IF agnosticism is the scientific view.. then when I tell you there is an invisible flying magic pig that lives in my bedroom, only I am the only one who can see him....
You have to concede that there MIGHT be such a pig in my room, but you just don't know enough to decide either way?
The scientific view would be "there is absolutely no evidence that said invisible flying magic pig exists, therefore we assume it does not"
In the absence of any evidence, something isn't there. Ergo, in the absence of evidence of a God, atheism would be more scientific.
"Until you prove to me otherwise, God does not exist"
Well, if the patent were licensed irevocably for unrestricted use by anyone for anything, then the OSS crowd wouldn't have a problem with it.
The problem is, unless it's so licensed, and despite best intentions... a patent holder can later choose to kick your ass for using his patented method, even if he let oyu use it for free for years.
I had a big writeup. but realized it's not necessary.. just do it.
Keep an open mind, keep in mind that if it works differently than you expected that there might be a good reason for the way it works.
Keep in mind you will actually USE the GUI... which is something that you only THINK you do in windows.
Learn keyboard shortcuts... they really make a big difference. cmd-q to quit an app, cmd-w to close a window, cmd-n to make a "new" something (finder window, browser window, etc), cmd-e to eject...
Also: From past experience..you may want to re-format and re-install without the OS9 stuff ulness you need it.
To all the "Just buy a tivo " people - yes, if that works for you, go for it.
Unfortunately, in many countries, Tivo is not an option.
Tivo is also not quite as flexible.
- Use a PVR-250 for encoding.. heck, get two. The onboard mpeg encoder is definately worth it.
Think of it as a general purpose home PC.... I built a mythtv box for my folks.. it has xvids, records tv shows, does the weather, lets them browse photo albums (which is great when they have friends over).. it's accessible over SSH so I can upload new shows / videos / pictures to them, as well as record some of my favorite shows and download them (I live in another country.)
They use it to listen to streaming mp3 over the stereo when they have friends over playing poker...
Now, sure you can do all that with a PC.. yup. The point is to have this PC that's geared towards your home entertainment center rather than your desktop.. with an interface so simple an adult can use it, and a geek can tinker behind the scenes endlessly.
I think the point is that caller id could not EVER be trusted as a real security measure. It's been possible to spoof a myriad of ways since the beginning.
It's kind of like IDENT, in that it was NEVER intended for security purposes.. just convenience.
The Currency Act (Canada) sets out the limits for what is legal tender in each denomination.
Technically, a penny is only legal tender for payment of up to 25 cents.
other amounts: 5c is legal tender for up to $5 10c,25c,50c are legal tender for up to $10
$1 is legal tender for up to $25
$2, $5, $10 are legal tender for up to $40
For commercial transactions (such as buying a car, or a coke, or going to the movies, etc...), the law does not require ANY form of payment... it is completely up to the parties involved to determine what is acceptable. As a seller of goods or services, you are not required to take cash at all.
If, however, you OWE money, and offer to pay with appropriate legal tender, according to the above guidelines, in exact change, the recipient must accept. (or at least, after that, the recipient can't really go to the courts and claim you won't honor your debt)
An interesting example is a restuarant, where the money is collected after the meal. IN this case, there IS a debt incurred... you run up a debt while you eat. For this reason a restaurant is required to take cash (though not to make change, as above).
Re:"affecting literally millions of people."
on
Make Money Fast
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· Score: 1
They stopped making new $1000 bills in 2000.
Commercial banks have been asked to return them to the Bank of Canada rather than distribute them. They don't have to... the bills are still legal tender, and always will be.
Re: Toronto.. perhaps it's a city thing. Im not saying people carry no cash.. but it's rare for people to carry more than $40 or so (compared to other countries where cash is more prevalent, and people tend to carry more)
Re:I'm not worried, I don't use cash
on
Make Money Fast
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· Score: 1
If you hear a Canadian talk about a debit card, he means his interac capable bank card... (which is basically all of them). At the point of sale, I can pick which account I want, chequing, savings, etc.
What you call a debit card (looks like a visa or mc card and is processed similarly by the merchant, over the visa or mc networks) we would call a Cheque card, and they are not common.
The one argument I always see thrown out by people who start complaining about the fiat system are those who say that the money doesn't represent anything.
