You wouldn't want to rely on the Earth for re-supply. Then, a global disaster sufficient to destroy the resupply technology would doom the generational ship. It would, however, be a cool way for gen-shippers to get any of the latest goodies that could not be fabricated onboard. I suspect that would be of limited utility, however, since the ship is likely to be able to fabricate just about anything it needs, and you can use signals traveling at lightspeed to send plans. Of course, some items are of sentimental value and can't be fabricated (e.g., a lock of babies hair). However, the cost of space onboard the antimatter probe might be too high for that market. Then again, when feelings are involved, people have been known to pay some very expensive freight.... Weren't they charging $5000 a while back to put ashes in orbit?
The Tunguska event had the uncanny luck of happening over land and in one of the world's least populated areas
It also happened several decades before a nuclear power could misinterpret the event as a first-strike. AFAIK, North American monitoring can tell the difference between something like an asteroid vs. a missile, based on trajectory. They probably coordinate with other types of observers too, since they're monitoring things like space junk already. The irregular streak of a comet or asteroid is very different from an incoming missile. I'm not too concerned about a comet explosion in California being misinterpreted. OTOH, what if that system fails somehow, and all they have to go on is "we have reports of a huge explosion that just wiped out LA". How will they respond?
You mean this vast plague upon mankind has a single point of failure? Wow! They really are close then. I suggest two possible courses of action from here: 1. Figure out how to plug a Powerbook into it, then type furiously. 2. Fly along the equator of the virus at top speed and fire into its exhaust port.
1. If you're not selling it as a stand-alone product, you can't patent it. Thus, a part of an automobile sold as a part can still be patented. However, the transmission control system that's incorporated into the transmission can't be patented--not unless the control box is sold as a separate part. This may not be a perfect way of going about it; but the objective here is to eliminate the huge swaths of "subsystem" patents taken out for what's really nothing more than the day-to-day work of an engineer. This may not be the ideal way to solve the problem, but imagine that you are wondering if you can copy something, say, a control box. You see that there's a patent on the box, and you see that it expired 5 years ago. Now you can copy the box with confidence, knowing that there aren't any "gotchas" inside. OK, not totally--there might be parts inside, but if they aren't marked with their numbers or sold separately, they can't be patented. If a part is too small to be marked, the numbers have to be inside the case or something, or the manual has to point you someplace... kind of like food labeling. You need to know what's inside stuff, and when it's safe to copy it. Actually, more like an expiration date on food, but it goes good instead of going bad.
2. Obvious to most people here: no software patents. Software patents just don't make any sense. Copyright, good (before you argue with that, remember there's no GPL without copyright). Patents, bad (for everybody in software).
3. And finally, the public is allowed to submit, for a very nominal fee that is just enough to discourage frivolous filings, pointers to prior art. Patent examiners must read said claims, and reject patents where the prior art is bloody obvious. The legal defintion of "bloody obvious" shall be that it's bloody obvious.
If it works as badly as Lenovo's scanner, fuggedaboutit. I didn't really ask for one, but it came with my Lenovo and I thought it would be interesting to try. Sure enough I could not log in without a successful scan, but it usually took 5 or 6 tries. I disabled it after a couple days.
As for losing your hand, well, I would think that most criminals would not risk the much higher penalty for doing that, not to mention the much tougher fight most people would put up. I've also heard scanners have an even harder time working with a dead finger, although I have no idea how they tested that. Anyway, score one for techno-luddites like myself--my cell phone is just a phone. They would get my contact list and a few hours of service until I have the account canceled. Big deal.
I know that if I was a hormone-crazed impressionable youth, and had no Jewish ancestry, and there was this "thing with cool costumes and a history of violence", and even better, THE GOVERNMENT BANS IT, I might be thinking "let's check this shit out!".
Oh pulleeze. I was being fascetious. It was a joke; but like all good jokes, there's a kernel of truth to it. These keynote speeches at the convention are always made out to be some big deal. I've heard all about this fantastic speech. I'm not saying he's not a fantastic orator. I'm just saying that making one inspiring speech doesn't qualify you for PUSA. It's also illuminating (no pun intended) to read some of the recent history of keynote speakers at the Democratic convention and see how little it really matters.
