>The "open source" licence is not GPL - it requires you to do stuff like adding some kind of "made with divxnetwork" header to your movies.
Yeah, I mean, you wouldn't want to give the authors credit for their hard work or anything.
I think it's a _really_ small "price" to pay. And a price that any goodhearted citizen should be willing to pay.
Here's the sections of the license I think you're talking about:
2a: In each instance in which you attribute ownership or authorship of the Codec you will include an acknowledgement in a location viewable to users of the Codec as follows: "This product includes software developed by or derived from software developed by Project Mayo." In any event, the origin of the Codec must not be misrepresented; you must not claim sole authorship in the Codec.
3b: You include an acknowledgement in a location viewable to users of a distribution of a Larger Work as follows: "This product includes software developed by or derived from software developed by Project Mayo."
Viewable doesn't mean it has to be pasted over your movie; It means your helpfiles/license/credits/manuals should show that text. Whoopty, it'll add seconds to your average 300 baud download... And besides, it's like "We Used Panavision Lenses" in movie credits. It makes your software cooooler!
7: For Encoded Content used for a commercial purpose, you must prominently display the "Encoded in DivX" logo on the package of any Encoded Content in a manner immediately visible to viewers and you must include the "Encoded in DivX" video logo at the beginning of any Encoded Content when the means for such display are reasonably available.
This is somewhat more forceful, but if you are going to benefit from the developer's work (remember, if you are coding, you aren't making content, this is for the actual moviemakers themselves), well, I think this isn't a big price to pay either. Again, it is just like the "Filmed with Kodachrome film" you see in movie credits.
If you ask me, sections 5-7 are the most annoying, and they certainly wouldn't put me off developing for it. It ain't GPL, but if you ask me, it is open.
I think the main problem with a lot of managers simply stems from the fact that they were promoted into that position from being a normal worker. This means they have no experience or education in the field of management.
I'm certainly not a professional in the field by any means, but I took a course in Organizational Behaviour myself, and I can tell you for certain that it is a complex subject that every manager (potential and current) should stay current on. It will stop a lot of this "he's an asshole -- wait, no he is" kind of bickering. That type of argument doesn't work, and you'll notice that if you apply Organizational Behaviour concepts well you should be able to use virtually anyone's skills in some job (most people who bother to apply for jobs do want to work, really, just some aren't being motivated properly / are misplaced in the current job).
This book seems like a good place to start (sorry, I don't remember the exact title of the book I used in College)...
I wonder if they could have used the entire audio of The Phantom Menace if they sold Park Wars (instead of giving it away for free) bundled with a broken copy of The Phantom Menace?
That way, you only have one copy of the audio, completely paid for, and it is all fair use, right?
They could still give away an 11 minute trailer, since it seems George Lucas and Co. were cool with that.
Uhhh... you need a P90 [or better] with a soundcard, a popular operating system, and an internet connection. Or your choice of the many other devices out there (MPTrip, Rio, Expanium).
The computer will require a data input device. I suggest a keyboard, but a mouse, or remote control will do. Speakers would probably be a good idea too...
You really weren't serious, asking that, were you?
>Yet, you take the work of musicians and distribute and use it against their expressed wished.
I question whether it is the artists express wishes that music not be distributed in MP3 format (which, in and of itself is not illegal, should you own the Music already -- piracy is the problem) or if that is the motive of the RIAA.
It seems many artists (Public Enemy comes to mind) have already done their best to try to encourage this internet music revolution. Perhaps they are unhappy with the current shackles the recording industry puts on them? Maybe they see MP3 as a way out.
>You both put time and energy into creating something intangible, and you both were denied its control.
Copyright doesn't allow you to put a literal stranglehold on how people use your music. Once someone buys a CD they can use the music how they please, although copyright does seem to hold people to personal use only (which includes ripping CDs into MP3 format).
If artists don't want their music put into MP3 format, they can simply keep it to themselves, or perhaps find a less liberal country than the United States (maybe they can convince SeaLand to change their laws?) to harbour their music.
>If you use Napster to download copyrighted material and feel ripped off by the CDDB, then you are an utterly despicable hypocrite.
