So no reasonable expecation of privacy while on travelling on public roads or public areas. What could happen when GPS tracking devices get small/cheap enough to be planted on humans?
Would it be okay to say implant a device on all released convicted rapists to make sure they aren't allowed in certain areas?
How about putting them on shop lifters to make sure they don't show up at a store they stole from in accordance to an agreement they had for release?
How about being tracked for suspected "terrorism"?
How about employers putting them on their employees to make sure that they aren't taking too long lunches or too many smoke breaks?
A splippery slope I'm sure, but the line is being blurred. The only thing stopping the police from putting GPS devices on anyone/anything they "suspect" is the expense of the devices and the man power needed to process the data. The devices will get cheaper/smaller and the processing power/software needed is getting better every day.
I wonder how the police would feel if, while on duty, each one of them needed to wear a GPS tracking device as well as having their cars with GPS built in to make sure they were doing their jobs. After all, they are using government property, and they are being paid with government money, and patroling on government owned roads. No expectations of privacy should be the norm.... right?
You do know that they actually re-shot and re-scored some footage especially for the EEs (after the fact) right?
Those things take time and money and those are the reasons why they shouldn't be included with the original. If the original cost $35 US and that was the only version you could get, I'm sure you would be bitching about the "shameless money grubbing" then as well.
before trying to sell software if you have clauses like that in your contract.
The way I am thinking about it is that a incorported company is considered to be another person. If you do work for another company on your own time is it still thought of in the same way legally?
Of course if you have non-compete clauses in your contract this may not work, but that might be easier to get around than the whole "my company develops software of some sort so I can't develop any software at all if i want to own it" sitution.
Q: What is another name for a person who rides a motorcyle?
A: An organ donor.
When they find a way for me not to die or become a vegetable everytime someone forgets to shoulder check and hits me, I might consider a sport bike. Until then four wheels and a crash tested body for me thanks;)
My point is that there is a place for quick accelerating, expensive cars despite the fact that there are similar (but not necessarily better) solutions out there.
Hmm... i think THX has already been on the desktop for ~1 1/2 years in the form of the 4.1 Klipsh Pro Media speakers. I'm not an audiophile, but u don't have to be one to know that these speakers sound very good for what you would pay for them ($400 CAN).
I may not be hardcore into sound, but i know that 400 watts RMS on the sub and 60 watts on each satellite is pretty decent.
Anyway i think that Dell is playing catchup and they do not in fact have anything THAT new.
Ceres
Re:Programmers Make Computers Slower Year by Year
on
Netscape 6 Vs. 4.7x
·
· Score: 3
But their is much software where, the often repeated statement, "RAM is cheap", pops up. Even in Linux. I find the whole situation disgusting myself. One should not justify not thinking fully through a program with this qualification. Clever algorithems, thoughtfull code, and interesting tricks are no longer allowed.
Well answer me this: Which is more expensive nowadays... an experienced programmers time and a quicker time to market or RAM and CPU? It's not that "thoughtful code, and interesting tricks are no longer allowed" it's more "is it necessary to squeeze every bit of performance out of a piece of hardware anymore?" and "how much more will it cost to get a 5% increase in performance?". Back then when performance optimization and "tricks" were used more often, i'm sure programmers were REQUIRED to squeeze the performance out of the hardware because hardware cost so much. Now? How much money does it cost per meg or ram or HD space? How much power can u get for a $200 CPU?
Performance optimization to a certain extent is necessary, but as another poster said "good performance is treated as a feature" and it's a feature that is (unfortunately) pretty low on the list in todays world.
Coding has begun to become something for the braindead.
How is this a bad thing? I mean really, doesn't having more programmers around allow more opportunities for really good programmers to come about? The barrier of entry for programming has lowered, but to be really good at your job (and to get paid accordingly) you still have to be very good at what you do.
True, the PS2 probably beats the pants off Dreamcast (once good games start being developed for it)
I'm sorry, but u seem to be forgetting that around all this hype for the PS2 that GOOD dreamcast games have been available for a full YEAR before the recent release of the PS2. I think it will be at least another 6 months to a year before any of the AAA titles (MGS2, FFX etc.) will be finally released because of the strange architecture that the PS2 uses.
