For all of you that say AGP cards work in the kernel already, that's only half true. The Utah GLX has a kernel module that lets you use all the nifty fast memory transfers over the AGP interface. Sure the kernels can run AGP video cards, but this makes them much faster (or so I understand). The patch was already merged into the 2.3 kernels, but not the 2.2 ones. You can get it from the project's CVS server.
They can easily skirt around the 4th ammendment because it's not they government that would likely come and inspect your house. It would be either a company representative or someone from the company's insurance. The Constitution only prevents governement from doing these things.
In order for you to work at home, your company will have to get liability insurance on it. So the insurance company comes out, suggests what needs changing, then it's certified "OK to work in." Now if you refuse that, then the insurance isn't given to your company. Without insurance they won't let you work at home. So either you accept, or quit.
OSHA is only hinting that companies should start inspections. If you get hurt at home, then OSHA may come out and make an inspection. That, or a coworker gets pissed at you and rats you out anonymously to OSHA, in which case you've got to prove your innocence/safety. Much like people abuse DCFS, accusing each other of child molesting. Then, in the interest of keeping the child safe, you must prove you didn't molest your daughter. It's sad, but some people will do such things. And it's bound to spread to these home offices and OSHA.
Keep the 2nd ammendment equipment handy, nonetheless.
Say you have a leaky roof. When it rains, water drips in a spare bedroom. You decide to make this bedroom your work room. Now your company must spend thousands on repairing the roof. The "lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems" makes it an even scarier deal for the employer. Say they go for it because you're such a valuable employee. Now you have a perfect house, worth a hell of a lot more because it doesn't have a leaky roof, poor furnace, electrical wiring, etc.
Who should get the profits from selling this house now? If you leave Company X, should you pay them back for all the home repairs they did?
The only conclusion I can see in all these hassles is the gubmint wants to cut back the number of people working at home. So axe yourself, why would they want that?
The stairs probably wouldn't be covered. A "work zone," be it a spare bedroom, corner of a basement, etc., would be defined in your house, and that area must be OSHA-compatible. And in case of fire, a path to the nearest exit must be declared part of this zone and certified.
Likewise, to reduce liability, your employer would tell you "You can only use this zone while doing work." So now, that 10% is not considered your house, but your employer's work area. So much for that great feeling owning your own home. And when you quit, retire, or whatnot, since the company paid for everything in the work zone, it's all coming out.
Another rather grim ramification may be the chilling effect this has on telecommuting altogether.
Here's the conspiracy theorists' kicker. Some say the unions may be behind this. It's tough enough for them nowadays to gather a herd of sheep together and tell them what's best for them. First they get exclusive contracts with companies, if you want to work at X company, you MUST be in a union and pay dues. So if you spread those sheep out in their homes across the globe, it's pretty much impossible for them to get their hand in the kettle.
This is just the first of a series of dominos to start falling. If OSHA declares my home a workplace, then shouldn't I have wheelchair access in case someone with one wants to visit me during a business meeting? Or during their visit, what i f they see too many CDR discs lying around? Will they wind up reporting it, as it's an obvious sign of piracy? The video game (or DVD, music, etc) industries can't go losing sextillions because of such devices. So, in the name of them staying in business, you need to pop each disc in a computer in a courtroom, declare what each file is, where it came from, etc with sales receipts, notarized documents of source code you've written, etc. Of course, if you don't have all that, you can just pay the $10,000 fine and be done with it (until next time). With these sort of agencies, it's never the end. They are always looking for better ways to generate revenue under the guise of "We know what's best for you."
With all these hassles, who in their right mind would work at home? And with everyone back in workplaces like they belong, the man can continue to blast subliminal messages through that awful musak in the speakers. Mind control is a wonderful thing.;)
Rest assured, if it makes you less dependant, it cannot be good.
