I'd done some recent work with a friends department store to verify video hasn't been tampered with and all that jazz -- and it turned out the job had already been done for me.
They have a Honeywell DVR -- theirs is a 16 Camera unit, but I'm sure there are others -- that records multiple cameras, and ensures that this isn't altered. The video is encrypted and you can ask for chunks of it to be recorded out to CD or DVD, but it records to its own little Windows application that can detect if anything has been altered and shows all the encryption up front and verifies that it is intact.
Don't get me wrong, its annoying that its a Windows Only application (especially as from all accounts, this machine looks to be running on some sort of *NIX) -- but then again, what DA is running OS X or Ubantu (I had to pull up Parallels to see if it worked on my Mac).
From what I understand, the unit has been certified by the gov't for this sort of work...look into it if you need to archive stuff that needs to stay in the digital domain AND be uneditable / verifyable. I don't have much more info than that, but it was a pretty slick machine.
"making our favorite manager/office mom cry when she told us"
Have you ever thought that it was her job to do so?
I've been in the position before that I had to let someone go, even though it was someone elses decision. It could be said that the one making me let someone go had no balls -- but that person had little in the way of people skills in the first place. Thats why I was there. To act as a buffer between the guy at the top (or at least top on our area) and the grunts. I've known others in this same position that when it came down to it, knew that they were supposed to tell others earlier on and waited because they wanted to delay the process. I know when I had to do it, I gave plenty of notice -- even though that goes against all rules of management (i.e., you let someone go the day you want them out the door, and the minute someone hands a 2 week notice, you escort them to the door because you know nothing good can come from the next two weeks regardless of how good of an employee they are).
As an intern that had been at 3 companies within a single year, you wouldn't have known the office dynamics enough to know who was responsible.
Heck, I've known folks that have been around a year and STILL can't figure out the dynamics enough not to get caught up in the currents (I have one person that works for me now that isn't getting the clue of what to stay away from and may have to leave because they are not taking my 'advice').
But all in all, its not balls -- its a business decision. And sometimes it requires not telling someone until the day they have to leave to preserve other jobs ('the greater good') and sometimes it means letting folks waste two weeks writing up resumes and going out to monster because you know their former actions made it possible for the others that are more than likely going to go down with the ship in a years time. Until you are in management, its hard to know which is the right choice -- and even then how to carry it out.
"If it's a Java app, why not just put the font you need in the.JAR?"
No clue -- not a Jav'r programmer. But I was able to help get the logic working for the application (i.e., programming is programming is programming) and install the appropriate fonts on the machines. 3 different locations on 3 different distributions.
But that is something to tell them. Thanks for clueing me in!
At the same time, other *WEB* applications that were using MathXML libraries through simple HTML interfaces definately need the fonts installed on the system. I shouldn't complain in this regard, at least you don't need a proprietary viewer using Foxfire on Mac / PC or Linux like ya do on IE:-) Just need to figure out where to put the fonts.
This was a simple explanation of why dealing with multiple versions of Linux is a problem -- the Java one was probably pretty simple (I actually figured it out in a few minutes of looking at each of the machines that it didn't work on). Other problems are not so easy. Probably pretty easy for a nerd that spend his life around these things, but not for educators that have other things to worry about (like getting kids educated).
Again, thanks for the clue -- I'll pass it along to my friend (who should know better!)
"Err, no. The "biodiversity" of Linux is one of its strong points, and one that is frequently brought up by supporters of OSS."
It is until you have to support it.
I helped write / support a few packages that will be distributed for these students over the last few years. In the past, I could design a single install that worked for 99% of all the students. Now I have to worry about several installs. And whats on each? And will my software work on all of them?
Case in point, a friend called me in to help her with a DOE application that was running under Java. Worked on Redhat, but not Linspire. Worked on Mac and PC. Didn't work under any of the other linux desktops. Just figuring out where the fonts are stored on each of these was a pain (we needed specialized math symbols installed...next version I've told her to just use bitmaps instead). And then all the other crap involved in writing up instructions for folks to run this stuff. Some desktops required admin access to get it in...others could run perfectly as an ordinary user (as all Unix apps should).
Biodiversity is nice. Compatibility is another thing. Their is NO reason for a modern unix to decide I WANT THIS STUFF HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A PERSONAL PREFERENCE. I thought that was the idea of the whole Linux Standard Distribution -- or whatever they were calling it.
All in all, until the Linux Desktop companies get their eff'n heads out of their asses, biodiversity is not a good thing. I don't care if they decide to tweak things differently or have different versions of installed software or different desktop management schemes so long as the applications work the same and an administrator that is reasonably trained on one can install software on another machine.
"Of all people, students should be the first to learn how to cope with new OSes (or distros) as they arise, to build fundamental computer skills instead of learning through the click here to do this approach."
I'm all fine with this -- just don't make it hard on the guys on the back end.
Wow! Thats a blast from the past...I haven't used Code Warrior in YEARS! I was just in my office storage bin in the basement trying to get rid of things I'll never use again and I was trying to decide between keeping a pristene box from Code Warrior or a slightly waterlogged Lightspeed / Think compiler...you can always tell who the geeks are by placing one of these on your bookshelf and seeing who notices:-)
But on my phone -- I can run almost any Java applet that is compiled for that screen size. I actually hacked up one or two to see how hard it was...it wasn't (though I really need to optimize the code). By default, you have to use signed code -- but that easy enough to turn off. Grab the Bluetoof and send it over. No access fee required. On the Palm, there was a VB-like environment that I built a few applications wait. Not too had.
Either way, I've learned I don't need a mini-computer with me 24/7. Thats why I ended up downgrading my Netwton 120 because it was too bulky (not as bad as the 2100 that had the keyboard case -- I quickly went back to the 120 after a month of using it)...too much computer. Went with the Palm and realized that I didn't use half of the apps I had -- picked up a VGA backpack to do presentations -- what a waste. It was far too much computer for something that needed to be a pocket organizer.
Either way, I only answered because you mentioned Code Warrior...I'd have simply responded NERD!!!! but by admitting I knew what the app was, I'd be implicating myself:-)
My phone goes dead every few days and I'm screwed until I can plug it in.
I'd imagine for a phone, Apple would HAVE to have removable batteries -- even if its something they don't want. I know the battery pack in my 1st Gen iPod were pretty big, much bigger than my Sony Ericsson -- but I could image something that was a trade off...the standard integrated battery, with a backpack that could only be used for the phone component.
Gets a bit complicated, and I don't like complicated, but I'm not an industrial designer -- I just know what I like:-)
And all in all, this is probably why we haven't seen a phone from Apple yet...they know all about these issues and won't release something until they have it reasonably figured out...
I do know that I use to get around 7 or 8 hours of listening time on my iPod 5 years ago. I only get about 1 now -- pretty much the same as my last SE phone after a couple years after it started losing charges (i.e., which is why I don't plug my new one in every night -- trying to keep the battery memory down).
The battery replacement for my phone was $45, the battery for my iPod is $20 (which I have purchased and popped open my player before it got here to see how hard it would be, and only took me 5 minutes from the instructions on the site with 2 flatblade screwdrivers). Sadly, the SE replacement battery lasted all of 6 months before it was down to 1 hour talk time AGAIN...the battery I bought for the iPod claims to be 50% more play time than the original. Gotta ask, who is ripping off who with the battery issue...
"Apple is focusing on media as its second core competency."
And that is exactly why a lot of folks are predicting the phone as the next area of Apple's influence.
Look at the Moto phones with iTunes -- they suck and were purposely kept down because Apple was afraid of folks competing with them. Even then, I heard the iTunes was running on some java stack and not integrated directly into the electronics (well...integrated more so).