I have read reviews, and i have seen screenies and i have NOT been all that impressed to tell you the truth. Can someone tell me what is so special about the PS2 besides the hardware specs? I really couldn't care less if theoretically the PS2 i supposed to be faster than God himself if there are STILL framerate drops in their games!
Meanwhile, a system that is TRUELY trying out something different and TRUELY revolutionizing gaming (in case you don't know that system is the Dreamcast) is TOTALLY ignored and written off by the media and gamers alike. Sony always says "we will have in the PS2!" and the same goes for their Internet strategy. All the time Sega.net will have been up for at least 8 months and they will have published a plethora of AAA titles WITH internet multiplayer in them as well as giving EVERY DC owner an oportunity to play them since they had a mind to include a modem with their systems.
Now if i put it that way who is the REAL leader in the consoles? Is it Sega or is it Sony?
As for the X-Box, all the sheep that are flocking to the PS2 will probably also flock to the X-Box... why? Not necessarily because they have a better product, but because they have a better marketing department. What else is new eh?
To anyone who is wondering if they should skip post secondary eduction i have the following piece of advice:
Don't believe anyone here when they say you should or that you should not go. This is one of those choices that must be made by yourself for yourself. Before you make a choice about post secondary education go for a year and see if you like it. See if it is all that the advocates of university/college say it is. "Don't knock it until you try it" is what i always say. Go to the best university you can afford... it will give you a better gauge as to how suitable PSE is for you.
If however you find that after the first year you decide that it really isn't for you, it IS ok for you to decide to charge out on your own. Don't let anyone here (or in your life) tell you that "you will never become anyone great if you don't have a university degree". University is but another means to an end... not an end unto itself. There are many means out there in this world to learn and to grow and a Unversity is not the only one.
However having said that, the responsibility to enrich yourself and and to learn and grow rests squarely on your shoulders. Learn many things... not just programming and computer related things (although they are important and will take up much of your time). Keep up on current events, think critically about things, argue and debate, and read some of the great books of our time (you might even like a few). In University it is in anticipation of the next exam that motivates you to learn and remember things (even for a short while:)... you will need to motivate yourself to do this instead.
All the things i mentioned above are possible... if your are the type that natually questions everything and chases after answers then there is probably very little that you couldn't learn on your own that a University would have. Know this however: Not being in University is tougher than being in there since self motivation plays a much larger role... but it will be worth it in the end.
I got out of university after around a year because it was not for me... i haven't regretted my decision. In a time of my own choosing i might even decide to go back... but not a second before (and not because someone said i won't get paid a dime more until i get a degree).
Ceres
To anyone who is wondering if they should skip post secondary eduction i have the following piece of advice:
Don't believe anyone here when they say you should or that you should not go. This is one of those choices that must be made by yourself for yourself. Before you make a choice about post secondary education go for a year and see if you like it. See if it is all that the advocates of university/college say it is. "Don't knock it until you try it" is what i always say. Go to the best university you can afford... it will give you a better gauge as to how suitable PSE is for you.
If however you find that after the first year you decide that it really isn't for you, it IS ok for you to decide to charge out on your own. Don't let anyone here (or in your life) tell you that "you will never become anyone great if you don't have a university degree". University is but another means to an end... not an end unto itself. There are many means out there in this world to learn and to grow and a Unversity is not the only one.
However having said that, the responsibility to enrich yourself and and to learn and grow rests squarely on your shoulders. Learn many things... not just programming and computer related things (although they are important and will take up much of your time). Keep up on current events, think critically about things, argue and debate, and read some of the great books of our time (you might even like a few). In University it is in anticipation of the next exam that motivates you to learn and remember things (even for a short while:)... you will need to motivate yourself to do this instead.
All the things i mentioned above are possible... if your are the type that natually questions everything and chases after answers then there is probably very little that you couldn't learn on your own that a University would have. Know this however: Not being in University is tougher than being in there since self motivation plays a much larger role... but it will be worth it in the end.
I got out of university after around a year because it was not for me... i haven't regretted my decision. In a time of my own choosing i might even decide to go back... but not a second before (and not because someone said i won't get paid a dime more until i get a degree).
