if you aren't in one of the most populous state, your vote isn't worth shit.
Not really. The lower your state's population, the greater per-capita representation each resident has in the electoral college.
As of 2000, California had 35,484,453 residents and 54 electoral votes, meaning each vote represents about 600,000 people (ignoring nonvoters and those ineligible to vote).
In the same year, Montana has 917,621 people, and three electoral votes -- that's one vote for every 300,000 people or so. A Montanan's vote counted twice as much as a Californian's.
someone should create a good Internet voting mechanism, and keep it anonymous yet feasible
Most websites can't even figure out how to prevent users from ballot-stuffing their informal polls. What are the chances of adopting a political voting system that can't be defeated simply by deleting a cookie after every ballot you cast?
All these consoles for the last 20 years have been tied to a TV. Only the GB/A/SP, The Nomad, and Virtual Boy have tried to innovate in these areas.
If you're going to have the Sega Nomad on there, you ought to have the Lynx, the Game Gear, the TurboXpress, the NeoGeo Pocket, and hell, even the Game.Com and N-Gage on that list...
Interesting that three years later private companies have out-done the DoE's work. Sad.
Yes, it's sad that it took three years.
Software developed by, or on contract from, the federal government belongs to the public domain in the US, if I remember correctly. If that DoE software package had had its source opened up and made available in a timely fashion, a civilian company would not have had to redevelop their own system from scratch.
I have no confidence they wouldn't run as root if they had OS X or one of the Unices.
If a user can be tricked into installing and running code that will harvest their keystrokes and send them over the Internet to The Bad Guys, it doesn't matter whether they're running as root and install it to/usr/bin or running as a regular user and install it in their home directory.
I wouldn't exactly call a nondescript 20x20 icon in the bottom right corner of the screen a "big blinking light". Windows Update has the right idea, does not make it clear enough how ESSENTIAL it is to actually install the updates that are available.
A minature transponder, nothing unique about pinhead size electronics, without a battery (done before), that transmits a number, big deal, and a receiver that picks up that number, and treats it like a barcode (very old hat)
Just because each individual component of a patented system is obvious and has prior art does NOT prove that the gestalt of the entire system is obvious or has prior art.
Why do I keep reading Slashdot patent stories? The same misconceptions, and corrections, and corrections to corrections, get posted in the comments every time.
EVERYTHING they've ever done with the exception of the Malcolm In The Middle theme song has sounded like children's music to me that required approximately the musical talent of my mom to perform and/or compose (hint: my mom has no musical talent).
It must run in the family, then. TMBG's music may often be accessible to children, but that doesn't detract any from the depth of the songwriting or the cleverness of the lyrics.
Thanks for sharing your opinions, though. You really contributed a lot to this discussion.
Could you imagine a shovel that would stop you from moving sand too quickly ?
Can you imagine industrial excavation equipment that DOESN'T limit the speed at which the crane can move? Site injuries and fatalities would skyrocket.
Not the same as Intel locking the clock speed of a CPU, really, except that in both cases they're doing what they perceive as best for their users, and what is incontestibly best for them in terms of liability.
the fact that VAX is still around is a testament to how damn well engineered those machines are.
And the fact that DEC, the company that build those VAXen, went tits-up five years ago is a testament to how unprofitable it is to build machines that are engineered so well that they never need to be replaced...
The FCC doesn't have more powers than Congress itself has, though. Its jurisdiction is limited strictly to organizations and individuals which use the public airwaves.
Under Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3 of the US Constitution, no ex post facto law may be passed.
Article I only pertains to the Legislative branch of the government. Last I checked, the US doesn't have a tricameral Congress consisting of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Federal Communications Commission.
I find it difficult to believe that broadcasters aren't already required to keep records permenently for historical purposes.
I find it difficult to believe that people aren't required to make a recording of every phone call they participate in and send a photocopy of every post-it note they write to the Library of Congress. You know, for historical purposes.
When someone accuses you, he's the one who has to bring the evidence. You don't have to incriminate yourself.
I don't know if the Fifth Amendment argument would work here. This is recordkeeping in a corporate environment, not a confession of wrongdoing in a court setting.
The law requires businesses to maintain certain records pertaining to, say, financial transactions; it doesn't seem unreasonable by that measuring stick to require a business whose core product is broadcasted material to retain a copy of that product.
There is complaining because a bunch of tv stations with a lot of money have to record and keep on file what their overpaid broadcasters say/do on air.
News flash -- not all broadcasting companies have "a lot of money", nor are all on-air personalities "overpaid."
A 1,000-watt community radio station with a staff of 3 people would have to make the same investment in archival equipment as a 100,000-watt metropolitan superstation, and that isn't fair to the small station. Actually, it's less than fair, as the large station has probably already invested in archival systems so they can syndicate chosen content.