I know with a simply free phone I picked up from Cingular last year, I've now replaced my Palm...not that I've had much use for it anyways. The phones do almost everything except for stylus entry that my old device did -- and the only place you see items like this are in phones (i.e., the Treo phones...which I really considered until I realized they were HUGE and I like my pocket space...I'll take entering everything from my computer except for the few times I need to enter a quick phone number or appointment with a cryptic title until I can edit and resync).
And now music is getting in these things. Do I want to carry both an iPod AND a phone? The whole thing with the Palm was that I WAS carrying both. My iPod is now relegated to my car or occasionally an airplane these days because I really hate having the batman belt. Even the shitty phones have music on them and even though a good deal are locked and require a purchase from the cellular companys site -- people seem to be willing to pay the $2 - $4 for a song that is a quarter the quality of the similar iTunes download (and as I've found out, generally expire after a few months -- I just wanted to test out the interface because I had been helping a friend convert his tunes to ringtones -- he has a sizable audience and wanted to get 'optimized' files out with 'customized' content before his label did so he had a negotiating block as RTs weren't even considered when he signed on 10 years ago -- they count them as 'club sales' like Columbia House where the artist makes practically nothing).
Back to the point, Apple introduces a phone that replaces my current one AND my iPod -- I'm picking it up. There are only so many gadgets I'm carrying and if I have to make a choice, its my phone...and the more I talk to others, they feel the same way. Luckily Apple seems to be the kind of company that knows how to focus on the essentials which for me would be, Phone, Music, Phone Book, Calendar and a Java Interface to load up Salling Clicker so that I can use my remote to connect to my Mac across the room -- and leave the Java unrestricted so that we can add what we need WHEN we need it and nothing more. Most phones have this stuff, but navigating the interface to use them sucks...
We will see convergence, so does Apple want to be ahead of the curve like the iPod(but not way too ahead like the Newton -- which pretty much introduced us to what we have today) or does it want to be behind the curve like it has on too many other items...
Ok -- in the time I've been called away from my desk a few times now, this is probably redundant and should be modded accordingly:-)
"Actually under Mac OS applications can be stored just about anywhere and they will still work. The only reason for the Applications folder is to have a common, easily accessible location for applications."
Errr...yeah...we were talking about what a novice user needs to know. You can also set applications in the/bin or/sbin directories, which makes sense to geeks, but you can put applications anywhere you want under a Unix.
"Since you mention control-clicking I must assume that what you are doing is control-clicking a bunch of selected files and then accidently choosing "Open" from the contextual menu."
I don't know what causes it, but it happens on a regular basis -- I have a feeling it has something in the OS confusing a single click with a double click. I've been using Macs for 20 years now and its only been doing this in the recent OS versions...for instance, I don't remember this happening in 10.2...its only been the last year. And its annoying:-)
"I mean really, is mounting a dmg file (which shows up as a drive on your Mac), then opening your application folder and dragging an icon into it really simpler than just double-clicking an executable to install it?"
Not really 'simpler' -- and I never said 'simpler', I said less complicated.
Two seperate things. One means easier to do and the other means there are less mechanisms in place to understand.
To understand applications on the Mac, you need to know one thing -- applications need to be stored in the Apps folder.
To understand applications on the PC, you need to know they are stored in the c:/program folder, that there are registery entries that are potentially screwing up your computer, you need specific permissions for most everything (there was a recent study that showed that more that half of the wind'rs apps in general usage today need to be run under an elevated or administrative account), you need to know which control pannel to go to remove it and a dozen other things.
Of course, to install, its pretty simple -- click on the installer and hit OK.
Simpler, but overall more complicated for the end user. It doesn't explain anything about whats going on to the end user and how it effects his or her computer.
Now the DMG situation is a little confusing...the Mac has always allowed running applications from removable media without having to install. The DMG is a virtual representation of a removable media and acts that way.
In the recent years, folks have been getting smart and adding instructions to the background of their DMGs that tell them "Drag This App To Your Apps Folder" -- just because something is not very complicated doesn't mean it doesn't mean there aren't ANY instructions. And beyond that, folks have gotten smart and started adding an icon to their DMGs that is actually a symbolic link (shortcut fer ya wind'rs people) that you are told to drag said application onto. One could EASILY build an installer that does this, but why? Users aren't idiots and its simple enough that one method isn't any easier...and the Mac method, the user knows whats going on and has control -- less complications.
---
As for renaming -- you are right, I never realized that this wasn't under the menu any more! The double click on the name is really for advanced users anyways...on either platform. On the Mac, its not a 'double click' -- its a click to select and a click (once selected) to edit. Makes sense. But still an advanced feature that should have a menu item. Closest we get is the Apple-I -- info.
--
And finally for the Control Click selects and opening a dozen files. You, sir, have found one of my biggest annoyances. I've actually complained about this to a friend at Apple that oversees some of the finders developement as its a pain in the ass, not very forgiving, and not intuative -- even for advanced users. I don't know how many times I go to select something and a slip means a dozen apps are opening up at once.
Just because its a Mac doesn't make it perfect...it just means that its more so than Windows (currently...and has been for a long time). There are lots of improvements, but all in all, I have less to worry about with using the computer than I do with my Windows machines. I can actually look at this as a tool and nothing more. When I'm done doing what I'm doing, I don't have to think about what cleanup I have to do or if the virus check is up to date or if the machine needs any emergency critical installs. Its how a machine should be done. Like a car, I have to take it to the mechanic every so often, but I don't have to be the mechanics apprentice to do every day work.
"Sure, sure, you're trying to save space - but I'm not. I'm trying to save end-user work."
Then you are my new best friend!
This is the WORST part about Linux. Go to upgrade some minor thing on the system...oh, you need this and that upgraded too because they use different hooks. Ok, I'll upgrade those first. And repeat recursively.
All the way until you realize half of your OTHER applications aren't working because they depended on those versions.
Its a pain in the ass. In todays age, with hard drives almost measured in the terabytes, does it really matter that some 13k file is replicated elsewhere?
This is what I love about the Mac...most of the files like this are included in the applications folder (that to the end user looks like the application). The few things stuck in the system that need to be dealt with almost ALWAYS has backward compatibility built into them (unless its a security hole).
But yeah, Linux needs to have the dependencies included and as such, you are doing a wonderful service.
It isn't like the registry where the more and more that you have sitting around, the more likely its going to get so large that it gets corrupt and thus needing to get out the old regedit and wipe everything every few months.
I spent a couple hours helping a friend get acclimated to the mac recently.
Almost everything he had problems with were trying to not overcomplicate things. He wanted to installs stuff and I told him to drag it to the application folder. Wouldn't belive me. Where is the uninstall control panel??? You throw it away.
It was a process of unlearning all the bad habits before and having to learn to do things sanely.
Once you come to believing how complicated something should be, its hard to understand that it is unnecessary. Most Windows users don't believe me when I say its a pain in the ass to keep Windows secure (I develop windows software for a living and manage the geeks that system admin about a hundred desktops...I have a little experience in this area). Once I get folks to move over, its a different story...they realize a good portion of their use of the computer is making certain the computer is working. To me, thats like owning a car that requires constant maintence and thats why when I bought a Saturn, my 1972 Triumph and 1979 Goldwing went into the garage -- it just wasn't fun to work on stuff that required almost as much time to keep them running as I did riding them (which is still the case today...I just don't get either out much any more, much the same way I haven't turned on my home PC in a month or two).
"A successful person once told me that successful people generally call a spade a spade."
And that is my point about a lot of this. I find the folks that don't know what they are doing do a lot of what you say. Lots of shucking and jiving and a lot of times I have the guys trying to sell me something doing just this while I sit there in disgust. Usually formulate a question or two that could be answered in a simple sentence if they in fact know what they are doing and see how they answer. If I don't get what I need, I thank them for their time, explain the correct answer and let them know that if they have anyone on their staff that understands the problem and won't waste my time, please have them contact me, but I won't be dealing with you again.
