No offense to your wife, but she is part of the "old" generation. People who want to use computers to do certain things, who don't have a lot of interest in technology and can't be bothered to find out how things work. That's fine, but the next generation is not like that. These kids grow up with computers - they are in everything they use, be they cell-phones, cameras or ebook readers. They don't have the slightest worry about using technology, they want to edit videos and send them to their friends, they want to be connected 24 hours a day.
The people from our generation who don't care much for technology, our grannies who don't really grasp what a computer is, and our parents who don't see why they need one - they are not the market of the future. They are the market which is on the way out.
Sorry, but I don't think there is anything to that argument. The attraction of the netbook is precisely that it's a general purpose computer, just with a small form factor. People use it to replace a laptop because they want the features but they don't want to carry so much weight. In return they are prepared to put up with a small screen and tiny keyboard. As you know the initial trend after introducing netbooks was to make them slightly bigger - which only benefited the laptop usage pattern.
A prime application for netbooks has always been skype, btw - youtube is very much in demand, and USB TV sticks are a popular add-on. The iPad might find it's market maybe, but it won't be the market of people who want small general purpose computers.
I wonder if women with A-cups will lose their citizen rights in general, or will they just be banned from having sex? If you are not really an adult woman unless you are well-endowed, then I guess driving, buying alcohol and going to night clubs will be prohibited, too. Of course it wouldn't be a good idea for a man to leave a night club with a small-breasted woman anyway - it would show that he is likely a pedophile, so he'd better be arrested before he damages some child.
Seriously this is link small-breasts = pedophilia is so insane I don't understand why the proponents' brains don't implode from the pure stupidity of it.
You carry one book with you, or if you're going on a trip, you carry a few.
That's true, but over the years I've acquired many many books, a few of them I'd like to read again, or just browse and look something up on occasion. They take up a lot of space in my apartment, and that's really inconvenient. Also I order a lot of books from abroad, it would be convenient to do that online and save shipping costs, too.
I don't actually use a book reader because of the DRM problems, but I'd like to otherwise. Paper books do have significant disadvantages.
The splitting doesn't help with that. After the split the parts are still as bureaucratic as the original company was. None of the wasteful processes, none of the paperwork, none of the ineffective executives were eliminated.
The French pirate party is here: http://www.partipirate.org/ - I hope some of the French Slashdotters will consider voting for them or joining them. Having their membership rise sharply would be a nice signal for the other French parties.
That's the whole point: "if" and "potentially". Yes, it's conceivable that allowing B to operate will not impact the sales of A, or that the loss of revenue from A will be made up for by revenue from B. However you don't know if that's the case, you just want it to be true, and you arbitrarily picked numbers so they come out in favor of the conclusion you wish for. Realistically you need to estimate:
PA = profit from selling one item via distributor A
LCA = loss of customers from distributor A if we allow distributor B to operate
PB = profit from selling one item via distributor B
GCB = gain of customers buying via distributor B
So it makes sense to allow distributor B to sell your stuff if: PB*GCB > PA*LCA
You can only make a valid decision here if you plug in good numbers in the equation, there is no guarantee that PB*GCB is always greater than PA*LCA.
While I like The Planets suite about as much as the Star Wars music, just because the former is older and related to space (and really it was as influenced as much by Greco-Roman mythology as the conception Holst had of the physical planets) does not imply that the latter somehow has to be derived mainly from the former!
You are right, just because it's earlier doesn't imply that it influenced star wars. However the fact that it's a straight copy does imply that. The emperors theme is "Mars" from Holst. No change to it in any way.
It's actually not quite so clear whether the law has come into effect. The German president (whose job it is to sign the law) has requested some clarifying information - so far the parliament has not answered the request and the president has not signed. The legal situation in Germany is a little murky in that respect - the constitution doesn't give the president a veto on signing laws, he is supposed to be nothing but a rubber stamp. Then again - the constitution does require that laws don't violate the constitution and that is likely not the case here, and likely not believed to be the case by the parliament.
Apart from that, the web site of the French pirate party is here:
http://www.partipirate.org/ - I hope our neighbors in France will support them and retain free access to the internet.