Maybe I'm just too kooky, but why have somebody else buy all these items? Sure we could talk our employers into buying furniture, monster computers, etc. But I get much more enjoyment earning things myself, and I don't have to answer to anyone as to why I need X brand CDRW instead of the $90 one at some electronics chain store. Management likes to go by dollar values not actual quality all the time, unless it's too cheap, like a free OS.:)
Likewise, with regard to taking a tax deduction on one room of the house, a computer purchase, etc, isn't that just asking for the IRS to get their nose in your life? Do you really use said item strictly for work, and not for playing the latest, greatest Loki game? That TV in this room, how is it needed for your work? You can't use the room for personal storage. One thing I have heard from many, and Rush Limbaugh was just talking about on his radio show a little bit ago, is that some deductions like one room of a house are a big red flag to the IRS to audit you. It could certainly could be used by some to "cheat" on their taxes. My attitude is basically, why involve them if you don't have to? The chair at my desk is mine, I don't have to answer to anyone as to whether I use it only for work or also for porn viewing.
Heh, I guess many issues of an independant contractor and the big, bad government could be an Ask Slashdot forum in itself. Anyone suffered an audit because they were an independant contractor? Of course, we could just vote for folks like Forbes and have a flat tax with no loopholes, simple, no questions asked. But I guess the vast majority of folks just don't care enough, and they'll get scared their Welfare/Social Security will run out if we have no IRS.
What needs to happen quite soon is consistency between these minor versions every year. I worked at a large manufacturing corp, and they don't move quickly to the next version of something like MS Office. But, they have to deal with small businesses around the world which don't see any big problem buying 5 boxes of Office 97 (or whole new computers from Gateway, which always force the newest junk) for their computers.
Anyway, at this corp, I was always battling with people when they received an email attachment from someone with Office 97, while they only had 95 (or worse yet, Lotus Smartsuite and no Office). I'd say maybe 0.01% of the people with '97 understood what a version is and were thus capable of changing the file type to save. What was it, Wordperfect maybe, that had the same file format for several versions, like WP6 and up? Maybe with XML and such, things will improve a little.
Of course Microsoft (and others) love this confusion, as the only solution is for companies to spend thousands or millions upgrading their entire joint. Naturally, by the time this company I worked for moved to Office 97, Office 2000 was released a few weeks later. I got out before too many bought it. Of course, the fanciest things used 99.9% of the time in these programs is bold AND italics. Yes, we must spend $500 (for many thousands of employees worldwide, and MS does not cut any decent contract for them) on a new office suite when there isn't a single new feature needed. Yet, if they were ever so kind as to not change the formats, several businesses would be shut down. There are third-party programs to view/convert/etc files just because of this problem. Just as if Windows had a decenet security model, all those anti-virus companies would be left out in the cold. Ultimately, I'm sure Microsoft wouldn't want to do that. So, being the kind, benevolent souls they are, we'll endlessly be left with this chaos. Oh thank you wonderful Microsoft (and everyone else)!!
After this is in place, then they can come out with "Whatever 526.0 2038 Edition, now with two new toolbar icons!!"
Since these people are not capable of computing when centuries start/stop, it's not surprising. Sure we know there was no 0 AD, but that's not how these people operate. Take 2000, it ends with two zeroes, so it must be the next century/millennium. Then there's a 2 in the front, so by similar reasoning it must be the second millennium. It's about time 20th Century Fox was synced up with this reality.
To be most specific, it is a first-century-turning-after-computers-are-invented bug. Any new invention will start out minimal, and slowly evolve larger/better. Computers were born this century, and naturally, back then memory was expensive so they cheated on dates. Were computers invented in 1850, or 2050, it would be the same situation. Heck, there probably was some programs that were made to operate only the year they were written, and would suffer a similar new-year bug.
One thing about the Gatsby bit that I haven't seen/read elsewhere was, did he ever read the whole book onstage? The movie takes it that far, but did he really?
The SNL vote deal was much more sinister than the movie portrays. Andy and director Dick Ebersol had agreed Andy would be voted out, but Tony Clifton would still come on. Ebersol and Lorne Michaels just didn't think Clifton would do well, chastising the audience, on national TV. But Andy wanted him on bad enough, he went through with the deal. And as Andy could do, he ensured enough people voted "No."
Unlike the movie's 20some% voting for him, it was closer, 53% to 47%. And when the tally came in, Ebersol turned on the "deal" and told Andy he (or Clifton, or any persona) would never be on the show. Naturally, he was hurt. And this was just another hit in his downward spiral. It's amazing how many things went bad in those few months, his mother having a stroke, finding he had three months to live, getting betrayed by his favorite TV show, Taxi was cancelled, pro wrestling was over, and the TM powers that be told him he could no longer come to the retreats.