Life is far too short to waste anyones time. I don't want to sit in my office any longer than I need to. I'd rather get to my lab, get to a studio, work one on one with students, or otherwise that doesn't have anything to do with the minutia that bullshit artists that don't know what they are doing seem to be good at.
All in all, I hope my clients and my employer support my causes. If they don't, they don't. And if someone doesn't want to hire me because of certain beliefs I can understand. I'd love to see the new Mission Impossible movie -- but Tom Cruise has left just being a minor propogandaist for his religion and demonifying an entire area of study that I observe. I know he is going to be just as good of an actor without my dollars and I know his production studio is going to make just as much money regardless, but I refuse to see the movie regardless of how inconsequential my boycott is. If someone feels the same about me, I can respect that -- I'd actually be more pissed if someone hired me and asked me to tone down my beliefs -- and I've had it happen and neither side left happy with the results.
"For most people, they'd look elsewhere for a doctor or lawyer."
Thats pretty funny.
In this field, one of my better friends is a well respected lawyer in the intellectual properties arena -- and he is the biggest commie hippy you could come across, but he makes certain his clients get their due because they afford him the lifestyle he wants (and then turns around and donates a good chunk every year to the EFF and other causes directly against him). His clients know this and its always a joke. His latest venture was to buy land in Honduras so that he could eventually start a law school to help the leftists get into power through the backdoor (without the guns).
Another good friend is a well regarded child psychologist. Because of this, he has to blunt some of his reputation because he can't seem overly familiar to his clients and hus doesn't go on line at all. But he is asigned a *LOT* of court cases and the folks in the courts that make these referals so that he can work with the troubled youth. He is generally the first person I know that raves about games like GTA and we've gone to many concerts such as NIN and Marilyn Manson over the years that his clients actually go to him for (because their child is posessed!!! You gotta deprogram that devil music outta him) -- everyone that he works with from the courts knows that he is a huge gamer and likes the darker side of music (I've actually heard a few of them state that if he turned out so well, maybe this stuff isn't so bad).
And I can go on with examples like this for a few hours because if there is any common tie between me and my friends it is the fact that we are all pretty opinionated (generally not in agreeance) and we have all been somewhat successful in our areas of expertise. Might help that we all refer each other to others as well and thus we have like minded people coming to us. Who knows.
"There are many people who can quickly switch personalities to a work mode, many of the most intelligent are also the most eccentric as well. Passing people up because of eccentricity, quirks, or political views will harm employers in the end."
I don't know -- half the contracting work I get is solely because of my vapid personality that I love displaying on the internet:)
I do and say quite a bit of obnoxious opinionated bullshit, though at the same time, this is exactly what is needed in my field -- someone that actually believes in his particular line of BS and willing to stand behind it. In different lives, I deal with the music industry where it is imparative that you not obviously compromise your values whatever they may be, as well as being a senior developer / manager in the software side of things where you need to be able to stick with a belief through a project in order to deliver a cohesive project (and not something that is the product of every idiot that thinks they have a stake in its creation and thus should get equal billing / equal chance of getting their unneeded feature ruining the workflow of the rest).
It may be different for young people...I had taken a class on CSS last year and it was amazing all the folks willing to suck it up for their potential employeers. Maybe I'm old enough I know what I'm willing to put up with and what I'm not -- as well as established enough in two disciplines that I've been known to quit one (being told I'll never work in that industry again by the very folks that come to me begging for a reference a year later) to do the other when life becomes too unbearable -- and doing it seemlessly. I guess its good to be old for once.
All in all, I would never work for an employeer that asked me to act differently at work than I do 'at play'. No, I'm not going to show up plastered and blatently hit on the interns (ok, this is slashdot, so I'm posting theoretically) -- but past that, my personality is the same either place for the good or bad. I gotta say, without my obnoxious personality, I would have never worked on the projects that I have in my academic or creative fields. Hell, I guess one of my first internships in computers was working for the US gov't and I was several years older than the others going for the same position and when the interview started going south based on my lack of experience (i.e., because I was off living a life while the 20 year olds applying for the job had their noses in their books but even though we were going for the same job, my age played a factor) I pointed out to my future boss that I wanted the job so badly that I almost missed it risking my car being impounded (and having to have it searched by 3 police officers) as I had a rather large anarchy symbol painted on it and a Eff The System type logo painted on the side (this was pre-911, pre-Oklahoma which was lucky as I was interviewing with the IRS) -- he laughed in the straight laced sort of way that I ended up loving him for, and said if he I could point out the car in the parking lot from the window, I had the job -- and when he saw how obnoxious it was he just laughed and shook my hand welcoming me to the job pending background checks and internal lie detector testing (and believe me, my 'love of the system' came up with the polygrapher telling me that I was one of the more honest people he had ever interviewed -- ended up getting security clearance that a college intern shouldn't have possibly been given, IMHO).
So the point is, if its you and you are comfortable with it, post it online. If you aren't and you are ashamed of your personality to the point you think that you need to make accomodations in public for it -- then there is something you need to change in yourself and as a current employeer, I wouldn't hire you either if your private personality didn't live up to your professional one.
"The real reason they were expelled (for being a brat, or perhaps a complete failure?) is more difficult to admit. "
Back in the day, this is the sorta thing that happened to me...I'd routinely get in trouble for my clothing instead of my behavior. I was a smart mouth brat that thought better than anyone else in my school -- but close to failing each and ever semmester because I just didn't care to encourage the estabilishment.
Or whatever I called it back then.
I remember, I studied the rules to the point where I never stepped across the line -- I got right to the line and pissed off my teachers by letting them know I knew more where that line was than they did and could quote the student handbook.
As for clothing, it was described in detail as to what the acceptable clothing was -- and that too was followed as little as possible. It, however, contained the "Or Disruptive" wording that could almost mean ANYTHING...if you came in with a suit and tie while all the others were in jeans and t-shirt, that could be considered disruptive (and I often did). Purple hair, wierd hair cuts, all that. And regardless of my behavior, it was the clothing that got me in trouble.
Luckily, I had a principal that was extremely straight laced but for some reason liked me. Out of all the faculty, I had one on my side. It was the only reasons I didn't get expelled (though the assistant principle and other faculty tried to actually take the matter up with the school board when he didn't act...so I still had days off -- to 'cool down' even if I wasn't being punished 'for the good of the school').
As an adult, honestly, I agree that clothing and otherwise CAN BE disruptive and I think my looks probably were. Having a purple mohawk or wearing a skirt to school just to complain that women were allowed to wear them but men weren't allowed to wear shorts (I miss the days of crossdressing for fun and profit -- and there weren't genderlines in the manual so I did it)...all in all, clothing and the way you look is NOT who you are. This is the fallicy of America -- Image Is Everything.
But you are right, things are rarely as simple as a haircut -- if you are an honor roll student that gets along with teachers, even the most hardcore would probably laugh at the attempt to get attention and then ignore it.
My biggest problem is that I have oriental carpets with tassles all over the place. You either have to go to each run and tuck under the tassles, in which you've just made several boundries that it can't go around (and in this time you should have just vacuumed yourself) or you let the tassles get sucked up and spend 5 minutes each time detangling it.
Its a pain in the ass on hardwood floors with rugs.
"We humans are such bonding creatures aren't we? I actually realized this just last evening when I was playing the sims 2."
I know you will eventually get a 'Funny' rating for that, but it is true. It seems the more higher evolved an animal is, the more they bond with others -- even those outside of their species or even inanimate objects. It says something about you.
My animals seem to care about me, but mostly because to them I am their pack leader and provide them with food, but at the same time, they seem like family. We bond with folks we've never met across the internet that may or may not be what they say (though we are usually sure they are humans), and there have been times I've looked at my Roomba and had a tear over how the lil' guy saved my life by making sure my floors were properly kept clean:-) I haven't used him since moving into my new house with almost all hardwood floors but for some reason I can't imagine giving it away because there is something special about your first robot, even those without the intelligence of a cockroach.
