Some folks tend to use Ayn Rand like ketchup . . . they put her on anything, without thinking about the taste.
An architecture student I knew at school was a big Ayn Rand fan. She explained to me that engineers were "leeches" living off the ideas created by "real scientists", who were "producers."
Video? When I read "captured" I thought they meant "in captivity", like they had the Quantum Critter in a box with the cat or a microscopic cage or something like that.
Actually, Microsoft should give Ballmer a gold-plated Surface when he retires, and then retire the brand. "Good-bye, Mr. Ballmer, and please take your Surface with you." The Surface 1 & 2 were Ballmer's. The Surface 3, which is probably in development now, would also be his. The new CEO should just scrap the Surface 3 plans, and start again.
Pick a small team of the best and brightest Microsoft hardware and software engineers, and task them with creating an astonishing new product. This must have something entirely new, useful and unique, that people will crave to buy it. Making something just as good, or even slightly better than current Apple or Android stuff isn't going to sell. And Surface is a cursed brand now.
I'm guessing that Microsoft does have folks with really great ideas . . . but no one in Microsoft is listening to them. They're just shriveling away somewhere, buried underneath the bureaucracy. The new CEO just needs to dust things off, shake and rattle it a bit, and see what great ideas fall out.
Now if Elop ascends as the next CEO . . . I'm not sure this will happen.
I appreciate reading about the nerd view on any subject. Slashdot could post a story about Kim Kardashian's butt or Justin Bieber's cough syrup chugging, and nerds would comment something insightful, informative . . . and funny on the subject.
I don't know why people still consider this to be "one of the most troublesome challenges known to humanity".
What amazes me, it that we think that we need a high-tech solution. It's like for every little minor troublesome bother . . . we need an app to solve it.
It's like we're somehow addicted to technology solutions now for this. It's our big hammer for anything that could be nail. And patents are the score of the game. The biggest company with the most patents, and the best lawyers wins.
Even better, hold it at the local Walmart . . . all the technology there is made in China . . . so nobody will have to worry about anyone from China stealing anything.
Well, they could pump the numbers by including a Windows Phone software license with every Windows 8 license sold for PCs. So if you buy a new laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed, and later decide to buy a Windows Phone device, you don't have to buy the Windows Phone software license . . .
. . . or they could couple the Windows 8 PC license with a Windows Phone device, so if you want to use Windows 8 on your PC, then you have to buy a Windows Phone device . . . but wait, there's still more . . .
You get a Windows 8 software license, a Windows Phone device . . . and they'll throw in a Surface, as well . . . all for one affordable price . . . (items not available separately) . . . and . . .
I'm afraid that would be like punching holes through clouds. I would bait them with poisoned prey, which they would haul back to their difficult to find nests. Some kind of slow poison, so it makes it back to the nest. Then it would slowly kill the rest of the brood.
How about using radioactive waste . . . ? Or might that have some other unforeseen consequences . . . ?
"Now if you don't mind, I have to go save thousands of African kids from getting malaria."
It's just too bad that he couldn't have save thousands of Linux kids from getting SCO lawsuits.
That said, these "three investors" just want to jack up the short term stock price. They'd rape their own dead grandmothers' if it would raise the stock price. They saw the price jump after the Ballmer announcement, and are hoping that some buzz can do a repeat in the short term.
More than anyone else in the world, he is emotionally attached to Microsoft because it is his baby, and wants the best for it in the long term.
The prevalence of H1B visas requires one to believe that the US job market is just so great that it's difficult for employers to find qualified applicants.
It's difficult for the US government to find qualified candidates for elected offices. Just take a quick look at the clowns sitting in Congress, honking horns, blowing slides and driving around in tiny little cars, while the country rips itself apart in two different directions, instead of gently leaning one way or another.
Let's bring in qualified H1B politicians to ensure the US government gets qualified candidates with the right skills to run a government.
This could work for the executive branch of the government, as well. Run it like a top European soccer team, where they cherry-pick the best international players.
Department of Defense/NSA? Get Russians. They spotted the Boston Bombers, told the FBI about it . . . and the FBI did nothing about it.
Department of State? Get the British. Great polite, formal and discrete diplomats. They'll defuse a potential conflict by finding a fudge where no one loses face.
Department of Trade/Commerce/Industry? Germans. Jared Diamond highlighted this in his book about what you need for a thriving industrial society: "Guns, Germans and Steel". I bought a Heckler and Koch MP7, so I got all three at once.
As soon as the US politician see their jobs under threat from foreign competition, they will change their tune on H1B . . .
Islam is more than just a religion . . . mainstream Islamic law does not distinguish between "matters of church" and "matters of state". Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to love and serve God. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God, following his commands. The Shariah (literally "the path leading to the watering place") is Islamic law formed by traditional Islamic scholarship, which most Muslim groups adhere to. Shariah "constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his or her religious belief". The Qur'an set the rights, the responsibilities and the rules for people and for societies to adhere to. Muhammad provided an example, which is recorded in the hadith books, showing how he practically implemented those rules in a society.
