YES! The FCC became an annacronism the instant it became feasable to transmit audio over the Internet. Their continued existence only serves to slow down whatever progress the industry can make.
The national librarians union (WTF is is called) is philosophically opposed. Leading to local regs some places (where the theoriticians are in charge).
They certainly monitor usage where I live and will not hesitate to kick you out for porn. Lamers that this happens to find their names in the paper and themselves banned. Usually it was another patron that snitches them out. Simply a matter of how you arrange the screens.
It may be a state or local law then, 'cause if anyone is viewing porn on a library computer here, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. (Although the last time I was witness to this, the librarians blamed Federal law, but they could have been wrong.)
Librarians are not allowed by federal law to restrict what people view on the Internet.
Which federal law? [snip]
I'm honestly not sure which it is, but I could probably ask any of the librarians in my area, as they are frequently frustrated by said law when they can't shut down the computers of kids (KIDS!!! As in 9 year olds!) viewing shemalepr0n.com (or whatever). It's a big topic in our local library system.
Nope... she should ensure that Windows is installed on every PC and that there is no NAT firewall between them and the Internet.
That way, they'll become so laden with viruses and spyware that they'll be unusable, but she'd still be able to claim that they're "available."
Well, the people who view other people wearing their god-given birth costumes will probably not be the people who complain. So, all she'd have to do is keep other people from viewing the computer screens in use. So, she helps privacy invasion. Catch 22 avoided.
The problem in this case is pr0n was found on the hard drive. If people are going to be that nitpicky about it, they're going to find something wrong, whether the user is offending others with their content or not. Besides, I think this case has more to do with laws being broken than people being offended, I'm just not sure why the librarian was brought into it. It's like the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition lawsuit, why was ABC brought into the lawsuit? They're simply a third party that happened be around the dispute and had big pocket... er, been a "contributing factor" in the arguement.
In the end, this has almost nothing to do with "ideals" and more to do with rules-lawyers finding an excuse to cause suffering on someone else for their own benifit. (How much you want to bet there's a vote going on in the area where this will become a "poster story" on the subject?)
So, basically, what the article is saying is this:
If you want bugs with your handheld, use a PocketPC based device. If you are willing to put up with some technical and feature benchmarks not being met, get a PalmOS based device.
It's all about the negatives, the "gotcha's" that will cause you more problems than any other thing with a computing device. If the device isn't capable of it, you won't even notice until the device is capable. If the device is supposed to be capable, but isn't because the feature is buggy, then you are going to be mind-numbingly frustrated from day one.
This isn't dismissing the instability with the most recent PalmOS release, but I think the instability is more akin to MacOS 9's instability before MacOS X came out. The OS is basically a hold-over to stay competitive and keep people interested until the newer, better, and TOTALLY DIFFERENT OS is ready. I have a feeling that once PalmOS is completely Linux based, all the instabilities will be gone.
Besides, the current PalmOS version is 5. All v.5's suck in some way or another.
There was this guy who really bugged me for several months in my freshman year of highschool. He didn't do anything to me, per se, but the guy just got on my nerves.
So I killed him.
And nobody ever bothered me again...
Give me a break. The people commiting these acts of terror are grown adults. They can choose whether or not they get violent, just like you can choose to make annoying comments and I choose not to kill you over said annoying comments.
I have yet to find anyone who can point out to me precicely what the benefits of Blackberry are over some of the "older," more open technologies. As far as I can tell, it's an expensive 2-way alpha-numeric pager with an always on "chat" and the ability to check your email. Big whup, I can do all these on my Palm PDA and browse the web, play games, read e-books and fanfiction, etc. Frankly the whole Blackberry thing looks to me like a fine way to cheat PHBs out of their money.
'Course, you know what they say about money and fools...
I just have to say that as someone who nearly blew a blood vessel when the whole "My" scheme came about and just KNEW that nothing ever good would come of it, I have precisely one reaction to this announcement:
Has the $10,000 reward been claimed, then? Cuz last I heard, he was still offering that to anyone who could find a factual error in Fahrenheit 9/11.
That was pure publicity. Do you honestly think that he would pay one red cent to anyone who criticizes his work, especially given that this is his usual reaction to the slightest criticism?
Re:Please kids don't steal (Score:-1, Troll) by SnarfQuest (469614) on Saturday May 14, @03:42PM (#12531966) This is almost a job for Michael Moore....
You would do a better job using the "National Enquirer"s fact finding teams, or even the "Weekly World News". You would get a much more accurate report.