So yeah, make sure you give your sims a hug before you go to bed!!!!!
Legally it is copyright infringement (if done without permission).
Morally it is theft.
There is no confusion...its just like if someone who is raped as a youth says that they had their Childhood Stolen. No, their childhood was not taken away from them from a legal sense (discounting the rape aspect which IS) -- but there was something taken -- and that is theft.
So don't be an idiot (and no, I'm not comparing file sharing to rape -- I'm using an example, but I have a feeling you eff'n idiots that like to hide behind their anonynimity to post bullshit don't have a clue -- at least when I'm anonymous, its just because I don't want to deal with idiots like yourself:-)
Please consider my comment on this subject here as much of a troll as the one above me and mark it accordingly (I am no karma whore).
At one point I was a signed artist and I still have a lot of contacts in the industry having recently contributed in the background to a semi successful remix type compilation for a major (not my normal thing, and heck most of my work is in academia these days) -- I might be a shill...
1. Do -you- have a "right" to royalties for a work you performed for your employer?
No -- no one has a right to anything except life and liberty -- at least in my country. We do have a right if as part of our employment contract says so though. I've been lucky, over the last few years, I've opted to be paid up front for my work and I could care less if I even get credit -- I was paid for it already. Occasionally I will take points -- but I consider them a bonus for performing work that helps out my employer. But any artist that wants royalties have every moral right to expect them if that is what their contract states (and the contracts are ALL very clear as to how the money is coming and what effects it -- if you get $2M to record an album and you spend $4M -- that extra will come out of your future earnings).
2. Do you see a difference in the "right" for royalties - future compensation on work done "today" - of the following (lots of unrelated fields):
Yes -- if that's what they agreed to. I've known several portrait painters that retain copyright. If you want to duplicate the photo, you must go through them. Of course, as their subject, they cannot duplicate it without your permission -- so its not one sided.
Folks like Waiters are almost always paid this way -- you don't negotiate the wages until AFTER the meal. These people get paid maybe $2 an hour in the US -- and I've known quite a few that never even cash their salary checks because its just not worth it to them (especially when estimated taxes are taken out). Thee isn't a law (that I know of) that states *YOU* have to pay them at all if you didn't care for their service -- and I'd been with folks that routinely recalculate checks that have automatic 18% gratuity added and pay less solely because of the principle -- these are the same folks that would make certain that these waiters and waitresses get 30% of its not thrown in their face. Again, its entirely up to the person how much you are going to pay and that is the risk they take when they take this position (if there was a law that stated we had to pay them or explain why and submit it to the proper authorities -- I might reconsider:-)
3. After you've answered "Yes!" (because if you didn't, then you can't POSSIBLY see file sharing as "stealing", you dolt!), please explain WHY?
File sharing is theft because you don't have the right to distributing someone's artistic work without his or her permission. This is a moral imperative. It's not a technical copyright law. I think copyright law is a bit wrong -- I don't like Life + 70 years. I think life is good enough. After you are dead, you don't have a choice in the matter. At the same time, +70 allows some of your wishes into death still help your family (I just think it should be shortened -- maybe life +20).
But yes, file sharing is theft from a moral perspective if you do not have the permission to do so.
As an artist, I encourage others to allow reasonable sharing. It's in our best interest to have everyone hear everything we make. Errr...sorta. I don't allow anyone to hear my own personal work these days as I've been burned once in public and I won't do this again:-) But good stuff that folks actually want others to hear -- why not? But here is where file sharers and artists differ -- what is REASONABLE sharing. I have the reasonable expectation that I can make a few copies of songs for friends. I think iTunes has it right where you can make only 10 copies of a complete album before it says no. Other promotional performances (i.e., Live or special remixes that are not expected to be commercial in nature) -- maybe a lot more -- maybe putting them on the
"Imagine Google's reply to this: "You're going to make my traffic slower if I don't pay this fee? Well fuck you very much! In fact, I'm going to go to a new bandwidth provider who doesn't try to extort me."
Its not the bandwidth provider they have to worry about -- its Peer Connections.
For instance, if you want to connect to the folks that are on AOL, they may mandate that if their user want to connect to your service, they want a cut. After all, it is costing them money to allow users to connect to your service.
At least this is how they see it, forgetting for the moment that the users already paid for the ability to connect to other services.
But no, its not the 'bandwidth providers' they have to worry about -- its the companies that the end users are using that are demanding the money.
"Half the notebooks I've seriously considered have them, and I wish I could rip the thing out of them and save $50, but no, that feature's not customizable."
Yes, but you represent the 5% of the people that don't want these things.
And as such, being able to add these into the machine as a standard feature means that it probably cost Apple $5 as opposed to $50...and that since they don't have to have seperate assembly lines for each unit, prices are actually cheaper.
Don't get me wrong -- I agree with you from a personal point of view. I was pissed off that *EVERY* phone I wanted had an eff'n camera on it and specifically didn't update my phone because I was convinced that it was adding to the cost. I ended up buying one with one in it and actually ended up using it for the first time a few weeks ago. Sadly, it was set for 160px mode as opposed to the still horrible 640x -- but I'm starting to realize that if it had a more powerful camera I might be able to use it for real features (i.e., I grabbed some whiteboard photos the other day thinking that I could use the new Scanr service -- http://www.scanr.com/examples.aspx -- and sumnabitch, it needed at least a one megapixel to work).
So you quickly say you hate a feature only to find that it might be useful if done right and standardized.
I've tried several devices and they ALL suck with glasses. As the other have mentioned, its just another reason to consider Lasik because you start to realize how much trouble one goes through each and every day with glasses. I'm in the category where I feel I'm blind without them (my sis has the same prescription as I do and seems to get by fine without wearing hers except for the driving test, so its probably not that bad, but bad enough for me).
But the last time I spent $150 on a blootoof eff'n earpiece that looked like it might be better with my glasses and turned out not to I serious put this back on the plate.
However, watching the last two episodes of 24, I've seen Dr. Terrorist With One Hand using his Jabra JX10 with glasses with ease. That and his glasses actually look pretty cool. Why are terrorists always the most fashionable, dammit. Its enough to move over to the dark side of the force...just so I can get a decent pair of glasses and a fricken earpiece that works.
But seriously, seeing it on the show last night, I actually jotted a note to see if this was a prop or an actual shipping product and ended up finding the same thing in the review this morning. It has a removable ear 'stabalizer' according to the article, and can work simple attached inside the ear. Looks pretty light weight. The reviewer claimed that his didn't stay firm without the stabilizer but that friends had no problem keeping it in rock solid 'banging their head'. I've got odd earholes and had to get custom pieces for my high end Shure earpieces -- well maybe not that odd, but as I like to record with these things as opposed to mouse-ear headphones (or speaker monitors) I fronted the ear doctor that cost as much as the ECs in the first place (cuts down on leakage and allows one to play back at a MUCH lower audible range with as much clarity -- folks that claim innerear headsets are damaging to the ears probably have shitty ones that are both right next to the eardrum AND are allowing everything else to pass in barely hindered requiring one to compensate by overloading the ear). So all in all, I'm wondering if these will work -- and if so, I wonder if I can get another earpiece manufactured if needed.
But all in all, the JX10s look like they are the best reviewed for those without glasses -- at least judging by the review and seem to be the prefered piece of all the fashional one armed surgeon blackops terrorists in fictional Los Angeles.
Slashdot Mirror
I'd done some recent work with a friends department store to verify video hasn't been tampered with and all that jazz -- and it turned out the job had already been done for me.
