there are better Babbage discussions out there . .
on
Babbage, A Look Back
·
· Score: 1
There are better written and more interesting discussions of Babbage out there. For example, check out John Lienhard's Engines of our Ingenuity site for some short essays on the topic, including:
A college political science professor once made a statement that stuck with me - "the U.S. system of government is intentionally designed to impede the popular will." In this case, it seems to have worked. Our entire system of government is designed to slow things down so that rash and unwise decisions don't get made too quickly. It doesn't always work, but the current crisis is exactly the kind of situation our government is designed to deal with.
The government doesn't always act as quickly as we would like - and that's a good thing.
Don't you just love politicians who stand by their positions?
Actually, I love politicians who change their mind after being exposed to new information and opinions. Sheesh. Sometimes, you can't win. If you're a politician who won't change your mind, you're "closed-minded." If you're a politician who changes his mind after further consideration, then you're "a shifty weasel without principles."
Politicians face the same challenges as the rest of us. What are "core principles" that should never be compromised and what are "practical principles" that need to be adjusted as situations change and/or new information becomes available?
Satellite radio is a great concept, but I have a hard time seeing too many people subscribe under the current terms. The "itch" that this addresses (too many commercials, not enough variety) isn't severe enough to justify the $300 + $120/year. Especially not when cheaper "scratches" exist, like CD players. The audiophiles that I know are more likely to spend their money on MP3 and CD alternatives.
Maybe if they can get enough cars to come with the hardware preinstalled, they have a shot. But until they have that installed base of hardware, this service is a pilot project at best.
For once, I wish owners of corporations would pick a year (this year, maybe?) to not make a profit.
How do you expect these "owners of corporations" to pay their employees, invest in new technology, put money away for the proverbial "rainy day," etc. if they don't make a profit?
It is time for you to go back to school and take a course in basic economics.
Another good book in the same vein is "Maximum Linux Security" by Anonymous (ISBN: 0672316706 ). Lots of good, concrete desciptions of potential security holes, guides to using a variety of tools, etc.
Does anyone have any idea how a non-US citizen can register his concern about US policy? Write to the US ambassador?
I would think that writing the UK ambassador to the US would be more effective than writing the US ambassador to the UK, but that's just my first guess.
I posted this earlier and it got modded down as off topic, but maybe I didn't say enough about why I thought this link was relevant.
My point in posting this link was to help people write their representatives to express their concern about the DCMA. We can whine all we want to in forums such as slashdot, but all we're really doing is preaching to the choir. If you want to change things, you have to contact your elected representatives. The U.S. is a participatory democracy, and those who actually take the time to participate have disproportionate power.
If you are a U.S. citizen, write your congressional representative a short note politely asking them to read the Science article mentioned in the original post. Tell them why you think this is an important issue. Make your voice heard.
Too bad they dont let you donate more than $50. I tried to donate $100 but it said I couldnt donate that much. That still did not stop me from donating the $50 which I hope can help in dealing with this tragic event.
Hmm. I made a $100 donation without any trouble. Maybe there was a restriction earlier in the day that has since been removed?
"He may have screwed up the Mecca thing but there is some truth to his words."
Certainly, there are some highly visible fanatics out there. My point was that we should just be careful about the kinds of generalizations we throw around at a time like this.
These attacks are serious business, and will require a serious response once the guilty parties have been identified. Condemning a religion (about which you clearly know very little) does not help here.
You can make your Windows desktop and website touchy feely using the logitech i-feel mouse [logitech.com]. I have one and it actually works okay.
I have a logitech IFeel mouse, and the tactile feedback gets old real fast. I turned it off after only a few days. I occasionally turn it on for games, but that's about it. Nothing like having your mouse vibrate when you're playing Tribes 2 and you run over a mine.
Did you *buy* Ximian for your new system? If not, that expensive booth was wasted.
I have to admit, I downloaded the free version. But, discussing that very issue with some of the folks in the booth, I (as an individual) wasn't necessarily their target. I don't have all the details, but as I understood it the desktop software is intended to drive/create demand for other products they offer.
Give up coffee, and take up Hatha Yoga. Your body deserves every kindness.
I have to agree - Hatha Yoga is just the ticket. I don't do it often enough, but when I make it to class 3 or 4 times in the same week, I always say to myself "wow - that feels great - I should do this more often". Of course, then I get busy at work and start hanging around the coffee urn.:-(
I posted a brief note about Linuxworld on my own site a couple of days ago. The things that caught my eye?
Lots of embedded vendors showing off their stuff.
Ximian's great booth! Great presenters, interesting products, and a great looking booth. Impressed me enough that I built a new system just to play around with the Ximian desktop. The Linux desktop lives!
The Linux Bootable Business card session The folks from LNX-BBC.org put on a great session about bootable Linux CDs in general and their impressive LNX-BBC in particular.
It's easy to test out the health effects of caffeine - just give it up for a month.