Well guess what.. neither does Gold, or anything else. In the end, money is a feature that arises out of pretty much any economy naturally, in some form or another. Some commodity that is easier to sell, that everyone wants naturally becomes a standard medium of trade.
First, the technical aspects of this.. the voter secrecy parts, should be taken seriously.
Secondly.. it's kind of funny to hear complaints about them not being "non partisan".
Just about every American I know feels strongly about one party or the other, and given how US politics work, that makes sense. Are we trying to say that those who are making voting systems and services should not be entitled to political opinion?
Of course not...
What they SHOULD have to do is keep their services as transparent and watertight as possible, open to external scrutiny, so nobody can scream "election fraud"
And your better solution to what is done almost universally in every country right now?
Re:I'm not worried, I don't use cash
on
Make Money Fast
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· Score: 1
Cashless in no way implies the need for credit.
Most transactions in Canada that are electronic are Interac, which is the debit system used by all the banks. Your bank client card lets you pay for even your slurpee. It's instant. The money is transferred immediatley.
This is not the same as a Visa or MC Debit card.. where Visa or MC is taking a chunk out of the merchant.
My main beef with a cashless society is this: What if I don't WANT to use a bank?
Re:US currency Legal Tender
on
Make Money Fast
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· Score: 2, Interesting
US hospitals, I believe, cannot refuse reasonable emergency treatment based on the ability to pay. The same goes for most 1st world hospitals, I believe.
Healthcare, generally, is separately regulated.. a society sets up the standards by which they want that care delivered, and that usually always involves some level of charity. It's not just a for-profit business, but a necessary element of our societies. Exactly how much care and of what quality will vary from place to place...
but if you have a heart attack, I don't think there is a hospital on earth that won't try to give you at least a jumpstart.
All US currency (and the same in most countries) is unbacked... if you want to go that far.
Actually, backed by Fiat.. but that's it.
The whole reason they "mess" with it is so they can regulate the economy.. which is supposed to be a good thing. It's the reason they have a fiat currency in the first place......
- Fake money not as big a problem in Canada as in the US.
- Canadians were complacent.. so it was much eaiser to pass phony bills.
- Young man applied creative and technical skills towards making increasingly good fake bills.
- The main reason he made money was he was ambitious.. he made lots of fake bills of fairly good quality, and had connections to pass them.
- He was inevitably going to get caught, they knew it was him for a LONG time, and were just waiting for the right moment. - He got caught.
- Canada now has a new issue of bills (which are quite nice).
Not included in story: Comments on how canadians are quite far along the road to a cashless society.. hardly anyone carries more than $20 in their wallet, and Interac, the nationatl debit network, is used for everything from a slurpee to a new TV.
Re:"affecting literally millions of people."
on
Make Money Fast
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Funny story that.
Seriously, though.. how many $1000 bills have you seen?
How many $100 or even $50 bills do you see on a daily basis coming out of people's wallets? (or even flashed from within one?)
Canada has become so hooked on Interac that cash is almost a nono.. I was back home (B.C.) on Vacation... and had probably $300 in my wallet.. and most people were like "Wow you carry too much money"... $300, and I'm an anomaly. Typically, I have double that in my pocket.
I have never actually seen a real life $1000 bill in Canada.. though I know they exist (though I believe they stopped minting them a few years ago). I've heard a few stories about them.. like about four, including yours.
Canadians are getting scared of cash.
Re:US currency Legal Tender
on
Make Money Fast
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· Score: 3, Insightful
It shoudln't be.. a business should be free to accept or refuse whatever terms of barter they like.
Why should any merchant have to accept anything? You have no contract with them; you are free to take your business elsewhere. They don't OWE you anything... that's the whole point. If the terms of the deal aren't favorable.. either party can refuse. If you don't like it, you can take your business to someone else who has more favorable ways of doing business. If your opinion is shared by many, then the merchant who serves you better will do well.
Legal tender counts towards paying off debts.. that's it. You cannot refuse to take payment of money owed to you if it's in the legal tender, and the exact amount. If you do, a court won't be sympathetic.
I think it should be compulsory for utilities to accept cash for payment of bills.. but that should be handled as a regulation on utilities, and not on the use of currency itself.
Yes - they are pulling the old bills out of circulation.
Notice the MAIN problem with counterfitting in Canada, and it was mentioned repeatedly in the article, is that people simply did not usually check.. because we didn't have a real big problem with fake bills previously.
