SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR ANNOUNCES HISTORIC COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN NASA AND THE U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE.
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 2, 2000. Secretary of the Interior called a press conference today to announce the implementation of a new cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The interior Secretary called the agreement an historic step towards successful implementation of Reinventing Government, Stage II, that has been developed by the Clinton Administration.
Under the terms of the new agreement, packs of wolves, imported from Canada, will be introduced into several NASA centers. In particular, the NASA research and spaceflight centers at Goddard (Greenbelt, MD), Marshal (Huntsville, AL), Johnson (Houston, TX), and Ames (Moffett Field, CA) have been targeted. "Wolves are an endangered species that need special protection to allow their populations to increase," said Babbit. "Private landowners have objected to releasing wolves in National Parks, fearing that they will wander onto private lands and attack livestock. This agreement represents an innovative compromise that will allow the wolves to prosper in areas where the public will have no objection to their presence."
The Administrator of NASA, Daniel Goldin was present at the Department of Interior press conference. When asked for his reaction to the plan, Goldin said, "NASA is undergoing unprecedented downsizing in response to the desire on the part of the Clinton Administration and the U.S. Congress to reduce the size and cost of the Federal Government. This agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service will introduce ecologically sound management practices that will replace the 'business as usual' approach to personnel issues at NASA. Federal agency work forces are no different than overpopulated herds of deer or elk in our country today. We, too, need to thin the herds," said Goldin.
The Interior Secretary interrupted Mr. Goldin to reassure NASA employees that the vast majority of them would be unaffected by wolf pack predation. "Keep in mind that wolves tend to prey mostly on the weak and slow," Babbit said. "Most NASA employees can move pretty fast and stay out of harm's way. If you keep alert and show no fear, chances are the wolves will leave you alone. Our wildlife experts tell me that 95% of the NASA employees will be unaffected by wolf predation in an average year."
An information brochure, entitled "Adapt or Die," will be distributed to all NASA employees. The brochure explains the ecological basis for this new management policy. It also points out that there are severe penalties for harming endangered wolves, even in self-defense. It says, "Keep in mind that humans are not an endangered species and, therefore, lack protection under the law."
NASA has known about this for months. They have spent a lot of man hours working toward a safe solution. They must have a controlled entry for Compton to target a remote area in the Pacific Ocean for it to crash. Got to admire NASA for doing the right thing, even though crashing an expensive satelite into the ocean isn't always the best PR.
I hope the press is kind to them, they sure were rough on NASA back in Dec,-Jan when this first was announced.
I love the net, I love the access to information and all that that means. I could stay logged in all day at times. However, short and to the point. There is something about sitting down with a good hard cover book, and slowing the pace down by reading. A couple of hours in a nice chair, a good book, and a little peace of mind does wonders for the soul.
1) This is the first I read that Microsoft is pushing for "Implementing Divestiture" rather than "Implementing Reorganization". They changed the wording from reorganization to divestiture. Interesting stuff, I'm curious to the differences in these two "legaleze" terms as it pertains to the longer term future of Microsft.
2) The Judge gave the DOJ until Monday to view and assess these changes and then gave Microsoft until Wed. to comment on the DOJ's comments and appeal if they want to. Duh. . This is going to be a long ride. I wonder how many of our tax dollars are going to be spent on this if it drags out for 18 months to two years? Personally I'm sick of it already, it's going to be worse than the OJ trial.
Colorado Springs is a very small town when it comes to technology. Everyone knows everyone else. The building BSDi is in is only three floors and really not all that big. It also happens to be the home of USA.NET. The own most of the top two floors. I don't know the relationship if any between BSDi and USA.NET, but I would have to imagine that it would be a good thing. Infrastructure-Grade environments are where BSDi lives and USA.NET is turning into an infrastructure-grade provider, with it;s deals with Netscape, United etc.
