It seems silly to me to complain about the gap between the tech elites and the average Joe, without also considering both the rate that the technology changes and the rate of penetration of new technology into average Joe's life. If the tech changes come faster and faster, and average Joe sees them immediately in new products, of course the tech gap will widen: only the elites will have had the time and motivation to learn the new tech.
Should you blame the tech elites for this? No. Should you blame average Joe for this? No. Until such time as the user interface is as intuitive as talking to someone, or the tech change curve levels out and Joe can catch up, we need to just accept that there will be a gap between those who know about technology and those who know about other things. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to improve UI's, but it's not unnatural that this gap exists.
This only becomes a problem (if you consider it a problem) when the elites stick it to everybody else because they can. But tech people aren't the only ones who do this: look at lawyers and doctors. There is a similar knowledge gap in their fields; but there's no expectation that average Joe should be able to do his own dentistry, for example.
Don't they still do the thing on the back page where they show you really old PS stories that DO resemble modern developed technologies? Don't have a copy in front of me...
A bunch of people are concerned about privacy. OK, fine. But what about the potential for annoying pop-up ads? Pop-up and banner ads are bad enough on the web - I sure as hell don't need them popping up 18 hours a day while I walk around in my daily (real) life.
Another article about generating electrical power from piezoelectric implants in your shoes was posted back in June. Can't say which I'd prefer: constant "trickle" charging from walking around, or Richard Simmons-style express charging;)
I agree - this is the real issue. Media companies don't want to face the fact that once they release their work, it's effectively in the public domain - they can't control who consumes it or how many copies are made.
I think the Street Performer Protocol is a possible solution, and it also happens to have other benefits.
I posted this two or three days ago and it was rejected. Aargh.
There's a red one that parks every day in the Lenox mall parking deck, next to the food court, if you want to look at it up close. I also saw a white one on Freedom Parkway last week. The company also makes a three-wheeled roadster powered by a Harley engine.
You have to wonder, given the vulnerabilities wireless networking has displayed, how soon this is going to become a problem. If (when) some big corporate honcho's laptop running XP gets cracked, will it affect any plans the airport security agencies have for things like face recognition, etc.?
Regardless, pretty cool of them for implementing it.
If (and it's a big if) they can get this stuff to a workable state, you still have other things to deal with. For example, concrete has little appreciable tensile strength and elasticity, which is why engineers place steel reinforcing bars (rebars) all through the concrete. Seeing the rebars kills the illusion of transparency.
This stuff would need to expand/contract with temperature at a similar rate to the steel, otherwise you run into problems. You could pre- or post-tension the structure with steel cables run through sleeves in the concrete, but the sleeves also need the same thermal expansion/contraction ratio.
Here in the U.S. concrete is most often used as a structural material anyway, not as a cladding system (though these exist). People don't usually make walls out of it; for these purposes, if you want translucency or transparency, it seems far easier to use any of the myriad varieties of glass block, assuming you don't need a whole lot of structural strength.
Disclaimer: I studied architecture for 4 years and my wife is an architect, but I've been out of the loop for 10 years or so. Civil engineers or architects, please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.
To Whom It May Concern,
I would like to express my displeasure with the Microsoft antitrust settlement proposal. I feel that the single biggest issues affecting competition are the facts that 1) Microsoft has an effective monopoly of the "office productivity suite" class of applications, and 2) they make it very difficult for other vendors to interoperate with their product (Microsoft Office). Potential new vendors must support the Office document formats because they are the de facto standard, but they are undocumented, and thus it is almost impossible for any potential new vendors to support them well. As a result, the consumer has little choice but to buy Office, and because it only runs on Windows, he has no choice in operating systems either.
I feel that any effective settlement must include the following conditions:
Microsoft must release full documentation for the existing Office file formats;
Microsoft must be prohibited from introducing changes to these formats without releasing full documentation of the changes;
Microsoft must be release said documentation in advance of their actual support for the changes, to prevent other vendors from having to play catch-up;
Microsoft must participate in the development of new, open document formats, preferably based on XML and governed by an independent standards body.
The effect of these conditions would be to allow other vendors to develop a product competitive to Microsoft Office for the first time in years. This in turn would open the door to competition in many other areas.
I agree completely. I studied architecture for four years, quit, got a job programming based on self-taught experience, and have done so for 8+ years now. Not having a degree hasn't hindered my career so far, but now I'm going back to school for MIS. My thoughts are that you only make big money if you own the company, and for that you need business knowledge. I plan to start my own company at some point.
Yeah, it's hyped, so what? It's ironic that you were affected enough by the LOTR hype to post a diatribe about it on Slashdot. If you're as out-of-it as you say, why are you even reading this thread?
As for your assumptions about the movie sucking, they're just assumptions, and may or may not be true. It's admirable to ignore the hype; and it's fine to not want to see the movie because you're afraid of destroying the existing associations you have with the books, but let's be honest - that's fear based on ignorance. You won't know whether the movie sucks or not unless you go see it.