Pick up the "Andy Kaufman Revealed" book by Bob Zmuda, it's worth the read.
In real life at least, Andy's brother also played some Tony Clifton. For a fairly scarey Tony story, check out andylives.org, and click on the Tony Clifton link.
I too saw the Moon. Last Friday (or was it a couple Fridays ago?) Comedy Central had these little interview bits with various people that knew Andy spread around commercials and their Kaufman specials. Several of them said they forgot it was Jim Carrey and only saw Andy Kaufman. Milos Foreman's comment was along the lines, "I never worked with Jim Carrey, but with Andy Kaufman, Tony Clifton, Foreign Man, etc." So I was skeptical, it's all Hollywood types fawning over each other.
Nonetheless as a dedicated Kaufmanite, I still had to see the movie. After getting into it a bit, I couldn't believe just how much Jim really took on the little quirks of Andy. Other times, he didn't get it quite right, like his first SNL appearance. Only slight things were not quite right, but something someone as crazy as myself would notice.:) Nonetheless, it is a remarkable performance.
The movie still takes its own spin on a few events, to make a better story. But well, it's tough to compress 10-15 years of a strange career into two hours, seven minutes. It is a good movie, to go along with things like Bob Zmuda's new book. Andy/Zmuda are such characters, I have to ask myself if Zmuda isn't putting me on with each paragraph in the book. That is the sort of thing they would do...
Spend a little while watching court cases fly around this country and you'll see why. If I spill hot coffee (or grits) down my pants while driving, it's not my fault, it's McDonald's fault. If I go to the local 7-11, plucking down money for a carton of cigarettes, lather, rinse, repeat for 30 years, then get lung cancer, guess what? It's not my fault, it's the evil Marlboro man's. If the local hoodlums shoot up my house, kill a couple babies because I stiffed them on a drug deal, it's not my or the hoodlums' fault, it's the gun maker/NRA's fault. If the neighborhood teens are playing basketball in their driveway at four o'clock in the afternoon, and I just happen to not like that, guess what? I take Doug Lewellen's advice, and I don't take the law into my own hands, I take them to court!
So, this is the society we have built for ourselves. We lock ourselves in our little homes, and at the slightest provocation, the lawsuits fly. Likewise, idiots have taken it upon themselves to find the best ways to sue others. Not so long ago, it was just common knowledge that you shouldn't use a toaster while taking a bath, that a Superman Halloween costume didn't really mean you could fly, that antifreeze wasn't meant to be taken internally, or plastic bags weren't supposed to be wrapped and tied around your neck. Now all these items have to have paragraphs of warnings, because somewhere, some idiot will do just that, and yell, "It's your fault!! Pay me $500 billion."
So, it's only "natural" that these idiots take the lessons they've learned to other media. They see a post, "The DVD people can't stop 500,000 people from putting DeCSS on their web site," they do so and receive a cease/desist letter, and guess who's fault it is?
I saw someone with a rather lenghty sig on here, with every warning you could possibly think of. It was cute, but shows just what sort of society we do live in today.
You seem to misunderstand the media in the US today. Their chief concern is furthering their agenda. Petitioning them with the facts or whatever won't do a bit of good. They are all in bed with Hollywood. So an attempt to undermine their bedfellows' beloved industry, must be stopped at all costs. Simple. People trying to watch their great works of art without paying their dues (legitimate DVD players, DVD decoders, etc) are nothing to them but pirates (oh my, there's a pun waiting to happen).
There was an interesting bit on the Fox News channel recently on how Hollywood actors were flying movie critics and award judges all over the world, throwing parties, etc to get nominated/awarded. All in the name of fine art and publicity. Guess what happens when one of these write up a bad review for a movie?
Forget the P3's and go with Athlons. As for the LS120, be careful with them. The power supply pins are VERY fragile. I went to use mine after like 6-8 months of not paying attention to it, and lo and behold it wasn't working because the pins all broke off.:)
By the way, where are all the SMP Athlons? A year ago everyone was saying "by the end of 1999," but I see none. Going from a K6-2/450 to Athlon/550 nearly halved the time to compile things. I can't wait to reap the benefits of two of these suckers.