I like the fact that there are several strong players in this market, not to sound like the republican pig, but it will strenghen the products overall, help hold the costs dwn and most of all give us some additional realistic choices. I'm happy for BSDi, there are some really top notch folks over there and it's nice to seem them conitinuing to be a strong player in the field. Not to mention how good this is for Colorado Springs, which although seems like "South Denver" it's actually not, it's still a small town and needs the employers to be strong to keep the local economy going.
When I was a kid, all we had was LOGO and BASIC...
All you young wippersnappers don't know what the meaning of "tough" life is. Punch tape was still alive and well in the seventies. It truly sucked. Aside from card sorting, and the inevitable missing card, it was generally faster to work out problems using pen and paper.
It was so cool when magnetic media came out, not to mention breaking that 2K memory barrier.;-)
The CyberPatrol and Network Associates' troll was one of the best laid out trolls to hit the net in years. It took everyone in for days. Some are still fuming that YHBT HAND. I believe there are still a few lawsuits pending. Maybe Peacefire aught to hire streetlawyer as counsel.
How come after having successfully installing Linux initially couldn't you perform the same basic kernel mods on Linux flavor X that SuSE did on theirs. Isn't that basically a jointly developed solution between SuSE and Athlon?
f it is not about money, it is about philosophy -- and the new owners should understand that they can either get marginal returns on developing products a little ahead of the curve with good brand recognition, or they could make a bold statement about what they have in their midst
Wow, pretty strong statement. That's an awful lot of risk to eat coming from a PHB perspective, not to mention the shareholders say in the matter. I don't know how much support the effort would get to rick the profit margins, especially now after the four aquisitions, just for the sake of ideals. If they did, I'd work for a company like that, even with taking a pay cut. Means something to go home at the end of the day and be proud of what you did. Can't say I really get that from my current job, It pays well but it sucks being part of the machine.
We hope the community will recognize through our actions the strong commitment to giving back and promoting the Open Source and Linux movements that BeOpen.com has displayed and will continue to foster.
I personally do regognize Pythons past actions and commitments to Open Source ideals and ethics and have high hopes that they will continue this direction.
It's working here as well. Look at companies like Telergy in New Your state. They cut a deal with the power companies to use their right of ways and now are laying 15+ miles of fiber a week with essentially zero impeadance when it comes to right of ways.
US West is doing the same in their 14 state region and many cable companies are now looking at using the water right of ways to lay thier cable.
In Virgina where I live, it's common practice now to put up cell relays on high voltage power line towers which are owned by the federal highway comission. Look in the center of the exit ramps near you, I'll bet you see some. It's a much cheaper route to take when you don't have to purchace the land and file the easments or variances. In the US most of our high end fiber lines are also run along railroad right of ways. The avenue between West Texas and Wyoming (including Denver and Colorado Springs) is alsmost 100% along railroad right of ways, right next to I-25. Unfortunately this has some real negative impacts during train derailments and other disasters because the redundancy built into the systems usually have the backup strands running within a few feet of the main. I know, I've put hundreds of miles of fiber in the ground along this route.
China/India, especially China is a goldmine. They are just building a contry wide infrastructure and look at companies like Exudus and Bitco. Reaping huge rewards by not mining for gold. They're selling the shovels and building the railroads. Analogy obviously, however the truth holds true, that's why this merger looks like just another block in the metromedia marketing plan to compete with Bitco, Mirrors and Exudus to blanket Aisa with infrastructure, management, languages and most of all development and operations.
Thank you for an honest reply. I was wrong to come off sounding like this was some big evil plot, however I was trying to make the point that the merger wasn't as innocent as it sounded. I don't fear all big companies, as a matter of fact I work for one of the most hated/. evil empires.
Please take a minute to read the two replies I posted above.
The "Misplaced fear" part was just hastely worded thoughts on my part and did come out poorly, for that I apologize, to the/. readers and to the Python staff.
Did I feel the same way about O'reilly, Transmeta and Andover for that matter>
Yes.
How exactly is a co-location provider going to taint a programming language?