They have a Honeywell DVR -- theirs is a 16 Camera unit, but I'm sure there are others -- that records multiple cameras, and ensures that this isn't altered. The video is encrypted and you can ask for chunks of it to be recorded out to CD or DVD, but it records to its own little Windows application that can detect if anything has been altered and shows all the encryption up front and verifies that it is intact.
Don't get me wrong, its annoying that its a Windows Only application (especially as from all accounts, this machine looks to be running on some sort of *NIX) -- but then again, what DA is running OS X or Ubantu (I had to pull up Parallels to see if it worked on my Mac).
From what I understand, the unit has been certified by the gov't for this sort of work...look into it if you need to archive stuff that needs to stay in the digital domain AND be uneditable / verifyable. I don't have much more info than that, but it was a pretty slick machine.
"making our favorite manager/office mom cry when she told us"
Have you ever thought that it was her job to do so?
I've been in the position before that I had to let someone go, even though it was someone elses decision. It could be said that the one making me let someone go had no balls -- but that person had little in the way of people skills in the first place. Thats why I was there. To act as a buffer between the guy at the top (or at least top on our area) and the grunts. I've known others in this same position that when it came down to it, knew that they were supposed to tell others earlier on and waited because they wanted to delay the process. I know when I had to do it, I gave plenty of notice -- even though that goes against all rules of management (i.e., you let someone go the day you want them out the door, and the minute someone hands a 2 week notice, you escort them to the door because you know nothing good can come from the next two weeks regardless of how good of an employee they are).
As an intern that had been at 3 companies within a single year, you wouldn't have known the office dynamics enough to know who was responsible.
Heck, I've known folks that have been around a year and STILL can't figure out the dynamics enough not to get caught up in the currents (I have one person that works for me now that isn't getting the clue of what to stay away from and may have to leave because they are not taking my 'advice').
But all in all, its not balls -- its a business decision. And sometimes it requires not telling someone until the day they have to leave to preserve other jobs ('the greater good') and sometimes it means letting folks waste two weeks writing up resumes and going out to monster because you know their former actions made it possible for the others that are more than likely going to go down with the ship in a years time. Until you are in management, its hard to know which is the right choice -- and even then how to carry it out.
"If it's a Java app, why not just put the font you need in the .JAR?"
:-) Just need to figure out where to put the fonts.
No clue -- not a Jav'r programmer. But I was able to help get the logic working for the application (i.e., programming is programming is programming) and install the appropriate fonts on the machines. 3 different locations on 3 different distributions.
But that is something to tell them. Thanks for clueing me in!
At the same time, other *WEB* applications that were using MathXML libraries through simple HTML interfaces definately need the fonts installed on the system. I shouldn't complain in this regard, at least you don't need a proprietary viewer using Foxfire on Mac / PC or Linux like ya do on IE
This was a simple explanation of why dealing with multiple versions of Linux is a problem -- the Java one was probably pretty simple (I actually figured it out in a few minutes of looking at each of the machines that it didn't work on). Other problems are not so easy. Probably pretty easy for a nerd that spend his life around these things, but not for educators that have other things to worry about (like getting kids educated).
Again, thanks for the clue -- I'll pass it along to my friend (who should know better!)
"Err, no. The "biodiversity" of Linux is one of its strong points, and one that is frequently brought up by supporters of OSS."
It is until you have to support it.
I helped write / support a few packages that will be distributed for these students over the last few years. In the past, I could design a single install that worked for 99% of all the students. Now I have to worry about several installs. And whats on each? And will my software work on all of them?
Case in point, a friend called me in to help her with a DOE application that was running under Java. Worked on Redhat, but not Linspire. Worked on Mac and PC. Didn't work under any of the other linux desktops. Just figuring out where the fonts are stored on each of these was a pain (we needed specialized math symbols installed...next version I've told her to just use bitmaps instead). And then all the other crap involved in writing up instructions for folks to run this stuff. Some desktops required admin access to get it in...others could run perfectly as an ordinary user (as all Unix apps should).
Biodiversity is nice. Compatibility is another thing. Their is NO reason for a modern unix to decide I WANT THIS STUFF HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A PERSONAL PREFERENCE. I thought that was the idea of the whole Linux Standard Distribution -- or whatever they were calling it.
All in all, until the Linux Desktop companies get their eff'n heads out of their asses, biodiversity is not a good thing. I don't care if they decide to tweak things differently or have different versions of installed software or different desktop management schemes so long as the applications work the same and an administrator that is reasonably trained on one can install software on another machine.
"Of all people, students should be the first to learn how to cope with new OSes (or distros) as they arise, to build fundamental computer skills instead of learning through the click here to do this approach."
I'm all fine with this -- just don't make it hard on the guys on the back end.
Thats my rant for today...
Wow! Thats a blast from the past...I haven't used Code Warrior in YEARS! I was just in my office storage bin in the basement trying to get rid of things I'll never use again and I was trying to decide between keeping a pristene box from Code Warrior or a slightly waterlogged Lightspeed / Think compiler...you can always tell who the geeks are by placing one of these on your bookshelf and seeing who notices :-)
:-)
But on my phone -- I can run almost any Java applet that is compiled for that screen size. I actually hacked up one or two to see how hard it was...it wasn't (though I really need to optimize the code). By default, you have to use signed code -- but that easy enough to turn off. Grab the Bluetoof and send it over. No access fee required. On the Palm, there was a VB-like environment that I built a few applications wait. Not too had.
Either way, I've learned I don't need a mini-computer with me 24/7. Thats why I ended up downgrading my Netwton 120 because it was too bulky (not as bad as the 2100 that had the keyboard case -- I quickly went back to the 120 after a month of using it)...too much computer. Went with the Palm and realized that I didn't use half of the apps I had -- picked up a VGA backpack to do presentations -- what a waste. It was far too much computer for something that needed to be a pocket organizer.
Either way, I only answered because you mentioned Code Warrior...I'd have simply responded NERD!!!! but by admitting I knew what the app was, I'd be implicating myself
It happens already...
:-)
My phone goes dead every few days and I'm screwed until I can plug it in.
I'd imagine for a phone, Apple would HAVE to have removable batteries -- even if its something they don't want. I know the battery pack in my 1st Gen iPod were pretty big, much bigger than my Sony Ericsson -- but I could image something that was a trade off...the standard integrated battery, with a backpack that could only be used for the phone component.
Gets a bit complicated, and I don't like complicated, but I'm not an industrial designer -- I just know what I like
And all in all, this is probably why we haven't seen a phone from Apple yet...they know all about these issues and won't release something until they have it reasonably figured out...
I do know that I use to get around 7 or 8 hours of listening time on my iPod 5 years ago. I only get about 1 now -- pretty much the same as my last SE phone after a couple years after it started losing charges (i.e., which is why I don't plug my new one in every night -- trying to keep the battery memory down).
The battery replacement for my phone was $45, the battery for my iPod is $20 (which I have purchased and popped open my player before it got here to see how hard it would be, and only took me 5 minutes from the instructions on the site with 2 flatblade screwdrivers). Sadly, the SE replacement battery lasted all of 6 months before it was down to 1 hour talk time AGAIN...the battery I bought for the iPod claims to be 50% more play time than the original. Gotta ask, who is ripping off who with the battery issue...
"Apple is focusing on media as its second core competency."
:-)
And that is exactly why a lot of folks are predicting the phone as the next area of Apple's influence.
Look at the Moto phones with iTunes -- they suck and were purposely kept down because Apple was afraid of folks competing with them. Even then, I heard the iTunes was running on some java stack and not integrated directly into the electronics (well...integrated more so).
I know with a simply free phone I picked up from Cingular last year, I've now replaced my Palm...not that I've had much use for it anyways. The phones do almost everything except for stylus entry that my old device did -- and the only place you see items like this are in phones (i.e., the Treo phones...which I really considered until I realized they were HUGE and I like my pocket space...I'll take entering everything from my computer except for the few times I need to enter a quick phone number or appointment with a cryptic title until I can edit and resync).
