Uh, trees and plants make O2. Clearcuts have caused a 20% decrease in biomass and radically changed the environment in South America (read mud slides) over the last 10 years. I don't think colorful writing is dishonest. Hop in a prop and take a flight over Washington state. Looks like a checker board.
That's not just in Korea... don't have to look far outside North America or Europe to see the same thing. Doesn't matter if its small town souther Italy or small town Louisianna.
But being the dad of a 20 month old boy, I sometimes dream of the freedom robotic parents could provide.
You contradict your argument. The fact that the free software movement *does not* work is exactly why OpenBSD is having financial difficulties. Most of the people and businesses that reap the benefit of free software do not support it financially nor contribute. It is, after all, not a requirement! And operating systems and like tools are very niche markets. There is no money in giving away free product. Its free. The fact that you open it up for people to tweak and enhance is irrelevant. People need to eat; and as such the only real successful "business" off "open source" is consulting pursuant to the software. Distribution charges feed the distributors; not the contributors.
So... until Theo drops notoriety and infamy for actually working with business to meet a need (and get consulting revenue), OpenBSD is about as useful as "a cock flavored lolly pop".
Most fortune 500 companies still have restrictive dress codes. My IT job requires I not wear jeans, t-shirts, sweats, or otherwise look "unprofessional."
'course I argue as I am usually not in the face of clients, since when do my clothes affect my work or ability to work?
"The man" argues that my colleagues won't take me seriously.
Hell, "the man" doesn't take the female engineer down the hall seriously. Why can't I wear shorts? She can wear a skirt. Guess I could wear a skirt.
I was recently contacted by a recruiter on the OS team specifically for WinFS. Suffices to say, I've heard that the MS recruitment engine is going full bore to try and stack dev teams with people in certain problem areas. 'course when I asked if it was a competing team for the present WinFS team I didn't get a response. There were several positions on the WinFS team; a project lead, sr. developers, and lots of testers. Given the trouble of OFS previously and now WinFS; I suspect WinFS won't be part of Vista.
But I think a lot of the problems can be attributed back to Microsoft's development processes. When I was there in '98, anything resembling software engineering was the pervue of the specific team leads and pms. The "process" behind several projects was throw a couple architects at a problem, add 40 developers, and mid way through the projected development cycle add 80 testers (who oddly end up doing more than testing.)
The entropy and complexity with this number of people is truly astounding. No wonder stuff don't work. And if I were to tell her "give me 5 'smart', experienced, well paid developers, as much pizza and pop as we can consume, and I'll give you a rock solid, fast, simple, and relational FS in 6 months" she'd probably tell me I'm an idiot.
You know the ships in EQ were replaced by transport gnomes years ago right?
And that most zones are accessible through the plane of knowledge and adventure camp Magi? Or the guild hall? And a wizard can transport a group to his bind point?
No more waiting for the Nexus. No more waiting for the boat. No more dying trying to bind at the firepots...
The.mil boys have been using computers and simulations to kill billions of people fictiously for years. I guess they don't read Asimov. Advanced AI is being used in military hardware (such as cruise missiles and smart bombs) to kill real people.
p.s. Sign up for the "For Carl" to "For Butthead" dedication today!
... and being a history student with a keen interested in ancient technology, I have a few worthless comments.
1) The period from 700 AD to 1500 AD was one of relative stability for the Arabs, but they are not the Arabs we know; western nations called them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracen/. Throughout the history of Man, stable enconomies and excess wealth are driving factors for innovation (common sense; hard to innovate when you're fighting or starving.)
2) Many of the inventions listed are Persian, not Arab.
3) Some of the research is very wrong,
-as other posters have noted, but I recall that ox powered mills existed in Roman times, and watered powered mills existed by 400 AD.
- Crank shaft... Hero had a steam turbine to open doors, it employed a crank shaft as I understand it.
- Chinese were distilling products 2000 BC if I recall
I worked in the field of copy protection for a few years... and our data was pretty telling.
