There is no technological substitute for plain-old OCD living....Putting their things in their specific corners of the shared domicile are manditory...My keys always go with my wallet and phone and PDA on the articulating arm base of my computer monitor. I never wonder where they are: they're either on me, where they belong, or stolen.
Now I have to be an etymology Nazi, and point some things out:
When awful first came into our language (approx. 885AD, attributed to Alfred the Great), awe was an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "fear, dread, terror" (Oxford English Dictionary). At that point, awful DID mean "full of awe", but in the sense of "full of fear; full of dread".
It was much later (16th Century) that the word awesome came into being, and the word awe had changed to mean "dread mingled with veneration; reverential or respectful fear", mostly due to it's association with the God of the Bible.
So, you were correct in words changing meaning, but it was the word awe that had evolved, not the actual word awful.
I was a Tech. Director for a School Corp. when another in-county School did this exact thing. They opted for the "restrict as little as possible" option, and the end results was what you'd expect: Many students destroyed the laptops physically, used them for porn, corrupted the software installs, infected them with viruses that subsequently infected the LAN, etc, etc. Personally, I say DON'T DO IT AT ALL; the School Corp. I worked for wanted to do something similar, and I smashed it with a quick, final, resounding "NO."
However, you seem set to do it regardless, so my advice is to lock it down as much as humanly possible. Ideally, you'd lock it down so that no programs could be run, no new peripherals could be installed, disable booting from CD/USB/anything-other-than-HDD in the BIOS and password it, install a program to kill any non-approved app from running, install a client-side internet proxy that uses a whitelist for viewing approved content ONLY. Password protect EVERYTHING that you change, and guard the passwords with your LIFE; use a VERY strong password, preferably consisting of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, doodles, sign language, and squirrel noises. MAKE THE STUDENTS SIGN A EULA before they get the laptop. Re-image the machines at the slightest provocation or hint of wrongdoing, and work with the Administration to impose severe penalties on anyone that violate said EULA. Make it painfully clear to the Administration that YOU need to have the final say in who gets punished and who doesn't; no chances for Bubba the Football Star to escape punishment because he's needed for the game Saturday, and no easy dealing with Billy, the son of the Superintendent.
When it comes to selling them, keep a second NON-locked image on hand to re-image the machine for them (preferably a factory-reset type deal, with all the apps they used included as well), and that will kill the need to hand out passwords after the fact. If you follow all of that, it should take care of MOST of the issues that pop up with abuse/violations, and what it DOESN'T take care of the first few examples of severely punished children that tried tampering should kill off.
Unlike some water-resistant coatings, it remains more-or-less intact when the fabric is rubbed vigorously, although it didn't survive an everyday washing machine cycle.
That's really not such a large deal; it repels liquids, and any solids could be sprayed off with a hose/faucet/whathaveyou. It couldn't really get dirty, so there would be no need to wash it beyond a surface rinse; the bigger threat is trapping your perspiration, like beh pointed out.
Many times when companies die (for legal reasons) the Management just creates a new company. I'm sure they could re-emerge as a patent Troll funded by Microsoft. BTW you can't kill the unDead.
In that case, killing them is actually EASY: simply use copious amounts of fire! Everyone knows that Trolls only really die with fire!
In related news, gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson is being sued because "they (Smith & Wesson)know that there are a large number of customers who are engaging in continuing infringements of property rights by using firearm technology."
Don't ask the old guys
"about where they want to be in 5 years"
They don't give a toss as long as they are coding/testing etc.
Take it from me, once you get to a certain age, you don't give a shit about the greasy pole.
They know their limitations and thus can work within them and get on with the job.
And yes, I have called an old boss of mine a dipstick.
He didn't give me the sack. He just labelled me as an awkward bastard as what I told him about the project was true and it saved his ass.
I'm 55 and happlily desiging complex systems. I don't want to be a manager or team leader. I'm a Designer/coder/Architect/General Dogsbody who will tell you whats what with a proposal/project. Once my new boss understands that, we generally get along fine. Which is why I am a contractor and not a permie. I'm no threat to their job.
Have you actually READ the bible? there's sections in there about how smashing babies heads in with rocks is doing gods work and that slavery is perfectly ok
For the actual quote:
"Blessed is the one who grabs your little children and smashes them against a rock."
Psalm 137:9
See, that is the EXACT reason why people who don't understand what they're reading shouldn't repeat it. Here's one of the major keys to the Bible: Read it IN CONTEXT! The context for what you're quoting is this:
The Israelites had just been captured by the Babylons; they had just seen their people slaughtered, their cities destroyed, and then the Babylonians asked them to sing and dance for their captors entertainment!
The WHOLE quote from Psalm 137, verses 8 & 9:
O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
Happy the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock!
The Israelites are simply saying "Babylon, just WAIT until you get yours! We're going to do to you EXACTLY what you did to us!"