If this becomes law, expect to see the remaining independent stations go off the air or let themselves become assimilated into the ClearChannel Borg. That would not be a good thing for ANYONE, except possibly ClearChannel shareholders.
Fortunately it seems a few European nations have noticed the current US system is only good for patent lawyers and draining resources to fight off vulture corps.
You would think so, if Slashdot is your primary source for information about the state of the US intellectual property system. Unfortunately, it's not an accurate picture. Lawsuits involving bad IP get news coverage; valid lawsuits pass through the system practically silently.
The real advancement in intellectual property law and consumer rights will come when they offer to let you buy a "no strings attached" license for the content for a buck or two more, which permits you to copy/transform the content as many times/ways as you want, as long as it's for your own non-profit personal use.
So you're advocating a model where we'd have to pay EXTRA to enjoy the fair use provisions of copyright that we have NOW?
Don't forget that a PC will consume a lot more electricity than a Tivo.
But a Tivo is a PC.
How can this post be "+1 Informative" when the poster has pulled a number out of thin air and admits that he "hasn't figured out" what the real numbers would be?
But anyone who picks a PC based solution is someone with too much time on their hands, and needs to examine their lifestyle, perhaps.
You need to kiss my ass, perhaps.
I live in a tiny tiny apartment. I don't have room for both a PC and a TV/DVD entertainment center. I'd rather have a single device that serves both purposes.
Besides, the whole point of XP MCE is that you don't NEED to have time or patience to set it up. Once my cable provider was selected from the list and my display calibrated, it just worked.
I know plenty of unsigned artists whose mp3's are floating around the internet, promoting them, who can now offer "Albums" on these MP3 devices, custom-like, to their loyal fans.
Last I checked, getting CDs made costs a lot less than $10 per piece. Apart from the gimmick factor, what would be the advantage to an unsigned band of selling music in tiny MP3 player form?
Slashdot Mirror
if you aren't in one of the most populous state, your vote isn't worth shit.
Not really. The lower your state's population, the greater per-capita representation each resident has in the electoral college.
As of 2000, California had 35,484,453 residents and 54 electoral votes, meaning each vote represents about 600,000 people (ignoring nonvoters and those ineligible to vote).
In the same year, Montana has 917,621 people, and three electoral votes -- that's one vote for every 300,000 people or so. A Montanan's vote counted twice as much as a Californian's.
someone should create a good Internet voting mechanism, and keep it anonymous yet feasible
Most websites can't even figure out how to prevent users from ballot-stuffing their informal polls. What are the chances of adopting a political voting system that can't be defeated simply by deleting a cookie after every ballot you cast?
Sunglasses with MP3 playback built in
I hope Jan Ullrich's cousin Lars doesn't find out about this. He'll be PISSED.
All these consoles for the last 20 years have been tied to a TV. Only the GB/A/SP, The Nomad, and Virtual Boy have tried to innovate in these areas.
If you're going to have the Sega Nomad on there, you ought to have the Lynx, the Game Gear, the TurboXpress, the NeoGeo Pocket, and hell, even the Game.Com and N-Gage on that list...
Interesting that three years later private companies have out-done the DoE's work. Sad.
Yes, it's sad that it took three years.
Software developed by, or on contract from, the federal government belongs to the public domain in the US, if I remember correctly. If that DoE software package had had its source opened up and made available in a timely fashion, a civilian company would not have had to redevelop their own system from scratch.
I have no confidence they wouldn't run as root if they had OS X or one of the Unices.
/usr/bin or running as a regular user and install it in their home directory.
If a user can be tricked into installing and running code that will harvest their keystrokes and send them over the Internet to The Bad Guys, it doesn't matter whether they're running as root and install it to
To install any new application in Mac OS X (as I imagine it is in Unix), the admin password must be input.
So that's what it is!
*typing* i... n... p... u... t...
That didn't work! YOU LIES TO ME
I wouldn't exactly call a nondescript 20x20 icon in the bottom right corner of the screen a "big blinking light". Windows Update has the right idea, does not make it clear enough how ESSENTIAL it is to actually install the updates that are available.
A minature transponder, nothing unique about pinhead size electronics, without a battery (done before), that transmits a number, big deal, and a receiver that picks up that number, and treats it like a barcode (very old hat)
Just because each individual component of a patented system is obvious and has prior art does NOT prove that the gestalt of the entire system is obvious or has prior art.
Why do I keep reading Slashdot patent stories? The same misconceptions, and corrections, and corrections to corrections, get posted in the comments every time.
EVERYTHING they've ever done with the exception of the Malcolm In The Middle theme song has sounded like children's music to me that required approximately the musical talent of my mom to perform and/or compose (hint: my mom has no musical talent).
It must run in the family, then. TMBG's music may often be accessible to children, but that doesn't detract any from the depth of the songwriting or the cleverness of the lyrics.