1) the cost to protect any software rises geometrically while the time to remove the protection increases linearally 2) the cost encountered when software protection interferes with the normal operation of the product has a cascading effect when dealing with future sales of ANY vendor product 3) the resources available to crack protection are infinitely larger than those to provide it
So here was our eventual conclusion; physical copy protection wasn't effective, regardless on how much was spent on product development. All it did was cost money and slow crackers down by weeks to months depending on strength of the physical measures.
The surprising thing is how effective non-software methods were, as well as enabling users to do certain things.
Latter first; removing CD turnkey actually decreased the number of people hammering on our protection. It seemed requiring the CD in the drive was a huge motivating factor for people to attack.
And subsequently documentation and external gimicks proved to be highly effective. For example, CD keys printed in black on red paper (hard to photocopy) using internet registration was effective. Putting the key on a toy in the box was also effective. (However requiring internet connectivity to validate and play was another cracker target.)
Being an ol' fart, and keenly interested in anything like this, I didn't find much value in this book. People keep saying its something for designers to use to facilitate communication, which is a noble cause and good in any other aspect of software engineering; however, the level of complexity to explain the obvious is high, and as soon as you start making up complex terms to explain simple things, you loose the ability to explain it effectively.
Not to mention that most game designers generate their own language that often models an architecture that is creatively delivered. Most game development is highly iterative.
As much as the apologists would like to argue about the technical merrits for a switch; it wasn't a technical decision. Sure, its presented as one, but the reality is that Steve was upset at being marginalized...
It was a political decision.
But hey, you could also say that Microsoft made a foresighted decision to use PPC core chips in XBox! Woot better XBox.
For those that don't know, this is a WoW (World of Warcraft) fan movie (most think it is staged) of a raid being planned out with one of the raid members AFK (Away From Keyboard)... upon which he returns and charges into the target zone and everybody dies in the mayhem that follows...
When I was at university, there was a program publishing confidential information to/tmp with read all access. I alerted the system administrators and officials, and they said thanks, they'd fix it.
A few months later, I noticed the same stuff getting generated, so I complained, and was told that it was fixed.
So I posted the information in an adminstrators newsgroup.
Suffices to say, I was BAD for publishing confidential information. I got my privs removed, threatened with expulsion, but hey, the problem was fixed.
So how does this apply to oracle in my experience? "Bad" researcher for not working with the company to fix the problem and rushing to prove a point. "Bad" company for not addressing the issue properly when they were first made aware of it.
But its kind of strange these days how publishing information on how to break systems, or providing shoot from the hip fixes (meta files anyone) makes instant Heroes, when in the past this kind of egotistical self gratifying behavior typically generated a reprimand.
I admit, in my case, my thumb was on my nose when I did my public naughtiness. Least I grew up...
Aside from your disparagement, your argument shows a serious flaw in the understanding of university and business involvement. Most research projects that spin off into companies with patented technologies had that intent from the onset. The reality is the public money went into funding the research, and the developers gain monetary advantage, with the university getting residual royalty from potential licensing. Look at aspentech, hyprotech (now defunct), and most engineering companies... universities incubated those businesses at the expense of... taxpayers.
I would go so far as to argue that there is little if any research anymore that isn't applied... alternately look at trends in university budgets to marginalize humanities and social sciences, while the "trade school" and engineerings faculties get lots of money (and a lot of it direct from corporations.)
Main Entry: extortion Pronunciation: ik-'stor-sh&n Function: noun 1 : the act or practice of extorting esp. money or other property; specifically : the act or practice of extorting by a public official acting under color of office 2 : the crime of extorting --extortionate/-sh&-n&t/ adjective --extortioner noun --extortionist/-sh&-nist/ noun
NTP is a patent holding company. It has shareholders and a board, and their sole purpose is to acquire patents that may be enforceable. That is, find a company that has a product, see if there is a patent existing, purchase it, then sue said company.