I sometimes wonder if a bunch of CNN reporters were sitting around having coffee one day, joking about how powerful they are. Then one guy was like, "I bet we could take a junior senator and turn him into a presidential candidate". Wager donuts for breakfast. OK! You're on. Loser has to sit next to cologne-soaked Carl on the next flight out to a location shot.
Oh, and it's fine to take surplus grain that's no longer fit for human consumption and use it as a reserve fuel; but it will never get us off oil. Reduce sprawl and improve battery life for electrics. Switching fuels is easier at the power plant than it is at the pump. With electicity as the fuel-neutral choice, we can shift from oil/coal/nuclear/natgas/bio/wind at will, based on the relative cost and availablity of any particular fuel. Oil spiking while natgas priced reasonably? Shut down generator 2 that burns oil, and fire up generator 4 that runs natgas. With electricity as the mediator, cars will always be fueled by the most affordable technology, and if any new tech comes online it will be incorporated with no fuss at the consumer level.
Amen to that. NWS is one example where a government funded program actuallly WORKS. Clean, simple, Flash-free. It's been reliable enough for me. I was able to successfully plan for an outside project almost a week in advance with their long-range forecasts. You have to learn how to use these things a bit, based on your area. For example, here in DC during Summer, it may or may not rain in the afternoon, and nobody can predict if it will actually rain on a particular spot. That's because most of the rain comes from brief thunderstorms that pop up. In winter, they can tell you if a snowstorm will be nearby, but not if it will actually snow or how much. OTOH, sunny vs. rainy and general temperature predictions work pretty well. As an experienced user, I've learned to recognize which types of weather systems are predictable, and which aren't (e.g., Alberta Clipper -- easily predictable temperature drop vs. Gulf low snowstorm--extremely difficult to get the snow total in advance). Other areas have their own peculiarities too I'm sure.
I guess some of us are planners, and some of us aren't. I never rent DVDs. I watch TV. I love YouTube. I don't rent DVDs. The whole concept of Netflix or Amazon Prime, or any DVD shipping service is just alien to me. Any shipping time is too much. I've got cable broadband--steady 4Mbps, 8 burst. I'd much rather download. I don't want to wait 2 days for a piece of plastic. I want to watch $MOVIE now. Yes, I do plan when the movie is in a theatre. Watching a movie in a theatre is worth a little planning. It's a much different experience. Wait for a piece of plastic to come in the mail? Why? I just doesn't tickle my fancy, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
It's freezing outside, and you don't want to burn $2 of gas and spend an hour of your time (you earn, say... $30/hr) running out to a store.
Seems like a pretty good deal to me, but only if I have the option of burning the DVD. If it's streamed, It should be a lot cheaper.
Besides, I know some people like the crap that comes with a CD or DVD, but I can almost always do without it. It just makes the things take up that much more space when I move. Unless it's an artist that I'm really, really into; I'm not interested in collecting album art and stuff.
If a totally ineffective and toxic compound like Laitril can attract thousands of United States citizens to go to Mexico, then I don't see why a potentially effective, non-toxic substance like this can't do the same thing. If this stuff really works, it will gain traction outside the establishment. For once, the outsiders might actually score a moral victor here (usually they're just ripoff artists who prey on the desparate). The appearance of this article on Slashdot demonstrates that the information isn't bein suppressed. In a few years, we will know if this stuff works on desparate cancer patients who've tried all else. The big losers will be victims of treatable cancers, who will suffer needlessly on chemo. However, if this gains traction as an actual alternative that works, I don't see how it can be stopped. If it gains enough traction, the government will have to run clinical trials due to sheer public outcry.
You can waive that right through a contract, and I wager that's what you do when you hire these photographers. You can of course, ask for some other kind of deal, with the two most likely outcomes being: 1. the photographer refuses to work that way, or 2. they charge you more.