It's also a human rights term, as defined by the UN declaration of human rights. Apart from that it's a general concept which you can support or oppose - e.g. you could say you want free speech in Australia, even though it's not a constitutional right (but ought to be).
The only point there I disagree with. The score is basically Holst' "The Planets". It's not a modern classic, it's simply excellent classical music. It fits the subject of the movie very well, but of course Holst wrote it to be space music.
Australia is missing constitutional protection against these sort of things. Apart from that they are suffering from too many politicians who believe they know better than the "common people". Unfortunately that's a problem which they have in common with... well, any other country in the world.
What I don't get: why did the PRC get downgraded as a intelligence target? As long as they treat the US as a prime target, the US should return the favor. Actually upgrading their status again now would be a reasonable diplomatic response. Especially after all the shit they've been giving the US for selling a few weapons to Taiwan, just so Taiwan has a minute chance to defend themselves.
He's not a spy until he has been convicted. There is a reason why we follow proper procedures in any other kind of trial: it's the only system that works and protects our freedom. US courts work, the US constitution works. Military dictatorships with monkey justice don't work.
Not sure if it's a good idea to protest censorship by limiting others' speech. Apart from that I think it will more likely create the impression of the "scary evil hackers who need to be controlled by law". I'd like to feel happy about this event since I agree with the anti-censorship sentiment, but I'm afraid it will actually do more harm than good.
Maybe - to me as a layman it seems all sorts of things are possible in law. However from the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Article 26.(1): Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory.
Seems to me that Germany has a good case that they are implementing just that. Especially given that anyone can set up a school if they don't like what's on offer. I mean I see the theoretical possibility, but does it strike you as likely that they can't find a single private school they like in a country of 80 Million people?
Adding to that that they have complete freedom of residence anywhere in the EU, I don't buy their asylum claim. Ok maybe you don't like Germany, but then why not move to the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands... 27 states in total. Iceland might join soon, if you can wait a little bit.
First I thought your daughter was rather cruel, given that questions about school are possibly the one thing kids fear more than going to the dentist. But of course that's how it works: The kid thinks "well I hope she starts drilling soon". Clever woman
If you believe the child in the womb has the same rights as anyone else
Let's be honest here: it's a fetus. This is not a distinction which came out of the abortion debate, it's a long established term. You are right though: if you believe a fetus has the same rights as anyone else, then abortion is basically murder, that's a logical conclusion. However that conclusion is not based on a universally accepted premise.
Reminds me of the UK, where Henning Wehn has suggested to use the sex offender list for things like voter registration. He argued that clearly it will be the most accurate citizens database available in just a few years...
It's precisely this sort of woolly-headed thinking which creates laws which send innocent men to prison - for nothing more than looking at drawings.
Seriously man: you've just seen the result of this nonsense: some guy who has never harmed anyone is now classified as a "sex offender". And still you spread this piffle around?
Yes, but you have to adjust the actual size of the market. This is really made up of the people who have disposable income - so sure you have the population of Shanghai and Beijing and quite a number of other cities, but the rest of the people you can't really sell to, and that's not going to change for quite some time. As I said - China should not be underestimated. Howver currently the opposite is happening and China is punching far above it's weight - just on the expectation that it's going to be a developed country "soon".
Slashdot Mirror
The people from our generation who don't care much for technology, our grannies who don't really grasp what a computer is, and our parents who don't see why they need one - they are not the market of the future. They are the market which is on the way out.
A prime application for netbooks has always been skype, btw - youtube is very much in demand, and USB TV sticks are a popular add-on. The iPad might find it's market maybe, but it won't be the market of people who want small general purpose computers.
Seriously this is link small-breasts = pedophilia is so insane I don't understand why the proponents' brains don't implode from the pure stupidity of it.
That's true, but over the years I've acquired many many books, a few of them I'd like to read again, or just browse and look something up on occasion. They take up a lot of space in my apartment, and that's really inconvenient. Also I order a lot of books from abroad, it would be convenient to do that online and save shipping costs, too.
I don't actually use a book reader because of the DRM problems, but I'd like to otherwise. Paper books do have significant disadvantages.
The splitting doesn't help with that. After the split the parts are still as bureaucratic as the original company was. None of the wasteful processes, none of the paperwork, none of the ineffective executives were eliminated.