I don't know, but If I were running the strategic planning for AboveNet and/or Metromedia I would leverage it to the hilt. Turn it into a CLIPS style language that supported MY products writtent in propriatary language that I then would sell training and support for etc. etc.
I don't mean to be a conspiracy monger, but to me this doesn't feel right, not right at all. I sure hope PythonLabs is allowed the freedom to continue the great contributions and efforts focused on changing the industry by leading by example. The Python crew is really top shelf, I'd hate to see a good group like that be unwillingly shifted by the marketing plans of a big brother owner.
Thank you first off for your candid and straightforward reply.
The information I posted was taken directly from your corporate web site under the investors section, where it outlines your primary investors. Over three quarters are executives of AboveNet communications which does happened to be a subsidiary of Metromedia.
I did not mean to imply that BeOpen.com is going to be , as you put it, "The next Evil Empire". After re-reading my initial post I can see how it could read that way and I apologize if I have insulted you or any other BeOpen associate. I for one have been a Python supporter for a long time and have appreciated all Python has done for the Open Source community.
That said, The statement that BeOpen simply hosts servers with AboveNet implies that is the extent of the BeOpen/AboveNet relationship, which I find to be misleading and also false. From public filings from the creation of BeOpen, it is quite apparent that the effort is VC based however subsidised by many of the exec's at AboveNet.
Now if you or the other associates of BeOpen are not aware of this, I feel for you in the fact that your owners and management have kept this from you.
My initial post was an attempt to illustrate that as in cases past, when big money VC's and investors "Partner", "Merge with", "Aquire", etc. Open Source firms, the firms have a huge fight when trying to hold on to the ideals and ethics of open source. My post was trying to outline my fear that this may happen to Python, now PythonLabs. It was not intended to be a flame targeted at Python or any of it's associates, only a thought that big money has a history of getting what it wants, regardless of what gets in its way. In this case Open Source ideals.
In closing I would like to thank you for your honest reply and also thank you for your commitment to the open source community for any future releases of the Python software.
Although I like Python and wish PythonLabs the best in their new adventures, I can't help but think that the course of Python and it's great contributions to the open source community will change for the worse. BeOpen is owned now by AboveNet Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of Metromedia Fiber Network, Inc. (MFN) (Nasdaq: MFNX). This is a huge powerhouse of ISP infrastructure. Metromedia Fiber Network is the leading provider of end-to-end optical transport These guys have huge bandwidth covering over 50 major cities in North America alone and currently they are partnering and buying companies throughout Aisa and Europe gaining a large amount of marketshare and international presence with planned fiber optic network builds in 16 cities throughout Europe. AboveNet is the architect of the Internet Service Exchange which is an ISP like network that provides co-location services and Internet connectivity for content providers, ISPs and application service providers.
On the surface this looks good for Python, however with all that horsepower behind the dollars, I can't help but fear that the focus of the Python projects is goining to be tainted and rolled into just being a part of AboveNet or Metromedias product offerings as "exclusinve" and the Open Source beacon that Python was will come to an end.
Slashdot Mirror
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 2, 2000. Secretary of the Interior called a press conference today to announce the implementation of a new cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The interior Secretary called the agreement an historic step towards successful implementation of Reinventing Government, Stage II, that has been developed by the Clinton Administration.
Under the terms of the new agreement, packs of wolves, imported from Canada, will be introduced into several NASA centers. In particular, the NASA research and spaceflight centers at Goddard (Greenbelt, MD), Marshal (Huntsville, AL), Johnson (Houston, TX), and Ames (Moffett Field, CA) have been targeted. "Wolves are an endangered species that need special protection to allow their populations to increase," said Babbit. "Private landowners have objected to releasing wolves in National Parks, fearing that they will wander onto private lands and attack livestock. This agreement represents an innovative compromise that will allow the wolves to prosper in areas where the public will have no objection to their presence."