That is assuming you haven't already bought the CD. I've lost/broken/scratched CDs before, haven't you? Napster is a great way to replace them.
Were you able to set up your own starband system, or did someone have to do it for you?
I ask because starband's excuse for not selling to southern Canada (which, if Maine is in range of the satellite, is most certainly in range) is that they don't have anyone to set the system up in Canada, and won't sell here unless they do.
I don't think it can be half as bad as they say... I've pointed 3 satellite systems already (including American ones) and it only takes a few hours.:-)
>Honestly, everyone is going to have high-bandwidth connections in a few years
They said that about personal phone lines. The government still makes exceptions for Bell to allow them to continue servicing existing party lines; These lines are not listed as a required upgrade.
It took decades for Touch Tone to become ubiquitous enough for companies to get rid of phone operators; Yet still, I know people who do not have Touch Tone lines today.
How many of you are still unable to get a telex line? This is such old technology you should be able to get one on sealand! Yet it is unavailiable to many.
How about centrex/leased line service? This may be unbelieveable to some (considering the profits built into these lines) but geographically I've found many people, even those in 1st world countries, cannot even get this 60's (maybe 40's?) tech!
Does pager service yet cover your entire country? Do cellphones work once you leave city limits?
When it comes to Bell, "I'll Beleive It When I Have It!" (even then, I'll be checking my service daily to see if Bell changed their minds).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't EEPROMs have to be burned (in this case, written) from start to finish?
That makes maintenance difficult (and, at SysAdmin prices, that means more than $40 of time [maybe]). With flash I'd assume you can just remount it read-write and fix your problem right away.
Nope, my other (personal) email address gets enough spam, and, unlike some slashdot users, I actually check and respond to messages in my slashdot email account. Even though people like you exist who want to ruin it for everyone.
>Your wife (or you) go(es) into labor, and the hospital pages your doctor,
What if the doctor receives the page, but is doing heart surgery at the moment? Should the patient be sued for stopping the doctor from delivering your baby?
>your jamming will affect people on adjacent properties.
Not if you use many of the devices judiciously placed (their power will be limited anyhow). Yes, the signal does travel forever, but at a certain point it will no longer interfere with cell phones.
>The deal here is the need for social rules.
Yes. But that takes time, and social rules are still often regulated (ie: If you take your pants off in public, expect to be talking to the police).
>Add bluetooth to the mix and soon you'll have devices that know when they're entering 'quiet areas' and they'll switch to silent operation automatically while they're in the theater.
Yeah, I'm sure all those annoying people that talk on their cellphones in the theater are going to be just peachy about buying a new phone so they can't hear it ring.
>You don't want a speed governor on your car
Too late, you may already have one. Most expensive, "fast" cars sold can't go over a certain speed because they are regulated to do such things.
>but it's obnoxious to assume that nobody has duties so important that they need to be interrupted
I suppose you don't let your doctor go on vacation either? Because then the hospital would get another doctor for you that was within calling range. And I'm certain all OnCall doctors would be required by hospital rules to avoid dead zones. They may already have rules like this, asking doctors not to use areas with already natual dead spots (subways, certain buildings, underground, etc...).
>and we can go beyond '50s technology.
Today's cellphones are infact '90s technology. 80's cellphones were infact a separate bag you had to carry, and I shudder to think what cellphones must have looked like in the '70s (if they existed).
I can't think of even one time that a cellphone has saved a person in a theater, or a classroom. Not once. Ever. Do you have at least two examples? (one is too easily dismissable as a fluke)
>if you decide you don't like what's broadcast on Channel 4 you don't have the right to just interfer with that signal
You can transmit 100mW on virtually any set of frequencies you like. How do you think that those tiny FM radio transmitters get away with it?
Hell, I *OWN* a device *designed* to transmit at a low power on a choice of channel 3 or 4. It is availiable for any home user to let them watch their satellite in another room without running cables. I'll find you one of each for sale in the US on the net if you like.
It's 100mW because that isn't likely to disturb people next door. On your property you DO own the airwaves.
And, to further the point you own your own airwaves, HBO tried to stop people from putting up satellite dishes, saying they were "stealing" their signal. The US governement said that any signal landing on your property is yours. You own it, and HBO needs to protect it from you if they are to continue to allow the signal to land on your property (hence VideoCipher).