Lovely. Modded Troll because he points out that Moore's "fact checking" resembles nothing of the sort. I can see this being rated "Off Topic," as it's not on the topic of the main thread, but "Troll?" I mean, really, how's that any better than Microsoft's "Thought Theft Patrol?" Just because you don't like a comment that someone makes does not make the person making the comment a troll. Use real moderation people, not opinion censoring.
Every law should have an expiration date. This would keep the important laws on the books (since they'd be easily renewed) and let the stupid or unpopular ones lapse. Also, it would take up a lot of Congress' time renewing old laws and they'd have less time to shove their stupid new laws down our gullets..
The slashcode needs a special "6" score just for incredibly insightful comments like this. Seriously, there's so many old laws on the books that need to be retired.
They do sound interesting. I wouldn't mind seeing any of those, either, nor would I mind exposing my kids to them, so long as the programs don't outright mock what I believe.
Too right! I enjoy the open, honest brain-work of anybody as long as they don't descend into brain-less attacks on those who don't share their beliefs.
I came to this conclusion after reading a/. book review for The Red Queen, and thinking it sounded like a good book. So, like all bibliophiles, I checked it out of my local library and began to read. I was looking forward to a positive experience until around page 6 I ran across this passage:
"To those who believe that the world was made in seven days by a man with a long beard and that therefore human nature cannot have been designed by selection but by an Intelligence, I merely bid a respectful good day."...
This is exactly the kind of behavior that drove my father to atheism. He presented honest, open questions that required the engagement of brain and got insults from his church leaders.
My mental reply was thus; "Yes, thank you Mr. Author sir for dismissing me out of hand without even a hat tip to the fact that I was being open minded about the whole thing.
Oh, and God may have shaved in the last few thousand years, how would you know, given that you don't even speak with Him?"
Disgusted, I promptly returned the book to the library. I've since noticed this is actually a very common thing amongst those who feel themselves mentally superior because they fix their belief in an unproven theory rather than an unseen God. (Provability dependant on your own level of belief, stuborness, and open-minded-ness)
It strains the credibility of the scientific community when a few "scientists" decide to openly attack anybody of a religious bent. Rather like the idiot who said that 9/11 was the result of the homosexual members of our society made any Christian look like a knuckle dragging idiot. What one person says/does and is tollerated by their community is highly reflective of that particular community.
OK, I've ranted enough on that.
I would view it as an opportunity to discuss with my kids what I believe and why I believe it. Ultimately, my kids have to decide for themselves what they believe about the world around them.
And if you don't teach them to decide for themselves, no matter your belief, you've failed as a parent and a member of society.
Boy, I'm on a Rant Roll(tm) today.
I don't think that evangelical Christians, by and large, are afraid of the marketplace of ideas. They are used to being the underdog in an ideological war.
The twist here is that most of the western world is not used to the idea that Christians are the underdog, including most Christians. Thus, when oneChristian speaks his mind about his beliefs, he's dogpiled as being opressive and majority-totalitarian, and most of said Christian's contemporaries will accept it. (Note I said "most.")
If you look at the public struggles between creationists and evolutionists, the creationists who represent the mainstream Evangelical thought are not trying to remove evolution, they would just like the teaching of evolution to acknowledge that it is not a proven fact, and that there are other schools of thought, an in particular, the possibility of intelligent design.
Yes and no, some are, some aren't. I, myself, don't mind the teaching of evolution as a theory, as that's how it was taught to me by my (very excellent) teachers. The problem I have is when The Grande and Noeble Doctrine of Evolutione as tought by the Messiah Darwin is drilled into students heads like Creation was 200 years ago.
3) Why has complaining about slashdot standards support become an exercise in growing your karma, all these redundant posts are always modded interesting in any discussion regarding the web.
As long as it remains a problem, people will still comment on it. Possitive ratings for comments only mean that the moderator/metamoderator saw those comments as relevant to the topic/metatopic. When the/code is cleaned up enough for people not to notice the differnce x-browser, then you'll have reason to complain.
The new Archos PMA400 is a Linux based portable- entertainment/PDA/DVR/Internet device. It comes with wireless and ethernet LAN connections, plays Mophun and Qtopia and supports Microsoft DRM protected files (WMV, WMA)....it also makes Julian fries, will comb your hair, you'll forget all about that silly "sliced bread" nonsense, will completely redefine the wheel, and cure cancer!
