Should a cure actually exist, IP law will take a back seat to reality. There are many poor nations that are being destroyed from AIDS. They do not have the privilege of paying what the market can bear. On the supply and demand curves, those on the demand curve (below equilibrium) will be dead. Countries will manufacture this product any way they can (Damn intellectual property rights) and they are right to do so. The market place exists for our benefit. So long as there is a benefit people will support it.
Imagine, however, that only the countries in the world that could enforce IP law existed. The company, it's employees, it's buildings, it's shareholders, would be vilified. There would be a constant riot outside their headquarters. Their branch offices. Their labs. They would not be able to exist as a company. They would cease to exist because business would be impossible. And, quite frankly, screw 'em. Sorry Randians, the lives of billions are more important.
The Active directory is dependent upon one (or two) nodes that may go kaput. In such a situation, nobody can log in. Nobody can do any work. This could cost a day or two of lost productivity plus chaos.
The problem may not be solvable without the assistance of highly trained contractors. "Best practices" demands that we have some sort of backup plan.
We have two options: hire a contractor on the spot or get some support when the emergency happens.
Appendix I. Emergency Assitance 24/7: Contractor A: rate: $XXX per hour
Contractor B: rate: $XXX per hour
Contractor C: rate: $XXX per hour.
Appendix II. Support fees for Active Directory with x nodes: Contractor A: Base: $XXXX Monthly: $XXX
Contractor B: Base: $XXXX Monthly: $XXX
etc.
That should scare the bjesus out of them. Once it is in Memo format, it is on the record and ready for discovery with any law suites. They will act because they are legally obliged to prevent loss to their shareholders and there is a memo floating around that will incriminate them should any disaster happen. Put all that in an attached word doc and in your email mention that you are extremely eager to help rectify this situation in any way possible! If that takes improving my skills, I will do it!
Call me a snob (you'd probably be right), but I own an hdtv and the difference in picture is huge. DVD, while technically NTSC, is better than most content out there, there are still artifacts that I've noticed. For instance, you can see that the number of colours is limited and you get strata between one colour and the next. (It looks like sixteen bit to me or 8 bits per R/G/B.) Especially sunset/sunrise scenes.
The HD signal one gets from your provider is very compressed because of their bandwidth limitations. With Blue Ray discs (I understand) this is not a problem and content can be displayed with *very* high quality. The playstation 3 playing a Blue Ray disc runs 1080p which is something like 1900x1000 60 frames per second. Imagine the difference when playing a game at 600x400 at 50 frames per sec (roughly ntsc) and 1900x1000... That is the difference we're talking about.....Except that you're not simply getting the same number of smoother vertices, you are getting more content.
When people see the difference those that can and have hd sets will buy Blue Ray players (and the PS3) in droves. The difference in quality between the Blue Ray disks and DVDs is quite a bit larger than DVDs and VHS tapes.
{
put_republican_candidate(); } else/* must be ATM */ {
do_transaction();
print_receipt();
debit_account();
credit_republican_PAC_account(); } = )
It is my understanding that the suspicion is that the voting machines have been manipulated by someone logging in and running an sql query. This is due to cases where the number of votes for some candidates jumps by large margins in very a short period of time. So it isn't the code itself.
Canada's national election happens to be tomorrow.....
"All votes are made on the same standard heavy paper ballot which is inserted in a standard cardboard box, furnished by Elections Canada. The ballot and the box are devised to ensure that no one except the elector knows the individual choice that was made. Counting the ballots is done by hand in full view of the representatives of each candidate. There are no mechanical, electrical or electronic systems involved in this process."
It's not that one organization is better or worse than the other, it is that the US administration appears to be manipulating a supposedly independent organization into a vehicle for US policy. This after using the "Internet must remain free from coercive governments" argument a few months ago to reassert it's own control of the DNS system.
This whole story oozes UK politics. El Reg is a UK paper and the UK 'net is up in arms about one of their Sr. ministers claiming that they have no knowledge of use of torture/ use of torture testimony / extreme rendition / support of vile Uzbek regime and being subsequently proven wrong. The proof came through the UK's former Uzbekistan ambassador. He published memos (defying a publication ban) how they did know and did approve. Doing the ethical thing is taken much more seriously in the UK than the US. Uzbekistan is a dictatorial state that likes to boil people alive, imprison or kill political prisoners, and also an ally in the "War on Terra."