Second.. US currency, outside the US. As someone who spends US currency and lives in central america.. you are correct, but for the wrong reasons.
People here do indeed know how to detect fake US currency; in fact, they are probably MORE aware of it than most people in the US. US bills are very closely examined here by everyone, and there are TONS of fakes out there. Every bar I know has sample fakes they've caught people with.
Further to that.. if you are passing a fake here, the cops won't be called unless you are literally trying to buy something big with entirely fake money. A merchant finding a note to be fake will say "This is fake" and probably give it back to you, if he feels in the mood. Even the banks; on depositing money into a bank, if they find one US bill to be fake, they'll tell you so, punch a hole in it, and let you keep it. They would actually have to suspect you of trying to scam them before they'll get the authorities involved.
The reason counterfeitting is a much bigger deal in latin america is because, to put it plainly, it's a lot easier to get away with.
Counterfeitting something that is not legal tender isn't all that big a deal.. you won't go to the federal pen unless you counterfeit the local currency.
Drug cartels counterfeit because the distribution methods needed to profit from it are identical to those used for drugs.. they are already in a position to move the stuff without any additional effort or risk.
I highly recommend MPC if you don't already have it... why?
- No annoying gui, it's easy to find the shuttle controls. - Doesn't "install".. it's just an executable. - Let's you manipulate lots of settings that the othe rmedia players hide from you.. for instance, quick aspect ratio corrections, horiz/vertical zoom, etc. - USes any codecs you already have.
Isn't a gaussean beam a theoretical ideal that cannot be achieved in reality (though we can get closer and closer?) As long as we are not AT that ideal, the beam spreads out from the point of origin. As long as it spreads out, inverse square holds.
Realize the "beam" from your laser pointer is still spreading out. The "dot" gets bigger the further away you go.
Whatever the change in cross sectional area over distance X, there will be 4 times the change in area at distance 2X, 9 times the change at 3X, and so on. This is what the inverse square relationship means.
Slashdot Mirror
IF agnosticism is the scientific view.. then when I tell you there is an invisible flying magic pig that lives in my bedroom, only I am the only one who can see him....
You have to concede that there MIGHT be such a pig in my room, but you just don't know enough to decide either way?
The scientific view would be "there is absolutely no evidence that said invisible flying magic pig exists, therefore we assume it does not"
In the absence of any evidence, something isn't there.
Ergo, in the absence of evidence of a God, atheism would be more scientific.
"Until you prove to me otherwise, God does not exist"
Well, if the patent were licensed irevocably for unrestricted use by anyone for anything, then the OSS crowd wouldn't have a problem with it.
The problem is, unless it's so licensed, and despite best intentions... a patent holder can later choose to kick your ass for using his patented method, even if he let oyu use it for free for years.
I had a big writeup. but realized it's not necessary.. just do it.
Keep an open mind, keep in mind that if it works differently than you expected that there might be a good reason for the way it works.
Keep in mind you will actually USE the GUI... which is something that you only THINK you do in windows.
Learn keyboard shortcuts... they really make a big difference. cmd-q to quit an app, cmd-w to close a window, cmd-n to make a "new" something (finder window, browser window, etc), cmd-e to eject...
Also: From past experience..you may want to re-format and re-install without the OS9 stuff ulness you need it.
To all the "Just buy a tivo " people - yes, if that works for you, go for it.
Unfortunately, in many countries, Tivo is not an option.
Tivo is also not quite as flexible.
- Use a PVR-250 for encoding.. heck, get two. The onboard mpeg encoder is definately worth it.
Think of it as a general purpose home PC.... I built a mythtv box for my folks.. it has xvids, records tv shows, does the weather, lets them browse photo albums (which is great when they have friends over).. it's accessible over SSH so I can upload new shows / videos / pictures to them, as well as record some of my favorite shows and download them (I live in another country.)
They use it to listen to streaming mp3 over the stereo when they have friends over playing poker...
Now, sure you can do all that with a PC.. yup. The point is to have this PC that's geared towards your home entertainment center rather than your desktop.. with an interface so simple an adult can use it, and a geek can tinker behind the scenes endlessly.
I think the point is that caller id could not EVER be trusted as a real security measure. It's been possible to spoof a myriad of ways since the beginning.
It's kind of like IDENT, in that it was NEVER intended for security purposes.. just convenience.