I've heard that (1) is surprisingly common. The photographer is basicly angling for a monopoly on *prints* here. The cost of the shoot is really not that much. They know that after the fact, a lot of prints will be ordered; some framed and/or on expensive high-quality paper. If they quoted a price based on what they know that would bring in, you'd balk. This is especially true if the wedding party is large.
The ultimate irony would be if the videographer claimed copyright, the way so many wedding photographers do, and went after him for having a copy of the video. I haven't heard much about it lately, but apparently it is *really* difficult to find a wedding photographer who will simply take his fee and turn over the digital files and/or negatives. I once scanned my parent's wedding photo, and it occured to me that if I were to actually try and legally comply with copyright, I would have to locate the photographer in another state. He took the picture 50 years ago. He's probably dead. I'd have to find his heirs. Needless to say, I "pirated" my parent's wedding picture. Come and get me!
Now, I'm not war3z kiddie. I'm actually in favor of intellectual property as a concept (legal mumbo-jumbo about it not being property? feh!). Howeve, when it fails the "common sense" test in such an obvious way, you have to employ something called "judgement". Hopefully, that's what the judge will do, and pencil whip this silliness right ouf of court.
You've gotten to the heart of the matter, I think. People might be a bit reluctant to screw their favorite author by pirating their work. That's because the author is a single person. You wouldn't brag on your warezing skills if the author was in the room with you. OTOH, Hollywood movies are massive collaborative efforts where the big name talent is very well paid. It's all orchestrated by a faceless corporation. If the star were in the room with you, you still might not brag on your warezing skills, but you might casually mention you haven't paid for it, and he or she might not be so upset, seeing how they've already walked out with millions of dollars for contributing a single-digit percentage to the overall effort. The director might be more pissed, but not as much as somebody who's poured all their effort into one thing, and that thing is intimately tied to them. Just about anybody in a Hollywood movie is replaceable. The movie might not be as good, but it would still work. It might even be more interesting in some cases to see what a different director or actor would do... ewww... that's kind of an apology for remakes. I may have to re-think that... but anyway, I think you're on the right track here, and I just wanted to add my own spin. Seeing how Slashdot is even more massively collaborative than any movie, you can even warez this post if you like.
Since he's under 18, can he even enter into a contract? Can he effectively use the court system by himself? If he can't, it's all in the hands of whatever attorney will help him (I'm assumig he's not an idle rich kid, and that he basicly has paper-route money).
This is intriguing though. For adults like myself, who have little time to spare and much to lose, quick settlements and/or rapid capitulation to affordable terms are usually the only way out. In other words, if the *AA extorted 10 percent of my wealth, it might be enough to make them go away, and it would be more expedient for me to let them do that then spend half my wealth fighting them.
OTOH, if I'm a 16-year old and I can legally ride my bicycle to the court house and file claims all summer as an "interesting lesson", then what could I lose? That has a certain appeal to it; but I doubt it will fly. They'll probably drag it out until he's 18, and can be subject to things that will bother an adult.
Still though, the idea of a smart kid sitting there in the library putting up his time and zero money, pitted against corporate lawywers who charge their clients 100s of dollars an hour, is intriguing. Even if he loses, he wins, unless they force him to pay court costs--then he's screwed.
It's the sound of illegal lightbulb traffickers warming up their engines, and getting ready to cross the border. Put 'em on top, guys--right next to the high-flow toilets and tax-free cigs. Keep your weed handy in case you need to toss it out the window. [sarcasm]Woohoo! More ways for Al Qaeda cells to raise money trafficing stuff that doesn't arrouse much suspicion in most states.[/sarcasm]
This reminds me of the Challenger disaster. At the time, Budweiser ads were running where somebody would get a flaming torch, or a blinding splot-light in their face, etc., and the tagline was, "No, I wanted a Bud Lite". So that got picked up and rolled into one of the most popular "sick jokes" associated with Challenger. The way I see it, this is a common way of coping with death. Morbid humor seems to be particularly popular around puberty, when kids are just becoming aware of their own mortality (and usually, they make sick jokes and continue to believe they're immortal for the next few years). A lot of adults continue to employ this little coping mechanism throughout their lives.