*sigh* Another day, another "iPod Killer." Honestly, how many people, walking down the street, would honestly say, "I sure could use a tiny, low-resolution screen to distract me from the onerous task of not wandering into traffic."
These devices make no real sense to me whatsoever.
... a.k.a. - In the state of being without a clue.
This goes out to everyone that thinks that hitting this guy under the PATRIOT act is somehow too harsh, wrong, or you just don't like the PATRIOT act. (I don't either, but that's a discussion for another post):
If you have ever even THOUGHT about flying a plane, ever used a flight simulator that comes anywhere near resembling reality, you would know that even the slightest distraction or problem in the cockpit can mean the entire plane goes down. Further, anyone who has been painted from a distance can tell you that it is very disconcerting, especially with the thought that the laser in question could be attached to a potentially lethal weapon. This gives you a shot of adrenaline, which in turn causes you to go into "fight-or-flight," and in this mindset it is very easy to make a critical mistake.
Finally, terrorists aren't just guys in turbans in the middle-east that learn how to fly a plane but not land it. They can be litterally anyone with any agenda. I don't know if they've hit your necks of the woods, but eco-terrorists are on the rise here in California, and they are proving even more dificult to find than "regular" terrorists because they often have no criminal record outside of "disturbance" arrests, and they look just like everybody else. An eco-terrorist gets it into his head that planes are the next big Ozone-Hole-Ripper, one laserpointer is all they need to take down an airplane and all passengers aboard.
I think 25 years is perfectly fine. He endangered everyone in the air and on the ground, and lives are more important than the jollies of a man who thinks that buzzing planes is fun.
To avoid confusion, all consumer electronics and computer manufacturers should simply change the name of the class of hardware that is designed to play digital music the "iPod killer" class, instead of the misleading "MP3 player" class.
Think about it. No more having to explain why Sony's offerings can't play MP3s, and marketting would have a practically pre-written press release:
"Bob's Hardware.com has released the latest in iPod Killer, it not only plays your digital music, it will also miter your boards and includes a built in laser level."
Slashdot Mirror
Seriously, just because there was a Simpsons about Homer riding in an elevator, does it necessitate quoting?
For heavens sake, YES! If we didn't, the universe would collapse!
YES! The FCC became an annacronism the instant it became feasable to transmit audio over the Internet. Their continued existence only serves to slow down whatever progress the industry can make.
The national librarians union (WTF is is called) is philosophically opposed. Leading to local regs some places (where the theoriticians are in charge).
They certainly monitor usage where I live and will not hesitate to kick you out for porn. Lamers that this happens to find their names in the paper and themselves banned. Usually it was another patron that snitches them out. Simply a matter of how you arrange the screens.
It may be a state or local law then, 'cause if anyone is viewing porn on a library computer here, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. (Although the last time I was witness to this, the librarians blamed Federal law, but they could have been wrong.)
Which federal law? [snip]
I'm honestly not sure which it is, but I could probably ask any of the librarians in my area, as they are frequently frustrated by said law when they can't shut down the computers of kids (KIDS!!! As in 9 year olds!) viewing shemalepr0n.com (or whatever). It's a big topic in our local library system.
That way, they'll become so laden with viruses and spyware that they'll be unusable, but she'd still be able to claim that they're "available."
That could work! My wife's workplace (a college) has machines with that exact setup! Works like a charm, 'cause nobody wants to use them! Brilliant!
Well, the people who view other people wearing their god-given birth costumes will probably not be the people who complain. So, all she'd have to do is keep other people from viewing the computer screens in use. So, she helps privacy invasion. Catch 22 avoided.
The problem in this case is pr0n was found on the hard drive. If people are going to be that nitpicky about it, they're going to find something wrong, whether the user is offending others with their content or not. Besides, I think this case has more to do with laws being broken than people being offended, I'm just not sure why the librarian was brought into it. It's like the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition lawsuit, why was ABC brought into the lawsuit? They're simply a third party that happened be around the dispute and had big pocket... er, been a "contributing factor" in the arguement.
In the end, this has almost nothing to do with "ideals" and more to do with rules-lawyers finding an excuse to cause suffering on someone else for their own benifit. (How much you want to bet there's a vote going on in the area where this will become a "poster story" on the subject?)
Here's the lovely Catch-22 that's been set up for this librarian:
Librarians are not allowed by federal law to restrict what people view on the Internet.
Now, the librarians can be suspended/fired for NOT restricting what people view on the Internet.
What the hell is she supposed to do? Punt?
Step two is; "Sue spammers!"