What we need is a good list of things that we never want to see in the next year (millennium for those who don't understand numbers:)).
Looking at the original ZDNet article, I sure as hell wish these media sites wouldn't put their crap in 50 character wide columns, spread out over 130 pages with more utter crap in columns along the sides. The meat of any web page should be the actual story, not every other stupid feature of the web site. Leave that stuff on the main front page, not every damn page therein.
While I'm bitching about the media, don't take every damn story as if you'll get a Pulizer out of it. Every local channel here, for their little blurb on what's to come at the evening news, phrase it like if you don't watch, you'll die. One had, "Find the 10 ways your children could die from items around your house. Story at 10". I just prayed my kids didn't die before the 10 o'clock news. I don't watch much CNN and such, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did it too. Then there's the JFK/Di fiascos. Do we really need 24 hour coverage of "No new news yet?"
Next on the list, basing your web page on some plugin like Flash. Most of you focused on the OS detect bit there, but the last thing I want to look at is words flashing all around like crazy. Nothing gets a message through to me like good old fashioned text. As an aside, Netscape, don't compile in the plugin finder util for the Linux version of the browser. I haven't found a single plugin it could find.;)
Stupid catch phrases like, "You go girl," and "Talk to the hand." It's cute once or twice, after that it's overdone.
Gap commercials. First the singing, now the dancing. Ack. Please no more!!
I'll leave out the obvious things like users learning/reading something a little before calling tech support or ask on IRC/Usenet, the media doing actual journalism, blaming everything on global warming, or AC dumb posts becasue those will never go away.:)
Feel free to add more. It's therapeutic to let it all out before we all die in a blaze of nuclear weapons and script kiddies...
Sounds like that WinNT magazine article a few months back where the author couldn't make it through the install because it was in text mode. And then goes on to say Linux is MSDOS, single-tasking, etc, etc.
Take the operation to some two-bit backwater country like Osama Bin Laden did. Of course, he has hundreds of millions to help convince governments to help hide him...
You could always make a single player game. Open up the game code, and sell your levels/storyline/etc. If it's good enough, people will buy. There are still plenty of people that just don't care about playing multiplayer.
Half Life made a lot of noise because it had a decent single player story. It would be interesting to survey all these games, Half Life, Unreal, etc and see how they handle the issue. Do they all rely on the client to be honest like this on net games?
Slashdot Mirror
For all of you that say AGP cards work in the kernel already, that's only half true. The Utah GLX has a kernel module that lets you use all the nifty fast memory transfers over the AGP interface. Sure the kernels can run AGP video cards, but this makes them much faster (or so I understand). The patch was already merged into the 2.3 kernels, but not the 2.2 ones. You can get it from the project's CVS server.
They can easily skirt around the 4th ammendment because it's not they government that would likely come and inspect your house. It would be either a company representative or someone from the company's insurance. The Constitution only prevents governement from doing these things.
In order for you to work at home, your company will have to get liability insurance on it. So the insurance company comes out, suggests what needs changing, then it's certified "OK to work in." Now if you refuse that, then the insurance isn't given to your company. Without insurance they won't let you work at home. So either you accept, or quit.
OSHA is only hinting that companies should start inspections. If you get hurt at home, then OSHA may come out and make an inspection. That, or a coworker gets pissed at you and rats you out anonymously to OSHA, in which case you've got to prove your innocence/safety. Much like people abuse DCFS, accusing each other of child molesting. Then, in the interest of keeping the child safe, you must prove you didn't molest your daughter. It's sad, but some people will do such things. And it's bound to spread to these home offices and OSHA.
Keep the 2nd ammendment equipment handy, nonetheless.
Say you have a leaky roof. When it rains, water drips in a spare bedroom. You decide to make this bedroom your work room. Now your company must spend thousands on repairing the roof. The "lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems" makes it an even scarier deal for the employer. Say they go for it because you're such a valuable employee. Now you have a perfect house, worth a hell of a lot more because it doesn't have a leaky roof, poor furnace, electrical wiring, etc.