Every 6 months or so, I quit caffeine cold turkey - no soda, no coffee, etc. The first 3-4 days are miserable - headaches, fatigue, etc. After that I start feeling much better, sleeping better, having more energy, etc. It's pretty clear that I feel better and healthier without that morning copy of coffee.
Of course, then some deadline pops up and I'm back to drinking 2 cups of coffee and a six pack of diet coke per day. What drives me nuts is that I know better - I've been through this cycle at least 5 times. Thanks God I never started smoking! If I have this much trouble giving up caffeine, I can't imagine what nicotine would do to me.
Since when did this become true? I can see how some economists would claim this, and some would even suggest that this is a Good Thing(tm), but call me skeptical, I don't see it.
I am not an economist (IANAE?) but it seems pretty self-evident to me. Assuming any form of capitalistic economy, companies have to be able to expand to meet demand rises and contract when demand recedes. Good (or bad) management can change the point at which a company does these things, but the principle stays the same.
In the "real world" that I live in, I see a lot of people changing jobs and companies right now, but I don't see a lot of qualified technical people remaining unemployed for too long. Of course, some of them are having to settle for jobs that they don't like quite as much as their old ones, but I'm not seeing rampant unemployment out there (yet). Of course, your mileage may vary depending on where you live and your specific specialty.
Another fun thing is that, since they're expected to work for free, they and their families can starve, or perhaps beg for change on the street during the day after a long night of coding.
How does that follow? I somehow expect that someone with experience working on a high-profile project like Mozilla will have little difficulty finding a new position. Whether she chooses to continue working on Mozilla is up to her. Whether her new employer decides to pay her to work on Mozilla is up to them.
Freedom does not mean that you can expect somebody else to pay for you to work on things you find interesting. You have to be able to make a case to your employer that your work benefits the employer. Otherwise, it's just a hobby (not that there is anything wrong with hobbies).
So far there doesn't seem to be too much Netscape bashing going on here, which is a good thing. Layoffs are part of the normal business cycle. It's part of the price we pay for the great job motility we've enjoyed in the tech industry in recent years.
The nice thing about an open source project, however, is that someone can move between companies and still contribute. They can even take a break from a project and then come back.
I understand the philosophical arguments for using an open source standard instead of MP3s, but I have a hard time imagining that Ogg Vorbis will win out. MP3s are easy to use, easy to create (from existing CDs, at least), etc. I don't see the big motivating factor for people to go to Ogg Vorbis. The future seems to be divided up between MP3 and copy-protected formats provided by companies like Microsoft.
What am I missing? What is going to motivate anyone but idealogically motivated open source advocates to switch to Ogg Vorbis?
Slashdot Mirror
There are better written and more interesting discussions of Babbage out there. For example, check out John Lienhard's Engines of our Ingenuity site for some short essays on the topic, including:
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1059.htm
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1145.htm
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi646.htm
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi243.htm
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2.htm
A college political science professor once made a statement that stuck with me - "the U.S. system of government is intentionally designed to impede the popular will." In this case, it seems to have worked. Our entire system of government is designed to slow things down so that rash and unwise decisions don't get made too quickly. It doesn't always work, but the current crisis is exactly the kind of situation our government is designed to deal with.
The government doesn't always act as quickly as we would like - and that's a good thing.
Actually, I love politicians who change their mind after being exposed to new information and opinions. Sheesh. Sometimes, you can't win. If you're a politician who won't change your mind, you're "closed-minded." If you're a politician who changes his mind after further consideration, then you're "a shifty weasel without principles."
Politicians face the same challenges as the rest of us. What are "core principles" that should never be compromised and what are "practical principles" that need to be adjusted as situations change and/or new information becomes available?
This may be old, but it was new to me:
"Emacs is a great operating system - if only it came with a decent text editor."
Satellite radio is a great concept, but I have a hard time seeing too many people subscribe under the current terms. The "itch" that this addresses (too many commercials, not enough variety) isn't severe enough to justify the $300 + $120/year. Especially not when cheaper "scratches" exist, like CD players. The audiophiles that I know are more likely to spend their money on MP3 and CD alternatives.
Maybe if they can get enough cars to come with the hardware preinstalled, they have a shot. But until they have that installed base of hardware, this service is a pilot project at best.
How do you expect these "owners of corporations" to pay their employees, invest in new technology, put money away for the proverbial "rainy day," etc. if they don't make a profit?
It is time for you to go back to school and take a course in basic economics.
Another good book in the same vein is "Maximum Linux Security" by Anonymous (ISBN: 0672316706 ). Lots of good, concrete desciptions of potential security holes, guides to using a variety of tools, etc.
I would think that writing the UK ambassador to the US would be more effective than writing the US ambassador to the UK, but that's just my first guess.
I posted this earlier and it got modded down as off topic, but maybe I didn't say enough about why I thought this link was relevant.