Uh-oh! That kind of pokes holes into your sweeping generalization that the Bible is an evil, strange book;however will you deal with the shift in paradigm?
Are you serious? You want to lump illegal drugs into the same category as a pocket knife whose blade is 1/2" too long? Give me a break; no-one is advocating arresting folks for the "pisant (sic) little laws", like oral sex being illegal on Tuesdays in Omaha. As for fake IDs, there's a major difference between your average citizen with a fake ID so they can drink, and a terrorist with a fake ID to cover the fact that they're known to have been involved in urban warfare. It's time everyone realizes that the Police et al are here to protect you; yes there ARE crooked cops, but there's crooked sysadmins, lawyers, CEOs, and pizza delivery boys, too. Grow up, and lose the adolescent "the Man is out to get me!" thought processes, what say?
That's the question that comes to me... I mean, they sell me a copy of the game, right? Since when do they have a legal right to prohibit me from reselling it? I can't think of another type of product where this can be done legally...
You're wrong AC, and you know it, which is why you post AC, so you don't have to actually be held to account for your completely indefensible troll posts.
For the record, I agree that the mod was a jerk to hit Mr. Bold with an "offtopic" because of an html oversight. However, presuming that the AC is the Moderator in question, he posted as AC because you can't post in a forum you've already Modded; them's just the rules.
What truly saddens me is that ANOTHER Mod wasted Points to mark the AC "Troll." The better use would have been bumping up someone with something insightful to say, instead of making the mistake of even DEALING with an AC. *SIGH* Oh, well. I'll take my Mod points elsewhere, as I can't Mod anyone in this forum branch now!
It was discovered using a device cooled to a temperature about 100 times colder than intergalactic space, following the application of the most powerful continuous magnetic field on Earth."
That certainly lends itself to easy mass-production! Heck, we can all do that in our basements!
Slashdot Mirror
There is no technological substitute for plain-old OCD living....Putting their things in their specific corners of the shared domicile are manditory...My keys always go with my wallet and phone and PDA on the articulating arm base of my computer monitor. I never wonder where they are: they're either on me, where they belong, or stolen.
There, fixed that for you...
"awful" only means "deserving of awe,"
Now I have to be an etymology Nazi, and point some things out: When awful first came into our language (approx. 885AD, attributed to Alfred the Great), awe was an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "fear, dread, terror" (Oxford English Dictionary). At that point, awful DID mean "full of awe", but in the sense of "full of fear; full of dread".
It was much later (16th Century) that the word awesome came into being, and the word awe had changed to mean "dread mingled with veneration; reverential or respectful fear", mostly due to it's association with the God of the Bible.
So, you were correct in words changing meaning, but it was the word awe that had evolved, not the actual word awful.
/Nazi
To be frank,
Darn it, it's MY turn to be Frank tonight! It's your turn to be Eva!
Having said that, a large riot would tear her limb from limb if she ever tried that.
Specifically, the mob would be made up of Parliament members...
Hey! I can fire-up my Amiga 1000, 2000 and 4000! Damm, I'm cutting edge again!
I've got you beat! I can sit here playing my original Pong home console: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong. Still works like a champ, too!
I tested it, bought a couple cheap probes, and then sat on it for a year.
Very, very bad visual, that.
However, you seem set to do it regardless, so my advice is to lock it down as much as humanly possible. Ideally, you'd lock it down so that no programs could be run, no new peripherals could be installed, disable booting from CD/USB/anything-other-than-HDD in the BIOS and password it, install a program to kill any non-approved app from running, install a client-side internet proxy that uses a whitelist for viewing approved content ONLY. Password protect EVERYTHING that you change, and guard the passwords with your LIFE; use a VERY strong password, preferably consisting of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, doodles, sign language, and squirrel noises. MAKE THE STUDENTS SIGN A EULA before they get the laptop. Re-image the machines at the slightest provocation or hint of wrongdoing, and work with the Administration to impose severe penalties on anyone that violate said EULA. Make it painfully clear to the Administration that YOU need to have the final say in who gets punished and who doesn't; no chances for Bubba the Football Star to escape punishment because he's needed for the game Saturday, and no easy dealing with Billy, the son of the Superintendent.
When it comes to selling them, keep a second NON-locked image on hand to re-image the machine for them (preferably a factory-reset type deal, with all the apps they used included as well), and that will kill the need to hand out passwords after the fact. If you follow all of that, it should take care of MOST of the issues that pop up with abuse/violations, and what it DOESN'T take care of the first few examples of severely punished children that tried tampering should kill off.
Seeing that people are slooowly getting tired of THE WAR ON EEEEVIL TERRARISTS, here's the next Great War. The state needs this to:
a) Support their friends in the industry
b) Grab more power for themselves
c) Bask in the warm glow of feeling important
.
.
.
d) Profit!!!
Are you kidding? There's always some kid (like I was) that would love to pop a whole in this.
Pop a whole what in this?
