If this is real, definitely teacher fail ("without resistance", ouch). However, it is quite appropriate for schools to require a measure of respect for teachers and other students, and require students to voice their dissent respectfully, so I say student fail on this one as well. If the kid had pointed relevant unit conversions in the textbook instead of accusing the teacher of lying, this letter might not exist.
There's no question that companies like Microsoft borrow good ideas from F/OSS, and often improve upon them. This is not a bad thing in and of itself: borrowing good ideas is a central tenant of F/OSS. The important question is, how much of the improved idea does Microsoft let F/OSS borrow back? For example, will the Gnome project get sued if they incorporated elements of Windows 8's file copy dialog into Nautilus?
If you know enough about how the Internet to understand dynamic DNS updates work, you can figure out IPv6, too. Dynamic DNS sites are low traffic, so it's not a particularly onerous task to distribute a hosts file, or maintain a private DNS server. If you have to access the server from an IPv4-only network that you don't control, use NAT-traversal technologies like AYIYA.
I've been very satisfied with my alix2d13 SBC running OpenWRT. A bit pricier than most routers, and you might need a separate wireless AP, but it has processing power aplenty, and the removable storage is awfully handy for hacking.
Those of you who are making the connection with Sauron would do well to remember that the Seeing Stones had many good and important uses before one fell into Sauron's hands. The Stones themselves were not evil. For the real-life analog, see http://www.palantirtech.com/government/analysis-blog/haiti
Anyway, not a fan of increased government surveillance, but calling "Big Brother" because the government is working to share data more effectively strikes me as equivalent to assuming that every person using Bittorrent is a pirate, or every person who refuses the full-body scan at the airport is a terrorist.
I see nothing that indicates these benefits apply solely to same-sex domestic partnerships. Heterosexuals in a domestic partnership appear to be covered as well. If not, I think there's a large number of heterosexuals in domestic partnerships that would cry "foul", and with good cause--equality isn't a synonym for preferential treatment.
This is good for an entirely different reason, though. If this trend continues, the financial incentives for state-sanctioned marriage are reduced, which makes people less likely to be concerned with obtaining that marriage certificate. Maybe, given time, the idea that the state has any business being involved in such an intensely personal issue will fade away, and a person's marital status won't affect their tax status at all.
This has the nifty side-effect of making the gay marriage question absolutely irrelevant, which would be a huge relief. I see that issue being used quite indiscriminately as a political lever by both sides, and frankly it disgusts me.
I'm sure designer clothes will inspire the males in the male-dominated atmosphere to take great pains to put the female at ease. Because really what keeps us male astronauts from treating you female astronauts with the dignity and respect that you _deserve_ is simply that you dress like hobos.
Genetic manipulation is the logical continuation of the school of thought that brought you Ritalin, Prozac, and the host of other psychiatric medications.
It's probably not a bad idea to rehash the arguments for and against such things, but the precedent has been set.
I preordered this game before this BS came to light, and for once I'm grateful for staggered release dates. I can still cancel my order since I'm in North America.
Nice going, Ubisoft. You lost a sale. It's too bad, because I was looking forward to the game.
Clear the sloppy attempts at redacting were a ruse--the real intention was to identify persons capable of noticing and publishing this information, or commenting on it. I'm sure all you people poking holes in the TSA security theatre are already on the Watch List and will get extra-strict screening next time you fly.
I personally find the networking aspects of Pulse to be quite handy. I have mpd running on my file server, streaming to a PulseAudio server on my media center (Ubuntu Jaunty). I also have it stream to my desktop.
Using the nifty iPhone app MPod, I can control my playlist from the palm of my hand, in a fashion that beats a universal remote all hollow, since I can actually see the playlist I'm queuing, instead of having to squint at the screen (yes, I have a small display, don't laugh) or get in position to view the screen. And there's nothing like being able to switch tracks while you're on the can (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I can't quite find it).
I hope to one day figure out some sort of motion sensing or proximity detection mechanism to selectively enable/disable mpd outputs so that I can be listening to music on my sound system, and when I leave the room and into my office I can pick up my headphones, and the same playlist will be playing there automatically. Sort of like motion controlled lights, except it's sound.
I'd also really like to see is some kind of mashup between vlc's remote control app and Moovida and this MPod app, so I could have a centralized media center with a truly universal remote control. Apps work on the iPod Touch too...
When you have opposing views sharing power, stupid ideas get blocked indefinitely so the sort of situation in the above two articles would never happen, neither would censorship.
When you have opposing views sharing power, you get deadlock. In my experience, most sides in most conflicts have very valid reasons for taking the position they do. Note that I'm talking about genuine conflicts of interests here, not some miscommunication. In such situations, there is no resolution until somebody is more forceful than the other side(s).