The Currency Act (Canada) sets out the limits for what is legal tender in each denomination.
Technically, a penny is only legal tender for payment of up to 25 cents.
other amounts:
5c is legal tender for up to $5
10c,25c,50c are legal tender for up to $10
$1 is legal tender for up to $25
$2, $5, $10 are legal tender for up to $40
For commercial transactions (such as buying a car, or a coke, or going to the movies, etc...), the law does not require ANY form of payment... it is completely up to the parties involved to determine what is acceptable. As a seller of goods or services, you are not required to take cash at all.
If, however, you OWE money, and offer to pay with appropriate legal tender, according to the above guidelines, in exact change, the recipient must accept. (or at least, after that, the recipient can't really go to the courts and claim you won't honor your debt)
An interesting example is a restuarant, where the money is collected after the meal. IN this case, there IS a debt incurred... you run up a debt while you eat. For this reason a restaurant is required to take cash (though not to make change, as above).
They stopped making new $1000 bills in 2000.
Commercial banks have been asked to return them to the Bank of Canada rather than distribute them. They don't have to... the bills are still legal tender, and always will be.
Re: Toronto.. perhaps it's a city thing. Im not saying people carry no cash.. but it's rare for people to carry more than $40 or so (compared to other countries where cash is more prevalent, and people tend to carry more)
If you hear a Canadian talk about a debit card, he means his interac capable bank card... (which is basically all of them). At the point of sale, I can pick which account I want, chequing, savings, etc.
What you call a debit card (looks like a visa or mc card and is processed similarly by the merchant, over the visa or mc networks) we would call a Cheque card, and they are not common.
Okay.
The one argument I always see thrown out by people who start complaining about the fiat system are those who say that the money doesn't represent anything.
Well guess what.. neither does Gold, or anything else. In the end, money is a feature that arises out of pretty much any economy naturally, in some form or another. Some commodity that is easier to sell, that everyone wants naturally becomes a standard medium of trade.
First, the technical aspects of this.. the voter secrecy parts, should be taken seriously.
Secondly.. it's kind of funny to hear complaints about them not being "non partisan".
Just about every American I know feels strongly about one party or the other, and given how US politics work, that makes sense.
Are we trying to say that those who are making voting systems and services should not be entitled to political opinion?
Of course not...
What they SHOULD have to do is keep their services as transparent and watertight as possible, open to external scrutiny, so nobody can scream "election fraud"
Okay..
And your better solution to what is done almost universally in every country right now?
Cashless in no way implies the need for credit.
Most transactions in Canada that are electronic are Interac, which is the debit system used by all the banks. Your bank client card lets you pay for even your slurpee.
It's instant. The money is transferred immediatley.
This is not the same as a Visa or MC Debit card.. where Visa or MC is taking a chunk out of the merchant.
My main beef with a cashless society is this: What if I don't WANT to use a bank?
US hospitals, I believe, cannot refuse reasonable emergency treatment based on the ability to pay. The same goes for most 1st world hospitals, I believe.
Healthcare, generally, is separately regulated.. a society sets up the standards by which they want that care delivered, and that usually always involves some level of charity. It's not just a for-profit business, but a necessary element of our societies. Exactly how much care and of what quality will vary from place to place...
but if you have a heart attack, I don't think there is a hospital on earth that won't try to give you at least a jumpstart.
You haven't incurred a debt; you've merely drank MY can of Coke.
What do you mean "by printing unbacked money?"
All US currency (and the same in most countries) is unbacked... if you want to go that far.
Actually, backed by Fiat.. but that's it.
The whole reason they "mess" with it is so they can regulate the economy.. which is supposed to be a good thing. It's the reason they have a fiat currency in the first place......
- Fake money not as big a problem in Canada as in the US.
- Canadians were complacent.. so it was much eaiser to pass phony bills.
- Young man applied creative and technical skills towards making increasingly good fake bills.
- The main reason he made money was he was ambitious.. he made lots of fake bills of fairly good quality, and had connections to pass them.
- He was inevitably going to get caught, they knew it was him for a LONG time, and were just waiting for the right moment.
- He got caught.
- Canada now has a new issue of bills (which are quite nice).
Not included in story: Comments on how canadians are quite far along the road to a cashless society.. hardly anyone carries more than $20 in their wallet, and Interac, the nationatl debit network, is used for everything from a slurpee to a new TV.