Alternatively, monitor a technology trend, and purchase a patent with the expectation that the trend will soon realize an innovation, let someone else shoulder the development cost, then sue them if it is a success.
Any way you look at it, its a predatory business model that lets people extort money from 'real' business. NTP does not develop technology. They acquire and extort supposed intellectual rights.
This is worse when you have international companies, that can have a patent in their justistiction, but don't do the due dilligence when attempting to access a US market.
NTP has no claim on RIM internationally. RIM will be hurt, but won't fail. The only people hurt are US based Blackberry users, and the only people that gain are the NTP shareholders.
I think it would be short sighted to think this is a PTO issue and failure. Someone, likely a US based competitor to RIM, is likely waiting in the side lines, expecting benefit from the disruption. All you need to do is see who NTP licensed to and you will find companies lobbying to introduce what could also be considered an import tax... so its not just the PTO or courts; its a trade issue (in my opinion.)
The blessing and the curse: Apple Innovates. The culture oddly has survived in some sense because of Steve.
As an old salt, I remember the days of ATG and the WWDC dev sessions where they would show us the really, really, really cool stuff. At that time, us developers claimed there was no media attention, because typically shortly after the show, M$ announce "their" innovation in M$FUD of what they saw at WWDC (yay Ben).
So, does the Media Love Apple? No. In fact, most have always hated apple. But does the Media sometimes get the source of inspiration right? Sometimes. It took them a while to get there tho.
Slashdot Mirror
Uh, trees and plants make O2. Clearcuts have caused a 20% decrease in biomass and radically changed the environment in South America (read mud slides) over the last 10 years. I don't think colorful writing is dishonest. Hop in a prop and take a flight over Washington state. Looks like a checker board.
That's not just in Korea... don't have to look far outside North America or Europe to see the same thing. Doesn't matter if its small town souther Italy or small town Louisianna.
But being the dad of a 20 month old boy, I sometimes dream of the freedom robotic parents could provide.
Hey I got pictures of TdR kissing his own ass!
You contradict your argument. The fact that the free software movement *does not* work is exactly why OpenBSD is having financial difficulties. Most of the people and businesses that reap the benefit of free software do not support it financially nor contribute. It is, after all, not a requirement! And operating systems and like tools are very niche markets. There is no money in giving away free product. Its free. The fact that you open it up for people to tweak and enhance is irrelevant. People need to eat; and as such the only real successful "business" off "open source" is consulting pursuant to the software. Distribution charges feed the distributors; not the contributors.
So... until Theo drops notoriety and infamy for actually working with business to meet a need (and get consulting revenue), OpenBSD is about as useful as "a cock flavored lolly pop".
There is no good reason for any company to treat a competitor to a vacation, is there?
Most fortune 500 companies still have restrictive dress codes. My IT job requires I not wear jeans, t-shirts, sweats, or otherwise look "unprofessional."
'course I argue as I am usually not in the face of clients, since when do my clothes affect my work or ability to work?
"The man" argues that my colleagues won't take me seriously.
Hell, "the man" doesn't take the female engineer down the hall seriously. Why can't I wear shorts? She can wear a skirt. Guess I could wear a skirt.
I was recently contacted by a recruiter on the OS team specifically for WinFS. Suffices to say, I've heard that the MS recruitment engine is going full bore to try and stack dev teams with people in certain problem areas. 'course when I asked if it was a competing team for the present WinFS team I didn't get a response. There were several positions on the WinFS team; a project lead, sr. developers, and lots of testers. Given the trouble of OFS previously and now WinFS; I suspect WinFS won't be part of Vista.
But I think a lot of the problems can be attributed back to Microsoft's development processes. When I was there in '98, anything resembling software engineering was the pervue of the specific team leads and pms. The "process" behind several projects was throw a couple architects at a problem, add 40 developers, and mid way through the projected development cycle add 80 testers (who oddly end up doing more than testing.)
