Hoffman said he needed to upgrade the management team to help turn around the company. And some Wall Street watchers are already impressed with the early results. "I think they can turn the corner," Grover said.
Well, duh. All they needed to do is go online and upgrade from Management V1.0 to Management V2.0 and then do incremental upgrades there after.
The thing that finally got me to play with C# was Terrarium. Players create 'creatures' which then compete in a peer-to-peer set of virtual terrariums. You can create plants, herbivores, or carnivores. It was quite fun (in a super geek way) and VERY challenging.
AI constructs may evolve from things like this, but they'll need a home on the internet, in order to have lifetimes long enough to become really sentient. humans require years to become intellectually complex, from preexisting instructions worked out over millions of years. When these constructs have a semi-stable environment, modification, and competition, it should be just a matter of time
From the article:
The first simulation Lionhead Studios put together was based in a bar, because in bars many different social processes can overlap. The results were unexpected. "We had two groups of hard guys. When the two groups were not holding status competitions between themselves, they picked on other characters. But then they ended up in a massive brawl as they picked on each other in an effort to increase their status, trying to impress each other."
So, what you're saying is if we give the AI constructs a long enough bar brawl, they should be able to work everything out?
For those of you who have been paying attention, I'll say it again: laugh, it's funny
I have flown multiple times in my time in the military, once clear over the Atlantic over to Germany, and I have NEVER seen a pilot with a weapon, let alone ever had any sort of weapon along for the ride.
Of course, these were all peace time, but you are incorrect in saying that pilots carry weapons in the military. While it may occure, I believe it is the exception, not the rule.
True, $1000 is exactly changing hands, but if you read the page I linked to:
Duncan Frissell (who is a lawyer and longtime Politechnical) offers one analysis of the No Electronic Theft Act. Let me add another: Financial gain is defined in the NET Act as "receipt, or expectation of receipt, of anything of value,
including the receipt of other copyrighted works."
So even though there is no 'charging' going on, the value of the product still changes hands. I'm not advocating this, I'm just quoting their analysis of the situation.
The $1K limit applies to the retail value of the product. Let's apply the law to Napster as an over reaching prosecutor might.
The average CD costs $12 and contains 18 songs (assumed for illustrative purposes). Each song is therefore worth $0.66.
One thousand dollars divided by sixty-six cents equals 1515 songs.
If one values songs by the price of CD singles, it takes even fewer songs (500) since those go for about $2/song.
So any Napster user who made 1515 (or perhaps fewer) songs available was knowingly infringing copyright law and trafficking in copyrighted materials with a retail value of more than 1000. As the US argued in its AMICUS CURIAE in A&M v. Napster "When a Napster user makes the music files on his or her hard drive available for downloading by other Napster users, he or she is distributing the files to the public at large." See http://www.loc.gov/copyright/docs/napsteramicus.ht ml
Likewise, a Napster user who just downloads songs is arguably "distributing" copyrighted works (to himself) since it is his command, generated by his computer, that grabs the song. So once he passes 1515 songs in 180 days, he's (arguably) a felon.
Time for a new slashdot poll: How many slashdotters are fedral felons due to their file sharing activities? The person closest to guessing the correct quantity without going over wins a get out of jail free card, curtousy of John Ashcroft! Yeah!
Agreed. Thank god they killed the blink tag, or I bet a good 30% of the web would still be blinking.
Function over form, I say. Working for a.edu, I go so far as to ensure my content can be viewed though LYNX, which, when using strict XHTML, isn't very hard to do.
I may not have fancy web sites, but they are accessiable, easy to use, easy to navigate, fast loading, and are full of information.
Unless we can take back the Net from the libertarians, constitutional lawyers and rapacious corporations currently recreating the worst excesses of US political and commercial culture online, we will end up with an Internet which serves the imperial ambitions of only one country instead of the legitimate aspirations of the whole world.
Umm... while I might agree that there is a lot of commercial content on the web these days, what about the rest of it, like educational resources, online research, BLOGS, and, well, damn near an infinite amount of other resources?