>It has been certified not to generate any harmful interference.
Somewhat. FCC certification labels will also tell you the device may cause harmful interference, and should that be detected, you are required to either discontinue using the device or remedy the problem.
In other words, if it is your property, you may intefere with those airwaves (at a very low level, probably just enough to put hum bars in the picture, remember, only 100mW). If your neighbour phones and complains, though, you must turn off the device and have it repaired immediately.
>You'd be in court being sued for every penny you have or ever hope to have.
No. Anyone with enough sense to put in a system like that would have a big sign stating:
"This building protected with JAM-LOK. Wireless transmissions cannot be conducted inside this building."
at every entrance.
That's on the same level as "Wet Floor". If you are stupid enough not to notice the sign, well, TFB.
Besides, can a doctor sue for his pager not going off in a building that naturally jams signals (cinderblock + steel roofing)? No. Does the doctor sue the subway company because his pager won't work underground? No. And they don't even need to put up signs.
But I'm a "Computer Lab Monitor" part-time at the local college. This means I get to sit at a terminal and watch the students to ensure no rules get broken for 5 hours. That, and I get to help students who need it.
Normally, my "rest" is broken by the sound of someone's celly ringing every 15 minutes. That and cell phone users seem to talk twice as loud on the phone than they would to the person next to them.
No, there's no rule banning the phones yet. We'll see...
>Do you think you're now obligated to work for $7?
I don't know what the law is, but understanding that $7/hour is a legal wage, I think yes. Especially if the terms were fully negotiable (you didn't walk in there and demand $200/hr but said you'd do a job and hammer out a contract). But ONLY if you signed it.
This isn't any different from changing the EULA that came with some software you bought and faxing it to the company. They 100% assume that you have been clearly told what the agreement is, and that you will abide by it. If they recieve your new agreement (even if you only change one word), and sign it, they are legally bound.
Until the pen's to paper, you know the saying, "Money Talks, Bullshit Walks".
No way I'm paying another tax so you can talk on your celly. I already paid the graduated licensing tax (trust me, it isn't any harder than a real driving test, just a lot longer, and much more expensive).
Ban the damn things and keep licensing costs down.
>and I would fire anyone that recommended it as a 'serious' solution.
That's why some companies always seem to have a brain drain. A hard-working, good team member type person has a brain fart/temporary problem and gets put on the chopping block for it.
It costs a LOT to get/train/hire new workers. It costs a lot more for them to get used to the environment. It costs _even more_ for them to get used to the politics involved, and _even more_ for you, as a boss, to figure out what makes that person tick. It then costs more to help assure other workers they are safe from being fired (since they noticed the DBA got fired for a simple disagreement, they are very uneasy). If you don't assure the other workers, they are already looking for other work... they simply don't feel secure where they are.
You sell your company short most of the time when you fire a worker. It is much cheaper to help that worker through the problem than to fire them (or let them leave... did you know that many employees that come back to work for a company again, after being fired, end up getting paid much more?)
If you manage with an iron-fist you'll find it ends up going through your company's profits.
>we all get fired if the wrong decisions are made
Ever heard that you can manage yourself out of a job? It's easy: To be a manager you need employees to manage. Your attitude sounds like you want to fire them all for maximum eifficiency. Without employees you can't be a manager.
I've found that in the places where workers are happiest (and remember, a happy worker is a hard worker) work gets done better. No one is happy when people get fired all the time.
Just a few cents from the other side of the fence.
- Leave the company
- Take some Access courses... Learn it. Learn it well.
- Come back to the company 6 months, or maybe a year later and offer to consult for them as DBA for twice your original wage. With any luck, the person they put into your old position can't hack it [it certainly sounds your boss is reccomending some serious changes] and you'll steal the show (and get some decent $$$).
It's a big bet, and it has a good chance of not working out, but in that case find a job elsewhere with your new upgraded skills.
The nice thing is, as a consultant, you won't worry (as much) about keeping the company going, and therefore keeping your job. You can always move on.
There's many bad things about being a consultant too. I suggest you go and research your decision heavily before you do anything.