So that is the underlying story: The UK is experiencing Syriana-ish angst because it is sucked into doing loathsome things due to allies, agreements and policy.
Privacy allows one the right to think what one wants without a coersive government locking one up.
When a government monitors emails, and builds networks of who knows whom, I find it extremely intrusive.
Europe has history. If any of the evil governments that existed in it's past existed today, they would need about fifteen minutes to get a long list of everyone they did not like, (and those that communicated with them) and lock them up or worse.
The "luxury" you speak of was in existance previous to the information age when governments could not track your thoughts, personal networks, banking information, health information and all the other info that they keep in large databases. Today, fridges and toasters are networked and will betray you, not simply a disgruntled family member or the neibour's kid. Did you know they keep track of what food you buy via your safeway card? That is "total information awareness" and it is not to protect you, but to protect your government from you. What did Echelon do to prevent Sept 11? Nothing. Terrorists used countermeasures and will continue to do so. They may be deranged fanatics but they're not stupid.
Look at Iraq. They have government goon squads that execute thousands a month. (Morgues are filled.) Thanks to the information age, not are actions considered treasonous but thoughts also. An email. A phone call. It's OK until it's your ass. (Or knee cap or skull.) Your slashdot posting of 2002 may seal your fate.
Don't be so foolish to assume that all future governments will be benign.
In the mean time it is our responsiblity to build networks resistant to these policies.
The real benefit of what it does is bridge the internet's content with your stereo. Put on Radio Paradise and that's dinner. Soma FM for later. Some crazy station on shoutcast for a party. Or my own CD's... (Tired as they may be.) Radio 1190 for that cool Japanise pop program and the laxidasical DJ...
It also acts as a bridge, so other devices can use it's ethernet plug while it uses the 8011g. (Playstation 3!?)
My wife gets lost in some of the menu items but I'm sure that will be improved upon (your local squeeze box server has different menu items than when you connect to the Squeeze server). I think that they should be more integrated...
That said, they are always improving my sqeeze box with new flashes, and server software. The people that run it actually answer questions on their mail lists. And they provide technical answers to technical questions.
Bottom line is that I'm very happy with it (wife is too) and when I'm rich, I'll consider getting a second one for another room.
"The fact that I don't want my tax dollars going to support complete insanity is only part of it. You get the idea." As a Canuck living in the US, I have ethical issues with this too. Also, what should I say to those who "support the troops" when they do obviously bad things. (phosphorus on civilians et al). It is true that I am an alien in this land. There is a big divide between the right and the left. Not just politically, but culturally. Also a big divide between black and hispanic and white populations too. Different languages. Low tolerance.
But all of that makes me apprecate the 'land of the Canuck' much more.
Like Dr. Who, much of the Prisoner is not simply the theme-park theme... It was a show that explored freedom the limits of individual freedom. Like us, you are allowed to do what you want and live freely, but only on the fixed limits of an island. And I think that the ra-ra "sandbox" that the protagonist lived in is more relevant to our sandbox now, than back in the 60s.
Just because have not perished individually, they have proven as an organization -- beyond all doubt -- that they are unworthy of the human gene pool.
And while that does not meet the strict criteria, surely they can make an exception in this case and bend rule number one: "Death or Sterility." But I claim, it indeed passes the test! For their action causes death of the human capacity of thought and logic, sterility of the idea pool of the children of Kansas. Thes children are the very people that is their only hope from Kansas from becoming, well, another Kansas.
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm North America ranks #3 after Asia and Europe in terms of internet usage. (not # packets but number of people) Plus unlike Asia, pretty much peaked. Unless you count fridges and toasters.