Nothing like cutting off your arm 'cause your fingers hurt.
That's hilarious! How can you possibly equate the taxes & surcharges on a phone bill with Gore? Seriously, draw me a line. I want to know if you just bashing and full of crap or if you really have some line of 'proof'...
WorldCom also said that when the earnings are restated, it would most likely take a write-off of as much as $50.6 billion related to the reduced value of past acquisitions.
So theres another $50.6 billion down the hole, too.
What I don't get about telecom, esp. the telecom in my area, QWest, is how the hell they are rolling in money. My phone bill is outrageous... and they have a monopoly in the region. I know they're getting at least $40 out of every person with a phone in the midwest... where the hell does all that money go?
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and account information.
Clearly, by sharing your passport account you are in violation of the passport user agreement. Congratulations, you just became Bill Gates towel boy...
So... you'd like for the free market to kill off all the non-comercial small guys? Yeah, that's the type of pressure I like to see.
Not.
And as for your opinion that the RIAA is 'trying to make internet media work' I say, pzzzzzzzzt. Wrong. There's absolutely no reason I shouldn't be able to download (for a fee) any song ever created by any artist. The only thing preventing this is the RIAA extreme lack of trying to make internet media work. They don't give a god-damn about internet media and if it's 'working'. You know what they do care about? Money and Power.
No, I don't... and I don't necessarily advocate downloading music for free.
The thing that does get me is that the RIAA is still behind the times. There is absolutely no f-ing reason I shouldn't be able to download any song that has ever existed for small fee RIGHT NOW.
I'm of the opinion that free-music-downloading is just a market force. Supply and demand... who has the cheapest supply for a product?
I suppose this is the point where someone has to explain to you the difference between music and cars.
Can you buy a new car, bring it home, and then make a copy of it using a cheaply and easily available device where by the overall cost of the reproduction is for all practical purposes zero?
How about this? Can you setup a method that would allow anyone in the world to get a copy of your car for a near-zero price?
If you could, don't you think the car companies would take advantage of the very same technology and find a way to make money?
I'm sorry AC, you are sadly mistaken... corporations do not have 'our best interest at heart'. The only interest a corporation has at heart is that of the stock holders and their profits. The only interest a corporations has in everyone else is the most effeicient method to gather money from them.
I'll second that. I got 'How to Cook Everything' as a chistmas gift last year. I was sitting at my parents place the day after christmas, lounged out reading this book from cover to cover, when I let out one of many large chuckles. My mom came out the kitchen to see what I was laughing at, only to comment, 'only you would laugh at a cook book.'.
The intro's and summaries are great. This is a good book. Not just receipes, it is entertaining and well written.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm with you UniCron, the modding to your posts is really shitty. Welcome to the hell that is slashdot's troll-based moderation.
Karma excellent: commencing karma burn now...
From the article:
Well, duh. All they needed to do is go online and upgrade from Management V1.0 to Management V2.0 and then do incremental upgrades there after.
The thing that finally got me to play with C# was Terrarium. Players create 'creatures' which then compete in a peer-to-peer set of virtual terrariums. You can create plants, herbivores, or carnivores. It was quite fun (in a super geek way) and VERY challenging.
From the parent:
From the article:
So, what you're saying is if we give the AI constructs a long enough bar brawl, they should be able to work everything out?
For those of you who have been paying attention, I'll say it again: laugh, it's funny
So you own 100,000 devices, and one of them has a non-fixed purpose and design?
Laugh, it's funny.
Did anyone else read that as 'buttholed'???
I'd combat it by making the infomation you DO want available very easy to get to, and the everything else hard.
That's why it's easy to take a penny from the penny jar and hard to get to the safe at a store.
Well, that's why I specifically pointed out that my flying has been peace-time. I'm sure they'd get a side-arm during any sort of combat.
I have flown multiple times in my time in the military, once clear over the Atlantic over to Germany, and I have NEVER seen a pilot with a weapon, let alone ever had any sort of weapon along for the ride.
Of course, these were all peace time, but you are incorrect in saying that pilots carry weapons in the military. While it may occure, I believe it is the exception, not the rule.