There is, from a certain point of view, no such thing as a "non profit". Those who work for the IEEE collectively profit from it, in the form of salaries. The corporation, which is a fictitious person, doesn't profit; but that's just legality. The real people, who really matter, profit.
Now that that's out of the way, as others have pointed out, there are prestigious journals in and outside of the "non-profit" realm.
The issue here is that these journals feel threatened by new organizations who may duplicate their work. Ultimately, this should be a question of whether or not the traditional journals provide real value. If it's not possible to provide reliable peer review without a formal organization that includes plush offices and frequently traveling exectutives (along with the high subscription fees to support all that) then the traditionals should win. If, on the other hand, peer review of equal value can be provided by professors submitting PDFs to an online forum in a more refined version of Slashdot (presumeably with proof of academic credentials required for membership) then the traditionals should lose.
Trouble is, when you've got an executive postion and a plush office at some organization, or even a decent job, you're going to defend it. It's hard not to see the journal publishers as dinosaurs defending their territory. Part of the shame is that they might not have to do that. I must say though, Wikipedia has pretty much killed my desire to ever lug 4 shelf-feet of books into my next apartment. The realm of scientific journals might be different... or it might not be different.
The easy part: Trade schools graduate technicians, universities graduate engineers.
The hard part: Getting people to respect a good technician more than a bad engineer. Getting people to pay technicians what they're worth.
The likely outcome: Universities will continue to slouch towards vocational teaching that could have been done at the trades or in highschool. People will spend 4 years at mediocre state Us to avoid the stigma of not having a BS, which is the new highschool diploma. The masters will become the new BS.
My father had a GED. I've got a BS. If I ever have a kid, he'll probably need a masters to match his old man's career.
So basicly the North Koreans will be stepping up to the life of that woman with the rabbits in Roger and Me. Except they probably won't be allowed to breed their own.
Slashdot Mirror
You wouldn't want to rely on the Earth for re-supply. Then, a global disaster sufficient to destroy the resupply technology would doom the generational ship. It would, however, be a cool way for gen-shippers to get any of the latest goodies that could not be fabricated onboard. I suspect that would be of limited utility, however, since the ship is likely to be able to fabricate just about anything it needs, and you can use signals traveling at lightspeed to send plans. Of course, some items are of sentimental value and can't be fabricated (e.g., a lock of babies hair). However, the cost of space onboard the antimatter probe might be too high for that market. Then again, when feelings are involved, people have been known to pay some very expensive freight.... Weren't they charging $5000 a while back to put ashes in orbit?
The Tunguska event had the uncanny luck of happening over land and in one of the world's least populated areas
It also happened several decades before a nuclear power could misinterpret the event as a first-strike. AFAIK, North American monitoring can tell the difference between something like an asteroid vs. a missile, based on trajectory. They probably coordinate with other types of observers too, since they're monitoring things like space junk already. The irregular streak of a comet or asteroid is very different from an incoming missile. I'm not too concerned about a comet explosion in California being misinterpreted. OTOH, what if that system fails somehow, and all they have to go on is "we have reports of a huge explosion that just wiped out LA". How will they respond?
You mean this vast plague upon mankind has a single point of failure? Wow! They really are close then. I suggest two possible courses of action from here: 1. Figure out how to plug a Powerbook into it, then type furiously. 2. Fly along the equator of the virus at top speed and fire into its exhaust port.
1. If you're not selling it as a stand-alone product, you can't patent it. Thus, a part of an automobile sold as a part can still be patented. However, the transmission control system that's incorporated into the transmission can't be patented--not unless the control box is sold as a separate part. This may not be a perfect way of going about it; but the objective here is to eliminate the huge swaths of "subsystem" patents taken out for what's really nothing more than the day-to-day work of an engineer. This may not be the ideal way to solve the problem, but imagine that you are wondering if you can copy something, say, a control box. You see that there's a patent on the box, and you see that it expired 5 years ago. Now you can copy the box with confidence, knowing that there aren't any "gotchas" inside. OK, not totally--there might be parts inside, but if they aren't marked with their numbers or sold separately, they can't be patented. If a part is too small to be marked, the numbers have to be inside the case or something, or the manual has to point you someplace... kind of like food labeling. You need to know what's inside stuff, and when it's safe to copy it. Actually, more like an expiration date on food, but it goes good instead of going bad.