There are reasons why h1bs have lower wages: like the time it takes the USCIS to do anything. They take months. and months. and years. While in processing, you often can't change status or the application is dropped. You can't even leave the country sometimes. This limits people's job mobility. When you are in processing, and they screw up, they give themselves another 90 days to do the job (despite the law). It is the worst bureaucracy ever. Plus you have to hire lawyers to make sure that all the 'i's are dotted etc. $10 or $15K for a green card in lawyers fees. Kiss a big chunk of that 'buh bye' if you're laid off or switch jobs some time in that five year process. Also related is that sometimes USCIS takes so long that even when you apply for renewal looong before, stuff expires and you can't work all the sudden. That leaves gaps in your employment history. You can't really go to a company and say: would you kindly hire me when USCIS finishes the application some time from 30 to 180 days in the future? They'd say 'piss off'. Rightfully so too.
They also are screwed if their job lays them off (OK, sell your house and move to a foreign country in 1 week! Now go!). This is a disincentive to getting the highest pay that is available. One chooses security in this situation--not highest the wage. If you get an extra $20K you might be first on the cutting floor if there are layoffs. Pack up the dogs ma! Also, one often wants a company to sponser them in the "green card" process. If you are getting a middling wage, the company is probably more likely to sponser, all things being equal.
Third, there is often a language/cultural barrier. Communication is important. If you can't sell yourself, you can't sell your employer on a great wage.
Fourth, there is a fee for the company. Many do not have the legal resources or the time to manage the paperwork. This limits choice for the employee.
So if you do not want folks from other countries going underground and working for nothing, fix USCIS. That way it isn't so difficult for them to stay legit, and they'll demand better wages. If English is your native language and you're better educated than 90% of applicants, you have the ability to battle them without lawyers. If you only speak Spanish and are not familiar with bureaucratic procedures, you don't have a hope.
I think that many over-estimate how many people would come to the US if it was a free-for-all. Fact is that living costs mirror wages. It is not as big as an incentive as one might think. After all, look at the EU: a Greek can go work in Germany for much higher wages. But most Greeks prefer souvlaki to sourkrout.
Besides, I've never ever ever ever met an American working another country. Ever. (OK, quite a few) = )
Because the CEOs are all pals with the BOD and the other execs. Together they golf. They party. They travel. They work too, but it is often a tight knit group.
They decide their own salaries.
Your salary is not decided by your peers. Not the only reason, but a major one.
True, the competition is fierce, but "most benign" award probably not apt one. That's too much like also-flopped "featherweight elephant class" or "congenial axe murderer award".
btw, here's an incomplete list of US military interventions. I know that this is not a complete list because there were many covert ones. Some are justifiable, some are not. Some should have been there that weren't, like Rwanda. France and Belgium were evil but that was before my life time, and I suspect yours (unless you're 200).
The point being is that there are *many* and one can argue about specifics in this or that case, but the shear number should make all ponder what it is that make humans such war-like creatures. And the role of a military.
"This report lists 234 instances in which the United States has used its armed forces abroad in situations of conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime purposes...." http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/foabroad.htm
Oh, and the list continues to grow: Afganistan and Iraq. Haiti again. etc....
Um, self determination and control of commerce were, I thought, principal reasons for the US to come into being.
Other countries are in the same situation: The 'net is a major part of these country's economic infrastructure. The US having absolute control of that much economic infrastructure would give them the same willies that your fore-fathers got. It could plausibly start messing with venezuela trade for instance.
This dispute is indicitive of the divergence of interests between US and the rest of the world. The US is going it's own route in so many ways that this dispute will be par for the course.
Slashdot Mirror
Should a cure actually exist, IP law will take a back seat to reality. There are many poor nations that are being destroyed from AIDS. They do not have the privilege of paying what the market can bear. On the supply and demand curves, those on the demand curve (below equilibrium) will be dead. Countries will manufacture this product any way they can (Damn intellectual property rights) and they are right to do so. The market place exists for our benefit. So long as there is a benefit people will support it.
Imagine, however, that only the countries in the world that could enforce IP law existed. The company, it's employees, it's buildings, it's shareholders, would be vilified. There would be a constant riot outside their headquarters. Their branch offices. Their labs. They would not be able to exist as a company. They would cease to exist because business would be impossible. And, quite frankly, screw 'em. Sorry Randians, the lives of billions are more important.
Just asking....