Of course, I take no responsibility for your following of this advice. If it fails miserably, tough cookies.
I don't know, I've been taught to look at the difference between broad/baseband not as a relative comparison of frequency @ dB loss/meter, or quality factor, but as a difference as such:
Ethernet [as I know it] is baseband transmission (that's why Gigabit is 1000baseCX).
With baseband transmission you use full, digital, voltage swings across the line. All ethernet I know of is baseband, including 1000baseLX (fiber -- ok, not voltage here, light). Like the guy above sez, broadband means using separate frequency bands to create separate "circuits". I'm told DSL has 256 frequency bands it can use, of which it tests most upon negotiation and rejects poor bands. The rest are multiplexed for your hi-speed enjoyment...:-)
Or maybe the networking technician idea of baseband vs. broadband and the RF tech/EE idea of what those terms mean is just completely different. Hey, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me. I'm open to suggestions.
My 56kbps modem runs at 9600 baud, of course. Thank God for quadrature modulation and trellis encoding.:-)
Re:one of many ways Verizion frustrates customers
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The State of Broadband
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· Score: 1
>I think it's going to have to be Starband but I'm half suspecting that the satellite's going to have an imperfection is its dish so that we can't get it here.
Welcome to the Rural "Cone of Silence". It's completely amazing... within seconds of passing the city limits sign cell phones stop working, my Blackberry pager goes offline, and Satellite reception goes down 40%. And I'm on the top of a 200 ft. hill -- you can see for miles round here!
Re:one of many ways Verizion frustrates customers
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The State of Broadband
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· Score: 1
All very true, but for people like me living "in the country" within walking distance of a city that has DSL, there's another problem. Distance. Well, that and stupidity.
The idiots at Bell put the CO 15 km away (even though the fiber going to the CO runs 5 km away from my house... Don't even get me started on the neighbouring school that has a 27 km Bell fiber run for high speed internet).
So why can't I get DSL?
- There's too few people on this exchange (I checked the phone book, yes, an entire 4 pages dedicated to my exchange) to make money hand-over-fist as it is.
- To get DSL going that far Bell needs to install a remote DSLAM. Hahaha, yeah right, install _more_ equipment? For just a few thousand users... I mean, it would take an entire *YEAR* to get that money back!
- Their crap is so freakin' out of date they can't even offer me a 56k centrex leased line for their exhorbitant price of $75 a month! Not to mention the fact that Touch-Tone service still costs an extra $2 a month here, in the year 2001.
- They're morons. The lines they laid were so woefully few that most people round here can't get more than one line. If they installed DSL they can have my second line [along with God knows how many others] back in a heartbeat. Not to mention that most houses here are in the $200k+ range (that's about 25% more value than most city houses round here) so subscribership will likely be higher.
Just my two cents. I'd better stop reading this thread - my anti-Bell blood pressure meter is going through the roof again!
>Ameritech/Verizon doesen't guarentee modems to work, only voice
Here's a little secret: The phone companies *must* support fax machines on the line (it's regulated). So get a nice, peppy, 14.4k fax machine next time and phone Ameritech and tell them it doesn't work due to line noise.
With any luck, they'll have special laws that will require them to make the line Fax compatible (but, if you are unlucky, they might say that's a business activity and start charging more).
I know I got my data phone number permanently unlisted for free because Bell here is too stupid to print FAX beside my non-voice number and they had to do something to prevent voice calls (since both numbers are listed under the same name).:-) That was the only nice thing the phone company has ever done for me, though. And it's dwarfed by my "month of hell" where my phone line was broke and I had to wait a few weeks to get a Bell tech out. [I ended up using my other "secret" weapon... our phone line TOS states that Bell's failure to deliver service will incurr a reverse charge of 3 times my phone bill. When I told them two weeks was documented failure to deliver service, a tech was out the next day].
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>The "open source" licence is not GPL - it requires you to do stuff like adding some kind of "made with divxnetwork" header to your movies.
Yeah, I mean, you wouldn't want to give the authors credit for their hard work or anything.
I think it's a _really_ small "price" to pay. And a price that any goodhearted citizen should be willing to pay.