Who should get the profits from selling this house now? If you leave Company X, should you pay them back for all the home repairs they did?
The only conclusion I can see in all these hassles is the gubmint wants to cut back the number of people working at home. So axe yourself, why would they want that?
The stairs probably wouldn't be covered. A "work zone," be it a spare bedroom, corner of a basement, etc., would be defined in your house, and that area must be OSHA-compatible. And in case of fire, a path to the nearest exit must be declared part of this zone and certified.
Likewise, to reduce liability, your employer would tell you "You can only use this zone while doing work." So now, that 10% is not considered your house, but your employer's work area. So much for that great feeling owning your own home. And when you quit, retire, or whatnot, since the company paid for everything in the work zone, it's all coming out.
Another rather grim ramification may be the chilling effect this has on telecommuting altogether.
;)
Here's the conspiracy theorists' kicker. Some say the unions may be behind this. It's tough enough for them nowadays to gather a herd of sheep together and tell them what's best for them. First they get exclusive contracts with companies, if you want to work at X company, you MUST be in a union and pay dues. So if you spread those sheep out in their homes across the globe, it's pretty much impossible for them to get their hand in the kettle.
This is just the first of a series of dominos to start falling. If OSHA declares my home a workplace, then shouldn't I have wheelchair access in case someone with one wants to visit me during a business meeting? Or during their visit, what i f they see too many CDR discs lying around? Will they wind up reporting it, as it's an obvious sign of piracy? The video game (or DVD, music, etc) industries can't go losing sextillions because of such devices. So, in the name of them staying in business, you need to pop each disc in a computer in a courtroom, declare what each file is, where it came from, etc with sales receipts, notarized documents of source code you've written, etc. Of course, if you don't have all that, you can just pay the $10,000 fine and be done with it (until next time). With these sort of agencies, it's never the end. They are always looking for better ways to generate revenue under the guise of "We know what's best for you."
With all these hassles, who in their right mind would work at home? And with everyone back in workplaces like they belong, the man can continue to blast subliminal messages through that awful musak in the speakers. Mind control is a wonderful thing.
Rest assured, if it makes you less dependant, it cannot be good.
Maybe I'm just too kooky, but why have somebody else buy all these items? Sure we could talk our employers into buying furniture, monster computers, etc. But I get much more enjoyment earning things myself, and I don't have to answer to anyone as to why I need X brand CDRW instead of the $90 one at some electronics chain store. Management likes to go by dollar values not actual quality all the time, unless it's too cheap, like a free OS. :)
Likewise, with regard to taking a tax deduction on one room of the house, a computer purchase, etc, isn't that just asking for the IRS to get their nose in your life? Do you really use said item strictly for work, and not for playing the latest, greatest Loki game? That TV in this room, how is it needed for your work? You can't use the room for personal storage. One thing I have heard from many, and Rush Limbaugh was just talking about on his radio show a little bit ago, is that some deductions like one room of a house are a big red flag to the IRS to audit you. It could certainly could be used by some to "cheat" on their taxes. My attitude is basically, why involve them if you don't have to? The chair at my desk is mine, I don't have to answer to anyone as to whether I use it only for work or also for porn viewing.
Heh, I guess many issues of an independant contractor and the big, bad government could be an Ask Slashdot forum in itself. Anyone suffered an audit because they were an independant contractor? Of course, we could just vote for folks like Forbes and have a flat tax with no loopholes, simple, no questions asked. But I guess the vast majority of folks just don't care enough, and they'll get scared their Welfare/Social Security will run out if we have no IRS.
What needs to happen quite soon is consistency between these minor versions every year. I worked at a large manufacturing corp, and they don't move quickly to the next version of something like MS Office. But, they have to deal with small businesses around the world which don't see any big problem buying 5 boxes of Office 97 (or whole new computers from Gateway, which always force the newest junk) for their computers.
Anyway, at this corp, I was always battling with people when they received an email attachment from someone with Office 97, while they only had 95 (or worse yet, Lotus Smartsuite and no Office). I'd say maybe 0.01% of the people with '97 understood what a version is and were thus capable of changing the file type to save. What was it, Wordperfect maybe, that had the same file format for several versions, like WP6 and up? Maybe with XML and such, things will improve a little.