-b
Oh yeah. One can mention that even Home Depot has tuition reimbursement....
C ompanyDetails.aspx?Comp_DID=CCBCONVXXXXX760039&Pag e=Benefits&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=968fb0bba4fb4fac a175e91315fc3f70-191462485-rd-1
http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Companies/
Up to $5K! (@50% but you can write the rest off...)
Cheers,
-b
Suggest to the powers-that-be in a memo thus:
The Active directory is dependent upon one (or two) nodes that may go kaput. In such a situation, nobody can log in. Nobody can do any work. This could cost a day or two of lost productivity plus chaos.
The problem may not be solvable without the assistance of highly trained contractors. "Best practices" demands that we have some sort of backup plan.
We have two options: hire a contractor on the spot or get some support when the emergency happens.
Appendix I. Emergency Assitance 24/7:
Contractor A:
rate: $XXX per hour
Contractor B:
rate: $XXX per hour
Contractor C:
rate: $XXX per hour.
Appendix II. Support fees for Active Directory with x nodes:
Contractor A:
Base: $XXXX
Monthly: $XXX
Contractor B:
Base: $XXXX
Monthly: $XXX
etc.
That should scare the bjesus out of them. Once it is in Memo format, it is on the record and ready for discovery with any law suites. They will act because they are legally obliged to prevent loss to their shareholders and there is a memo floating around that will incriminate them should any disaster happen. Put all that in an attached word doc and in your email mention that you are extremely eager to help rectify this situation in any way possible! If that takes improving my skills, I will do it!
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
-b
Now *that* is funny.
I humbly disagree.
Call me a snob (you'd probably be right), but I own an hdtv and the difference in picture is huge. DVD, while technically NTSC, is better than most content out there, there are still artifacts that I've noticed. For instance, you can see that the number of colours is limited and you get strata between one colour and the next. (It looks like sixteen bit to me or 8 bits per R/G/B.) Especially sunset/sunrise scenes.
The HD signal one gets from your provider is very compressed because of their bandwidth limitations. With Blue Ray discs (I understand) this is not a problem and content can be displayed with *very* high quality. The playstation 3 playing a Blue Ray disc runs 1080p which is something like 1900x1000 60 frames per second. Imagine the difference when playing a game at 600x400 at 50 frames per sec (roughly ntsc) and 1900x1000... That is the difference we're talking about.....Except that you're not simply getting the same number of smoother vertices, you are getting more content.
When people see the difference those that can and have hd sets will buy Blue Ray players (and the PS3) in droves. The difference in quality between the Blue Ray disks and DVDs is quite a bit larger than DVDs and VHS tapes.
Cheers,
-b
{ /* must be ATM */
put_republican_candidate();
}
else
{
do_transaction();
print_receipt();
debit_account();
credit_republican_PAC_account();
}
= )
It is my understanding that the suspicion is that the voting machines have been manipulated by someone logging in and running an sql query. This is due to cases where the number of votes for some candidates jumps by large margins in very a short period of time. So it isn't the code itself.
Canada's national election happens to be tomorrow.....
y stem#Non-partisan_election_officers
"All votes are made on the same standard heavy paper ballot which is inserted in a standard cardboard box, furnished by Elections Canada. The ballot and the box are devised to ensure that no one except the elector knows the individual choice that was made. Counting the ballots is done by hand in full view of the representatives of each candidate. There are no mechanical, electrical or electronic systems involved in this process."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_electoral_s
Scandalous!
Cheers,
-b
Napoleon wasn't English. ; )
It's not that one organization is better or worse than the other, it is that the US administration appears to be manipulating a supposedly independent organization into a vehicle for US policy. This after using the "Internet must remain free from coercive governments" argument a few months ago to reassert it's own control of the DNS system.
n ing_documen.html
This whole story oozes UK politics. El Reg is a UK paper and the UK 'net is up in arms about one of their Sr. ministers claiming that they have no knowledge of use of torture/ use of torture testimony / extreme rendition / support of vile Uzbek regime and being subsequently proven wrong. The proof came through the UK's former Uzbekistan ambassador. He published memos (defying a publication ban) how they did know and did approve. Doing the ethical thing is taken much more seriously in the UK than the US. Uzbekistan is a dictatorial state that likes to boil people alive, imprison or kill political prisoners, and also an ally in the "War on Terra."