I don't know how good this move is really for Transmeta, but it can at best be good for the consumer or at worst not effect the consumer at all. This way, TM will make it or break it through the merits of their own technology and they will be forced to put out a hell of a good chip and do a helluva good job marketing it otherwise nobody is going to help "push" their product.
One of my favorite examples when this doesn't happen is Rambus RDRAM.. if it wasn't for Intel trying to shove the technology down our throats RDRAM probably won't have even made it off the drawing board. All this time Intel could have been pushing for better technology (ie. DDR-SDRAM) instead of covering their asses (not to mention loosing God knows how much money with their faulty RDRAM motherboards).
Toshiba decided to complain about how Crusoe was not "all 'dat" so TM buys the rights back from them... now if we see a Crusoe inside of a Toshiba notebook we'll know that Crusoe is not all hype.
I've read as well that some of you think that Crusoe is all hype and is total vaporware... i would really like to think that the talented engineers (yes there are many other talanted engineers working for TM besides Linus) that have been working on Crusoe for 5 years + actually have technology that works. Many of them left jobs at other large companies to work at TM because they were excited about what they had the potential to produce. I'm sure many OSS developers here know what it is like to be excited about their product... you would not produce shitty stuff and be excited about it. If even the other engineers were not excited about their work, i'm sure that Linus would not work for TM if he didn't think he had something cool to show. Of course he could just be in it for the money, or to pay the bills, or just to stay in the US. However, Linus doesn't exactely strike me as a money grubbing freeloader if you know what i mean. I'm sure there are more than a few companies that would pay him a rediculous amount of money for his skillz and his name.
Anyway, i'm willing to give TM the benefit of the doubt and not come to conclusions until there are more than a few reviews saying that Crusoe really does bite. I believe in "innocent until proven guilty" and i also believe in "good tech until proven shitty".
The PS2 didn't exist back then when Sony started up it's marketing machine but that didn't stop anyone from spouting off the "facts" about the PS2s numbers and what games it had and such.... why should ppl treat Microsoft any different?
I thought grades were dependant on the student's comprehension of the material, not on the purchase of a book.
Well, it used to be like that... but i'm afraid that the time where a student's grades are determined by their intelligence are coming to an end (so it seems). Where i come from (University of Alberta) some of the textbooks are written by the prof of the course and they usually require that you buy their book. Nothing as extreme as to require a recipt proving that you purchased the book at a final as you say, but the profs make sure you buy their books by putting material on their MT's and Finals that are not taught in class but by reading their books. Change of editions is another way that they like to take hard earned student money... the updated editions rarely add anything of use but shift the pages of reading material and excersises just enough to fuck you over.
Another (slightly offtopic) thing i have heard from a friend was that there was a prof on campus (who was a woman) that taught a biology class (not sure what number) said the following: "If you have a penis between your legs there is no chance you will ever get anything more than a 7 in this class." I was shocked when i heard that things like this were happening in an institution of higher learning, but it goes on to show that more and more Universities do NOT determine grades by understanding of materials but by other unrelated means.
Stories like this along with stories posted previously on/. such as the one about how university research is becoming increasingly aimed at practical and marketable ideas that can be sold to large companies are making me weary of the integrety(sp?) of all institutions of higher learning.
I got a feeling that shit like this is only the beginning.
Umm no. Toshiba said TM chips don't help them much, because their displays suck (power.) Nothing TM can do will disprove that
Why then did they mention getting longer battery life using an Intel processor?:
He added that Toshiba currently has prototypes of ultra-light notebooks with eight hour battery life using Intel rather than Transmeta chips. "This can be done with a standard Intel box," he said.
If it's their displays are the issue then what good would changing the processor do? By the Toshiba product marketing managers own admittance TM processsors "... give(s) a 30 to 40 per cent increase in battery life..." so why not reap the benefits of their investment and gain that extra 30-40 percent?
Maybe i'm the only one confused by this article...
I'm sorry that i fired off that statement about RDRAM being 8x as much... i guess i should have rephrased it as "it used to cost as much as 8x that of SDRAM"... the way it remember it it used to cost around $150 CAN or so for 128mb of PC133 and $1000 CAN for 128mb of PC800 RDRAM. PC133 RAM has gone up in price and RDRAM has gone down in price so i guess what i thought no longer holds true.
