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User: wayland

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Comments · 108

  1. Re:So, my guess is... on EMI Cannot Unbundle Pink Floyd Songs · · Score: 1

    On the other hand, EMI (via their proxy, RIAA) lobbied for stricter copyright.  Now they're getting a taste of their own medicine.  If "taste of their own medicine for bad guys" trumps "copyright freedom", there's no contradiction in Slashdot's logic.  It's kind of like how Alan Ralsky got sent a bucketload of junk mail, even though Slashdot is generally anti-spam. 

  2. Re:I've always wondered... on First Creation of Anti-Strange Hypernuclei · · Score: 1

    ...but possibly indicative of the age in which we live. 

  3. Re:Texas on Appeals Court Knocks Out "Innocent Infringement" · · Score: 1

    Isn't Ron Paul from Texas? 

  4. Re:drugs are bad, mmkay? on Open Gov Tracker Reveals Best US Open Government Ideas · · Score: 1

    Not instant runoff, Condorcet.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorcet_method

  5. Re:I've used both on Why You Should Use OpenGL and Not DirectX · · Score: 1

    Sounds like what we need is something built on top of OpenGL that does what DirectX does.  Lets call it OpenGP (Open Games Platform).  Games programmers can use that, CAD programmers and others can still use OpenGL. 

  6. Re:Just one question... on Texas County Will Use Twitter To Publish Drunk Drivers' Names · · Score: 1

    > I'd be fine with capital punishment for people convicted of causing an accident while driving drunk

    I'd prefer to see something a little less severe than beheading (capita is Latin for head, IIRC) -- I mean, drunk driving is bad, sure, but if they haven't killed anyone yet, then beheading is a little bit of an overreaction, YKWIM? 

  7. Re:What? No Due Process? on Texas County Will Use Twitter To Publish Drunk Drivers' Names · · Score: 2, Funny

    Amusing that he mentions "dink and drive", because "dink" is Australian slang for having a second person riding a bicycle (ie. sitting on the handlebars).

    In addition to the "If you drink, then drive, you're a bloody idiot" campaign, there was also a "Don't fool yourself; speed kills" campaign.  I once saw a sticker that said "Don't fool yourself, you're a bloody idiot". 

  8. Re:What? No Due Process? on Texas County Will Use Twitter To Publish Drunk Drivers' Names · · Score: 1

    In Australia: The police are obliged to facilitate the taking of the blood test. If the police discouraged you from getting a blood test you should seek legal advice. The driver is required to pay any fees incurred by the doctor or nurse who takes their blood - these costs are usually less than $80.

    http://www.trafficlaw.com.au/drink.driving/breathtest.html

  9. Re:For once, I'm fine with being locked out... on Does Santa Hate Linux? · · Score: 1

    > Seek professional help. Please. While I respect your right to not celebrate holidays you consider groundless I think to insist that this is a "culture of lies" is taking it to the extremes a bit. Or do you rant about a "culture of lies" when someone is superstitious about Friday the 13th or dresses up at Halloween?

    While I'd agree that he needs to relax a bit, I agree with him on the "culture of lies" part.  I mean, if you consistently lie to children, they grow up to learn "Adults lie to us", or at least "Parents lie to us", and then the parent's credibility goes out the window.

    My personal approach is to allow people to do what they want, but if I'm involved in a conversation with a child, and the topic of Santa comes up, I'll disillusion them if it's relevant.  At least then they know that they can trust *one* person.

    All of this may have something to do with the fact that I belong to a religion of truth, rather than being eg. a dedicated Cthulhu cultist, though :). 

  10. Re:kml files? on Does Santa Hate Linux? · · Score: 1

    Sounds like an analogy for global warming, although whether you're for or against will change how you view this comment :). 

  11. Re:Only if... on When Developers Work Late, Should the Manager Stay? · · Score: 1

    As a sysadmin/developer I only stayed really late once.  The boss hung around because he had to inform the client (in a different country) when the work was done, and also in a supporting role.  Great boss :). 

  12. Re:Smaller is cheaper on Where Are the Cheap Thin Clients? · · Score: 1

    > Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government.

    Bonus!  We increase the intellectual level of the political debate at the same time!

    (Yes, this was supposed to be funny :) )

  13. Re:Too bad the US can't comprehend this concept on Microsoft Fined In India For Using "Money Power" Against Pirates · · Score: 1

    One advantage of a libertarian-type system with a proper education in civics is that people can defend themselves.