Here's the sections of the license I think you're talking about:
2a: In each instance in which you attribute ownership or authorship of the Codec you will include an acknowledgement in a location viewable to users of the Codec as follows: "This product includes software developed by or derived from software developed by Project Mayo." In any event, the origin of the Codec must not be misrepresented; you must not claim sole authorship in the Codec.
3b: You include an acknowledgement in a location viewable to users of a distribution of a Larger Work as follows: "This product includes software developed by or derived from software developed by Project Mayo."
Viewable doesn't mean it has to be pasted over your movie; It means your helpfiles/license/credits/manuals should show that text. Whoopty, it'll add seconds to your average 300 baud download... And besides, it's like "We Used Panavision Lenses" in movie credits. It makes your software cooooler!
7: For Encoded Content used for a commercial purpose, you must prominently display the "Encoded in DivX" logo on the package of any Encoded Content in a manner immediately visible to viewers and you must include the "Encoded in DivX" video logo at the beginning of any Encoded Content when the means for such display are reasonably available.
This is somewhat more forceful, but if you are going to benefit from the developer's work (remember, if you are coding, you aren't making content, this is for the actual moviemakers themselves), well, I think this isn't a big price to pay either. Again, it is just like the "Filmed with Kodachrome film" you see in movie credits.
If you ask me, sections 5-7 are the most annoying, and they certainly wouldn't put me off developing for it. It ain't GPL, but if you ask me, it is open.
I think the main problem with a lot of managers simply stems from the fact that they were promoted into that position from being a normal worker. This means they have no experience or education in the field of management.
I'm certainly not a professional in the field by any means, but I took a course in Organizational Behaviour myself, and I can tell you for certain that it is a complex subject that every manager (potential and current) should stay current on. It will stop a lot of this "he's an asshole -- wait, no he is" kind of bickering. That type of argument doesn't work, and you'll notice that if you apply Organizational Behaviour concepts well you should be able to use virtually anyone's skills in some job (most people who bother to apply for jobs do want to work, really, just some aren't being motivated properly / are misplaced in the current job).
This book seems like a good place to start (sorry, I don't remember the exact title of the book I used in College)...
I wonder if they could have used the entire audio of The Phantom Menace if they sold Park Wars (instead of giving it away for free) bundled with a broken copy of The Phantom Menace?
That way, you only have one copy of the audio, completely paid for, and it is all fair use, right?
They could still give away an 11 minute trailer, since it seems George Lucas and Co. were cool with that.
Or am I way off base?
Uhhh... you need a P90 [or better] with a soundcard, a popular operating system, and an internet connection. Or your choice of the many other devices out there (MPTrip, Rio, Expanium).
The computer will require a data input device. I suggest a keyboard, but a mouse, or remote control will do. Speakers would probably be a good idea too...
You really weren't serious, asking that, were you?
>Yet, you take the work of musicians and distribute and use it against their expressed wished.
I question whether it is the artists express wishes that music not be distributed in MP3 format (which, in and of itself is not illegal, should you own the Music already -- piracy is the problem) or if that is the motive of the RIAA.
It seems many artists (Public Enemy comes to mind) have already done their best to try to encourage this internet music revolution. Perhaps they are unhappy with the current shackles the recording industry puts on them? Maybe they see MP3 as a way out.
>You both put time and energy into creating something intangible, and you both were denied its control.
Copyright doesn't allow you to put a literal stranglehold on how people use your music. Once someone buys a CD they can use the music how they please, although copyright does seem to hold people to personal use only (which includes ripping CDs into MP3 format).
If artists don't want their music put into MP3 format, they can simply keep it to themselves, or perhaps find a less liberal country than the United States (maybe they can convince SeaLand to change their laws?) to harbour their music.
>If you use Napster to download copyrighted material and feel ripped off by the CDDB, then you are an utterly despicable hypocrite.
That is assuming you haven't already bought the CD. I've lost/broken/scratched CDs before, haven't you? Napster is a great way to replace them.
I've got a question for you:
:-)
Were you able to set up your own starband system, or did someone have to do it for you?
I ask because starband's excuse for not selling to southern Canada (which, if Maine is in range of the satellite, is most certainly in range) is that they don't have anyone to set the system up in Canada, and won't sell here unless they do.