Anyway i only used it as an example of what i was saying... i'll try to be more careful about my posts from now on.
... that's all i'm hearing from the article. Now, tell me ppl, why would an investor in TM actually go out in public and say that before they have even released a chip? Doesn't it go against conventional PR logic to do this? I know for a fact that large companies will NEVER relate to the public that their technology is anything less than "the best in the world".
I mean take a look at Intel and RDRAM.. RDRAM is 8x more expensive than PC133 SDRAM and yet performes only marginally better (from what i have seen through numerous benchmarks). It's pretty obvious that RDRAM is a sub-par tech that Intel invested in and Intel seems to be QUITELY moving away from RDRAM... however u don't see Intel denouncing RDRAM by officially saying "RDRAM sux, we trying to phase out the usage of it, but we are trying to save face".
Assuming what i say is true, what reason would Toshiba have to do this right before TM's IPO? Now i'm not a big fan of consiracy theories, but it looks like there might have been a falling out between Toshiba and TM. Something like "Ok TM u fuc*ed us over, now we are going to fuc* u over by screwing up your IPO".
To me, i think that BECAUSE Toshiba is an investor in TM, it lends them LESS credibility to say things that will give TM (and therefore themselves) bad PR.
Of course in the end the technology will have to stand on its own two feet... only a released TM chip can disprove what Toshiba has said.
I know a lot of the ppl on/. are laughing at this guy and what he says because most of it seems like a temper tantrum by a 12 yr old. I agree that most of what he says probably can't be done (technologically speaking), however i can't help but be a little afraid of what they CAN do. Think about it this way, Sony along with the other big music companies are very very large and have extrememly deep pockets. If the big music companies see a legitimate threat to their revenue stream (which i think they see mp3s as) i'm sure they will put a crazy amount of resources to stem the tide. The question of course is this: How much influence can these large companies REALLY buy? Have we seen a large corporation REALLY flex it's muscle in terms of influence?
We are (i think) beginning to see the evil empire to end all evil empires (Microsoft of course) use it's influence to try and sway the decision away from splitting Microsoft up. On top of the legal battles we all know about M$ is also reving up it's propaganda machine to sway public opinion. I also saw on CNN that they have made significant contributions to BOTH the Democratic and Republican parties in hopes to buy more influence. There are probably more things that M$ is doing that that others have heard about, and there are probably still more that NONE of us know about. Just how much influence does M$ have? We'll find out if/when this case gets resolved i guess.
Of course we are talking about large music companies who have resources that probably can rival Microsoft's and then some. How much influence do THEY have then? We already know that they managed to push the DMCA quitely through without many knowing about it until it was law. If we know that the recording/movie industry has the power to make a law that they seem to be basing many of their significant legal proccedings on (DeCSS and Napster?) then i would assume it is possible for them to change the rules on everyone again.
We all thought it ridiculous that they could prosecute Napster at all since it was supposed to be treated as an ISP rather than a content provider... we were wrong.
We laughed when we heard the first news of the MPAA taking a creator of DeCSS to court and thought it would never stand up legally... we were wrong again.
Now we laugh at this idiot who thinks he's going to firewall our PC's... With all that is happening around us, it wouldn't really suprise me if they eventually found a way to do what they say.
Basically all i am saying is that we have to stay on our guard for any more erosion to our privacy and our rights and when we see it kick and scream and fight for what is ours. If we lay back and say "naww... this guy is wacko.. it'll never happen" then we will find ourselves cornered sooner than we think.
Slashdot Mirror
Ceres
So no reasonable expecation of privacy while on travelling on public roads or public areas. What could happen when GPS tracking devices get small/cheap enough to be planted on humans?
Would it be okay to say implant a device on all released convicted rapists to make sure they aren't allowed in certain areas?
How about putting them on shop lifters to make sure they don't show up at a store they stole from in accordance to an agreement they had for release?
How about being tracked for suspected "terrorism"?
How about employers putting them on their employees to make sure that they aren't taking too long lunches or too many smoke breaks?
A splippery slope I'm sure, but the line is being blurred. The only thing stopping the police from putting GPS devices on anyone/anything they "suspect" is the expense of the devices and the man power needed to process the data. The devices will get cheaper/smaller and the processing power/software needed is getting better every day.