The Administrator of NASA, Daniel Goldin was present at the Department of Interior press conference. When asked for his reaction to the plan, Goldin said, "NASA is undergoing unprecedented downsizing in response to the desire on the part of the Clinton Administration and the U.S. Congress to reduce the size and cost of the Federal Government. This agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service will introduce ecologically sound management practices that will replace the 'business as usual' approach to personnel issues at NASA. Federal agency work forces are no different than overpopulated herds of deer or elk in our country today. We, too, need to thin the herds," said Goldin.
The Interior Secretary interrupted Mr. Goldin to reassure NASA employees that the vast majority of them would be unaffected by wolf pack predation. "Keep in mind that wolves tend to prey mostly on the weak and slow," Babbit said. "Most NASA employees can move pretty fast and stay out of harm's way. If you keep alert and show no fear, chances are the wolves will leave you alone. Our wildlife experts tell me that 95% of the NASA employees will be unaffected by wolf predation in an average year."
An information brochure, entitled "Adapt or Die," will be distributed to all NASA employees. The brochure explains the ecological basis for this new management policy. It also points out that there are severe penalties for harming endangered wolves, even in self-defense. It says, "Keep in mind that humans are not an endangered species and, therefore, lack protection under the law."
I hope the press is kind to them, they sure were rough on NASA back in Dec,-Jan when this first was announced.
Next door to another employer? I lived a block away and walked to that GOG facility.
Why did mudge end up last on the Signatories List? IMO folks from L0pht should be higher on the list. Sheesh, they ar obviously the most qualified.
I love the net, I love the access to information and all that that means. I could stay logged in all day at times. However, short and to the point. There is something about sitting down with a good hard cover book, and slowing the pace down by reading. A couple of hours in a nice chair, a good book, and a little peace of mind does wonders for the soul.
And how is this different from us? ;-)
Chalk one up for Evangelion. Very funny.
ROTF LMAO, That's very funny.
ROTF LOL Very funny.
2) The Judge gave the DOJ until Monday to view and assess these changes and then gave Microsoft until Wed. to comment on the DOJ's comments and appeal if they want to. Duh. . This is going to be a long ride. I wonder how many of our tax dollars are going to be spent on this if it drags out for 18 months to two years? Personally I'm sick of it already, it's going to be worse than the OJ trial.
Good article in either case.
I like the fact that there are several strong players in this market, not to sound like the republican pig, but it will strenghen the products overall, help hold the costs dwn and most of all give us some additional realistic choices. I'm happy for BSDi, there are some really top notch folks over there and it's nice to seem them conitinuing to be a strong player in the field. Not to mention how good this is for Colorado Springs, which although seems like "South Denver" it's actually not, it's still a small town and needs the employers to be strong to keep the local economy going.
All you young wippersnappers don't know what the meaning of "tough" life is. Punch tape was still alive and well in the seventies. It truly sucked. Aside from card sorting, and the inevitable missing card, it was generally faster to work out problems using pen and paper.
It was so cool when magnetic media came out, not to mention breaking that 2K memory barrier.;-)
The CyberPatrol and Network Associates' troll was one of the best laid out trolls to hit the net in years. It took everyone in for days. Some are still fuming that YHBT HAND. I believe there are still a few lawsuits pending. Maybe Peacefire aught to hire streetlawyer as counsel.
How come after having successfully installing Linux initially couldn't you perform the same basic kernel mods on Linux flavor X that SuSE did on theirs. Isn't that basically a jointly developed solution between SuSE and Athlon?
Williams is doing the same, working for companies like Cavalier and such. However they are only using the right of ways, not the actual pipes.
Wow, pretty strong statement. That's an awful lot of risk to eat coming from a PHB perspective, not to mention the shareholders say in the matter. I don't know how much support the effort would get to rick the profit margins, especially now after the four aquisitions, just for the sake of ideals. If they did, I'd work for a company like that, even with taking a pay cut. Means something to go home at the end of the day and be proud of what you did. Can't say I really get that from my current job, It pays well but it sucks being part of the machine.