Shitty, but that who ever said life was going to be fair?
Constitutional documents are indeed powerful symbols used to unify groups of people and control their behaviour. To my mind, such symbols are used to acquire power and influence, not create respect for one's fellow man.
If you are suggesting that apologies and reparations to dead people are motivated by a desire to acquire or retain power and influence, then I can whole-heartedly agree.
I want to avoid casting governance and politics in an excessively negative light (they seem quite necessary for social stability), but I do believe such concepts are separate and distinct from ethics, which is the word I ought to have used in my first post in place of "Genuine progress and enlightenment".
I believe (and this is how I interpreted bigstrat2003's original post) that the reparations and apologies to the dead accomplish nothing of *ethical* importance. They quite obviously accomplish things of *political* importance.
Maybe I'm missing something, but why not just have an external links section on your internal wiki, or a "Required Reading" section? Seems like the solution you're proposing is a little bit heavyweight for the described problem.
I am a man. I have a TomTom with a female guide voice, and I have no qualms at following its instructions (excepting the occasional wild, obvious inaccuracy). I read instruction manuals where appropriate, and use my skills and knowledge when applicable.
In my opinion, the stereotypical male who refuses to ask for directions or read instructions hasn't actually existed for some time, if at all. Give it a rest already.
I would like to note that anyone who willingly (discounting job opportunities) moves to the Midwestern States is bat-shit insane. Stay coastal, and north if you can't stand the heat/humidity.
Yes, maintaining a good reputation isn't necessarily a bad thing. I live in a fairly small town, and wouldn't move to the city without a gun to my head. It's nice to be able to go to the grocery store and meet somebody you know 9 times out of 10.
However, it changes the nature of the love game when the consequences of your behavior in romantic encounters aren't restricted to that context, but also have an effect on the rest of your social life.
On the flipside, if you do anything too outlandish in a small town, word gets around. If you're in a small town, be sure to keep your nose exceptionally clean.
The Internet is no less distracting and ephemeral than your works of fiction, Mr. Bradbury, although chances are good your comments were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
I find the comments about the longevity of paper to be very interesting. The Internet is a wonderfully fascinating and useful tool, but it is inherently fragile in numerous ways. Most fundamentally, it relies on _electricity_, produced in large quantity. This is a non-trivial task. Then comes the process of manufacturing the hardware, the silicon wafers and circuit boards, and so on...
I believe the global communication network will be our gift to humanity, perhaps as important as Renaissance, but its essential fragility is sad and disturbing to me. I would like our gift to have the durability and solidity of the Pyramids. A server farm or a fiber bundle is a shabby monument indeed for our culture and civilization. Perhaps our monument will be the landfill...
Still, I think there is hope: the structure is not without beauty, and has the potential to become a true artform, in the same vein as architecture. The space is virtual, not physical, but the concepts are the same: useful space that is also beautiful, even monumental.
I hope to see great things develop in the realm of information art and architecture. It's an exciting time to be alive.
This would be far more interesting if the add-ons could link to the base using some sort of wireless interface.
I like the concept, though, and wish there were more things of this sort available. The concept of portable devices with add-on capabilities is a happy thought: multi-function devices tend to do a lot of things poorly. single-functions do one thing well, but won't share it or talk to anything else. If we can get the single-function devices talking to each other, we might be able to stop this silly nonsense of trying to pack all known useful features into one device and expecting it to have some sort of reasonable lifetime. The new and improved version complete with mind-reading is only a few months from release as it is.
The pace of innovation will necessitate modularity in portable data/communication systems, IMO.
It's a nice thought, but they're not putting a "hold" on domains that are in the process of being purchased--they're initiating a "hold" simply because the domain's availability has been checked. See the response that's attributed to NSI's VP of Policy:
In response to customer concerns about Domain Name Front Running (domains being registered by someone else just after they have conducted a domain name search), we have implemented a security measure to protect our customers. The measure will kick in when a customer searches for an available domain name at our website, but decides not to purchase the name immediately after conducting the search.
After the search ends, we will put the domain name on reserve. During this reservation period, the name is not active and we do not monetize the traffic on these domains. If a customer searches for the domain again during the next 4 days at networksolutions.com, the domain will be available to register. If the domain name is not purchased within 4 days, it will be released back to the registry and will be generally available for registration.
What you've outlined makes sense, and would be useful to NSI's customers. Placing a "hold" on the domain while the billing info is processed and so forth would be very useful in the hypothetical situation you've mentioned. However, that is not the nature (and I suspect it is not the purpose) of the company's actions.