The French pirate party is here: http://www.partipirate.org/ - I hope some of the French Slashdotters will consider voting for them or joining them. Having their membership rise sharply would be a nice signal for the other French parties.
I can re-sell the CD collection if there is neither fire nor flood.
So it makes sense to allow distributor B to sell your stuff if: PB*GCB > PA*LCA
You can only make a valid decision here if you plug in good numbers in the equation, there is no guarantee that PB*GCB is always greater than PA*LCA.
You are right, just because it's earlier doesn't imply that it influenced star wars. However the fact that it's a straight copy does imply that. The emperors theme is "Mars" from Holst. No change to it in any way.
Apart from that, the web site of the French pirate party is here: http://www.partipirate.org/ - I hope our neighbors in France will support them and retain free access to the internet.
It's also a human rights term, as defined by the UN declaration of human rights. Apart from that it's a general concept which you can support or oppose - e.g. you could say you want free speech in Australia, even though it's not a constitutional right (but ought to be).
The only point there I disagree with. The score is basically Holst' "The Planets". It's not a modern classic, it's simply excellent classical music. It fits the subject of the movie very well, but of course Holst wrote it to be space music.
Ok, so a movie about space operates in a vacuum, that's not really a fair complaint, is it?
Australia is missing constitutional protection against these sort of things. Apart from that they are suffering from too many politicians who believe they know better than the "common people". Unfortunately that's a problem which they have in common with ... well, any other country in the world.
Hmm - no I don't think I agree. Free speech is useless unless it applies to everyone, no matter how much we may agree with their ideas.
What I don't get: why did the PRC get downgraded as a intelligence target? As long as they treat the US as a prime target, the US should return the favor. Actually upgrading their status again now would be a reasonable diplomatic response. Especially after all the shit they've been giving the US for selling a few weapons to Taiwan, just so Taiwan has a minute chance to defend themselves.
He's not a spy until he has been convicted. There is a reason why we follow proper procedures in any other kind of trial: it's the only system that works and protects our freedom. US courts work, the US constitution works. Military dictatorships with monkey justice don't work.
Not sure if it's a good idea to protest censorship by limiting others' speech. Apart from that I think it will more likely create the impression of the "scary evil hackers who need to be controlled by law". I'd like to feel happy about this event since I agree with the anti-censorship sentiment, but I'm afraid it will actually do more harm than good.
When I went to school there (admittedly that's a very long time ago) parents could opt out of sex education, the parents of one girl did just that.
Maybe - to me as a layman it seems all sorts of things are possible in law. However from the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Article 26.(1): Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory.
Seems to me that Germany has a good case that they are implementing just that. Especially given that anyone can set up a school if they don't like what's on offer. I mean I see the theoretical possibility, but does it strike you as likely that they can't find a single private school they like in a country of 80 Million people?
Adding to that that they have complete freedom of residence anywhere in the EU, I don't buy their asylum claim. Ok maybe you don't like Germany, but then why not move to the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands ... 27 states in total. Iceland might join soon, if you can wait a little bit.
First I thought your daughter was rather cruel, given that questions about school are possibly the one thing kids fear more than going to the dentist. But of course that's how it works: The kid thinks "well I hope she starts drilling soon". Clever woman
Let's be honest here: it's a fetus. This is not a distinction which came out of the abortion debate, it's a long established term. You are right though: if you believe a fetus has the same rights as anyone else, then abortion is basically murder, that's a logical conclusion. However that conclusion is not based on a universally accepted premise.
Reminds me of the UK, where Henning Wehn has suggested to use the sex offender list for things like voter registration. He argued that clearly it will be the most accurate citizens database available in just a few years...
Seriously man: you've just seen the result of this nonsense: some guy who has never harmed anyone is now classified as a "sex offender". And still you spread this piffle around?
Yes, but you have to adjust the actual size of the market. This is really made up of the people who have disposable income - so sure you have the population of Shanghai and Beijing and quite a number of other cities, but the rest of the people you can't really sell to, and that's not going to change for quite some time. As I said - China should not be underestimated. Howver currently the opposite is happening and China is punching far above it's weight - just on the expectation that it's going to be a developed country "soon".