Right now, the main limiting factor in PDA adoption (IMHO) is size. They're too darned big, they don't fit nicely into my pocket. Perhaps something the size of a credit card would be well protected in my wallet - but then the screen and input devices are too small -
Hence - this device would be the savior of the PDA industry.
I prefer Thorsten Lemke's fantastic Graphics Converter.
It has a browser which "don't need no stinkin' import"
You have your files organized in the file system the way you want - and it browses them. The best of both worlds. Honestly, I really don't understand what iPhoto is for.
"Before we humans started generating agricultural surpluses above what we could hunt and gather, one person's idle pursuits could impact the ability of a whole community to feed itself. "
All sorts of things can be said about the military's stringent requirements, but the plane is NOT YET IN SERVICE.
Right now, it's in test flights, and test maneuvers to see how this plane's capabilities can be best used in combat. The software is not completed yet. It's 93% complete. The fact that it runs at all is pretty decent. By the time the plane actually enters service, the software WILL be completed, and the bugs removed. They still have a couple more years.
I've worked in both military contractors, and "regualr" commercial software development from small start ups, to one of the top 5 software companies (#of employees). The military contractors use a rigorous engineering process of change management and peer review, it's a TOTALLY different development environment than what your regular software development engineers are familliar with. Yes, the process is very slow. But it's precise. Commercial software is "good enough" for it's market - but the development process is often pretty much "willy-nilly", and while the larger companies have more rigorous and systematic QA - that doesn't address the development process.
It's not what Russia has or soon will have. It's what the EU will soon have.
Among the hawks of this administration, America still needs to DOMINATE the EU, and they're coming along with a new generation of fighter as well. Is it better than the F-15? who knows. But it's a big ol pissing match, so that doesn't matter.
The Air Force, it's personnel, WILL learn to manage the F-22. They aren't there yet - that's why the plane isn't in service yet. They have several years to get there. Despite the hype, the F-22 doesn't push the envelope all that much.
The home office has a special network security "swat team". Last year, they did a security audit of our site, which consisted of trying to hack into our network, from the inside.
They found several rogue Linux boxes, and were able to hack into them through ftpd. Holy hell was raised. All Linux was purged from our network. Oddly enough, here it is, 8 months later, and nearly every developer has a second box on his or her desk, with, you guessed it, Linux. However, it's a distribution and configuration, approved and controlled by IT.
It's all about control with these guys. .. You'd think that black leather keyboards with spikes and clamps would be popular with these freaks.
You know, that whole concept is lost to me, ever since the advent of freely accessible pr0n on the internet. I mean, REALLY. What's so sexy about these chicks shaking their bootys at the camera in short-shorts, when you can see the real thing in full 24-bit color glory? For free.
Because somebody's eyesight was poor. There was a problem, and some person tried to figure out how to solve it.
Then they decided to keep it a secret so they could get phat profit.
Two separate efforts for two separate goals.
If you sat down and said to yourself: "self, I want lots of money, I think I'll try to invent something" - I guarantee, you'll get nowhere. I personally know dozens of people who've desired this and failed, they usually work at Blockbuster Video.
But if you're, for instance, performing some task - and perhaps there's a problem in your process, or some kind of tool that would make the task easier, you'd get that spark, suddenly, you know how to solve this problem, you've invented something. Perhaps you'll get rich, perhaps the idea is impractical, or costs more to manufacture than the value it provides. Or worst of all, perhaps someone else already thought of it, patented it, and the patent was bought by some corporation who perhaps profits more by that tool never being manufactured.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Not "phat profit".
Re:Other technologies go obsolete too, So what?
on
Software Archaeology
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
That same SciAm article mentioned the impending loss of archived data from NASA, data collected from satellites launched at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Some of this data is useless, today. In the future, someone might find it useful. Do we allow this data to degrade, and then possibly launch a new satellite to collect new data (if that's even possible, in some cases, it's not - how do you gather climate data from the 1970's?).
The main problem is the tape backup companies no longer support the old tape drives, and new tape drives don't support the old tapes and tape formats.
Funny thing is, 5 years ago, I was there with everyone else saying that we should put this data on CD ROM, because that format will never, ever, ever go away. Now, I'm not so sure - if they ever straighten out the DVD standard, I can see a future, 10 years from now, when you won't be able to buy a new device that can read a CD ROM.
For hundreds of years, after the science of creating corrective eye lenses was invented in Venice, Italy, the process of grinding and shaping the lenses was kept a very profitable secret. People who could not afford to pay for this very expensive Intellectual Property generally just went without. Sure. You could get magnifying lenses, but not lenses that corrected for nearsightedness.
Those of you of moderate to low income (I'm talking. . . making less than 7 figures per year, to put it in perspective with pre-reniassance nobility), who require corrective eye lenses, imagine yourself unable to beg, borrow, or steal a pair of glasses for yourself. Even crude ones.
Eventually, the secret got out, and now we have a global multi-billion dollar industry.