Of course Microsoft (and others) love this confusion, as the only solution is for companies to spend thousands or millions upgrading their entire joint. Naturally, by the time this company I worked for moved to Office 97, Office 2000 was released a few weeks later. I got out before too many bought it. Of course, the fanciest things used 99.9% of the time in these programs is bold AND italics. Yes, we must spend $500 (for many thousands of employees worldwide, and MS does not cut any decent contract for them) on a new office suite when there isn't a single new feature needed. Yet, if they were ever so kind as to not change the formats, several businesses would be shut down. There are third-party programs to view/convert/etc files just because of this problem. Just as if Windows had a decenet security model, all those anti-virus companies would be left out in the cold. Ultimately, I'm sure Microsoft wouldn't want to do that. So, being the kind, benevolent souls they are, we'll endlessly be left with this chaos. Oh thank you wonderful Microsoft (and everyone else)!!
After this is in place, then they can come out with "Whatever 526.0 2038 Edition, now with two new toolbar icons!!"
Since these people are not capable of computing when centuries start/stop, it's not surprising. Sure we know there was no 0 AD, but that's not how these people operate. Take 2000, it ends with two zeroes, so it must be the next century/millennium. Then there's a 2 in the front, so by similar reasoning it must be the second millennium. It's about time 20th Century Fox was synced up with this reality.
To be most specific, it is a first-century-turning-after-computers-are-invented bug. Any new invention will start out minimal, and slowly evolve larger/better. Computers were born this century, and naturally, back then memory was expensive so they cheated on dates. Were computers invented in 1850, or 2050, it would be the same situation. Heck, there probably was some programs that were made to operate only the year they were written, and would suffer a similar new-year bug.
very good.
Wasn't The Great Beyond the one during the ending credits? It's similar to Man on the Moon, but different, made for the soundtrack.
One thing about the Gatsby bit that I haven't seen/read elsewhere was, did he ever read the whole book onstage? The movie takes it that far, but did he really?
The SNL vote deal was much more sinister than the movie portrays. Andy and director Dick Ebersol had agreed Andy would be voted out, but Tony Clifton would still come on. Ebersol and Lorne Michaels just didn't think Clifton would do well, chastising the audience, on national TV. But Andy wanted him on bad enough, he went through with the deal. And as Andy could do, he ensured enough people voted "No."
Unlike the movie's 20some% voting for him, it was closer, 53% to 47%. And when the tally came in, Ebersol turned on the "deal" and told Andy he (or Clifton, or any persona) would never be on the show. Naturally, he was hurt. And this was just another hit in his downward spiral. It's amazing how many things went bad in those few months, his mother having a stroke, finding he had three months to live, getting betrayed by his favorite TV show, Taxi was cancelled, pro wrestling was over, and the TM powers that be told him he could no longer come to the retreats.
Pick up the "Andy Kaufman Revealed" book by Bob Zmuda, it's worth the read.
In real life at least, Andy's brother also played some Tony Clifton. For a fairly scarey Tony story, check out andylives.org, and click on the Tony Clifton link.
I too saw the Moon. Last Friday (or was it a couple Fridays ago?) Comedy Central had these little interview bits with various people that knew Andy spread around commercials and their Kaufman specials. Several of them said they forgot it was Jim Carrey and only saw Andy Kaufman. Milos Foreman's comment was along the lines, "I never worked with Jim Carrey, but with Andy Kaufman, Tony Clifton, Foreign Man, etc." So I was skeptical, it's all Hollywood types fawning over each other.
:) Nonetheless, it is a remarkable performance.
Nonetheless as a dedicated Kaufmanite, I still had to see the movie. After getting into it a bit, I couldn't believe just how much Jim really took on the little quirks of Andy. Other times, he didn't get it quite right, like his first SNL appearance. Only slight things were not quite right, but something someone as crazy as myself would notice.
The movie still takes its own spin on a few events, to make a better story. But well, it's tough to compress 10-15 years of a strange career into two hours, seven minutes. It is a good movie, to go along with things like Bob Zmuda's new book. Andy/Zmuda are such characters, I have to ask myself if Zmuda isn't putting me on with each paragraph in the book. That is the sort of thing they would do...