It's all so clear now!
So, basically, what the article is saying is this:
If you want bugs with your handheld, use a PocketPC based device. If you are willing to put up with some technical and feature benchmarks not being met, get a PalmOS based device.
It's all about the negatives, the "gotcha's" that will cause you more problems than any other thing with a computing device. If the device isn't capable of it, you won't even notice until the device is capable. If the device is supposed to be capable, but isn't because the feature is buggy, then you are going to be mind-numbingly frustrated from day one.
This isn't dismissing the instability with the most recent PalmOS release, but I think the instability is more akin to MacOS 9's instability before MacOS X came out. The OS is basically a hold-over to stay competitive and keep people interested until the newer, better, and TOTALLY DIFFERENT OS is ready. I have a feeling that once PalmOS is completely Linux based, all the instabilities will be gone.
Besides, the current PalmOS version is 5. All v.5's suck in some way or another.
So I killed him.
And nobody ever bothered me again...
Give me a break. The people commiting these acts of terror are grown adults. They can choose whether or not they get violent, just like you can choose to make annoying comments and I choose not to kill you over said annoying comments.
'Course, you know what they say about money and fools...
Unclean!!! I feel unclean!!! The feeling won't go away! Must ... get ... clean!!!!
I just have to say that as someone who nearly blew a blood vessel when the whole "My" scheme came about and just KNEW that nothing ever good would come of it, I have precisely one reaction to this announcement:
! !!!!!
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssss!!!!!!!
Are you nuts? That would keep the radiation *in*!
Only if you have the shiny side facing in.
Who painted my computer this lime green color?!?!?!
...
No, I don't have a Lime or Emerald iMac.
Has the $10,000 reward been claimed, then? Cuz last I heard, he was still offering that to anyone who could find a factual error in Fahrenheit 9/11.
That was pure publicity. Do you honestly think that he would pay one red cent to anyone who criticizes his work, especially given that this is his usual reaction to the slightest criticism?
This is almost a job for Michael Moore....
Naaah... to polically inflamatory. Get the Super-size Me guy, then more people will watch it.
(and...um, believe it. )
Re:Please kids don't steal (Score:-1, Troll)
by SnarfQuest (469614) on Saturday May 14, @03:42PM (#12531966)
This is almost a job for Michael Moore....
You would do a better job using the "National Enquirer"s fact finding teams, or even the "Weekly World News". You would get a much more accurate report.
Lovely. Modded Troll because he points out that Moore's "fact checking" resembles nothing of the sort. I can see this being rated "Off Topic," as it's not on the topic of the main thread, but "Troll?" I mean, really, how's that any better than Microsoft's "Thought Theft Patrol?" Just because you don't like a comment that someone makes does not make the person making the comment a troll. Use real moderation people, not opinion censoring.
Every law should have an expiration date. This would keep the important laws on the books (since they'd be easily renewed) and let the stupid or unpopular ones lapse. Also, it would take up a lot of Congress' time renewing old laws and they'd have less time to shove their stupid new laws down our gullets..
The slashcode needs a special "6" score just for incredibly insightful comments like this. Seriously, there's so many old laws on the books that need to be retired.
Now, how to get this into law...?
They do sound interesting. I wouldn't mind seeing any of those, either, nor would I mind exposing my kids to them, so long as the programs don't outright mock what I believe.
/. book review for The Red Queen, and thinking it sounded like a good book. So, like all bibliophiles, I checked it out of my local library and began to read. I was looking forward to a positive experience until around page 6 I ran across this passage:
...
Too right! I enjoy the open, honest brain-work of anybody as long as they don't descend into brain-less attacks on those who don't share their beliefs.
I came to this conclusion after reading a
"To those who believe that the world was made in seven days by a man with a long beard and that therefore human nature cannot have been designed by selection but by an Intelligence, I merely bid a respectful good day."
This is exactly the kind of behavior that drove my father to atheism. He presented honest, open questions that required the engagement of brain and got insults from his church leaders.
My mental reply was thus; "Yes, thank you Mr. Author sir for dismissing me out of hand without even a hat tip to the fact that I was being open minded about the whole thing.
Oh, and God may have shaved in the last few thousand years, how would you know, given that you don't even speak with Him?"