And now music is getting in these things. Do I want to carry both an iPod AND a phone? The whole thing with the Palm was that I WAS carrying both. My iPod is now relegated to my car or occasionally an airplane these days because I really hate having the batman belt. Even the shitty phones have music on them and even though a good deal are locked and require a purchase from the cellular companys site -- people seem to be willing to pay the $2 - $4 for a song that is a quarter the quality of the similar iTunes download (and as I've found out, generally expire after a few months -- I just wanted to test out the interface because I had been helping a friend convert his tunes to ringtones -- he has a sizable audience and wanted to get 'optimized' files out with 'customized' content before his label did so he had a negotiating block as RTs weren't even considered when he signed on 10 years ago -- they count them as 'club sales' like Columbia House where the artist makes practically nothing).
Back to the point, Apple introduces a phone that replaces my current one AND my iPod -- I'm picking it up. There are only so many gadgets I'm carrying and if I have to make a choice, its my phone...and the more I talk to others, they feel the same way. Luckily Apple seems to be the kind of company that knows how to focus on the essentials which for me would be, Phone, Music, Phone Book, Calendar and a Java Interface to load up Salling Clicker so that I can use my remote to connect to my Mac across the room -- and leave the Java unrestricted so that we can add what we need WHEN we need it and nothing more. Most phones have this stuff, but navigating the interface to use them sucks...
We will see convergence, so does Apple want to be ahead of the curve like the iPod(but not way too ahead like the Newton -- which pretty much introduced us to what we have today) or does it want to be behind the curve like it has on too many other items...
Ok -- in the time I've been called away from my desk a few times now, this is probably redundant and should be modded accordingly
"Actually under Mac OS applications can be stored just about anywhere and they will still work. The only reason for the Applications folder is to have a common, easily accessible location for applications."
/bin or /sbin directories, which makes sense to geeks, but you can put applications anywhere you want under a Unix.
:-)
Errr...yeah...we were talking about what a novice user needs to know. You can also set applications in the
"Since you mention control-clicking I must assume that what you are doing is control-clicking a bunch of selected files and then accidently choosing "Open" from the contextual menu."
I don't know what causes it, but it happens on a regular basis -- I have a feeling it has something in the OS confusing a single click with a double click. I've been using Macs for 20 years now and its only been doing this in the recent OS versions...for instance, I don't remember this happening in 10.2...its only been the last year. And its annoying
"I mean really, is mounting a dmg file (which shows up as a drive on your Mac), then opening your application folder and dragging an icon into it really simpler than just double-clicking an executable to install it?"
Not really 'simpler' -- and I never said 'simpler', I said less complicated.
Two seperate things. One means easier to do and the other means there are less mechanisms in place to understand.
To understand applications on the Mac, you need to know one thing -- applications need to be stored in the Apps folder.
To understand applications on the PC, you need to know they are stored in the c:/program folder, that there are registery entries that are potentially screwing up your computer, you need specific permissions for most everything (there was a recent study that showed that more that half of the wind'rs apps in general usage today need to be run under an elevated or administrative account), you need to know which control pannel to go to remove it and a dozen other things.
Of course, to install, its pretty simple -- click on the installer and hit OK.
Simpler, but overall more complicated for the end user. It doesn't explain anything about whats going on to the end user and how it effects his or her computer.
Now the DMG situation is a little confusing...the Mac has always allowed running applications from removable media without having to install. The DMG is a virtual representation of a removable media and acts that way.
In the recent years, folks have been getting smart and adding instructions to the background of their DMGs that tell them "Drag This App To Your Apps Folder" -- just because something is not very complicated doesn't mean it doesn't mean there aren't ANY instructions. And beyond that, folks have gotten smart and started adding an icon to their DMGs that is actually a symbolic link (shortcut fer ya wind'rs people) that you are told to drag said application onto. One could EASILY build an installer that does this, but why? Users aren't idiots and its simple enough that one method isn't any easier...and the Mac method, the user knows whats going on and has control -- less complications.
---
As for renaming -- you are right, I never realized that this wasn't under the menu any more! The double click on the name is really for advanced users anyways...on either platform. On the Mac, its not a 'double click' -- its a click to select and a click (once selected) to edit. Makes sense. But still an advanced feature that should have a menu item. Closest we get is the Apple-I -- info.
--
And finally for the Control Click selects and opening a dozen files. You, sir, have found one of my biggest annoyances. I've actually complained about this to a friend at Apple that oversees some of the finders developement as its a pain in the ass, not very forgiving, and not intuative -- even for advanced users. I don't know how many times I go to select something and a slip means a dozen apps are opening up at once.
Just because its a Mac doesn't make it perfect...it just means that its more so than Windows (currently...and has been for a long time). There are lots of improvements, but all in all, I have less to worry about with using the computer than I do with my Windows machines. I can actually look at this as a tool and nothing more. When I'm done doing what I'm doing, I don't have to think about what cleanup I have to do or if the virus check is up to date or if the machine needs any emergency critical installs. Its how a machine should be done. Like a car, I have to take it to the mechanic every so often, but I don't have to be the mechanics apprentice to do every day work.
Anyhoo...
"Sure, sure, you're trying to save space - but I'm not. I'm trying to save end-user work."
Then you are my new best friend!
This is the WORST part about Linux. Go to upgrade some minor thing on the system...oh, you need this and that upgraded too because they use different hooks. Ok, I'll upgrade those first. And repeat recursively.
All the way until you realize half of your OTHER applications aren't working because they depended on those versions.
Its a pain in the ass. In todays age, with hard drives almost measured in the terabytes, does it really matter that some 13k file is replicated elsewhere?
This is what I love about the Mac...most of the files like this are included in the applications folder (that to the end user looks like the application). The few things stuck in the system that need to be dealt with almost ALWAYS has backward compatibility built into them (unless its a security hole).
But yeah, Linux needs to have the dependencies included and as such, you are doing a wonderful service.
Yeah, but they rarely hurt anything.
It isn't like the registry where the more and more that you have sitting around, the more likely its going to get so large that it gets corrupt and thus needing to get out the old regedit and wipe everything every few months.
I spent a couple hours helping a friend get acclimated to the mac recently.
Almost everything he had problems with were trying to not overcomplicate things. He wanted to installs stuff and I told him to drag it to the application folder. Wouldn't belive me. Where is the uninstall control panel??? You throw it away.
It was a process of unlearning all the bad habits before and having to learn to do things sanely.
Once you come to believing how complicated something should be, its hard to understand that it is unnecessary. Most Windows users don't believe me when I say its a pain in the ass to keep Windows secure (I develop windows software for a living and manage the geeks that system admin about a hundred desktops...I have a little experience in this area). Once I get folks to move over, its a different story...they realize a good portion of their use of the computer is making certain the computer is working. To me, thats like owning a car that requires constant maintence and thats why when I bought a Saturn, my 1972 Triumph and 1979 Goldwing went into the garage -- it just wasn't fun to work on stuff that required almost as much time to keep them running as I did riding them (which is still the case today...I just don't get either out much any more, much the same way I haven't turned on my home PC in a month or two).
"A successful person once told me that successful people generally call a spade a spade."
And that is my point about a lot of this. I find the folks that don't know what they are doing do a lot of what you say. Lots of shucking and jiving and a lot of times I have the guys trying to sell me something doing just this while I sit there in disgust. Usually formulate a question or two that could be answered in a simple sentence if they in fact know what they are doing and see how they answer. If I don't get what I need, I thank them for their time, explain the correct answer and let them know that if they have anyone on their staff that understands the problem and won't waste my time, please have them contact me, but I won't be dealing with you again.
Life is far too short to waste anyones time. I don't want to sit in my office any longer than I need to. I'd rather get to my lab, get to a studio, work one on one with students, or otherwise that doesn't have anything to do with the minutia that bullshit artists that don't know what they are doing seem to be good at.