I don't think it can be half as bad as they say... I've pointed 3 satellite systems already (including American ones) and it only takes a few hours.
Thanks.
>Audio Discs (if you'll recall, single speed cd drives) are recorded at 128 Kb/sec.
Uhm, you mean somewhere closer to 128KB/sec, right? Otherwise, why would anyone MP3 audio?
>Honestly, everyone is going to have high-bandwidth connections in a few years
They said that about personal phone lines. The government still makes exceptions for Bell to allow them to continue servicing existing party lines; These lines are not listed as a required upgrade.
It took decades for Touch Tone to become ubiquitous enough for companies to get rid of phone operators; Yet still, I know people who do not have Touch Tone lines today.
How many of you are still unable to get a telex line? This is such old technology you should be able to get one on sealand! Yet it is unavailiable to many.
How about centrex/leased line service? This may be unbelieveable to some (considering the profits built into these lines) but geographically I've found many people, even those in 1st world countries, cannot even get this 60's (maybe 40's?) tech!
Does pager service yet cover your entire country? Do cellphones work once you leave city limits?
When it comes to Bell, "I'll Beleive It When I Have It!" (even then, I'll be checking my service daily to see if Bell changed their minds).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't EEPROMs have to be burned (in this case, written) from start to finish?
That makes maintenance difficult (and, at SysAdmin prices, that means more than $40 of time [maybe]). With flash I'd assume you can just remount it read-write and fix your problem right away.
But perhaps I'm wrong...
Nope, my other (personal) email address gets enough spam, and, unlike some slashdot users, I actually check and respond to messages in my slashdot email account. Even though people like you exist who want to ruin it for everyone.
Maybe I should stop being so nice... Nahhh.
I am not talking to you, I am just pushing a strange sequence of buttons on a keyboard.
>Your wife (or you) go(es) into labor, and the hospital pages your doctor,
What if the doctor receives the page, but is doing heart surgery at the moment? Should the patient be sued for stopping the doctor from delivering your baby?
>your jamming will affect people on adjacent properties.
Not if you use many of the devices judiciously placed (their power will be limited anyhow). Yes, the signal does travel forever, but at a certain point it will no longer interfere with cell phones.
>The deal here is the need for social rules.
Yes. But that takes time, and social rules are still often regulated (ie: If you take your pants off in public, expect to be talking to the police).
>Add bluetooth to the mix and soon you'll have devices that know when they're entering 'quiet areas' and they'll switch to silent operation automatically while they're in the theater.
Yeah, I'm sure all those annoying people that talk on their cellphones in the theater are going to be just peachy about buying a new phone so they can't hear it ring.
>You don't want a speed governor on your car
Too late, you may already have one. Most expensive, "fast" cars sold can't go over a certain speed because they are regulated to do such things.
>but it's obnoxious to assume that nobody has duties so important that they need to be interrupted
I suppose you don't let your doctor go on vacation either? Because then the hospital would get another doctor for you that was within calling range. And I'm certain all OnCall doctors would be required by hospital rules to avoid dead zones. They may already have rules like this, asking doctors not to use areas with already natual dead spots (subways, certain buildings, underground, etc...).
>and we can go beyond '50s technology.
Today's cellphones are infact '90s technology. 80's cellphones were infact a separate bag you had to carry, and I shudder to think what cellphones must have looked like in the '70s (if they existed).
I can't think of even one time that a cellphone has saved a person in a theater, or a classroom. Not once. Ever. Do you have at least two examples? (one is too easily dismissable as a fluke)
I love the 611 message, it goes something like this:
"If you are having trouble with this line, push 1. Otherwise, please enter the number you are calling about."
>if you decide you don't like what's broadcast on Channel 4 you don't have the right to just interfer with that signal
You can transmit 100mW on virtually any set of frequencies you like. How do you think that those tiny FM radio transmitters get away with it?
Hell, I *OWN* a device *designed* to transmit at a low power on a choice of channel 3 or 4. It is availiable for any home user to let them watch their satellite in another room without running cables. I'll find you one of each for sale in the US on the net if you like.