I wonder how the police would feel if, while on duty, each one of them needed to wear a GPS tracking device as well as having their cars with GPS built in to make sure they were doing their jobs. After all, they are using government property, and they are being paid with government money, and patroling on government owned roads. No expectations of privacy should be the norm.... right?
Ceres
You do know that they actually re-shot and re-scored some footage especially for the EEs (after the fact) right?
Those things take time and money and those are the reasons why they shouldn't be included with the original. If the original cost $35 US and that was the only version you could get, I'm sure you would be bitching about the "shameless money grubbing" then as well.
Ceres
before trying to sell software if you have clauses like that in your contract.
The way I am thinking about it is that a incorported company is considered to be another person. If you do work for another company on your own time is it still thought of in the same way legally?
Of course if you have non-compete clauses in your contract this may not work, but that might be easier to get around than the whole "my company develops software of some sort so I can't develop any software at all if i want to own it" sitution.
Ceres
... 'cause we all know that forbidding children from doing something stops them from doing it.
Ceres
I got one for ya:
;)
Q: What is another name for a person who rides a motorcyle?
A: An organ donor.
When they find a way for me not to die or become a vegetable everytime someone forgets to shoulder check and hits me, I might consider a sport bike. Until then four wheels and a crash tested body for me thanks
My point is that there is a place for quick accelerating, expensive cars despite the fact that there are similar (but not necessarily better) solutions out there.
Ceres
And what is Activision going to do id refuses to give them a release date? Not publish id's products? Get real...
Ceres
Uhh... yes... it's a troll i think... Ceres
hah... sorry... ya... Datafage is right... 160 for the sub... :)
Ceres
Hmm... i think THX has already been on the desktop for ~1 1/2 years in the form of the 4.1 Klipsh Pro Media speakers. I'm not an audiophile, but u don't have to be one to know that these speakers sound very good for what you would pay for them ($400 CAN).
I may not be hardcore into sound, but i know that 400 watts RMS on the sub and 60 watts on each satellite is pretty decent.
Anyway i think that Dell is playing catchup and they do not in fact have anything THAT new.
Ceres
Well answer me this: Which is more expensive nowadays... an experienced programmers time and a quicker time to market or RAM and CPU? It's not that "thoughtful code, and interesting tricks are no longer allowed" it's more "is it necessary to squeeze every bit of performance out of a piece of hardware anymore?" and "how much more will it cost to get a 5% increase in performance?". Back then when performance optimization and "tricks" were used more often, i'm sure programmers were REQUIRED to squeeze the performance out of the hardware because hardware cost so much. Now? How much money does it cost per meg or ram or HD space? How much power can u get for a $200 CPU?
Performance optimization to a certain extent is necessary, but as another poster said "good performance is treated as a feature" and it's a feature that is (unfortunately) pretty low on the list in todays world.
How is this a bad thing? I mean really, doesn't having more programmers around allow more opportunities for really good programmers to come about? The barrier of entry for programming has lowered, but to be really good at your job (and to get paid accordingly) you still have to be very good at what you do.
CeresI have read reviews, and i have seen screenies and i have NOT been all that impressed to tell you the truth. Can someone tell me what is so special about the PS2 besides the hardware specs? I really couldn't care less if theoretically the PS2 i supposed to be faster than God himself if there are STILL framerate drops in their games!
Meanwhile, a system that is TRUELY trying out something different and TRUELY revolutionizing gaming (in case you don't know that system is the Dreamcast) is TOTALLY ignored and written off by the media and gamers alike. Sony always says "we will have in the PS2!" and the same goes for their Internet strategy. All the time Sega.net will have been up for at least 8 months and they will have published a plethora of AAA titles WITH internet multiplayer in them as well as giving EVERY DC owner an oportunity to play them since they had a mind to include a modem with their systems.
Now if i put it that way who is the REAL leader in the consoles? Is it Sega or is it Sony?
As for the X-Box, all the sheep that are flocking to the PS2 will probably also flock to the X-Box... why? Not necessarily because they have a better product, but because they have a better marketing department. What else is new eh?