All in all, I hope my clients and my employer support my causes. If they don't, they don't. And if someone doesn't want to hire me because of certain beliefs I can understand. I'd love to see the new Mission Impossible movie -- but Tom Cruise has left just being a minor propogandaist for his religion and demonifying an entire area of study that I observe. I know he is going to be just as good of an actor without my dollars and I know his production studio is going to make just as much money regardless, but I refuse to see the movie regardless of how inconsequential my boycott is. If someone feels the same about me, I can respect that -- I'd actually be more pissed if someone hired me and asked me to tone down my beliefs -- and I've had it happen and neither side left happy with the results.
Anyhoo...
"For most people, they'd look elsewhere for a doctor or lawyer."
Thats pretty funny.
In this field, one of my better friends is a well respected lawyer in the intellectual properties arena -- and he is the biggest commie hippy you could come across, but he makes certain his clients get their due because they afford him the lifestyle he wants (and then turns around and donates a good chunk every year to the EFF and other causes directly against him). His clients know this and its always a joke. His latest venture was to buy land in Honduras so that he could eventually start a law school to help the leftists get into power through the backdoor (without the guns).
Another good friend is a well regarded child psychologist. Because of this, he has to blunt some of his reputation because he can't seem overly familiar to his clients and hus doesn't go on line at all. But he is asigned a *LOT* of court cases and the folks in the courts that make these referals so that he can work with the troubled youth. He is generally the first person I know that raves about games like GTA and we've gone to many concerts such as NIN and Marilyn Manson over the years that his clients actually go to him for (because their child is posessed!!! You gotta deprogram that devil music outta him) -- everyone that he works with from the courts knows that he is a huge gamer and likes the darker side of music (I've actually heard a few of them state that if he turned out so well, maybe this stuff isn't so bad).
And I can go on with examples like this for a few hours because if there is any common tie between me and my friends it is the fact that we are all pretty opinionated (generally not in agreeance) and we have all been somewhat successful in our areas of expertise. Might help that we all refer each other to others as well and thus we have like minded people coming to us. Who knows.
"There are many people who can quickly switch personalities to a work mode, many of the most intelligent are also the most eccentric as well. Passing people up because of eccentricity, quirks, or political views will harm employers in the end."
:)
I don't know -- half the contracting work I get is solely because of my vapid personality that I love displaying on the internet
I do and say quite a bit of obnoxious opinionated bullshit, though at the same time, this is exactly what is needed in my field -- someone that actually believes in his particular line of BS and willing to stand behind it. In different lives, I deal with the music industry where it is imparative that you not obviously compromise your values whatever they may be, as well as being a senior developer / manager in the software side of things where you need to be able to stick with a belief through a project in order to deliver a cohesive project (and not something that is the product of every idiot that thinks they have a stake in its creation and thus should get equal billing / equal chance of getting their unneeded feature ruining the workflow of the rest).
It may be different for young people...I had taken a class on CSS last year and it was amazing all the folks willing to suck it up for their potential employeers. Maybe I'm old enough I know what I'm willing to put up with and what I'm not -- as well as established enough in two disciplines that I've been known to quit one (being told I'll never work in that industry again by the very folks that come to me begging for a reference a year later) to do the other when life becomes too unbearable -- and doing it seemlessly. I guess its good to be old for once.
All in all, I would never work for an employeer that asked me to act differently at work than I do 'at play'. No, I'm not going to show up plastered and blatently hit on the interns (ok, this is slashdot, so I'm posting theoretically) -- but past that, my personality is the same either place for the good or bad. I gotta say, without my obnoxious personality, I would have never worked on the projects that I have in my academic or creative fields. Hell, I guess one of my first internships in computers was working for the US gov't and I was several years older than the others going for the same position and when the interview started going south based on my lack of experience (i.e., because I was off living a life while the 20 year olds applying for the job had their noses in their books but even though we were going for the same job, my age played a factor) I pointed out to my future boss that I wanted the job so badly that I almost missed it risking my car being impounded (and having to have it searched by 3 police officers) as I had a rather large anarchy symbol painted on it and a Eff The System type logo painted on the side (this was pre-911, pre-Oklahoma which was lucky as I was interviewing with the IRS) -- he laughed in the straight laced sort of way that I ended up loving him for, and said if he I could point out the car in the parking lot from the window, I had the job -- and when he saw how obnoxious it was he just laughed and shook my hand welcoming me to the job pending background checks and internal lie detector testing (and believe me, my 'love of the system' came up with the polygrapher telling me that I was one of the more honest people he had ever interviewed -- ended up getting security clearance that a college intern shouldn't have possibly been given, IMHO).
So the point is, if its you and you are comfortable with it, post it online. If you aren't and you are ashamed of your personality to the point you think that you need to make accomodations in public for it -- then there is something you need to change in yourself and as a current employeer, I wouldn't hire you either if your private personality didn't live up to your professional one.
"The real reason they were expelled (for being a brat, or perhaps a complete failure?) is more difficult to admit. "
Back in the day, this is the sorta thing that happened to me...I'd routinely get in trouble for my clothing instead of my behavior. I was a smart mouth brat that thought better than anyone else in my school -- but close to failing each and ever semmester because I just didn't care to encourage the estabilishment.
Or whatever I called it back then.
I remember, I studied the rules to the point where I never stepped across the line -- I got right to the line and pissed off my teachers by letting them know I knew more where that line was than they did and could quote the student handbook.
As for clothing, it was described in detail as to what the acceptable clothing was -- and that too was followed as little as possible. It, however, contained the "Or Disruptive" wording that could almost mean ANYTHING...if you came in with a suit and tie while all the others were in jeans and t-shirt, that could be considered disruptive (and I often did). Purple hair, wierd hair cuts, all that. And regardless of my behavior, it was the clothing that got me in trouble.
Luckily, I had a principal that was extremely straight laced but for some reason liked me. Out of all the faculty, I had one on my side. It was the only reasons I didn't get expelled (though the assistant principle and other faculty tried to actually take the matter up with the school board when he didn't act...so I still had days off -- to 'cool down' even if I wasn't being punished 'for the good of the school').
As an adult, honestly, I agree that clothing and otherwise CAN BE disruptive and I think my looks probably were. Having a purple mohawk or wearing a skirt to school just to complain that women were allowed to wear them but men weren't allowed to wear shorts (I miss the days of crossdressing for fun and profit -- and there weren't genderlines in the manual so I did it)...all in all, clothing and the way you look is NOT who you are. This is the fallicy of America -- Image Is Everything.
But you are right, things are rarely as simple as a haircut -- if you are an honor roll student that gets along with teachers, even the most hardcore would probably laugh at the attempt to get attention and then ignore it.
My biggest problem is that I have oriental carpets with tassles all over the place. You either have to go to each run and tuck under the tassles, in which you've just made several boundries that it can't go around (and in this time you should have just vacuumed yourself) or you let the tassles get sucked up and spend 5 minutes each time detangling it.
Its a pain in the ass on hardwood floors with rugs.
"We humans are such bonding creatures aren't we? I actually realized this just last evening when I was playing the sims 2."
:-) I haven't used him since moving into my new house with almost all hardwood floors but for some reason I can't imagine giving it away because there is something special about your first robot, even those without the intelligence of a cockroach.
I know you will eventually get a 'Funny' rating for that, but it is true. It seems the more higher evolved an animal is, the more they bond with others -- even those outside of their species or even inanimate objects. It says something about you.
My animals seem to care about me, but mostly because to them I am their pack leader and provide them with food, but at the same time, they seem like family. We bond with folks we've never met across the internet that may or may not be what they say (though we are usually sure they are humans), and there have been times I've looked at my Roomba and had a tear over how the lil' guy saved my life by making sure my floors were properly kept clean
So yeah, make sure you give your sims a hug before you go to bed!!!!!