It's 100mW because that isn't likely to disturb people next door. On your property you DO own the airwaves.
And, to further the point you own your own airwaves, HBO tried to stop people from putting up satellite dishes, saying they were "stealing" their signal. The US governement said that any signal landing on your property is yours. You own it, and HBO needs to protect it from you if they are to continue to allow the signal to land on your property (hence VideoCipher).
>It has been certified not to generate any harmful interference.
Somewhat. FCC certification labels will also tell you the device may cause harmful interference, and should that be detected, you are required to either discontinue using the device or remedy the problem.
In other words, if it is your property, you may intefere with those airwaves (at a very low level, probably just enough to put hum bars in the picture, remember, only 100mW). If your neighbour phones and complains, though, you must turn off the device and have it repaired immediately.
Just my 2 cents.
>You'd be in court being sued for every penny you have or ever hope to have.
No. Anyone with enough sense to put in a system like that would have a big sign stating:
"This building protected with JAM-LOK. Wireless transmissions cannot be conducted inside this building."
at every entrance.
That's on the same level as "Wet Floor". If you are stupid enough not to notice the sign, well, TFB.
Besides, can a doctor sue for his pager not going off in a building that naturally jams signals (cinderblock + steel roofing)? No. Does the doctor sue the subway company because his pager won't work underground? No. And they don't even need to put up signs.
IANAL, BIPOOT.
It's annoying in theaters, yes.
But I'm a "Computer Lab Monitor" part-time at the local college. This means I get to sit at a terminal and watch the students to ensure no rules get broken for 5 hours. That, and I get to help students who need it.
Normally, my "rest" is broken by the sound of someone's celly ringing every 15 minutes. That and cell phone users seem to talk twice as loud on the phone than they would to the person next to them.
No, there's no rule banning the phones yet. We'll see...
>Do you think you're now obligated to work for $7?
I don't know what the law is, but understanding that $7/hour is a legal wage, I think yes. Especially if the terms were fully negotiable (you didn't walk in there and demand $200/hr but said you'd do a job and hammer out a contract). But ONLY if you signed it.
This isn't any different from changing the EULA that came with some software you bought and faxing it to the company. They 100% assume that you have been clearly told what the agreement is, and that you will abide by it. If they recieve your new agreement (even if you only change one word), and sign it, they are legally bound.
Until the pen's to paper, you know the saying, "Money Talks, Bullshit Walks".
Btw, IANAL.
>Mandatory driver retests every two years.
No way I'm paying another tax so you can talk on your celly. I already paid the graduated licensing tax (trust me, it isn't any harder than a real driving test, just a lot longer, and much more expensive).
Ban the damn things and keep licensing costs down.
>and I would fire anyone that recommended it as a 'serious' solution.
That's why some companies always seem to have a brain drain. A hard-working, good team member type person has a brain fart/temporary problem and gets put on the chopping block for it.
It costs a LOT to get/train/hire new workers. It costs a lot more for them to get used to the environment. It costs _even more_ for them to get used to the politics involved, and _even more_ for you, as a boss, to figure out what makes that person tick. It then costs more to help assure other workers they are safe from being fired (since they noticed the DBA got fired for a simple disagreement, they are very uneasy). If you don't assure the other workers, they are already looking for other work... they simply don't feel secure where they are.
You sell your company short most of the time when you fire a worker. It is much cheaper to help that worker through the problem than to fire them (or let them leave... did you know that many employees that come back to work for a company again, after being fired, end up getting paid much more?)
If you manage with an iron-fist you'll find it ends up going through your company's profits.
>we all get fired if the wrong decisions are made
Ever heard that you can manage yourself out of a job? It's easy: To be a manager you need employees to manage. Your attitude sounds like you want to fire them all for maximum eifficiency. Without employees you can't be a manager.
I've found that in the places where workers are happiest (and remember, a happy worker is a hard worker) work gets done better. No one is happy when people get fired all the time.
Just a few cents from the other side of the fence.
Here's what I consider another choice:
- Leave the company
- Take some Access courses... Learn it. Learn it well.