It appears to me that NSI could demonstrate good faith by scaling back the system so it works the way you've described, or making the hold optional, instead of default.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not sure it's accurate to say this game is "from Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert." See http://grumpygamer.com/5694081
If this is real, definitely teacher fail ("without resistance", ouch). However, it is quite appropriate for schools to require a measure of respect for teachers and other students, and require students to voice their dissent respectfully, so I say student fail on this one as well. If the kid had pointed relevant unit conversions in the textbook instead of accusing the teacher of lying, this letter might not exist.
There's no question that companies like Microsoft borrow good ideas from F/OSS, and often improve upon them. This is not a bad thing in and of itself: borrowing good ideas is a central tenant of F/OSS. The important question is, how much of the improved idea does Microsoft let F/OSS borrow back? For example, will the Gnome project get sued if they incorporated elements of Windows 8's file copy dialog into Nautilus?
If you know enough about how the Internet to understand dynamic DNS updates work, you can figure out IPv6, too. Dynamic DNS sites are low traffic, so it's not a particularly onerous task to distribute a hosts file, or maintain a private DNS server. If you have to access the server from an IPv4-only network that you don't control, use NAT-traversal technologies like AYIYA.
I've been very satisfied with my alix2d13 SBC running OpenWRT. A bit pricier than most routers, and you might need a separate wireless AP, but it has processing power aplenty, and the removable storage is awfully handy for hacking.
Those of you who are making the connection with Sauron would do well to remember that the Seeing Stones had many good and important uses before one fell into Sauron's hands. The Stones themselves were not evil. For the real-life analog, see http://www.palantirtech.com/government/analysis-blog/haiti
Anyway, not a fan of increased government surveillance, but calling "Big Brother" because the government is working to share data more effectively strikes me as equivalent to assuming that every person using Bittorrent is a pirate, or every person who refuses the full-body scan at the airport is a terrorist.
I see nothing that indicates these benefits apply solely to same-sex domestic partnerships. Heterosexuals in a domestic partnership appear to be covered as well. If not, I think there's a large number of heterosexuals in domestic partnerships that would cry "foul", and with good cause--equality isn't a synonym for preferential treatment.
This is good for an entirely different reason, though. If this trend continues, the financial incentives for state-sanctioned marriage are reduced, which makes people less likely to be concerned with obtaining that marriage certificate. Maybe, given time, the idea that the state has any business being involved in such an intensely personal issue will fade away, and a person's marital status won't affect their tax status at all.
This has the nifty side-effect of making the gay marriage question absolutely irrelevant, which would be a huge relief. I see that issue being used quite indiscriminately as a political lever by both sides, and frankly it disgusts me.
I'm sure designer clothes will inspire the males in the male-dominated atmosphere to take great pains to put the female at ease. Because really what keeps us male astronauts from treating you female astronauts with the dignity and respect that you _deserve_ is simply that you dress like hobos.
PS: not actually an astronaut.
Genetic manipulation is the logical continuation of the school of thought that brought you Ritalin, Prozac, and the host of other psychiatric medications.
It's probably not a bad idea to rehash the arguments for and against such things, but the precedent has been set.
I preordered this game before this BS came to light, and for once I'm grateful for staggered release dates. I can still cancel my order since I'm in North America.
Nice going, Ubisoft. You lost a sale. It's too bad, because I was looking forward to the game.
Clear the sloppy attempts at redacting were a ruse--the real intention was to identify persons capable of noticing and publishing this information, or commenting on it. I'm sure all you people poking holes in the TSA security theatre are already on the Watch List and will get extra-strict screening next time you fly.
I personally find the networking aspects of Pulse to be quite handy. I have mpd running on my file server, streaming to a PulseAudio server on my media center (Ubuntu Jaunty). I also have it stream to my desktop.
Using the nifty iPhone app MPod, I can control my playlist from the palm of my hand, in a fashion that beats a universal remote all hollow, since I can actually see the playlist I'm queuing, instead of having to squint at the screen (yes, I have a small display, don't laugh) or get in position to view the screen. And there's nothing like being able to switch tracks while you're on the can (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I can't quite find it).
I hope to one day figure out some sort of motion sensing or proximity detection mechanism to selectively enable/disable mpd outputs so that I can be listening to music on my sound system, and when I leave the room and into my office I can pick up my headphones, and the same playlist will be playing there automatically. Sort of like motion controlled lights, except it's sound.
I'd also really like to see is some kind of mashup between vlc's remote control app and Moovida and this MPod app, so I could have a centralized media center with a truly universal remote control. Apps work on the iPod Touch too...
XKCD nailed, see also: http://truemeaningoflife.com/oldwisdom.php?topid=3184&responses=2
When you have opposing views sharing power, stupid ideas get blocked indefinitely so the sort of situation in the above two articles would never happen, neither would censorship.