Spend a little while watching court cases fly around this country and you'll see why. If I spill hot coffee (or grits) down my pants while driving, it's not my fault, it's McDonald's fault. If I go to the local 7-11, plucking down money for a carton of cigarettes, lather, rinse, repeat for 30 years, then get lung cancer, guess what? It's not my fault, it's the evil Marlboro man's. If the local hoodlums shoot up my house, kill a couple babies because I stiffed them on a drug deal, it's not my or the hoodlums' fault, it's the gun maker/NRA's fault. If the neighborhood teens are playing basketball in their driveway at four o'clock in the afternoon, and I just happen to not like that, guess what? I take Doug Lewellen's advice, and I don't take the law into my own hands, I take them to court!
So, this is the society we have built for ourselves. We lock ourselves in our little homes, and at the slightest provocation, the lawsuits fly. Likewise, idiots have taken it upon themselves to find the best ways to sue others. Not so long ago, it was just common knowledge that you shouldn't use a toaster while taking a bath, that a Superman Halloween costume didn't really mean you could fly, that antifreeze wasn't meant to be taken internally, or plastic bags weren't supposed to be wrapped and tied around your neck. Now all these items have to have paragraphs of warnings, because somewhere, some idiot will do just that, and yell, "It's your fault!! Pay me $500 billion."
So, it's only "natural" that these idiots take the lessons they've learned to other media. They see a post, "The DVD people can't stop 500,000 people from putting DeCSS on their web site," they do so and receive a cease/desist letter, and guess who's fault it is?
I saw someone with a rather lenghty sig on here, with every warning you could possibly think of. It was cute, but shows just what sort of society we do live in today.
You seem to misunderstand the media in the US today. Their chief concern is furthering their agenda. Petitioning them with the facts or whatever won't do a bit of good. They are all in bed with Hollywood. So an attempt to undermine their bedfellows' beloved industry, must be stopped at all costs. Simple. People trying to watch their great works of art without paying their dues (legitimate DVD players, DVD decoders, etc) are nothing to them but pirates (oh my, there's a pun waiting to happen).
There was an interesting bit on the Fox News channel recently on how Hollywood actors were flying movie critics and award judges all over the world, throwing parties, etc to get nominated/awarded. All in the name of fine art and publicity. Guess what happens when one of these write up a bad review for a movie?
Forget the P3's and go with Athlons. As for the LS120, be careful with them. The power supply pins are VERY fragile. I went to use mine after like 6-8 months of not paying attention to it, and lo and behold it wasn't working because the pins all broke off. :)
By the way, where are all the SMP Athlons? A year ago everyone was saying "by the end of 1999," but I see none. Going from a K6-2/450 to Athlon/550 nearly halved the time to compile things. I can't wait to reap the benefits of two of these suckers.
I'll leave out the obvious things like users learning/reading something a little before calling tech support or ask on IRC/Usenet, the media doing actual journalism, blaming everything on global warming, or AC dumb posts becasue those will never go away.
Feel free to add more. It's therapeutic to let it all out before we all die in a blaze of nuclear weapons and script kiddies...
Sounds like that WinNT magazine article a few months back where the author couldn't make it through the install because it was in text mode. And then goes on to say Linux is MSDOS, single-tasking, etc, etc.
I'll run an alpha KDE, sure. That's one thing. But trust your system to an alpha cpu?? I'll get one maybe after a few months of at least going Beta.
;)
Oh,
So conversely, things that can be used for a good purpose should be used for any purpose. Chalk one up for Natalie Portman.
Take the operation to some two-bit backwater country like Osama Bin Laden did. Of course, he has hundreds of millions to help convince governments to help hide him...
You could always make a single player game. Open up the game code, and sell your levels/storyline/etc. If it's good enough, people will buy. There are still plenty of people that just don't care about playing multiplayer.
Half Life made a lot of noise because it had a decent single player story. It would be interesting to survey all these games, Half Life, Unreal, etc and see how they handle the issue. Do they all rely on the client to be honest like this on net games?
Learn the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable, for one...