So are you going to let your kneejerk reaction to the hype keep you from experiencing something that may or may not be worth seeing? If you ignore the hype (as you say) then it's not a factor.
I am a SCJP, as well as an MCP (should be an MCSD by Christmas). To tell the truth, I haven't needed the certification but found it valuable to get anyway; both for the technical incentive it gives me to learn, and for less tangible reasons.
To me, the fact that I am certified in both MS and Sun technologies (plus that I use Linux at home) gives me credibility - it shows I'm trying to have a broad perspective on things. Most of my clients are MS shops, but the last thing I want is to be a MS lackey mindlessly repeating the party line. I like some of MS's stuff, but if I use it I want it to be because it's good. Having diverse certs helps my clients trust me - and your boss's trust is your biggest asset.
I think the point is that (theoretically and eventually) this could provide more efficient hardware. If you don't agree that this might affect developers, then perhaps you'd like to tell Intel, AMD and Motorola to stop improving their chips, they run fast enough, thanks. So it won't make you develop in a different language. Who cares? The article's not about a new programming language.
I don't think the pursuit of binary computing needs any encouragement. The companies above spend billions on it, products that use it are everywhere, and schools around the world teach students to design binary computers. Binary computing is being refined and improved as fast as it can be, period.
And even if trinary computing goes nowhere, I think it should be explored, if for no other reason than principle. How else are you going to know if it's better? The world needs more variety, not less (check out this book for why), and if you think otherwise I suggest you go work for Microsoft or McDonald's.
I, for one, am interested in alternative approaches not *necessarily* because I think they're better, but because without being exposed to them I won't know if my current assumptions are valid. For that reason *I WANT* to see this kind of thing on/. If something is better, I will use it without marketing's help.
The Lexus and the Olive Tree, by Pulitzer-winner Tom Friedman. A bit long-winded, especially in the middle third, but it's a good start to understanding globalization.
Nope - I noticed the same problems. On my Athlon, 2.4.10 compiles *sometimes*, depending on what options I set (sometimes I have had to resort to compiling for PIII instead of Athlon). Even then, when I install it and reboot, sometimes I get a kernel panic. I've noticed no discernable pattern to it.
I'm compiling with GCC 3.01 (maybe that has something to do with it). And like you, 2.4.9 seemed to work fine....
Mike
I use a DvortyBoard (http://www.dvortyboards.com, ~$70). It's equivalent to a fairly cheap PC keyboard, but nice because 1) it's cheap compared to the fancy ergonomic models, 2) it's dual-labeled for Qwerty and Dvorak, and 3) you can switch it between the two modes with a single keypress (it's hard-wired). Comes in handy when your significant other (who can't/won't learn to remap the keyboard) needs to use the computer. Remapping is a pain in its own right, anyway.
This company is working on a port of the entire.Net framework (base class libraries) to Java, as well as tools for converting existing.Net apps to Java. In theory this could allow them to run.Net apps (after conversion) on any platform...
There's an interesting discussion on just this topic (emulating other "cool" peoples' strategies) in a book called Harnessing Complexity that was reviewed not long ago here on/.
I agree, Java's a nice environment. Too bad I never get to use it:(
Check out the Resin JSP/servlet engine - the authors claim it's faster than mod_perl and mod_php. If you're targeting Apache and you believe them, it might be worth looking at.
I've installed it (painlessly) on IIS and Apache and played with it, no real performance measurements but it seemed pretty fast.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm able to stop light with my bare hands (or at least scatter and reflect it ;)
Should you blame the tech elites for this? No. Should you blame average Joe for this? No. Until such time as the user interface is as intuitive as talking to someone, or the tech change curve levels out and Joe can catch up, we need to just accept that there will be a gap between those who know about technology and those who know about other things. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to improve UI's, but it's not unnatural that this gap exists.
This only becomes a problem (if you consider it a problem) when the elites stick it to everybody else because they can. But tech people aren't the only ones who do this: look at lawyers and doctors. There is a similar knowledge gap in their fields; but there's no expectation that average Joe should be able to do his own dentistry, for example.
Don't they still do the thing on the back page where they show you really old PS stories that DO resemble modern developed technologies? Don't have a copy in front of me...
A bunch of people are concerned about privacy. OK, fine. But what about the potential for annoying pop-up ads? Pop-up and banner ads are bad enough on the web - I sure as hell don't need them popping up 18 hours a day while I walk around in my daily (real) life.
(drum roll)
Cluster Fsck!
Another article about generating electrical power from piezoelectric implants in your shoes was posted back in June. Can't say which I'd prefer: constant "trickle" charging from walking around, or Richard Simmons-style express charging ;)
I think the Street Performer Protocol is a possible solution, and it also happens to have other benefits.