2. Obvious to most people here: no software patents. Software patents just don't make any sense. Copyright, good (before you argue with that, remember there's no GPL without copyright). Patents, bad (for everybody in software).
3. And finally, the public is allowed to submit, for a very nominal fee that is just enough to discourage frivolous filings, pointers to prior art. Patent examiners must read said claims, and reject patents where the prior art is bloody obvious. The legal defintion of "bloody obvious" shall be that it's bloody obvious.
If it works as badly as Lenovo's scanner, fuggedaboutit. I didn't really ask for one, but it came with my Lenovo and I thought it would be interesting to try. Sure enough I could not log in without a successful scan, but it usually took 5 or 6 tries. I disabled it after a couple days.
As for losing your hand, well, I would think that most criminals would not risk the much higher penalty for doing that, not to mention the much tougher fight most people would put up. I've also heard scanners have an even harder time working with a dead finger, although I have no idea how they tested that. Anyway, score one for techno-luddites like myself--my cell phone is just a phone. They would get my contact list and a few hours of service until I have the account canceled. Big deal.
I know that if I was a hormone-crazed impressionable youth, and had no Jewish ancestry, and there was this "thing with cool costumes and a history of violence", and even better, THE GOVERNMENT BANS IT, I might be thinking "let's check this shit out!".
Oh pulleeze. I was being fascetious. It was a joke; but like all good jokes, there's a kernel of truth to it. These keynote speeches at the convention are always made out to be some big deal. I've heard all about this fantastic speech. I'm not saying he's not a fantastic orator. I'm just saying that making one inspiring speech doesn't qualify you for PUSA. It's also illuminating (no pun intended) to read some of the recent history of keynote speakers at the Democratic convention and see how little it really matters.
I sometimes wonder if a bunch of CNN reporters were sitting around having coffee one day, joking about how powerful they are. Then one guy was like, "I bet we could take a junior senator and turn him into a presidential candidate". Wager donuts for breakfast. OK! You're on. Loser has to sit next to cologne-soaked Carl on the next flight out to a location shot.
Oh, and it's fine to take surplus grain that's no longer fit for human consumption and use it as a reserve fuel; but it will never get us off oil. Reduce sprawl and improve battery life for electrics. Switching fuels is easier at the power plant than it is at the pump. With electicity as the fuel-neutral choice, we can shift from oil/coal/nuclear/natgas/bio/wind at will, based on the relative cost and availablity of any particular fuel. Oil spiking while natgas priced reasonably? Shut down generator 2 that burns oil, and fire up generator 4 that runs natgas. With electricity as the mediator, cars will always be fueled by the most affordable technology, and if any new tech comes online it will be incorporated with no fuss at the consumer level.
Gasp! You have revealed the price of Britannica! I don't envy you. Hope you're prepared for the knock on your door.
Amen to that. NWS is one example where a government funded program actuallly WORKS. Clean, simple, Flash-free. It's been reliable enough for me. I was able to successfully plan for an outside project almost a week in advance with their long-range forecasts. You have to learn how to use these things a bit, based on your area. For example, here in DC during Summer, it may or may not rain in the afternoon, and nobody can predict if it will actually rain on a particular spot. That's because most of the rain comes from brief thunderstorms that pop up. In winter, they can tell you if a snowstorm will be nearby, but not if it will actually snow or how much. OTOH, sunny vs. rainy and general temperature predictions work pretty well. As an experienced user, I've learned to recognize which types of weather systems are predictable, and which aren't (e.g., Alberta Clipper -- easily predictable temperature drop vs. Gulf low snowstorm--extremely difficult to get the snow total in advance). Other areas have their own peculiarities too I'm sure.