Legally it is copyright infringement (if done without permission).
:-)
Morally it is theft.
There is no confusion...its just like if someone who is raped as a youth says that they had their Childhood Stolen. No, their childhood was not taken away from them from a legal sense (discounting the rape aspect which IS) -- but there was something taken -- and that is theft.
So don't be an idiot (and no, I'm not comparing file sharing to rape -- I'm using an example, but I have a feeling you eff'n idiots that like to hide behind their anonynimity to post bullshit don't have a clue -- at least when I'm anonymous, its just because I don't want to deal with idiots like yourself
Please consider my comment on this subject here as much of a troll as the one above me and mark it accordingly (I am no karma whore).
At one point I was a signed artist and I still have a lot of contacts in the industry having recently contributed in the background to a semi successful remix type compilation for a major (not my normal thing, and heck most of my work is in academia these days) -- I might be a shill...
:-)
:-) But good stuff that folks actually want others to hear -- why not? But here is where file sharers and artists differ -- what is REASONABLE sharing. I have the reasonable expectation that I can make a few copies of songs for friends. I think iTunes has it right where you can make only 10 copies of a complete album before it says no. Other promotional performances (i.e., Live or special remixes that are not expected to be commercial in nature) -- maybe a lot more -- maybe putting them on the
1. Do -you- have a "right" to royalties for a work you performed for your employer?
No -- no one has a right to anything except life and liberty -- at least in my country. We do have a right if as part of our employment contract says so though. I've been lucky, over the last few years, I've opted to be paid up front for my work and I could care less if I even get credit -- I was paid for it already. Occasionally I will take points -- but I consider them a bonus for performing work that helps out my employer. But any artist that wants royalties have every moral right to expect them if that is what their contract states (and the contracts are ALL very clear as to how the money is coming and what effects it -- if you get $2M to record an album and you spend $4M -- that extra will come out of your future earnings).
2. Do you see a difference in the "right" for royalties - future compensation on work done "today" - of the following (lots of unrelated fields):
Yes -- if that's what they agreed to. I've known several portrait painters that retain copyright. If you want to duplicate the photo, you must go through them. Of course, as their subject, they cannot duplicate it without your permission -- so its not one sided.
Folks like Waiters are almost always paid this way -- you don't negotiate the wages until AFTER the meal. These people get paid maybe $2 an hour in the US -- and I've known quite a few that never even cash their salary checks because its just not worth it to them (especially when estimated taxes are taken out). Thee isn't a law (that I know of) that states *YOU* have to pay them at all if you didn't care for their service -- and I'd been with folks that routinely recalculate checks that have automatic 18% gratuity added and pay less solely because of the principle -- these are the same folks that would make certain that these waiters and waitresses get 30% of its not thrown in their face. Again, its entirely up to the person how much you are going to pay and that is the risk they take when they take this position (if there was a law that stated we had to pay them or explain why and submit it to the proper authorities -- I might reconsider
3. After you've answered "Yes!" (because if you didn't, then you can't POSSIBLY see file sharing as "stealing", you dolt!), please explain WHY?
File sharing is theft because you don't have the right to distributing someone's artistic work without his or her permission. This is a moral imperative. It's not a technical copyright law. I think copyright law is a bit wrong -- I don't like Life + 70 years. I think life is good enough. After you are dead, you don't have a choice in the matter. At the same time, +70 allows some of your wishes into death still help your family (I just think it should be shortened -- maybe life +20).
But yes, file sharing is theft from a moral perspective if you do not have the permission to do so.
As an artist, I encourage others to allow reasonable sharing. It's in our best interest to have everyone hear everything we make. Errr...sorta. I don't allow anyone to hear my own personal work these days as I've been burned once in public and I won't do this again
"Google's response would be to light up the thousands upon thousands of dark fiber they've bought and introduce their own broadband service."
Sadly, the telecom regs have recently said that those already in don't have to share access to the house with anyone else.
All the dark fibre in the world mean nothing if you can't get it to the house.
Actually AC --
:-)
I agree with ya. Thats why my first line was "QUOTED" -- I was quoting from someone else that thought incorrectly.
So good job of summing up the rest of what I just said though
"Imagine Google's reply to this: "You're going to make my traffic slower if I don't pay this fee? Well fuck you very much! In fact, I'm going to go to a new bandwidth provider who doesn't try to extort me."
Its not the bandwidth provider they have to worry about -- its Peer Connections.
For instance, if you want to connect to the folks that are on AOL, they may mandate that if their user want to connect to your service, they want a cut. After all, it is costing them money to allow users to connect to your service.
At least this is how they see it, forgetting for the moment that the users already paid for the ability to connect to other services.
But no, its not the 'bandwidth providers' they have to worry about -- its the companies that the end users are using that are demanding the money.
"Half the notebooks I've seriously considered have them, and I wish I could rip the thing out of them and save $50, but no, that feature's not customizable."
Yes, but you represent the 5% of the people that don't want these things.
And as such, being able to add these into the machine as a standard feature means that it probably cost Apple $5 as opposed to $50...and that since they don't have to have seperate assembly lines for each unit, prices are actually cheaper.
Don't get me wrong -- I agree with you from a personal point of view. I was pissed off that *EVERY* phone I wanted had an eff'n camera on it and specifically didn't update my phone because I was convinced that it was adding to the cost. I ended up buying one with one in it and actually ended up using it for the first time a few weeks ago. Sadly, it was set for 160px mode as opposed to the still horrible 640x -- but I'm starting to realize that if it had a more powerful camera I might be able to use it for real features (i.e., I grabbed some whiteboard photos the other day thinking that I could use the new Scanr service -- http://www.scanr.com/examples.aspx -- and sumnabitch, it needed at least a one megapixel to work).
So you quickly say you hate a feature only to find that it might be useful if done right and standardized.
Great question --
I've tried several devices and they ALL suck with glasses. As the other have mentioned, its just another reason to consider Lasik because you start to realize how much trouble one goes through each and every day with glasses. I'm in the category where I feel I'm blind without them (my sis has the same prescription as I do and seems to get by fine without wearing hers except for the driving test, so its probably not that bad, but bad enough for me).
But the last time I spent $150 on a blootoof eff'n earpiece that looked like it might be better with my glasses and turned out not to I serious put this back on the plate.
However, watching the last two episodes of 24, I've seen Dr. Terrorist With One Hand using his Jabra JX10 with glasses with ease. That and his glasses actually look pretty cool. Why are terrorists always the most fashionable, dammit. Its enough to move over to the dark side of the force...just so I can get a decent pair of glasses and a fricken earpiece that works.
But seriously, seeing it on the show last night, I actually jotted a note to see if this was a prop or an actual shipping product and ended up finding the same thing in the review this morning. It has a removable ear 'stabalizer' according to the article, and can work simple attached inside the ear. Looks pretty light weight. The reviewer claimed that his didn't stay firm without the stabilizer but that friends had no problem keeping it in rock solid 'banging their head'. I've got odd earholes and had to get custom pieces for my high end Shure earpieces -- well maybe not that odd, but as I like to record with these things as opposed to mouse-ear headphones (or speaker monitors) I fronted the ear doctor that cost as much as the ECs in the first place (cuts down on leakage and allows one to play back at a MUCH lower audible range with as much clarity -- folks that claim innerear headsets are damaging to the ears probably have shitty ones that are both right next to the eardrum AND are allowing everything else to pass in barely hindered requiring one to compensate by overloading the ear). So all in all, I'm wondering if these will work -- and if so, I wonder if I can get another earpiece manufactured if needed.
But all in all, the JX10s look like they are the best reviewed for those without glasses -- at least judging by the review and seem to be the prefered piece of all the fashional one armed surgeon blackops terrorists in fictional Los Angeles.