The Economist had an article a month or so ago about spam over the new invention of the telegraph. Several wealthy men in London were awakened late one evening by a telegram. Believing it to be of importance, after all only something important would be sent so late, they anxiously read it.
It was from a dentist. It was advertising his services.
The men were outraged, obviously and started the first campaign against spam. The point is that this is hardly shocking. It's always been around, but is simply much more prevelant now with the ease of email. I remember being a kid before caller ID and call blocking and getting lots of telemarketer phone calls at our house. Sometimes we got the door to door salesmen. Times change, spam doesn't.
I'm sure eventually we'll all get email spam problem licked. Then we'll have to deal with ads for Lightspeed Briefs beamed directly into our dreams.
Everybody has an opinion and on Slashdot you can make it sound like fact. Some people are just so far off base here it's scary. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry in molecular biology, and am still working tangentially to pharmaceuticals. I was part of a team that brought a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis to completion.
That drug started the process of becoming a treatment 15 years earlier. It took 15 years to isolate the desired property, study it, run tests and apply for approval. That doesn't count the many years prior to that where scientists were on fishing expeditions looking for solutions that didn't pan out.
During that time massive millions of dollars were sunk into the project in the hope that it would eventually come to fruition, work and be approved. You're telling me the pharmaceutical industry is only interested in profits, temporary reliefs rather than cures and exploiting the sick? Piss off and go back to chewing on tree bark then.
Innovation and medical treatments take a long time to develop and occur at a great cost. The profits on today's drug funds the research on tomorrow's treatments.
Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I think this is anecdotal evidence. Presumably you Slashdot TA's were in science, computer or engineering classes. There is a higher percentage of Asians taking those classes than theatre studies--from what I remember of my university anyway. I imagine if you were a TA in 18th Century American Literature your anecdote might be different.
EU rules do not preclude the possibility for EU countries of laying down an obligation to disclose personal data in the context of civil proceedings, it said.
"However, it does not compel the member states to lay down such an obligation," the court said.
It doesn't compel them to do so now. It doesn't mean that the EU won't change that law to be more stringent. What's even more likely though, is that the industry lobbies the EU and the law remains the same, but becomes attached to other conditions. Your country wants EU aid to help with communications infrastructure? Sure, but you'll need to comply with this law. It's the same way the drinking age changed to 21 in all the States; it became a requirement for Federal highway funds due to lobbying from MADD.
I predict the industry and anti-piracy lobby groups to focus on newer additions to the EU from Eastern Europe to do just this. These countries use more EU aid and can be painted as piracy hotbeds.
Boring and drawn-out? You should read my screenplay based on Slashdot: Full of insightful commentary, everybody RTFA and lots of hot chicks running Linux on their desktop.
You weren't paying attention. Many cities have already placed a network of microphones that can detect gunfire. Through triangulation police are able to determine where the shots came from.
Well as a former employee of Kozmo.com when they first opened in Seattle, I can say with a bit of authority that VCs in the late 90s didn't realize a hell of a lot. "Deliver movies ordered online in an hour? With no delivery charge? Something, something. Profit!"
I can't wait until Ron Paul gets elected, personally. At least then we won't have to deal with M$ and the government breathing down our necks.
You seem to have a pretty realistic view. Microsoft will release a standards compliant browser around the time that Ron Paul is actually elected president. You just forgot the cold fusion powered flying cars.
British politics may involve a lot of shouting and require people in strange wigs, but at least the read the laws and debate them and modify them several times before voting on anything.
American politics: Politicians don't read laws, pass fucked up laws.
British politics: Politicians read laws, put on funny wigs and shout at each other. Then pass fucked up laws.
As an American living in London I have the utmost respect for the funny wigs and all, but the common problem seems to lie in the politicians.
Not just the cheapest possible carbon offsets, but very likely the least likely to actually *do* anything.
I've decided to offset all of my carbon by hanging little evergreen air fresheners in people's cars.
As has been mentioned before, it's far too close to indulgences for my liking. How about doing more to reduce and stop your pollution rather than this red herring. The idea of being carbon-neutral might be good in that it encourages people to do plant trees etc., but it seems many are viewing it as the end step.
But all the major news outlets cover our civic process like it was a soap opera.
Given the love that Obama had going into New Hampshire (pundits, conventional wisdom and polls showing him with a double digit lead), I'm surprised the media isn't talking about irregularities and recounts. The story moves on, apparently.
Slashdot Mirror
The Economist had an article a month or so ago about spam over the new invention of the telegraph. Several wealthy men in London were awakened late one evening by a telegram. Believing it to be of importance, after all only something important would be sent so late, they anxiously read it.
It was from a dentist. It was advertising his services.