The entropy and complexity with this number of people is truly astounding. No wonder stuff don't work. And if I were to tell her "give me 5 'smart', experienced, well paid developers, as much pizza and pop as we can consume, and I'll give you a rock solid, fast, simple, and relational FS in 6 months" she'd probably tell me I'm an idiot.
I guess Bill hasn't heard about how popular Blackberry are.
You know the ships in EQ were replaced by transport gnomes years ago right?
And that most zones are accessible through the plane of knowledge and adventure camp Magi? Or the guild hall? And a wizard can transport a group to his bind point?
No more waiting for the Nexus. No more waiting for the boat. No more dying trying to bind at the firepots...
The .mil boys have been using computers and simulations to kill billions of people fictiously for years. I guess they don't read Asimov. Advanced AI is being used in military hardware (such as cruise missiles and smart bombs) to kill real people.
p.s. Sign up for the "For Carl" to "For Butthead" dedication today!
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. Sim Earth was fun; especially when the robots or slugs achieved sentience.
... and being a history student with a keen interested in ancient technology, I have a few worthless comments.
1) The period from 700 AD to 1500 AD was one of relative stability for the Arabs, but they are not the Arabs we know; western nations called them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saracen/. Throughout the history of Man, stable enconomies and excess wealth are driving factors for innovation (common sense; hard to innovate when you're fighting or starving.)
2) Many of the inventions listed are Persian, not Arab.
3) Some of the research is very wrong,
-as other posters have noted, but I recall that ox powered mills existed in Roman times, and watered powered mills existed by 400 AD.
- Crank shaft... Hero had a steam turbine to open doors, it employed a crank shaft as I understand it.
- Chinese were distilling products 2000 BC if I recall
5)
I worked in the field of copy protection for a few years... and our data was pretty telling.
1) the cost to protect any software rises geometrically while the time to remove the protection increases linearally
2) the cost encountered when software protection interferes with the normal operation of the product has a cascading effect when dealing with future sales of ANY vendor product
3) the resources available to crack protection are infinitely larger than those to provide it
So here was our eventual conclusion; physical copy protection wasn't effective, regardless on how much was spent on product development. All it did was cost money and slow crackers down by weeks to months depending on strength of the physical measures.
The surprising thing is how effective non-software methods were, as well as enabling users to do certain things.
Latter first; removing CD turnkey actually decreased the number of people hammering on our protection. It seemed requiring the CD in the drive was a huge motivating factor for people to attack.
And subsequently documentation and external gimicks proved to be highly effective. For example, CD keys printed in black on red paper (hard to photocopy) using internet registration was effective. Putting the key on a toy in the box was also effective. (However requiring internet connectivity to validate and play was another cracker target.)
Apply your genetic algorithms.
random event-
-crossover
-mutation
if(rank>threshhold) entity persists;
iterate.
rank = ability of entity to exist / time
Where is creative evolution in that?
While I find the idea that life originated from some primordial soup mix to be distasteful at best and downright inconceivable at worst...
o gy/miller.html/
Doesn't everyone in biochem201 do Miller's experiment?
http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/Exobiol
The unfortunate thing about the skeptics is that they seldom want to take into account 1) time, and 2) chaos.
I sneeze therefore I am.
Being an ol' fart, and keenly interested in anything like this, I didn't find much value in this book. People keep saying its something for designers to use to facilitate communication, which is a noble cause and good in any other aspect of software engineering; however, the level of complexity to explain the obvious is high, and as soon as you start making up complex terms to explain simple things, you loose the ability to explain it effectively.
Not to mention that most game designers generate their own language that often models an architecture that is creatively delivered. Most game development is highly iterative.
http://www.applematters.com/index.php/section/comm ents/intel_inside_of_your_mac/
As much as the apologists would like to argue about the technical merrits for a switch; it wasn't a technical decision. Sure, its presented as one, but the reality is that Steve was upset at being marginalized...
