offer a means to punish those who would think to leak the secrets, weapons, technology, secret keys, etc to other nations either out of sheer ignorance or for personal gain.
Powerful encryption is just as important as the latest technological advancement in military technology. It is useful if you have an understanding of how to use it which is on par or better than others who are using it. It is EXTREMELY beneficial if you are the only nation which holds control over it.
The laws cover US citizens no matter where they go. Or at least tries to. Some peope praise it for saving their asses when they get into trouble in other countries. Those same people scream their head off when those same laws follow them when they want to do something illegal outside of the jurisdiction of the states.
If you ran a company and needed to keep clientele secrets for a living. What would happen if your employees had a habit of going home with a headful of those secrets and tells them to a friend when off duty and off company grounds? Just because they aren't working, does that mean the rules and regulations won't apply until they check in again? Does THAT make sense? No. The rules would apply even after work hours and off company grounds. It is the nature of the situation which creates the necessities for these laws. Due to one viewpoint or another.
The ironic thing, of course, is that these laws were probably created by the very same type of people who are now seeking their removal. And in time, these new people will bring about laws which will become targets of yet another generation with different viewpoints.
Basically, if you don't like it, talk to your representatives. Send letters. Send emails. Change the law. It IS your right. Better that than sneaking around hoping to not get caught because you think the law is evil.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Right. And when you return from your hard day's work at the foreign embassy and return home, you will most likely find several darkly clothed individuals who represent the US government wanting to have a pleasant "chat" with you.
Seriosly, what you are suggesting is tantamount to hand delivering technology from the US to another nation. Whether it is by travelling several hundred miles or just across the street, you are basically giving technology to another foreign power. Embassy's only provide protection if that country decides to accept you. But since you will be willingly leaving the building everyday, that just means there will be people waiting for your return to dole out your punishment, if you have violated the law(s) through your activities.
One thing I don't get is why no one here admits Crypto is munition when everyone here admits that it should be used as such. Is it just denial?
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
So, what you are saying is that someone, in this case, a US citizen, is participating in the development of cryptography, yes?
And while that isn't a big deal, we add into the stew the note that this person is physically in the states.But the databases and code he is working with are outside of the states.
This has some ramifications. Namely, the person in question is developing cryptography. But not only that, he is helping a foreign organization develop it outside of the states. But he is using his knowledge of cryptography and/or programming combined with what he personally knows to aid the development of crpytography in another nation.
If the problem is somewhat hard to see, let's use another example. Nuclear weaponry and technology.
Let's say our friend is a US citizen and through an encrypted channel, is helping an organization in another nation work on nuclear weaponry. Sure, he doesn't have any documents on this side of the border and sure, all the work he is doing is stored remotely. But what do his actions amount to?
I'm not sure in our current state of "peace", but if it were during a war, this person would be considered a traitor and if caught, would be held for treason.
I'm not saying it is right or it is wrong. But the aiding of foreign nations to develope technology which could in turn be used against the states isn't exactly smiled upon.
But then again, I could very well be wrong and there is nothing wrong with communicating with foreign groups to help with the development of crypto and/or nuclear technology. I mean.. it's a free world, right?
On a side note, a knife painted like a banana is sort of silly, but it is still a knife and by that token, still dangerous and something to be respected. Even if the wielder is nothing more than a clown.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
We as a society of _people_ are already quite sensitive to change in people. But even more so than this, we are sensitive to faults we see in ourselves.
Do we realise the price we may have to pay for the hope of intellect? Are we prepared to pay it with full knowledge of the cost.
I'm not talking about religious yes and no's, but quite simply, wondering whether we know where we are taking ourselves. Whether the price of failure.. and success may be too great.
I put "Flowers For Algernon" because that is what I thought of when I saw the topic. The gift of intellect is valuable. It could mean the difference between normal living with friends.. or it could mean a life of being demeaned and being less of a person.
There's nothing wrong with wanting more intelligence, to be smarter and better. That is what advancement is all about. Growth.
But can we live up to that potential? And can we live with the possibility of losing it forever after having tasted it?
I'm hoping for means to improve the intellect of people. But I'm also hoping that by the time that option is available, people are ready for that improvement. And the possible ramifications of it.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Cool!
For my given area and considering that Pacbell is the only one which could provide me with the service and still remain within my ability to pay for the line, it was a good choice for me. The reliability and quality of service has also proven to be quite good.
Though admittedly, their service and deal will probably be eclipsed by something bigger and better by the time my one year term of service is over. ;)
Thanks for the two cents. I'll be sure to seek out the other line providers in the future as my ability to pay increases. :)
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
It isn't so much as "who" to go to for setting up a server. But rather, it is "what" is written in the contract between yourself and the group providing you with service.
For instance, one possibility would be to check out pacbell for their ADSL service. *Shrugs* Some people believe that pacbell service is flakey. Some believe otherwise. My use so far has been without problems. So your milage may vary.
But then again, it depends on what part of the world you are in. California is expensive no matter how you look at it. ^_^;
It also depends on what kind of server you are hoping to setup. If you need a server with a high upload bandwidth, it may still be feasible to go with DSL, but you will need to be quite close to the central office(s). Cable modems for high speed upload is near impossible within the californian area and is probably not a good choice to rely on in the long term for places outside of california.
But it all depends on how you want to get things done and what you want to GET done. If you can split the cost for a T1 with some budies, hats off to ya. ;) But as far as californian dsl with pacbell goes, 1.5m/384k is as good as you can get. I think the cost for that would be about $199/month. (Check their site: www.pacbell.com)
Btw, to conduct business,you don't need to rent out office space. You can conduct business at home so long as you have your city's approval and the house has been inspected for any violations of the fire code/etc. Check with your cityhall for the rules and regulations regarding running a business.
For your own benefit, and YMMV, but it is probably better to get ISP service from the Telco directly. However, do this only if you know their ISP department/staff is knowledgable and competent. The reason for this suggestion is that if the ISP and telco service is from two different groups, you may get into support issues and finger pointing rather than getting problems fixed. But as noted above, YMMV(Your mileage may vary.).
Good luck with your ISP/Telco search. :)
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I think the deal is this:
The quality and quantity of bandwidth in different parts of the world vary. The price varies as well.
For myself, DSL is a much better and cost effective choice when compared to what cable modems would offer me in the same area.
Where I live, cable modems usually have a 128kb cap on the upstream. IP's are assigned via DHCP. Connections with server processes detected are killed automatically. Users have a usage limit of XXGB of data per month.
The DSL service, on the other hand, uses static IP addresses, has a guaranteed bandwidth of 384kb/128kb, but the download can go as high as 1.5mb, depending on line quality. Mine is 1.1mb. We have no caps on the amount of data transferred. We have no limits on what server processes we run on our end of the line.
But what you eventually pay for is what you are looking for. I went with the DSL because it was the best choice in my area. Cablemodems are great for people outside of california. But I'll offer this warning now: Cable modems are only good so long as everyone in your cluster behaves. Or you'll be seeing your ping times go up and your bandwidth go down. My own ping times are in the 50ms-120ms range from home to most places on the net.
But it's buyer beware, so to most people outside of the California area, Cable modem is great. As are Radio/Microwave broadcast solutions. But something like what they are doing in Tucson for that price would score big business in California where bandwidth is being used up very quickly, making high bandwidth connections expensive and wireless hight bandwidth options desirable.
Just my two cents
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.