- Come back to the company 6 months, or maybe a year later and offer to consult for them as DBA for twice your original wage. With any luck, the person they put into your old position can't hack it [it certainly sounds your boss is reccomending some serious changes] and you'll steal the show (and get some decent $$$).
It's a big bet, and it has a good chance of not working out, but in that case find a job elsewhere with your new upgraded skills.
The nice thing is, as a consultant, you won't worry (as much) about keeping the company going, and therefore keeping your job. You can always move on.
There's many bad things about being a consultant too. I suggest you go and research your decision heavily before you do anything.
Of course, I take no responsibility for your following of this advice. If it fails miserably, tough cookies.
>What do you call a piece of black tape patching a hole in coax shielding?
10base5.
I don't know, I've been taught to look at the difference between broad/baseband not as a relative comparison of frequency @ dB loss/meter, or quality factor, but as a difference as such:
:-)
:-)
Ethernet [as I know it] is baseband transmission (that's why Gigabit is 1000baseCX).
With baseband transmission you use full, digital, voltage swings across the line. All ethernet I know of is baseband, including 1000baseLX (fiber -- ok, not voltage here, light). Like the guy above sez, broadband means using separate frequency bands to create separate "circuits". I'm told DSL has 256 frequency bands it can use, of which it tests most upon negotiation and rejects poor bands. The rest are multiplexed for your hi-speed enjoyment...
Or maybe the networking technician idea of baseband vs. broadband and the RF tech/EE idea of what those terms mean is just completely different. Hey, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me. I'm open to suggestions.
My 56kbps modem runs at 9600 baud, of course. Thank God for quadrature modulation and trellis encoding.
>I think it's going to have to be Starband but I'm half suspecting that the satellite's going to have an imperfection is its dish so that we can't get it here.
Welcome to the Rural "Cone of Silence". It's completely amazing... within seconds of passing the city limits sign cell phones stop working, my Blackberry pager goes offline, and Satellite reception goes down 40%. And I'm on the top of a 200 ft. hill -- you can see for miles round here!
All very true, but for people like me living "in the country" within walking distance of a city that has DSL, there's another problem. Distance. Well, that and stupidity.
The idiots at Bell put the CO 15 km away (even though the fiber going to the CO runs 5 km away from my house... Don't even get me started on the neighbouring school that has a 27 km Bell fiber run for high speed internet).
So why can't I get DSL?
- There's too few people on this exchange (I checked the phone book, yes, an entire 4 pages dedicated to my exchange) to make money hand-over-fist as it is.
- To get DSL going that far Bell needs to install a remote DSLAM. Hahaha, yeah right, install _more_ equipment? For just a few thousand users... I mean, it would take an entire *YEAR* to get that money back!
- Their crap is so freakin' out of date they can't even offer me a 56k centrex leased line for their exhorbitant price of $75 a month! Not to mention the fact that Touch-Tone service still costs an extra $2 a month here, in the year 2001.
- They're morons. The lines they laid were so woefully few that most people round here can't get more than one line. If they installed DSL they can have my second line [along with God knows how many others] back in a heartbeat. Not to mention that most houses here are in the $200k+ range (that's about 25% more value than most city houses round here) so subscribership will likely be higher.
Just my two cents. I'd better stop reading this thread - my anti-Bell blood pressure meter is going through the roof again!
>Ameritech/Verizon doesen't guarentee modems to work, only voice
:-) That was the only nice thing the phone company has ever done for me, though. And it's dwarfed by my "month of hell" where my phone line was broke and I had to wait a few weeks to get a Bell tech out. [I ended up using my other "secret" weapon... our phone line TOS states that Bell's failure to deliver service will incurr a reverse charge of 3 times my phone bill. When I told them two weeks was documented failure to deliver service, a tech was out the next day].
Here's a little secret: The phone companies *must* support fax machines on the line (it's regulated). So get a nice, peppy, 14.4k fax machine next time and phone Ameritech and tell them it doesn't work due to line noise.
With any luck, they'll have special laws that will require them to make the line Fax compatible (but, if you are unlucky, they might say that's a business activity and start charging more).
I know I got my data phone number permanently unlisted for free because Bell here is too stupid to print FAX beside my non-voice number and they had to do something to prevent voice calls (since both numbers are listed under the same name).