    To understand why a libertarian-type system might help:
    When asked why his summer vacation lasted the entire summer, Calvin Coolidge said "We have enough laws already, I don't need to sign any more".

    My point is, the simpler the laws are, the easier it is for the ordinary person to understand and use them. 

  14. Re:Hey, being a fall guy isn't always so bad on Cybersecurity Czar Job Is Useless, Says Spafford · · Score: 1

    I think you left out DC and New York, New York, but other than that... :)

  15. Re:What is Perl 6 anyway? on The Perl 6 Advent Calendar · · Score: 1

    Mod Parent Up

  16. Re:This has taken too long on The Perl 6 Advent Calendar · · Score: 1

    > That's silly. Programming languages always were and will always be transient.

    Right.  That's why no-one uses LISP any more.  http://people.mandriva.com/~prigaux/language-study/diagram-light.png

    Oh, wait...

  17. Re:Word on the street... on The Perl 6 Advent Calendar · · Score: 1

    No, I think they're trying to integrate DNF with E17. 

  18. Re:This has taken too long on The Perl 6 Advent Calendar · · Score: 2, Informative

    Perl 6 is a specification, not an implementation.  Rakudo is one implementation, but there are others (SMOP springs to mind).  I guess I think that Perl 6 is "the stuff you liked about Perl 5, but more of it".  Oh, and better OO and Grammars.  Mmm, grammars :). 

  19. Re:perl 5 versus ruby versus perl 6 on The Perl 6 Advent Calendar · · Score: 1

    Wasn't it Paul Graham that said that Java was good because it took a lot of C programmers, and carried them part way to LISP?  You can say the same about Perl, but even more so :). 

  20. Re:perl 5 versus ruby versus perl 6 on The Perl 6 Advent Calendar · · Score: 2, Interesting

    To me, the things that keeps me coming back to Perl 6 is that it will have built-in grammars.  That may just be because of the kind of apps I try to write, though. 

  21. Re:Problems with textbooks on Devices To Take Textbooks Beyond Text · · Score: 1

    Great Books theory. In the Great Books theory of education, there are certain great books that continue to have relevance. An example from the field of Literature would be Shakespeare. Of my University textbooks, the only one I've looked at much is the Dragon Book by Aho, Sethi, and Ullman; the one about writing compilers. There was also a Networking book that I've opened occasionally. Imagine of you had the GoF book on Design Patterns as a textbook! But no, we get books like "Java for Dummies" (I exaggerate), at least in some classes.

    Of course, computing is a rapidly-moving field, so it may be another 20-50 years before it settles down enough that we know what the really great books are. HTH

  22. Re:One way to solve this on Anti-Counterfeiting Deal Aims For Global DMCA · · Score: 4, Informative

    I decided to do this.  But I still like music.  My solution in the end was to attend the National Celtic Festival here in Australia every year, buy a pile of CDs, and then get out one new one every month.  Sure, that means that the music is limited to Traditional Music, Celtic Rock, Celtic Punk, and the like, but I'm sure there are alternate solutions for those who like different kinds of music.

    Additionally, I use the RIAA Radar to find out whether groups are connected with the RIAA.  I've bought some CDs online that are fine by the RIAA Radar.

    http://www.riaaradar.com/

    What I'm trying to say is, there *are* alternatives out there, people!  If you seek them out, you will enjoy your new music as much, and you'll have more chance of meeting the artists too if they're not mega-famous :). 

  23. Re:Americans on Anti-Counterfeiting Deal Aims For Global DMCA · · Score: 1

    ...or vote Ron Paul/Libertarian/Constitution parties?  I mean, aren't they in favour of dismantling large parts of the Government? 

  24. Re:First past the post is broken on Anti-Counterfeiting Deal Aims For Global DMCA · · Score: 1

    What about Condorcet?

  25. Re:Americans on Anti-Counterfeiting Deal Aims For Global DMCA · · Score: 1

    Allow me to point out, the difference between revolution and lone crazies is popular support.  Unless your move has popular support, you'll be deemed a lone crazy and locked up.

    I'm also going to assume that your beef with Goldman Sachs is that they got a Government bailout.

    Anyway, if your move has popular support, then you'll be able to eg. vote Ron Paul, who will (I'm presuming) let non-performing companies go belly-up.  This will solve the problem equally well.  You could also vote Libertarian or Constitution parties; I imagine these groups would do the same.