I guess some of us are planners, and some of us aren't. I never rent DVDs. I watch TV. I love YouTube. I don't rent DVDs. The whole concept of Netflix or Amazon Prime, or any DVD shipping service is just alien to me. Any shipping time is too much. I've got cable broadband--steady 4Mbps, 8 burst. I'd much rather download. I don't want to wait 2 days for a piece of plastic. I want to watch $MOVIE now. Yes, I do plan when the movie is in a theatre. Watching a movie in a theatre is worth a little planning. It's a much different experience. Wait for a piece of plastic to come in the mail? Why? I just doesn't tickle my fancy, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
It's freezing outside, and you don't want to burn $2 of gas and spend an hour of your time (you earn, say... $30/hr) running out to a store.
Seems like a pretty good deal to me, but only if I have the option of burning the DVD. If it's streamed, It should be a lot cheaper.
Besides, I know some people like the crap that comes with a CD or DVD, but I can almost always do without it. It just makes the things take up that much more space when I move. Unless it's an artist that I'm really, really into; I'm not interested in collecting album art and stuff.
If a totally ineffective and toxic compound like Laitril can attract thousands of United States citizens to go to Mexico, then I don't see why a potentially effective, non-toxic substance like this can't do the same thing. If this stuff really works, it will gain traction outside the establishment. For once, the outsiders might actually score a moral victor here (usually they're just ripoff artists who prey on the desparate). The appearance of this article on Slashdot demonstrates that the information isn't bein suppressed. In a few years, we will know if this stuff works on desparate cancer patients who've tried all else. The big losers will be victims of treatable cancers, who will suffer needlessly on chemo. However, if this gains traction as an actual alternative that works, I don't see how it can be stopped. If it gains enough traction, the government will have to run clinical trials due to sheer public outcry.
You can waive that right through a contract, and I wager that's what you do when you hire these photographers. You can of course, ask for some other kind of deal, with the two most likely outcomes being: 1. the photographer refuses to work that way, or 2. they charge you more.
I've heard that (1) is surprisingly common. The photographer is basicly angling for a monopoly on *prints* here. The cost of the shoot is really not that much. They know that after the fact, a lot of prints will be ordered; some framed and/or on expensive high-quality paper. If they quoted a price based on what they know that would bring in, you'd balk. This is especially true if the wedding party is large.
The ultimate irony would be if the videographer claimed copyright, the way so many wedding photographers do, and went after him for having a copy of the video. I haven't heard much about it lately, but apparently it is *really* difficult to find a wedding photographer who will simply take his fee and turn over the digital files and/or negatives. I once scanned my parent's wedding photo, and it occured to me that if I were to actually try and legally comply with copyright, I would have to locate the photographer in another state. He took the picture 50 years ago. He's probably dead. I'd have to find his heirs. Needless to say, I "pirated" my parent's wedding picture. Come and get me!
Now, I'm not war3z kiddie. I'm actually in favor of intellectual property as a concept (legal mumbo-jumbo about it not being property? feh!). Howeve, when it fails the "common sense" test in such an obvious way, you have to employ something called "judgement". Hopefully, that's what the judge will do, and pencil whip this silliness right ouf of court.
It must have something to do with that "opinion center" on Slashdot. Can somebody Tivo the Internet for me? Thanks.
You've gotten to the heart of the matter, I think. People might be a bit reluctant to screw their favorite author by pirating their work. That's because the author is a single person. You wouldn't brag on your warezing skills if the author was in the room with you. OTOH, Hollywood movies are massive collaborative efforts where the big name talent is very well paid. It's all orchestrated by a faceless corporation. If the star were in the room with you, you still might not brag on your warezing skills, but you might casually mention you haven't paid for it, and he or she might not be so upset, seeing how they've already walked out with millions of dollars for contributing a single-digit percentage to the overall effort. The director might be more pissed, but not as much as somebody who's poured all their effort into one thing, and that thing is intimately tied to them. Just about anybody in a Hollywood movie is replaceable. The movie might not be as good, but it would still work. It might even be more interesting in some cases to see what a different director or actor would do... ewww... that's kind of an apology for remakes. I may have to re-think that... but anyway, I think you're on the right track here, and I just wanted to add my own spin. Seeing how Slashdot is even more massively collaborative than any movie, you can even warez this post if you like.