There's a red one that parks every day in the Lenox mall parking deck, next to the food court, if you want to look at it up close. I also saw a white one on Freedom Parkway last week. The company also makes a three-wheeled roadster powered by a Harley engine.
Regardless, pretty cool of them for implementing it.
This stuff would need to expand/contract with temperature at a similar rate to the steel, otherwise you run into problems. You could pre- or post-tension the structure with steel cables run through sleeves in the concrete, but the sleeves also need the same thermal expansion/contraction ratio.
Here in the U.S. concrete is most often used as a structural material anyway, not as a cladding system (though these exist). People don't usually make walls out of it; for these purposes, if you want translucency or transparency, it seems far easier to use any of the myriad varieties of glass block, assuming you don't need a whole lot of structural strength.
Disclaimer: I studied architecture for 4 years and my wife is an architect, but I've been out of the loop for 10 years or so. Civil engineers or architects, please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.
To Whom It May Concern,
I would like to express my displeasure with the Microsoft antitrust settlement proposal. I feel that the single biggest issues affecting competition are the facts that 1) Microsoft has an effective monopoly of the "office productivity suite" class of applications, and 2) they make it very difficult for other vendors to interoperate with their product (Microsoft Office). Potential new vendors must support the Office document formats because they are the de facto standard, but they are undocumented, and thus it is almost impossible for any potential new vendors to support them well. As a result, the consumer has little choice but to buy Office, and because it only runs on Windows, he has no choice in operating systems either.
I feel that any effective settlement must include the following conditions:
The effect of these conditions would be to allow other vendors to develop a product competitive to Microsoft Office for the first time in years. This in turn would open the door to competition in many other areas.
Mike Simpson
I agree completely. I studied architecture for four years, quit, got a job programming based on self-taught experience, and have done so for 8+ years now. Not having a degree hasn't hindered my career so far, but now I'm going back to school for MIS. My thoughts are that you only make big money if you own the company, and for that you need business knowledge. I plan to start my own company at some point.
As for your assumptions about the movie sucking, they're just assumptions, and may or may not be true. It's admirable to ignore the hype; and it's fine to not want to see the movie because you're afraid of destroying the existing associations you have with the books, but let's be honest - that's fear based on ignorance. You won't know whether the movie sucks or not unless you go see it.
So are you going to let your kneejerk reaction to the hype keep you from experiencing something that may or may not be worth seeing? If you ignore the hype (as you say) then it's not a factor.
To me, the fact that I am certified in both MS and Sun technologies (plus that I use Linux at home) gives me credibility - it shows I'm trying to have a broad perspective on things. Most of my clients are MS shops, but the last thing I want is to be a MS lackey mindlessly repeating the party line. I like some of MS's stuff, but if I use it I want it to be because it's good. Having diverse certs helps my clients trust me - and your boss's trust is your biggest asset.
I don't think the pursuit of binary computing needs any encouragement. The companies above spend billions on it, products that use it are everywhere, and schools around the world teach students to design binary computers. Binary computing is being refined and improved as fast as it can be, period.
And even if trinary computing goes nowhere, I think it should be explored, if for no other reason than principle. How else are you going to know if it's better? The world needs more variety, not less (check out this book for why), and if you think otherwise I suggest you go work for Microsoft or McDonald's.
I, for one, am interested in alternative approaches not *necessarily* because I think they're better, but because without being exposed to them I won't know if my current assumptions are valid. For that reason *I WANT* to see this kind of thing on
The Lexus and the Olive Tree, by Pulitzer-winner Tom Friedman. A bit long-winded, especially in the middle third, but it's a good start to understanding globalization.
Nope - I noticed the same problems. On my Athlon, 2.4.10 compiles *sometimes*, depending on what options I set (sometimes I have had to resort to compiling for PIII instead of Athlon). Even then, when I install it and reboot, sometimes I get a kernel panic. I've noticed no discernable pattern to it.
I'm compiling with GCC 3.01 (maybe that has something to do with it). And like you, 2.4.9 seemed to work fine....
Mike
Typed damn fast with the Dvorak keyboard layout
Maybe these guys will be interested in helping out with the Linux kernel or other projects (if they haven't been already)?
I use a DvortyBoard (http://www.dvortyboards.com, ~$70). It's equivalent to a fairly cheap PC keyboard, but nice because 1) it's cheap compared to the fancy ergonomic models, 2) it's dual-labeled for Qwerty and Dvorak, and 3) you can switch it between the two modes with a single keypress (it's hard-wired). Comes in handy when your significant other (who can't/won't learn to remap the keyboard) needs to use the computer. Remapping is a pain in its own right, anyway.
Well worth reading, IMHO...
Check out the Resin JSP/servlet engine - the authors claim it's faster than mod_perl and mod_php. If you're targeting Apache and you believe them, it might be worth looking at.
I've installed it (painlessly) on IIS and Apache and played with it, no real performance measurements but it seemed pretty fast.