Thanks for sharing your opinions, though. You really contributed a lot to this discussion.
Could you imagine a shovel that would stop you from moving sand too quickly ?
Can you imagine industrial excavation equipment that DOESN'T limit the speed at which the crane can move? Site injuries and fatalities would skyrocket.
Not the same as Intel locking the clock speed of a CPU, really, except that in both cases they're doing what they perceive as best for their users, and what is incontestibly best for them in terms of liability.
the fact that VAX is still around is a testament to how damn well engineered those machines are.
And the fact that DEC, the company that build those VAXen, went tits-up five years ago is a testament to how unprofitable it is to build machines that are engineered so well that they never need to be replaced...
Twice the eye candy, and its so much more powerful, you get to reboot twice as often.
Try again, slashbot. XP is demonstrably more stable than Win2K. But hey, your version of the story nets you more Karma points, right?
The FCC doesn't have more powers than Congress itself has, though. Its jurisdiction is limited strictly to organizations and individuals which use the public airwaves.
I rarely get constipated so perhaps I should take laxitive all the time
Indeed, a pound of prevention beats an ounce of cure.
Signed,
The FCC.
Under Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3 of the US Constitution, no ex post facto law may be passed.
Article I only pertains to the Legislative branch of the government. Last I checked, the US doesn't have a tricameral Congress consisting of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Federal Communications Commission.
I find it difficult to believe that broadcasters aren't already required to keep records permenently for historical purposes.
I find it difficult to believe that people aren't required to make a recording of every phone call they participate in and send a photocopy of every post-it note they write to the Library of Congress. You know, for historical purposes.
Some media is ephemeral. It should stay that way.
When someone accuses you, he's the one who has to bring the evidence. You don't have to incriminate yourself.
I don't know if the Fifth Amendment argument would work here. This is recordkeeping in a corporate environment, not a confession of wrongdoing in a court setting.
The law requires businesses to maintain certain records pertaining to, say, financial transactions; it doesn't seem unreasonable by that measuring stick to require a business whose core product is broadcasted material to retain a copy of that product.
There is complaining because a bunch of tv stations with a lot of money have to record and keep on file what their overpaid broadcasters say/do on air.
News flash -- not all broadcasting companies have "a lot of money", nor are all on-air personalities "overpaid."
A 1,000-watt community radio station with a staff of 3 people would have to make the same investment in archival equipment as a 100,000-watt metropolitan superstation, and that isn't fair to the small station. Actually, it's less than fair, as the large station has probably already invested in archival systems so they can syndicate chosen content.
If this becomes law, expect to see the remaining independent stations go off the air or let themselves become assimilated into the ClearChannel Borg. That would not be a good thing for ANYONE, except possibly ClearChannel shareholders.
electors were selected by the campaign of the candidate they're supposed to vote for, and are contractually and legally bound to do so...
Nonsense. Electors are legally able to cast votes for whomever they want.
but, uh, what if they don't? That's just plain uncharted Constitutional territory.
No it isn't. There were "faithless electors" who cast unexpected votes in every presidential election between 1968 and 1976.
Fortunately it seems a few European nations have noticed the current US system is only good for patent lawyers and draining resources to fight off vulture corps.
You would think so, if Slashdot is your primary source for information about the state of the US intellectual property system. Unfortunately, it's not an accurate picture. Lawsuits involving bad IP get news coverage; valid lawsuits pass through the system practically silently.
The real advancement in intellectual property law and consumer rights will come when they offer to let you buy a "no strings attached" license for the content for a buck or two more, which permits you to copy/transform the content as many times/ways as you want, as long as it's for your own non-profit personal use.
So you're advocating a model where we'd have to pay EXTRA to enjoy the fair use provisions of copyright that we have NOW?
Kooky.
Don't forget that a PC will consume a lot more electricity than a Tivo.
But a Tivo is a PC.
How can this post be "+1 Informative" when the poster has pulled a number out of thin air and admits that he "hasn't figured out" what the real numbers would be?
But anyone who picks a PC based solution is someone with too much time on their hands, and needs to examine their lifestyle, perhaps.
You need to kiss my ass, perhaps.
I live in a tiny tiny apartment. I don't have room for both a PC and a TV/DVD entertainment center. I'd rather have a single device that serves both purposes.
Besides, the whole point of XP MCE is that you don't NEED to have time or patience to set it up. Once my cable provider was selected from the list and my display calibrated, it just worked.
I know plenty of unsigned artists whose mp3's are floating around the internet, promoting them, who can now offer "Albums" on these MP3 devices, custom-like, to their loyal fans.
Last I checked, getting CDs made costs a lot less than $10 per piece. Apart from the gimmick factor, what would be the advantage to an unsigned band of selling music in tiny MP3 player form?