The men were outraged, obviously and started the first campaign against spam. The point is that this is hardly shocking. It's always been around, but is simply much more prevelant now with the ease of email. I remember being a kid before caller ID and call blocking and getting lots of telemarketer phone calls at our house. Sometimes we got the door to door salesmen. Times change, spam doesn't.
I'm sure eventually we'll all get email spam problem licked. Then we'll have to deal with ads for Lightspeed Briefs beamed directly into our dreams.
Professor Farnsworth already proved it with the Smell-O-Scope.
Everybody has an opinion and on Slashdot you can make it sound like fact. Some people are just so far off base here it's scary. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry in molecular biology, and am still working tangentially to pharmaceuticals. I was part of a team that brought a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis to completion.
That drug started the process of becoming a treatment 15 years earlier. It took 15 years to isolate the desired property, study it, run tests and apply for approval. That doesn't count the many years prior to that where scientists were on fishing expeditions looking for solutions that didn't pan out.
During that time massive millions of dollars were sunk into the project in the hope that it would eventually come to fruition, work and be approved. You're telling me the pharmaceutical industry is only interested in profits, temporary reliefs rather than cures and exploiting the sick? Piss off and go back to chewing on tree bark then.
Innovation and medical treatments take a long time to develop and occur at a great cost. The profits on today's drug funds the research on tomorrow's treatments.
Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I think this is anecdotal evidence. Presumably you Slashdot TA's were in science, computer or engineering classes. There is a higher percentage of Asians taking those classes than theatre studies--from what I remember of my university anyway. I imagine if you were a TA in 18th Century American Literature your anecdote might be different.
I predict the industry and anti-piracy lobby groups to focus on newer additions to the EU from Eastern Europe to do just this. These countries use more EU aid and can be painted as piracy hotbeds.
...and "friends".
Boring and drawn-out? You should read my screenplay based on Slashdot: Full of insightful commentary, everybody RTFA and lots of hot chicks running Linux on their desktop.
I have a gay relative and I'll leave it that because I don't want to inadvertently out him
It's Joe, isn't it. I knew it!
You weren't paying attention. Many cities have already placed a network of microphones that can detect gunfire. Through triangulation police are able to determine where the shots came from.
Here's one link of many you can find through Google. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/11/65802
Well as a former employee of Kozmo.com when they first opened in Seattle, I can say with a bit of authority that VCs in the late 90s didn't realize a hell of a lot. "Deliver movies ordered online in an hour? With no delivery charge? Something, something. Profit!"
What do you expect when you get rid of congressmen like Mark Foley who clearly understand what "Cyber" means?
Duncan Hollis raises the question of whether existing international law is adequate for regulating cyberwarfare
Because existing international law has done such a bang up job regulating real warfare.
They really ought to teach basic gun and sword fighting in school.
I can't wait until Ron Paul gets elected, personally. At least then we won't have to deal with M$ and the government breathing down our necks.
You seem to have a pretty realistic view. Microsoft will release a standards compliant browser around the time that Ron Paul is actually elected president. You just forgot the cold fusion powered flying cars.
Because it confuses the hell out of Americans, who refer to the whole island as "England".
Is "England" that bit to the right of Isle of Man?
I don't know one fucking person that I've asked that has admitted to voting for that douche bag!
When you asked that question were you flailing your fists in the air as well? Just thinking it might not really be an objectionable survey.
Also, the concept that observing any property of the internet within the internet can affect that property is interesting.
No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it!
And just how much Swedish "culture" is their on piratebay?
Is "erotica" the same as "culture"?
Please re-seed. I'm stuck at 67%.
Out of curiosity; What browser are you using/convincing friends, family and biotechs to install now?
British politics may involve a lot of shouting and require people in strange wigs, but at least the read the laws and debate them and modify them several times before voting on anything.
American politics: Politicians don't read laws, pass fucked up laws.
British politics: Politicians read laws, put on funny wigs and shout at each other. Then pass fucked up laws.
As an American living in London I have the utmost respect for the funny wigs and all, but the common problem seems to lie in the politicians.
Not just the cheapest possible carbon offsets, but very likely the least likely to actually *do* anything.
I've decided to offset all of my carbon by hanging little evergreen air fresheners in people's cars.
As has been mentioned before, it's far too close to indulgences for my liking. How about doing more to reduce and stop your pollution rather than this red herring. The idea of being carbon-neutral might be good in that it encourages people to do plant trees etc., but it seems many are viewing it as the end step.
Mmm.. spicy Psittacosaurus rinds.
1. Use GPS to track guard's movements.
2. Motion sensor detects guard outside door.
3. Hit guard over head with LCD screen.
The camera's just for posterity.
C'mon man! What would MacGyver do?
Given the love that Obama had going into New Hampshire (pundits, conventional wisdom and polls showing him with a double digit lead), I'm surprised the media isn't talking about irregularities and recounts. The story moves on, apparently.