My point in posting this link was to help people write their representatives to express their concern about the DCMA. We can whine all we want to in forums such as slashdot, but all we're really doing is preaching to the choir. If you want to change things, you have to contact your elected representatives. The U.S. is a participatory democracy, and those who actually take the time to participate have disproportionate power.
If you are a U.S. citizen, write your congressional representative a short note politely asking them to read the Science article mentioned in the original post. Tell them why you think this is an important issue. Make your voice heard.
To find out who your Congressional representative is and how to contact them, visit:
http://www.house.gov/writerep
If you are a U.S. citizen, write your congressional representitive a short note politely asking them to read this article.
To find out who your congresssional representitive is and how to contact them, visit:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Hmm. I made a $100 donation without any trouble. Maybe there was a restriction earlier in the day that has since been removed?
Certainly, there are some highly visible fanatics out there. My point was that we should just be careful about the kinds of generalizations we throw around at a time like this.
Mecca is a city in Saudi Arabia, you dunce.
These attacks are serious business, and will require a serious response once the guilty parties have been identified. Condemning a religion (about which you clearly know very little) does not help here.
I have a logitech IFeel mouse, and the tactile feedback gets old real fast. I turned it off after only a few days. I occasionally turn it on for games, but that's about it. Nothing like having your mouse vibrate when you're playing Tribes 2 and you run over a mine.
Did you *buy* Ximian for your new system? If not, that expensive booth was wasted.
I have to admit, I downloaded the free version. But, discussing that very issue with some of the folks in the booth, I (as an individual) wasn't necessarily their target. I don't have all the details, but as I understood it the desktop software is intended to drive/create demand for other products they offer.
Give up coffee, and take up Hatha Yoga. Your body deserves every kindness.
:-(
I have to agree - Hatha Yoga is just the ticket. I don't do it often enough, but when I make it to class 3 or 4 times in the same week, I always say to myself "wow - that feels great - I should do this more often". Of course, then I get busy at work and start hanging around the coffee urn.
I posted a brief note about Linuxworld on my own site a couple of days ago. The things that caught my eye?
Great presenters, interesting products, and a great looking booth. Impressed me enough that I built a new system just to play around with the Ximian desktop. The Linux desktop lives!
The folks from LNX-BBC.org put on a great session about bootable Linux CDs in general and their impressive LNX-BBC in particular.
It's easy to test out the health effects of caffeine - just give it up for a month.
Every 6 months or so, I quit caffeine cold turkey - no soda, no coffee, etc. The first 3-4 days are miserable - headaches, fatigue, etc. After that I start feeling much better, sleeping better, having more energy, etc. It's pretty clear that I feel better and healthier without that morning copy of coffee.
Of course, then some deadline pops up and I'm back to drinking 2 cups of coffee and a six pack of diet coke per day. What drives me nuts is that I know better - I've been through this cycle at least 5 times. Thanks God I never started smoking! If I have this much trouble giving up caffeine, I can't imagine what nicotine would do to me.
I am not an economist (IANAE?) but it seems pretty self-evident to me. Assuming any form of capitalistic economy, companies have to be able to expand to meet demand rises and contract when demand recedes. Good (or bad) management can change the point at which a company does these things, but the principle stays the same.
In the "real world" that I live in, I see a lot of people changing jobs and companies right now, but I don't see a lot of qualified technical people remaining unemployed for too long. Of course, some of them are having to settle for jobs that they don't like quite as much as their old ones, but I'm not seeing rampant unemployment out there (yet). Of course, your mileage may vary depending on where you live and your specific specialty.
How does that follow? I somehow expect that someone with experience working on a high-profile project like Mozilla will have little difficulty finding a new position. Whether she chooses to continue working on Mozilla is up to her. Whether her new employer decides to pay her to work on Mozilla is up to them.
Freedom does not mean that you can expect somebody else to pay for you to work on things you find interesting. You have to be able to make a case to your employer that your work benefits the employer. Otherwise, it's just a hobby (not that there is anything wrong with hobbies).
So far there doesn't seem to be too much Netscape bashing going on here, which is a good thing. Layoffs are part of the normal business cycle. It's part of the price we pay for the great job motility we've enjoyed in the tech industry in recent years.
The nice thing about an open source project, however, is that someone can move between companies and still contribute. They can even take a break from a project and then come back.
"Office Space" is one of those movies that gets funnier every time I see it. If you want to "redecorate" your cube, don't forget the power drill!
I understand the philosophical arguments for using an open source standard instead of MP3s, but I have a hard time imagining that Ogg Vorbis will win out. MP3s are easy to use, easy to create (from existing CDs, at least), etc. I don't see the big motivating factor for people to go to Ogg Vorbis. The future seems to be divided up between MP3 and copy-protected formats provided by companies like Microsoft.
What am I missing? What is going to motivate anyone but idealogically motivated open source advocates to switch to Ogg Vorbis?
that there are people with more time on their hands than I.