Since he's under 18, can he even enter into a contract? Can he effectively use the court system by himself? If he can't, it's all in the hands of whatever attorney will help him (I'm assumig he's not an idle rich kid, and that he basicly has paper-route money).
This is intriguing though. For adults like myself, who have little time to spare and much to lose, quick settlements and/or rapid capitulation to affordable terms are usually the only way out. In other words, if the *AA extorted 10 percent of my wealth, it might be enough to make them go away, and it would be more expedient for me to let them do that then spend half my wealth fighting them.
OTOH, if I'm a 16-year old and I can legally ride my bicycle to the court house and file claims all summer as an "interesting lesson", then what could I lose? That has a certain appeal to it; but I doubt it will fly. They'll probably drag it out until he's 18, and can be subject to things that will bother an adult.
Still though, the idea of a smart kid sitting there in the library putting up his time and zero money, pitted against corporate lawywers who charge their clients 100s of dollars an hour, is intriguing. Even if he loses, he wins, unless they force him to pay court costs--then he's screwed.
It's the sound of illegal lightbulb traffickers warming up their engines, and getting ready to cross the border. Put 'em on top, guys--right next to the high-flow toilets and tax-free cigs. Keep your weed handy in case you need to toss it out the window. [sarcasm]Woohoo! More ways for Al Qaeda cells to raise money trafficing stuff that doesn't arrouse much suspicion in most states.[/sarcasm]
This reminds me of the Challenger disaster. At the time, Budweiser ads were running where somebody would get a flaming torch, or a blinding splot-light in their face, etc., and the tagline was, "No, I wanted a Bud Lite". So that got picked up and rolled into one of the most popular "sick jokes" associated with Challenger. The way I see it, this is a common way of coping with death. Morbid humor seems to be particularly popular around puberty, when kids are just becoming aware of their own mortality (and usually, they make sick jokes and continue to believe they're immortal for the next few years). A lot of adults continue to employ this little coping mechanism throughout their lives.
If I win an anti-anti-anti-missile-missile missile in a contest, what are the taxes on it?
Nah. Everybody knows the real reason they died out.
There is, from a certain point of view, no such thing as a "non profit". Those who work for the IEEE collectively profit from it, in the form of salaries. The corporation, which is a fictitious person, doesn't profit; but that's just legality. The real people, who really matter, profit.
Now that that's out of the way, as others have pointed out, there are prestigious journals in and outside of the "non-profit" realm.
The issue here is that these journals feel threatened by new organizations who may duplicate their work. Ultimately, this should be a question of whether or not the traditional journals provide real value. If it's not possible to provide reliable peer review without a formal organization that includes plush offices and frequently traveling exectutives (along with the high subscription fees to support all that) then the traditionals should win. If, on the other hand, peer review of equal value can be provided by professors submitting PDFs to an online forum in a more refined version of Slashdot (presumeably with proof of academic credentials required for membership) then the traditionals should lose.
Trouble is, when you've got an executive postion and a plush office at some organization, or even a decent job, you're going to defend it. It's hard not to see the journal publishers as dinosaurs defending their territory. Part of the shame is that they might not have to do that. I must say though, Wikipedia has pretty much killed my desire to ever lug 4 shelf-feet of books into my next apartment. The realm of scientific journals might be different... or it might not be different.
The easy part: Trade schools graduate technicians, universities graduate engineers.
The hard part: Getting people to respect a good technician more than a bad engineer. Getting people to pay technicians what they're worth.
The likely outcome: Universities will continue to slouch towards vocational teaching that could have been done at the trades or in highschool. People will spend 4 years at mediocre state Us to avoid the stigma of not having a BS, which is the new highschool diploma. The masters will become the new BS.
My father had a GED. I've got a BS. If I ever have a kid, he'll probably need a masters to match his old man's career.
So basicly the North Koreans will be stepping up to the life of that woman with the rabbits in Roger and Me. Except they probably won't be allowed to breed their own.