We hope the community will recognize through our actions the strong commitment to giving back and promoting the Open Source and Linux movements that BeOpen.com has displayed and will continue to foster.
I personally do regognize Pythons past actions and commitments to Open Source ideals and ethics and have high hopes that they will continue this direction.
Thank you for your candid and detailed response.
No harm, no foul.
I hope you read my reply above.
US West is doing the same in their 14 state region and many cable companies are now looking at using the water right of ways to lay thier cable.
In Virgina where I live, it's common practice now to put up cell relays on high voltage power line towers which are owned by the federal highway comission. Look in the center of the exit ramps near you, I'll bet you see some. It's a much cheaper route to take when you don't have to purchace the land and file the easments or variances. In the US most of our high end fiber lines are also run along railroad right of ways. The avenue between West Texas and Wyoming (including Denver and Colorado Springs) is alsmost 100% along railroad right of ways, right next to I-25. Unfortunately this has some real negative impacts during train derailments and other disasters because the redundancy built into the systems usually have the backup strands running within a few feet of the main. I know, I've put hundreds of miles of fiber in the ground along this route.
China/India, especially China is a goldmine. They are just building a contry wide infrastructure and look at companies like Exudus and Bitco. Reaping huge rewards by not mining for gold. They're selling the shovels and building the railroads. Analogy obviously, however the truth holds true, that's why this merger looks like just another block in the metromedia marketing plan to compete with Bitco, Mirrors and Exudus to blanket Aisa with infrastructure, management, languages and most of all development and operations.
Please take a minute to read the two replies I posted above.
thank you
Did I feel the same way about O'reilly, Transmeta and Andover for that matter>
Yes.
How exactly is a co-location provider going to taint a programming language?
I don't know, but If I were running the strategic planning for AboveNet and/or Metromedia I would leverage it to the hilt. Turn it into a CLIPS style language that supported MY products writtent in propriatary language that I then would sell training and support for etc. etc.
I don't mean to be a conspiracy monger, but to me this doesn't feel right, not right at all. I sure hope PythonLabs is allowed the freedom to continue the great contributions and efforts focused on changing the industry by leading by example. The Python crew is really top shelf, I'd hate to see a good group like that be unwillingly shifted by the marketing plans of a big brother owner.
Thank you first off for your candid and straightforward reply.
The information I posted was taken directly from your corporate web site under the investors section, where it outlines your primary investors. Over three quarters are executives of AboveNet communications which does happened to be a subsidiary of Metromedia.
I did not mean to imply that BeOpen.com is going to be , as you put it, "The next Evil Empire". After re-reading my initial post I can see how it could read that way and I apologize if I have insulted you or any other BeOpen associate. I for one have been a Python supporter for a long time and have appreciated all Python has done for the Open Source community.
That said, The statement that BeOpen simply hosts servers with AboveNet implies that is the extent of the BeOpen/AboveNet relationship, which I find to be misleading and also false. From public filings from the creation of BeOpen, it is quite apparent that the effort is VC based however subsidised by many of the exec's at AboveNet.
Now if you or the other associates of BeOpen are not aware of this, I feel for you in the fact that your owners and management have kept this from you.
My initial post was an attempt to illustrate that as in cases past, when big money VC's and investors "Partner", "Merge with", "Aquire", etc. Open Source firms, the firms have a huge fight when trying to hold on to the ideals and ethics of open source. My post was trying to outline my fear that this may happen to Python, now PythonLabs. It was not intended to be a flame targeted at Python or any of it's associates, only a thought that big money has a history of getting what it wants, regardless of what gets in its way. In this case Open Source ideals.
In closing I would like to thank you for your honest reply and also thank you for your commitment to the open source community for any future releases of the Python software.
Regards,
ttm
On the surface this looks good for Python, however with all that horsepower behind the dollars, I can't help but fear that the focus of the Python projects is goining to be tainted and rolled into just being a part of AboveNet or Metromedias product offerings as "exclusinve" and the Open Source beacon that Python was will come to an end.