So think of Islam as a "path to peace". Which would would work very well . . . if everyone was Muslim.
Kafir is a denigrating Arabic term used in an Islamic doctrinal sense, usually translated as "unbeliever," "disbeliever," or "infidel." The term refers to a person who rejects God in Islam or who hides, denies, or covers the "Islamic version of truth". The Qur'an uses the word kafir to signify various negative qualities of a person, all of which assist in the precise defining of kufr. In the structure of Islamic thought, kufr represents all things unacceptable and offensive to God. In its most fundamental sense in the Qur'an, kufr means "ingratitude," however the Qur'an contains numerous verses in which more detailed definitions are provided; the kafir is referred to as:
Terrorized: "[Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."" [8: 12]
Destroyed: "Of the wrong-doers the last was remnant was cut off. Praise be to God, the Cherisher of the Worlds." [6: 45]
Slain: "You will find others who wish to obtain security from you and [to] obtain security from their people. Every time they are returned to [the influence of] disbelief, they fall back into it. So if they do not withdraw from you or offer you peace or restrain their hands, then seize them and kill them wherever you overtake them. And those - We have made for you against them a clear authorization." [4: 91]
Crucified: "Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment." [5: 33] [Personally, I think exiled it the better option, if they give me a choice.]
Evil: "Say thou: 'Yea, and ye shall then be humiliated (on account of your evil)." [37: 18]
Cursed: "Accursed wherever they are found, [being] seized and massacred completely." [33: 61
. . . to name a few, but I guess you get where God is going with this . . . he's obviously a more than a bit miffed about having Kafir loafing around on the sofa.
Jihad means "to strive or struggle" (in the way of God). Jihad, in its broadest sense, is "exerting one's utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation". Jihad is the only form of warfare permissible in Islamic law . . . and Kafir are excellent instantiations of the object of disapprobation class.
Jihad also refers to one's "striving to attain religious and moral perfection". So Twittering about shooting up some Kafir in a mall . . . is like expressing their attempt at striving to attain religious and moral perfection. They feel very proud about it
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Some folks tend to use Ayn Rand like ketchup . . . they put her on anything, without thinking about the taste.
An architecture student I knew at school was a big Ayn Rand fan. She explained to me that engineers were "leeches" living off the ideas created by "real scientists", who were "producers."
. . . um, . . . ok . . . whatever . . .
. . . but she didn't rack up compared to Voyager's "38-of-D" . . .
http://www.economist.com/
The douchebags were Enron.
Sadly, the douchbags end up making money in the deal . . . and everyone else has to pay to clean up the mess that they have created.
. . . just what life is missing right now . . .
Video? When I read "captured" I thought they meant "in captivity", like they had the Quantum Critter in a box with the cat or a microscopic cage or something like that.
IBM? Who is IBM?
That would be an interesting question to pose to Watson . . .
Actually, Microsoft should give Ballmer a gold-plated Surface when he retires, and then retire the brand. "Good-bye, Mr. Ballmer, and please take your Surface with you." The Surface 1 & 2 were Ballmer's. The Surface 3, which is probably in development now, would also be his. The new CEO should just scrap the Surface 3 plans, and start again.
Pick a small team of the best and brightest Microsoft hardware and software engineers, and task them with creating an astonishing new product. This must have something entirely new, useful and unique, that people will crave to buy it. Making something just as good, or even slightly better than current Apple or Android stuff isn't going to sell. And Surface is a cursed brand now.
I'm guessing that Microsoft does have folks with really great ideas . . . but no one in Microsoft is listening to them. They're just shriveling away somewhere, buried underneath the bureaucracy. The new CEO just needs to dust things off, shake and rattle it a bit, and see what great ideas fall out.
Now if Elop ascends as the next CEO . . . I'm not sure this will happen.
Go visit Congress when they are discussing NASA. That will change your mind.
Nothing can beat the NSA in the surveillance event competition!
I appreciate reading about the nerd view on any subject. Slashdot could post a story about Kim Kardashian's butt or Justin Bieber's cough syrup chugging, and nerds would comment something insightful, informative . . . and funny on the subject.
Ah, but just the other day . . . the Pentagon called back their furloughed civilian workers . . . I guess they were needed for something . . .
I don't know why people still consider this to be "one of the most troublesome challenges known to humanity".
What amazes me, it that we think that we need a high-tech solution. It's like for every little minor troublesome bother . . . we need an app to solve it.
It's like we're somehow addicted to technology solutions now for this. It's our big hammer for anything that could be nail. And patents are the score of the game. The biggest company with the most patents, and the best lawyers wins.
In a lot of places in Europe, the waiter/waitress does it for you. Like in Germany, for example.
Even better, hold it at the local Walmart . . . all the technology there is made in China . . . so nobody will have to worry about anyone from China stealing anything.
Well, they could pump the numbers by including a Windows Phone software license with every Windows 8 license sold for PCs. So if you buy a new laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed, and later decide to buy a Windows Phone device, you don't have to buy the Windows Phone software license . . .