Ceres
Ceres
To anyone who is wondering if they should skip post secondary eduction i have the following piece of advice: Don't believe anyone here when they say you should or that you should not go. This is one of those choices that must be made by yourself for yourself. Before you make a choice about post secondary education go for a year and see if you like it. See if it is all that the advocates of university/college say it is. "Don't knock it until you try it" is what i always say. Go to the best university you can afford... it will give you a better gauge as to how suitable PSE is for you. If however you find that after the first year you decide that it really isn't for you, it IS ok for you to decide to charge out on your own. Don't let anyone here (or in your life) tell you that "you will never become anyone great if you don't have a university degree". University is but another means to an end... not an end unto itself. There are many means out there in this world to learn and to grow and a Unversity is not the only one. However having said that, the responsibility to enrich yourself and and to learn and grow rests squarely on your shoulders. Learn many things... not just programming and computer related things (although they are important and will take up much of your time). Keep up on current events, think critically about things, argue and debate, and read some of the great books of our time (you might even like a few). In University it is in anticipation of the next exam that motivates you to learn and remember things (even for a short while :)... you will need to motivate yourself to do this instead.
All the things i mentioned above are possible... if your are the type that natually questions everything and chases after answers then there is probably very little that you couldn't learn on your own that a University would have. Know this however: Not being in University is tougher than being in there since self motivation plays a much larger role... but it will be worth it in the end.
I got out of university after around a year because it was not for me... i haven't regretted my decision. In a time of my own choosing i might even decide to go back... but not a second before (and not because someone said i won't get paid a dime more until i get a degree).
Ceres
Don't believe anyone here when they say you should or that you should not go. This is one of those choices that must be made by yourself for yourself. Before you make a choice about post secondary education go for a year and see if you like it. See if it is all that the advocates of university/college say it is. "Don't knock it until you try it" is what i always say. Go to the best university you can afford... it will give you a better gauge as to how suitable PSE is for you.
If however you find that after the first year you decide that it really isn't for you, it IS ok for you to decide to charge out on your own. Don't let anyone here (or in your life) tell you that "you will never become anyone great if you don't have a university degree". University is but another means to an end... not an end unto itself. There are many means out there in this world to learn and to grow and a Unversity is not the only one.
However having said that, the responsibility to enrich yourself and and to learn and grow rests squarely on your shoulders. Learn many things... not just programming and computer related things (although they are important and will take up much of your time). Keep up on current events, think critically about things, argue and debate, and read some of the great books of our time (you might even like a few). In University it is in anticipation of the next exam that motivates you to learn and remember things (even for a short while :)... you will need to motivate yourself to do this instead.
All the things i mentioned above are possible... if your are the type that natually questions everything and chases after answers then there is probably very little that you couldn't learn on your own that a University would have. Know this however: Not being in University is tougher than being in there since self motivation plays a much larger role... but it will be worth it in the end.
I got out of university after around a year because it was not for me... i haven't regretted my decision. In a time of my own choosing i might even decide to go back... but not a second before (and not because someone said i won't get paid a dime more until i get a degree).
Ceres
One of my favorite examples when this doesn't happen is Rambus RDRAM.. if it wasn't for Intel trying to shove the technology down our throats RDRAM probably won't have even made it off the drawing board. All this time Intel could have been pushing for better technology (ie. DDR-SDRAM) instead of covering their asses (not to mention loosing God knows how much money with their faulty RDRAM motherboards).
Toshiba decided to complain about how Crusoe was not "all 'dat" so TM buys the rights back from them... now if we see a Crusoe inside of a Toshiba notebook we'll know that Crusoe is not all hype.
I've read as well that some of you think that Crusoe is all hype and is total vaporware... i would really like to think that the talented engineers (yes there are many other talanted engineers working for TM besides Linus) that have been working on Crusoe for 5 years + actually have technology that works. Many of them left jobs at other large companies to work at TM because they were excited about what they had the potential to produce. I'm sure many OSS developers here know what it is like to be excited about their product... you would not produce shitty stuff and be excited about it. If even the other engineers were not excited about their work, i'm sure that Linus would not work for TM if he didn't think he had something cool to show. Of course he could just be in it for the money, or to pay the bills, or just to stay in the US. However, Linus doesn't exactely strike me as a money grubbing freeloader if you know what i mean. I'm sure there are more than a few companies that would pay him a rediculous amount of money for his skillz and his name.