In other words, the very concept of IP is just plain evil.
If the Government or it's employees BREAKS THE LAW - we have every right to complain, take them by force if necessary, put them up against a wall and shoot them.
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America. . . or: what this government is for:
We the PEOPLE (emphasis mine), in order to form a more perfect union, ESTABLISH JUSTICE (emphasis mine), ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON defense (emphasis mine), PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE (emphasis mine), and secure the blessings of liberty, TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY (emphasis mine), do ordain and establish this Constitution. ..
They weren't counting on the WTC going down, and trading being halted. If trading hadn't been halted, they would have gotten away with the money.
To me - this suggests that the "investors" were NOT the perpetrators, or related to the perpetrators in a way that gave them specific information on the plans. The "investors" had non-specific enough information to know that UAL and/or AMR were going to take a hit (ie. they knew planes would be hijacked), but they thought they'd get away with cashing in the put options before anyone caught on, so they did not know the WTC was the target.
IMO - this sounds EXACTLY like the information the Bush administration said they had prior to 9/11, there were warnings, there were signs, but nothing specific.
So was it just a coincidence that the company that processed the options has a former officer as an Executive Director (#3 position) in the CIA?
To me, that suggests that the "investors" knew there was going to be an attack, knew that multiple airplanes would be involved from UAL and AMR, but did NOT know that the WTC was the target, or would be destroyed in the attack.
For the record, the Conspiracy Theorists (a simple Google search will confirm) have made the connection between Deutsche Bank, who processed these transactions, and our current Executive Director of the CIA, A B Krongard - who founded A B Brown, which was bought by Deutsche Bank, he remained on as a director.
Now, while this has a distinct odor, it's nowhere near "smoking gun". I'm just wondering what a big invenstment banking director has, in the way of experience with the Spy Business, such that he lands a cushy job with the CIA? I mean, what are they teaching these bank directors anyway? Is it the fancy sports cars, or what?
Slashdot Mirror
Right now, the main limiting factor in PDA adoption (IMHO) is size. They're too darned big, they don't fit nicely into my pocket. Perhaps something the size of a credit card would be well protected in my wallet - but then the screen and input devices are too small -
Hence - this device would be the savior of the PDA industry.
This is true for every VB program I've ever worked on.
I prefer Thorsten Lemke's fantastic Graphics Converter.
It has a browser which "don't need no stinkin' import"
You have your files organized in the file system the way you want - and it browses them. The best of both worlds. Honestly, I really don't understand what iPhoto is for.
I hate (not dislike, hate) iTunes for the exact same reason.
Bull.
DR DOS/DOS 7/Novell DOS.
Plus, it could be argued that their NDS Client for Windows is an operating system in of itself *snicker*.
Novell is known for little more than buying companies, and letting them whither and die.
WordPerfect,
Corell,
Caldera,
DR.DOS,
etc. . . .
Then maybe we should "get on the stick" with that distribution. . .
"Before we humans started generating agricultural surpluses above what we could hunt and gather, one person's idle pursuits could impact the ability of a whole community to feed itself. "
Then why can't the human race feed itself today?
All sorts of things can be said about the military's stringent requirements, but the plane is NOT YET IN SERVICE.
Right now, it's in test flights, and test maneuvers to see how this plane's capabilities can be best used in combat. The software is not completed yet. It's 93% complete. The fact that it runs at all is pretty decent. By the time the plane actually enters service, the software WILL be completed, and the bugs removed. They still have a couple more years.
I've worked in both military contractors, and "regualr" commercial software development from small start ups, to one of the top 5 software companies (#of employees). The military contractors use a rigorous engineering process of change management and peer review, it's a TOTALLY different development environment than what your regular software development engineers are familliar with. Yes, the process is very slow. But it's precise. Commercial software is "good enough" for it's market - but the development process is often pretty much "willy-nilly", and while the larger companies have more rigorous and systematic QA - that doesn't address the development process.
It's not what Russia has or soon will have. It's what the EU will soon have.
Among the hawks of this administration, America still needs to DOMINATE the EU, and they're coming along with a new generation of fighter as well. Is it better than the F-15? who knows. But it's a big ol pissing match, so that doesn't matter.
The Air Force, it's personnel, WILL learn to manage the F-22. They aren't there yet - that's why the plane isn't in service yet. They have several years to get there. Despite the hype, the F-22 doesn't push the envelope all that much.
I know some people who work "in that field". It's quite simple to rationalize it.
You're making tools of deterrance for PEACE. Is it your fault these silly childish politicians misuse them?
Company shall remain nameless for my protection -
.
The home office has a special network security "swat team". Last year, they did a security audit of our site, which consisted of trying to hack into our network, from the inside.
They found several rogue Linux boxes, and were able to hack into them through ftpd. Holy hell was raised. All Linux was purged from our network. Oddly enough, here it is, 8 months later, and nearly every developer has a second box on his or her desk, with, you guessed it, Linux. However, it's a distribution and configuration, approved and controlled by IT.