Funny story that.
Seriously, though.. how many $1000 bills have you seen?
How many $100 or even $50 bills do you see on a daily basis coming out of people's wallets? (or even flashed from within one?)
Canada has become so hooked on Interac that cash is almost a nono.. I was back home (B.C.) on Vacation... and had probably $300 in my wallet.. and most people were like "Wow you carry too much money"... $300, and I'm an anomaly.
Typically, I have double that in my pocket.
I have never actually seen a real life $1000 bill in Canada.. though I know they exist (though I believe they stopped minting them a few years ago). I've heard a few stories about them.. like about four, including yours.
Canadians are getting scared of cash.
It shoudln't be.. a business should be free to accept or refuse whatever terms of barter they like.
Why should any merchant have to accept anything? You have no contract with them; you are free to take your business elsewhere. They don't OWE you anything... that's the whole point. If the terms of the deal aren't favorable.. either party can refuse. If you don't like it, you can take your business to someone else who has more favorable ways of doing business. If your opinion is shared by many, then the merchant who serves you better will do well.
Legal tender counts towards paying off debts.. that's it. You cannot refuse to take payment of money owed to you if it's in the legal tender, and the exact amount. If you do, a court won't be sympathetic.
I think it should be compulsory for utilities to accept cash for payment of bills.. but that should be handled as a regulation on utilities, and not on the use of currency itself.
Yes - they are pulling the old bills out of circulation.
Notice the MAIN problem with counterfitting in Canada, and it was mentioned repeatedly in the article, is that people simply did not usually check.. because we didn't have a real big problem with fake bills previously.
Second.. US currency, outside the US.
As someone who spends US currency and lives in central america.. you are correct, but for the wrong reasons.
People here do indeed know how to detect fake US currency; in fact, they are probably MORE aware of it than most people in the US. US bills are very closely examined here by everyone, and there are TONS of fakes out there. Every bar I know has sample fakes they've caught people with.
Further to that.. if you are passing a fake here, the cops won't be called unless you are literally trying to buy something big with entirely fake money. A merchant finding a note to be fake will say "This is fake" and probably give it back to you, if he feels in the mood. Even the banks; on depositing money into a bank, if they find one US bill to be fake, they'll tell you so, punch a hole in it, and let you keep it. They would actually have to suspect you of trying to scam them before they'll get the authorities involved.
The reason counterfeitting is a much bigger deal in latin america is because, to put it plainly, it's a lot easier to get away with.
Counterfeitting something that is not legal tender isn't all that big a deal.. you won't go to the federal pen unless you counterfeit the local currency.
Drug cartels counterfeit because the distribution methods needed to profit from it are identical to those used for drugs.. they are already in a position to move the stuff without any additional effort or risk.
I'd say this.
If you want a music library type application.. use iTunes. Stick to mp3. If you
If you need an online music store and iTms isn't satisfactory, well, use WMP I guess...
If you want to play video.. use Media Player Classic.
I highly recommend MPC if you don't already have it... why?
- No annoying gui, it's easy to find the shuttle controls.
- Doesn't "install".. it's just an executable.
- Let's you manipulate lots of settings that the othe rmedia players hide from you.. for instance, quick aspect ratio corrections, horiz/vertical zoom, etc.
- USes any codecs you already have.
That wasn't the issue.. the issue was whether DRMd tunes bought off online music stores will play outside of WMP.
IT's not a format issue, it's a DRM issue.
Okay, two points.
e s/ isq.html
First: The inverse square relationship isn't some weird rule obeying weird laws, it's a natural outcome of a 3d universe.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/forc
Second:
Isn't a gaussean beam a theoretical ideal that cannot be achieved in reality (though we can get closer and closer?)
As long as we are not AT that ideal, the beam spreads out from the point of origin. As long as it spreads out, inverse square holds.
Realize the "beam" from your laser pointer is still spreading out. The "dot" gets bigger the further away you go.
Whatever the change in cross sectional area over distance X, there will be 4 times the change in area at distance 2X, 9 times the change at 3X, and so on.
This is what the inverse square relationship means.
Noo.. it holds true for all electromagnetic radiation, and many other things as well.
A big dish, a directional signal.. none of these change the inverse square relationship in the least.
No.. it can't. Some things are truly random, and you cannot predict a known state, with time or knowledge or research.