Anyway, i'm willing to give TM the benefit of the doubt and not come to conclusions until there are more than a few reviews saying that Crusoe really does bite. I believe in "innocent until proven guilty" and i also believe in "good tech until proven shitty".
Ceres
Ceres
I wouldn't be too sure about that.. i personally know a few ppl who are using the PS2's ability to play movie DVDs as an excuse to get a PS2...
Makes you wonder doesn't it?
Ceres
Another (slightly offtopic) thing i have heard from a friend was that there was a prof on campus (who was a woman) that taught a biology class (not sure what number) said the following: "If you have a penis between your legs there is no chance you will ever get anything more than a 7 in this class." I was shocked when i heard that things like this were happening in an institution of higher learning, but it goes on to show that more and more Universities do NOT determine grades by understanding of materials but by other unrelated means.
Stories like this along with stories posted previously on /. such as the one about how university research is becoming increasingly aimed at practical and marketable ideas that can be sold to large companies are making me weary of the integrety(sp?) of all institutions of higher learning.
I got a feeling that shit like this is only the beginning.
Ceres
Maybe i'm the only one confused by this article...
Ceres
I'll agree with you however and say that SOMETHING doesn't make sense... and that was the idea that i was trying to get across in my post...
Ceres
Anyway i only used it as an example of what i was saying... i'll try to be more careful about my posts from now on.
Ceres
I mean take a look at Intel and RDRAM.. RDRAM is 8x more expensive than PC133 SDRAM and yet performes only marginally better (from what i have seen through numerous benchmarks). It's pretty obvious that RDRAM is a sub-par tech that Intel invested in and Intel seems to be QUITELY moving away from RDRAM... however u don't see Intel denouncing RDRAM by officially saying "RDRAM sux, we trying to phase out the usage of it, but we are trying to save face".
Assuming what i say is true, what reason would Toshiba have to do this right before TM's IPO? Now i'm not a big fan of consiracy theories, but it looks like there might have been a falling out between Toshiba and TM. Something like "Ok TM u fuc*ed us over, now we are going to fuc* u over by screwing up your IPO".
To me, i think that BECAUSE Toshiba is an investor in TM, it lends them LESS credibility to say things that will give TM (and therefore themselves) bad PR.
Of course in the end the technology will have to stand on its own two feet... only a released TM chip can disprove what Toshiba has said.
Ceres
Good tune too... did you just make it up on the spot or did you actually plan it out?
Ceres
We are (i think) beginning to see the evil empire to end all evil empires (Microsoft of course) use it's influence to try and sway the decision away from splitting Microsoft up. On top of the legal battles we all know about M$ is also reving up it's propaganda machine to sway public opinion. I also saw on CNN that they have made significant contributions to BOTH the Democratic and Republican parties in hopes to buy more influence. There are probably more things that M$ is doing that that others have heard about, and there are probably still more that NONE of us know about. Just how much influence does M$ have? We'll find out if/when this case gets resolved i guess.
Of course we are talking about large music companies who have resources that probably can rival Microsoft's and then some. How much influence do THEY have then? We already know that they managed to push the DMCA quitely through without many knowing about it until it was law. If we know that the recording/movie industry has the power to make a law that they seem to be basing many of their significant legal proccedings on (DeCSS and Napster?) then i would assume it is possible for them to change the rules on everyone again.
We all thought it ridiculous that they could prosecute Napster at all since it was supposed to be treated as an ISP rather than a content provider... we were wrong.
We laughed when we heard the first news of the MPAA taking a creator of DeCSS to court and thought it would never stand up legally... we were wrong again.
Now we laugh at this idiot who thinks he's going to firewall our PC's... With all that is happening around us, it wouldn't really suprise me if they eventually found a way to do what they say.
Basically all i am saying is that we have to stay on our guard for any more erosion to our privacy and our rights and when we see it kick and scream and fight for what is ours. If we lay back and say "naww... this guy is wacko.. it'll never happen" then we will find ourselves cornered sooner than we think.
Ceres