It was a political decision.
But hey, you could also say that Microsoft made a foresighted decision to use PPC core chips in XBox! Woot better XBox.
For those that don't know, this is a WoW (World of Warcraft) fan movie (most think it is staged) of a raid being planned out with one of the raid members AFK (Away From Keyboard)... upon which he returns and charges into the target zone and everybody dies in the mayhem that follows...
Banzai.
When I was at university, there was a program publishing confidential information to /tmp with read all access. I alerted the system administrators and officials, and they said thanks, they'd fix it.
A few months later, I noticed the same stuff getting generated, so I complained, and was told that it was fixed.
So I posted the information in an adminstrators newsgroup.
Suffices to say, I was BAD for publishing confidential information. I got my privs removed, threatened with expulsion, but hey, the problem was fixed.
So how does this apply to oracle in my experience? "Bad" researcher for not working with the company to fix the problem and rushing to prove a point. "Bad" company for not addressing the issue properly when they were first made aware of it.
But its kind of strange these days how publishing information on how to break systems, or providing shoot from the hip fixes (meta files anyone) makes instant Heroes, when in the past this kind of egotistical self gratifying behavior typically generated a reprimand.
I admit, in my case, my thumb was on my nose when I did my public naughtiness. Least I grew up...
You're wrong again.
e .shtml
http://www.rim.com/investors/articles/patent_abus
RIM did a patent search. They did due diligence.
NTP sued RIM. They claim an infringement on a bad patent.
The judges ruled that given the patent, REGARDLESS of the patent office review and statements "we shouldn't have done that", could be applied to RIM.
RIM has done everything they can given that the validity of the patent is not the issue.
Aside from your disparagement, your argument shows a serious flaw in the understanding of university and business involvement. Most research projects that spin off into companies with patented technologies had that intent from the onset. The reality is the public money went into funding the research, and the developers gain monetary advantage, with the university getting residual royalty from potential licensing. Look at aspentech, hyprotech (now defunct), and most engineering companies... universities incubated those businesses at the expense of ... taxpayers.
I would go so far as to argue that there is little if any research anymore that isn't applied... alternately look at trends in university budgets to marginalize humanities and social sciences, while the "trade school" and engineerings faculties get lots of money (and a lot of it direct from corporations.)
NTP is a patent holding company. It has shareholders and a board, and their sole purpose is to acquire patents that may be enforceable. That is, find a company that has a product, see if there is a patent existing, purchase it, then sue said company.
Alternatively, monitor a technology trend, and purchase a patent with the expectation that the trend will soon realize an innovation, let someone else shoulder the development cost, then sue them if it is a success.
Any way you look at it, its a predatory business model that lets people extort money from 'real' business. NTP does not develop technology. They acquire and extort supposed intellectual rights.
This is worse when you have international companies, that can have a patent in their justistiction, but don't do the due dilligence when attempting to access a US market.
NTP has no claim on RIM internationally. RIM will be hurt, but won't fail. The only people hurt are US based Blackberry users, and the only people that gain are the NTP shareholders.
I think it would be short sighted to think this is a PTO issue and failure. Someone, likely a US based competitor to RIM, is likely waiting in the side lines, expecting benefit from the disruption. All you need to do is see who NTP licensed to and you will find companies lobbying to introduce what could also be considered an import tax... so its not just the PTO or courts; its a trade issue (in my opinion.)
The blessing and the curse: Apple Innovates. The culture oddly has survived in some sense because of Steve.
.02
As an old salt, I remember the days of ATG and the WWDC dev sessions where they would show us the really, really, really cool stuff. At that time, us developers claimed there was no media attention, because typically shortly after the show, M$ announce "their" innovation in M$FUD of what they saw at WWDC (yay Ben).
So, does the Media Love Apple? No. In fact, most have always hated apple. But does the Media sometimes get the source of inspiration right? Sometimes. It took them a while to get there tho.
My