It's all about control with these guys. .
You'd think that black leather keyboards with spikes and clamps would be popular with these freaks.
" . . . But damn, those girls are hot,. . . ."
You know, that whole concept is lost to me, ever since the advent of freely accessible pr0n on the internet. I mean, REALLY. What's so sexy about these chicks shaking their bootys at the camera in short-shorts, when you can see the real thing in full 24-bit color glory? For free.
Because somebody's eyesight was poor. There was a problem, and some person tried to figure out how to solve it.
Then they decided to keep it a secret so they could get phat profit.
Two separate efforts for two separate goals.
If you sat down and said to yourself:
"self, I want lots of money, I think I'll try to invent something" - I guarantee, you'll get nowhere. I personally know dozens of people who've desired this and failed, they usually work at Blockbuster Video.
But if you're, for instance, performing some task - and perhaps there's a problem in your process, or some kind of tool that would make the task easier, you'd get that spark, suddenly, you know how to solve this problem, you've invented something. Perhaps you'll get rich, perhaps the idea is impractical, or costs more to manufacture than the value it provides. Or worst of all, perhaps someone else already thought of it, patented it, and the patent was bought by some corporation who perhaps profits more by that tool never being manufactured.
Weapons Against Terrorism! Oh goody! We're saved!
Where to I invest?
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Not "phat profit".
That same SciAm article mentioned the impending loss of archived data from NASA, data collected from satellites launched at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Some of this data is useless, today. In the future, someone might find it useful. Do we allow this data to degrade, and then possibly launch a new satellite to collect new data (if that's even possible, in some cases, it's not - how do you gather climate data from the 1970's?).
The main problem is the tape backup companies no longer support the old tape drives, and new tape drives don't support the old tapes and tape formats.
Funny thing is, 5 years ago, I was there with everyone else saying that we should put this data on CD ROM, because that format will never, ever, ever go away. Now, I'm not so sure - if they ever straighten out the DVD standard, I can see a future, 10 years from now, when you won't be able to buy a new device that can read a CD ROM.
For hundreds of years, after the science of creating corrective eye lenses was invented in Venice, Italy, the process of grinding and shaping the lenses was kept a very profitable secret. People who could not afford to pay for this very expensive Intellectual Property generally just went without. Sure. You could get magnifying lenses, but not lenses that corrected for nearsightedness.
Those of you of moderate to low income (I'm talking. . . making less than 7 figures per year, to put it in perspective with pre-reniassance nobility), who require corrective eye lenses, imagine yourself unable to beg, borrow, or steal a pair of glasses for yourself. Even crude ones.
Eventually, the secret got out, and now we have a global multi-billion dollar industry.
In other words, the very concept of IP is just plain evil.
It doesn't matter if I vote or not.
If the Government or it's employees BREAKS THE LAW - we have every right to complain, take them by force if necessary, put them up against a wall and shoot them.
Dewey Defeats Truman.
nuff said
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America. . . or: what this government is for:
.
We the PEOPLE (emphasis mine), in order to form a more perfect union, ESTABLISH JUSTICE (emphasis mine), ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON defense (emphasis mine), PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE (emphasis mine), and secure the blessings of liberty, TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY (emphasis mine), do ordain and establish this Constitution. .
(gotta love that Schoolhouse Rock).
Criminal Justice is WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT IS FOR!
They weren't counting on the WTC going down, and trading being halted. If trading hadn't been halted, they would have gotten away with the money.
To me - this suggests that the "investors" were NOT the perpetrators, or related to the perpetrators in a way that gave them specific information on the plans. The "investors" had non-specific enough information to know that UAL and/or AMR were going to take a hit (ie. they knew planes would be hijacked), but they thought they'd get away with cashing in the put options before anyone caught on, so they did not know the WTC was the target.
IMO - this sounds EXACTLY like the information the Bush administration said they had prior to 9/11, there were warnings, there were signs, but nothing specific.
So was it just a coincidence that the company that processed the options has a former officer as an Executive Director (#3 position) in the CIA?
To me, that suggests that the "investors" knew there was going to be an attack, knew that multiple airplanes would be involved from UAL and AMR, but did NOT know that the WTC was the target, or would be destroyed in the attack.
For the record, the Conspiracy Theorists (a simple Google search will confirm) have made the connection between Deutsche Bank, who processed these transactions, and our current Executive Director of the CIA, A B Krongard - who founded A B Brown, which was bought by Deutsche Bank, he remained on as a director.
Now, while this has a distinct odor, it's nowhere near "smoking gun". I'm just wondering what a big invenstment banking director has, in the way of experience with the Spy Business, such that he lands a cushy job with the CIA? I mean, what are they teaching these bank directors anyway? Is it the fancy sports cars, or what?
a "normal" office computer user with an IT department that has a clue, and wants to provide their users with decent tools for Unix interoperability.
Such a beast, of course, is pure fantasy, but what the hay?