True, $1000 is exactly changing hands, but if you read the page I linked to:
So even though there is no 'charging' going on, the value of the product still changes hands. I'm not advocating this, I'm just quoting their analysis of the situation.
Taken from http://www.politechbot.com/p-02305.html, posted there by Duncan Frissell.
Time for a new slashdot poll: How many slashdotters are fedral felons due to their file sharing activities? The person closest to guessing the correct quantity without going over wins a get out of jail free card, curtousy of John Ashcroft! Yeah!
Agreed. Thank god they killed the blink tag, or I bet a good 30% of the web would still be blinking.
Function over form, I say. Working for a .edu, I go so far as to ensure my content can be viewed though LYNX, which, when using strict XHTML, isn't very hard to do.
I may not have fancy web sites, but they are accessiable, easy to use, easy to navigate, fast loading, and are full of information.
As it should be.
From the article:
Umm... while I might agree that there is a lot of commercial content on the web these days, what about the rest of it, like educational resources, online research, BLOGS, and, well, damn near an infinite amount of other resources?
Nothing like cutting off your arm 'cause your fingers hurt.
That's hilarious! How can you possibly equate the taxes & surcharges on a phone bill with Gore? Seriously, draw me a line. I want to know if you just bashing and full of crap or if you really have some line of 'proof'...
Ack! Should be 'aren't rolling in money...'
Sigh, coffee please...
So theres another $50.6 billion down the hole, too.
What I don't get about telecom, esp. the telecom in my area, QWest, is how the hell they are rolling in money. My phone bill is outrageous... and they have a monopoly in the region. I know they're getting at least $40 out of every person with a phone in the midwest... where the hell does all that money go?
You can only see 7 of 9 comments? Man, and I thought my vision was bad... get some glasses!
How many comments can you see if an article doesn't mention Micorosoft? More? Less?
I know you kidding, but... (from Passport terms of use)
Clearly, by sharing your passport account you are in violation of the passport user agreement. Congratulations, you just became Bill Gates towel boy...
Well, I started to read the license, but then I got caught at part one of step one:
Well, I guess I'm out...
So... you'd like for the free market to kill off all the non-comercial small guys? Yeah, that's the type of pressure I like to see.
Not.
And as for your opinion that the RIAA is 'trying to make internet media work' I say, pzzzzzzzzt. Wrong. There's absolutely no reason I shouldn't be able to download (for a fee) any song ever created by any artist. The only thing preventing this is the RIAA extreme lack of trying to make internet media work. They don't give a god-damn about internet media and if it's 'working'. You know what they do care about? Money and Power.
My .sig says it all...
No, I don't... and I don't necessarily advocate downloading music for free.
The thing that does get me is that the RIAA is still behind the times. There is absolutely no f-ing reason I shouldn't be able to download any song that has ever existed for small fee RIGHT NOW.
I'm of the opinion that free-music-downloading is just a market force. Supply and demand... who has the cheapest supply for a product?
Does that make sense?
I suppose this is the point where someone has to explain to you the difference between music and cars.
Can you buy a new car, bring it home, and then make a copy of it using a cheaply and easily available device where by the overall cost of the reproduction is for all practical purposes zero?
How about this? Can you setup a method that would allow anyone in the world to get a copy of your car for a near-zero price?
If you could, don't you think the car companies would take advantage of the very same technology and find a way to make money?
Do you get it now?
I'm sorry AC, you are sadly mistaken... corporations do not have 'our best interest at heart'. The only interest a corporation has at heart is that of the stock holders and their profits. The only interest a corporations has in everyone else is the most effeicient method to gather money from them.
Everything else is secondary. Don't forget that.
I'll second that. I got 'How to Cook Everything' as a chistmas gift last year. I was sitting at my parents place the day after christmas, lounged out reading this book from cover to cover, when I let out one of many large chuckles. My mom came out the kitchen to see what I was laughing at, only to comment, 'only you would laugh at a cook book.'.
The intro's and summaries are great. This is a good book. Not just receipes, it is entertaining and well written.