When you have opposing views sharing power, you get deadlock. In my experience, most sides in most conflicts have very valid reasons for taking the position they do. Note that I'm talking about genuine conflicts of interests here, not some miscommunication. In such situations, there is no resolution until somebody is more forceful than the other side(s).
Shitty, but that who ever said life was going to be fair?
Constitutional documents are indeed powerful symbols used to unify groups of people and control their behaviour. To my mind, such symbols are used to acquire power and influence, not create respect for one's fellow man.
If you are suggesting that apologies and reparations to dead people are motivated by a desire to acquire or retain power and influence, then I can whole-heartedly agree.
I want to avoid casting governance and politics in an excessively negative light (they seem quite necessary for social stability), but I do believe such concepts are separate and distinct from ethics, which is the word I ought to have used in my first post in place of "Genuine progress and enlightenment".
I believe (and this is how I interpreted bigstrat2003's original post) that the reparations and apologies to the dead accomplish nothing of *ethical* importance. They quite obviously accomplish things of *political* importance.
Yes.
Genuine progress and enlightenment does not require a political mandate.
Maybe I'm missing something, but why not just have an external links section on your internal wiki, or a "Required Reading" section? Seems like the solution you're proposing is a little bit heavyweight for the described problem.
I am a man. I have a TomTom with a female guide voice, and I have no qualms at following its instructions (excepting the occasional wild, obvious inaccuracy). I read instruction manuals where appropriate, and use my skills and knowledge when applicable.
In my opinion, the stereotypical male who refuses to ask for directions or read instructions hasn't actually existed for some time, if at all. Give it a rest already.
I would like to note that anyone who willingly (discounting job opportunities) moves to the Midwestern States is bat-shit insane. Stay coastal, and north if you can't stand the heat/humidity.
Yes, maintaining a good reputation isn't necessarily a bad thing. I live in a fairly small town, and wouldn't move to the city without a gun to my head. It's nice to be able to go to the grocery store and meet somebody you know 9 times out of 10.
However, it changes the nature of the love game when the consequences of your behavior in romantic encounters aren't restricted to that context, but also have an effect on the rest of your social life.
The term "risk aversion" comes to mind...
On the flipside, if you do anything too outlandish in a small town, word gets around. If you're in a small town, be sure to keep your nose exceptionally clean.
The Internet is no less distracting and ephemeral than your works of fiction, Mr. Bradbury, although chances are good your comments were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
I find the comments about the longevity of paper to be very interesting. The Internet is a wonderfully fascinating and useful tool, but it is inherently fragile in numerous ways. Most fundamentally, it relies on _electricity_, produced in large quantity. This is a non-trivial task. Then comes the process of manufacturing the hardware, the silicon wafers and circuit boards, and so on...
I believe the global communication network will be our gift to humanity, perhaps as important as Renaissance, but its essential fragility is sad and disturbing to me. I would like our gift to have the durability and solidity of the Pyramids. A server farm or a fiber bundle is a shabby monument indeed for our culture and civilization. Perhaps our monument will be the landfill...
Still, I think there is hope: the structure is not without beauty, and has the potential to become a true artform, in the same vein as architecture. The space is virtual, not physical, but the concepts are the same: useful space that is also beautiful, even monumental.
I hope to see great things develop in the realm of information art and architecture. It's an exciting time to be alive.
This would be far more interesting if the add-ons could link to the base using some sort of wireless interface. I like the concept, though, and wish there were more things of this sort available. The concept of portable devices with add-on capabilities is a happy thought: multi-function devices tend to do a lot of things poorly. single-functions do one thing well, but won't share it or talk to anything else. If we can get the single-function devices talking to each other, we might be able to stop this silly nonsense of trying to pack all known useful features into one device and expecting it to have some sort of reasonable lifetime. The new and improved version complete with mind-reading is only a few months from release as it is. The pace of innovation will necessitate modularity in portable data/communication systems, IMO.
In response to customer concerns about Domain Name Front Running (domains being registered by someone else just after they have conducted a domain name search), we have implemented a security measure to protect our customers. The measure will kick in when a customer searches for an available domain name at our website, but decides not to purchase the name immediately after conducting the search.
After the search ends, we will put the domain name on reserve. During this reservation period, the name is not active and we do not monetize the traffic on these domains. If a customer searches for the domain again during the next 4 days at networksolutions.com, the domain will be available to register. If the domain name is not purchased within 4 days, it will be released back to the registry and will be generally available for registration.
What you've outlined makes sense, and would be useful to NSI's customers. Placing a "hold" on the domain while the billing info is processed and so forth would be very useful in the hypothetical situation you've mentioned. However, that is not the nature (and I suspect it is not the purpose) of the company's actions.
It appears to me that NSI could demonstrate good faith by scaling back the system so it works the way you've described, or making the hold optional, instead of default.