Interestingly enough, if you squint just right, my car looks like the Virgin Mary.
...which would be the exact opposite of THIS car: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thqRduyx3T4
Even worse, you can't wash it:
Unlike some water-resistant coatings, it remains more-or-less intact when the fabric is rubbed vigorously, although it didn't survive an everyday washing machine cycle.
That's really not such a large deal; it repels liquids, and any solids could be sprayed off with a hose/faucet/whathaveyou. It couldn't really get dirty, so there would be no need to wash it beyond a surface rinse; the bigger threat is trapping your perspiration, like beh pointed out.
I, for one, welcome our new unwettable overlords!
If you know what I mean!
Many times when companies die (for legal reasons) the Management just creates a new company. I'm sure they could re-emerge as a patent Troll funded by Microsoft. BTW you can't kill the unDead.
In that case, killing them is actually EASY: simply use copious amounts of fire! Everyone knows that Trolls only really die with fire!
In related news, gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson is being sued because "they (Smith & Wesson)know that there are a large number of customers who are engaging in continuing infringements of property rights by using firearm technology."
Don't ask the old guys "about where they want to be in 5 years"
They don't give a toss as long as they are coding/testing etc. Take it from me, once you get to a certain age, you don't give a shit about the greasy pole. They know their limitations and thus can work within them and get on with the job. And yes, I have called an old boss of mine a dipstick. He didn't give me the sack. He just labelled me as an awkward bastard as what I told him about the project was true and it saved his ass.
I'm 55 and happlily desiging complex systems. I don't want to be a manager or team leader. I'm a Designer/coder/Architect/General Dogsbody who will tell you whats what with a proposal/project. Once my new boss understands that, we generally get along fine. Which is why I am a contractor and not a permie. I'm no threat to their job.
"Oh, and GET OFF MY LAWN!"
Fixed that for you!
Have you actually READ the bible? there's sections in there about how smashing babies heads in with rocks is doing gods work and that slavery is perfectly ok
For the actual quote: "Blessed is the one who grabs your little children and smashes them against a rock." Psalm 137:9
See, that is the EXACT reason why people who don't understand what they're reading shouldn't repeat it. Here's one of the major keys to the Bible: Read it IN CONTEXT! The context for what you're quoting is this:
The Israelites had just been captured by the Babylons; they had just seen their people slaughtered, their cities destroyed, and then the Babylonians asked them to sing and dance for their captors entertainment!
The WHOLE quote from Psalm 137, verses 8 & 9:
O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock!
The Israelites are simply saying "Babylon, just WAIT until you get yours! We're going to do to you EXACTLY what you did to us!"
Uh-oh! That kind of pokes holes into your sweeping generalization that the Bible is an evil, strange book;however will you deal with the shift in paradigm?
Are you serious? You want to lump illegal drugs into the same category as a pocket knife whose blade is 1/2" too long? Give me a break; no-one is advocating arresting folks for the "pisant (sic) little laws", like oral sex being illegal on Tuesdays in Omaha. As for fake IDs, there's a major difference between your average citizen with a fake ID so they can drink, and a terrorist with a fake ID to cover the fact that they're known to have been involved in urban warfare. It's time everyone realizes that the Police et al are here to protect you; yes there ARE crooked cops, but there's crooked sysadmins, lawyers, CEOs, and pizza delivery boys, too. Grow up, and lose the adolescent "the Man is out to get me!" thought processes, what say?
That's the question that comes to me ... I mean, they sell me a copy of the game, right? Since when do they have a legal right to prohibit me from reselling it? I can't think of another type of product where this can be done legally ...
How about designer handbags et al? http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/01/154231
This is what first came to mind for me: point-and-click adventure games tend to be significantly less violent and more story-driven than other genres.
Exactly! Just like the Diablo series!
Send us your best and your brightest...would you kindly?
You're wrong AC, and you know it, which is why you post AC, so you don't have to actually be held to account for your completely indefensible troll posts.
For the record, I agree that the mod was a jerk to hit Mr. Bold with an "offtopic" because of an html oversight. However, presuming that the AC is the Moderator in question, he posted as AC because you can't post in a forum you've already Modded; them's just the rules.
What truly saddens me is that ANOTHER Mod wasted Points to mark the AC "Troll." The better use would have been bumping up someone with something insightful to say, instead of making the mistake of even DEALING with an AC. *SIGH* Oh, well. I'll take my Mod points elsewhere, as I can't Mod anyone in this forum branch now!
It was discovered using a device cooled to a temperature about 100 times colder than intergalactic space, following the application of the most powerful continuous magnetic field on Earth."
That certainly lends itself to easy mass-production! Heck, we can all do that in our basements!
Any code made by a person can be broken by a person. We should invest less in cheap control schemes and more into robotic overlords.
I, for one, welcome our new Robotic DRM Overlords!
I read the Title as "Voters Swayed By Canadians Who Share Their Looks", and I was thinking wha?!