. . . or they could couple the Windows 8 PC license with a Windows Phone device, so if you want to use Windows 8 on your PC, then you have to buy a Windows Phone device . . . but wait, there's still more . . .
You get a Windows 8 software license, a Windows Phone device . . . and they'll throw in a Surface, as well . . . all for one affordable price . . . (items not available separately) . . . and . . .
. . . the Spiral Slices and the Ginsu Knife!
I'm afraid that would be like punching holes through clouds. I would bait them with poisoned prey, which they would haul back to their difficult to find nests. Some kind of slow poison, so it makes it back to the nest. Then it would slowly kill the rest of the brood.
How about using radioactive waste . . . ? Or might that have some other unforeseen consequences . . . ?
I propose a debate tour: Gates vs. RMS, 10 universities.
This is the new Millennium . . . we don't watch people debate any more.
We lock them up in reality TV shows, and watch them spewing out frivolous drivel for hours on end, before voting on who we dislike the most.
Gates vs. RMS? I think one of the Kardashians would win that one. Even if they aren't on the show.
"Now if you don't mind, I have to go save thousands of African kids from getting malaria."
It's just too bad that he couldn't have save thousands of Linux kids from getting SCO lawsuits.
That said, these "three investors" just want to jack up the short term stock price. They'd rape their own dead grandmothers' if it would raise the stock price. They saw the price jump after the Ballmer announcement, and are hoping that some buzz can do a repeat in the short term.
More than anyone else in the world, he is emotionally attached to Microsoft because it is his baby, and wants the best for it in the long term.
Seriously, simple typos and grammar mistakes get through now?
Obviously, Slashdot is also affected by the US government shutdown . . . I didn't know the government runs it . . .
The Internet uses YOU!
In fact, Guidos are a lot like the gays, except without the homosexuality.
Guido Barilla, meet Guido Westerwelle, outgoing Foreign Minister of Germany: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Westerwelle
He's openly gay, but no one makes a big deal out of it.
The prevalence of H1B visas requires one to believe that the US job market is just so great that it's difficult for employers to find qualified applicants.
It's difficult for the US government to find qualified candidates for elected offices. Just take a quick look at the clowns sitting in Congress, honking horns, blowing slides and driving around in tiny little cars, while the country rips itself apart in two different directions, instead of gently leaning one way or another.
Let's bring in qualified H1B politicians to ensure the US government gets qualified candidates with the right skills to run a government.
This could work for the executive branch of the government, as well. Run it like a top European soccer team, where they cherry-pick the best international players.
Department of Defense/NSA? Get Russians. They spotted the Boston Bombers, told the FBI about it . . . and the FBI did nothing about it.
Department of State? Get the British. Great polite, formal and discrete diplomats. They'll defuse a potential conflict by finding a fudge where no one loses face.
Department of Trade/Commerce/Industry? Germans. Jared Diamond highlighted this in his book about what you need for a thriving industrial society: "Guns, Germans and Steel". I bought a Heckler and Koch MP7, so I got all three at once.
As soon as the US politician see their jobs under threat from foreign competition, they will change their tune on H1B . . .
I did an MBA a couple of years ago.
Strange . . . usually, MBAs do you.
But but but... Islam is a religion of peace!
Islam is more than just a religion . . . mainstream Islamic law does not distinguish between "matters of church" and "matters of state". Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to love and serve God. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God, following his commands. The Shariah (literally "the path leading to the watering place") is Islamic law formed by traditional Islamic scholarship, which most Muslim groups adhere to. Shariah "constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his or her religious belief". The Qur'an set the rights, the responsibilities and the rules for people and for societies to adhere to. Muhammad provided an example, which is recorded in the hadith books, showing how he practically implemented those rules in a society.
So think of Islam as a "path to peace". Which would would work very well . . . if everyone was Muslim.
Kafir is a denigrating Arabic term used in an Islamic doctrinal sense, usually translated as "unbeliever," "disbeliever," or "infidel." The term refers to a person who rejects God in Islam or who hides, denies, or covers the "Islamic version of truth". The Qur'an uses the word kafir to signify various negative qualities of a person, all of which assist in the precise defining of kufr. In the structure of Islamic thought, kufr represents all things unacceptable and offensive to God. In its most fundamental sense in the Qur'an, kufr means "ingratitude," however the Qur'an contains numerous verses in which more detailed definitions are provided; the kafir is referred to as:
. . . to name a few, but I guess you get where God is going with this . . . he's obviously a more than a bit miffed about having Kafir loafing around on the sofa.
Jihad means "to strive or struggle" (in the way of God). Jihad, in its broadest sense, is "exerting one's utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation". Jihad is the only form of warfare permissible in Islamic law . . . and Kafir are excellent instantiations of the object of disapprobation class.
Jihad also refers to one's "striving to attain religious and moral perfection". So Twittering about shooting up some Kafir in a mall . . . is like expressing their attempt at striving to attain religious and moral perfection. They feel very proud about it