Disgusted, I promptly returned the book to the library. I've since noticed this is actually a very common thing amongst those who feel themselves mentally superior because they fix their belief in an unproven theory rather than an unseen God. (Provability dependant on your own level of belief, stuborness, and open-minded-ness)
It strains the credibility of the scientific community when a few "scientists" decide to openly attack anybody of a religious bent. Rather like the idiot who said that 9/11 was the result of the homosexual members of our society made any Christian look like a knuckle dragging idiot. What one person says/does and is tollerated by their community is highly reflective of that particular community.
OK, I've ranted enough on that.
I would view it as an opportunity to discuss with my kids what I believe and why I believe it. Ultimately, my kids have to decide for themselves what they believe about the world around them.
And if you don't teach them to decide for themselves, no matter your belief, you've failed as a parent and a member of society.
Boy, I'm on a Rant Roll(tm) today.
I don't think that evangelical Christians, by and large, are afraid of the marketplace of ideas. They are used to being the underdog in an ideological war.
The twist here is that most of the western world is not used to the idea that Christians are the underdog, including most Christians. Thus, when oneChristian speaks his mind about his beliefs, he's dogpiled as being opressive and majority-totalitarian, and most of said Christian's contemporaries will accept it. (Note I said "most.")
If you look at the public struggles between creationists and evolutionists, the creationists who represent the mainstream Evangelical thought are not trying to remove evolution, they would just like the teaching of evolution to acknowledge that it is not a proven fact, and that there are other schools of thought, an in particular, the possibility of intelligent design.
Yes and no, some are, some aren't. I, myself, don't mind the teaching of evolution as a theory, as that's how it was taught to me by my (very excellent) teachers. The problem I have is when The Grande and Noeble Doctrine of Evolutione as tought by the Messiah Darwin is drilled into students heads like Creation was 200 years ago.
As a creationist, I do *not* w
So, will we get Tricorders with these?
3) Why has complaining about slashdot standards support become an exercise in growing your karma, all these redundant posts are always modded interesting in any discussion regarding the web.
/code is cleaned up enough for people not to notice the differnce x-browser, then you'll have reason to complain.
As long as it remains a problem, people will still comment on it. Possitive ratings for comments only mean that the moderator/metamoderator saw those comments as relevant to the topic/metatopic. When the
The new Archos PMA400 is a Linux based portable- entertainment/PDA/DVR/Internet device. It comes with wireless and ethernet LAN connections, plays Mophun and Qtopia and supports Microsoft DRM protected files (WMV, WMA). ...it also makes Julian fries, will comb your hair, you'll forget all about that silly "sliced bread" nonsense, will completely redefine the wheel, and cure cancer!
*sigh* Another day, another "iPod Killer." Honestly, how many people, walking down the street, would honestly say, "I sure could use a tiny, low-resolution screen to distract me from the onerous task of not wandering into traffic."
These devices make no real sense to me whatsoever.
... a.k.a. - In the state of being without a clue.
This goes out to everyone that thinks that hitting this guy under the PATRIOT act is somehow too harsh, wrong, or you just don't like the PATRIOT act. (I don't either, but that's a discussion for another post):
If you have ever even THOUGHT about flying a plane, ever used a flight simulator that comes anywhere near resembling reality, you would know that even the slightest distraction or problem in the cockpit can mean the entire plane goes down. Further, anyone who has been painted from a distance can tell you that it is very disconcerting, especially with the thought that the laser in question could be attached to a potentially lethal weapon. This gives you a shot of adrenaline, which in turn causes you to go into "fight-or-flight," and in this mindset it is very easy to make a critical mistake.
Finally, terrorists aren't just guys in turbans in the middle-east that learn how to fly a plane but not land it. They can be litterally anyone with any agenda. I don't know if they've hit your necks of the woods, but eco-terrorists are on the rise here in California, and they are proving even more dificult to find than "regular" terrorists because they often have no criminal record outside of "disturbance" arrests, and they look just like everybody else . An eco-terrorist gets it into his head that planes are the next big Ozone-Hole-Ripper, one laserpointer is all they need to take down an airplane and all passengers aboard.
I think 25 years is perfectly fine. He endangered everyone in the air and on the ground, and lives are more important than the jollies of a man who thinks that buzzing planes is fun.
To avoid confusion, all consumer electronics and computer manufacturers should simply change the name of the class of hardware that is designed to play digital music the "iPod killer" class, instead of the misleading "MP3 player" class.
Think about it. No more having to explain why Sony's offerings can't play MP3s, and marketting would have a practically pre-written press release:
"Bob's Hardware.com has released the latest in iPod Killer, it not only plays your digital music, it will also miter your boards and includes a built in laser level."