So that is the underlying story: The UK is experiencing Syriana-ish angst because it is sucked into doing loathsome things due to allies, agreements and policy.
Git your banned documents here!
http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/archives/2005/12/dam
-b
Read Home land security!
@ 2AM those Swedes will just be waking up while the Yanks will be sound asleep.
Problem solved!
Many US diplomats are political appointees, not folks rising up within the US diplomatic corps. Perhaps he's a qualified diplomat?/ wilkins-050427.html
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/04/27
Well I guess he turned down Chile for us....
And we all know the US ambassador to the UN.... ; )
In short, one can't expect too much of these people.
But then again, Canada is certainly guilty of the same thing.
Cheers,
-b
Utter tosh!
Privacy allows one the right to think what one wants without a coersive government locking one up.
When a government monitors emails, and builds networks of who knows whom, I find it extremely intrusive.
Europe has history. If any of the evil governments that existed in it's past existed today, they would need about fifteen minutes to get a long list of everyone they did not like, (and those that communicated with them) and lock them up or worse.
The "luxury" you speak of was in existance previous to the information age when governments could not track your thoughts, personal networks, banking information, health information and all the other info that they keep in large databases. Today, fridges and toasters are networked and will betray you, not simply a disgruntled family member or the neibour's kid. Did you know they keep track of what food you buy via your safeway card? That is "total information awareness" and it is not to protect you, but to protect your government from you. What did Echelon do to prevent Sept 11? Nothing. Terrorists used countermeasures and will continue to do so. They may be deranged fanatics but they're not stupid.
Look at Iraq. They have government goon squads that execute thousands a month. (Morgues are filled.) Thanks to the information age, not are actions considered treasonous but thoughts also. An email. A phone call. It's OK until it's your ass. (Or knee cap or skull.) Your slashdot posting of 2002 may seal your fate.
Don't be so foolish to assume that all future governments will be benign.
In the mean time it is our responsiblity to build networks resistant to these policies.
-b
The real benefit of what it does is bridge the internet's content with your stereo. Put on Radio Paradise and that's dinner. Soma FM for later. Some crazy station on shoutcast for a party. Or my own CD's... (Tired as they may be.) Radio 1190 for that cool Japanise pop program and the laxidasical DJ...
It also acts as a bridge, so other devices can use it's ethernet plug while it uses the 8011g. (Playstation 3!?)
My wife gets lost in some of the menu items but I'm sure that will be improved upon (your local squeeze box server has different menu items than when you connect to the Squeeze server). I think that they should be more integrated...
That said, they are always improving my sqeeze box with new flashes, and server software. The people that run it actually answer questions on their mail lists. And they provide technical answers to technical questions.
Bottom line is that I'm very happy with it (wife is too) and when I'm rich, I'll consider getting a second one for another room.
Cheers,
-b
"The fact that I don't want my tax dollars going to support complete insanity is only part of it. You get the idea."
As a Canuck living in the US, I have ethical issues with this too.
Also, what should I say to those who "support the troops" when they do obviously bad things. (phosphorus on civilians et al).
It is true that I am an alien in this land. There is a big divide between the right and the left. Not just politically, but culturally. Also a big divide between black and hispanic and white populations too. Different languages. Low tolerance.
But all of that makes me apprecate the 'land of the Canuck' much more.
Nice people though.
They are not bound to keep to that standard--they could move away from it in some future release. Embrace and extend, even their own stuff.
-b
Like Dr. Who, much of the Prisoner is not simply the theme-park theme... It was a show that explored freedom the limits of individual freedom. Like us, you are allowed to do what you want and live freely, but only on the fixed limits of an island. And I think that the ra-ra "sandbox" that the protagonist lived in is more relevant to our sandbox now, than back in the 60s.
..for the Darwin award.
Just because have not perished individually, they have proven as an organization -- beyond all doubt -- that they are unworthy of the human gene pool.
And while that does not meet the strict criteria, surely they can make an exception in this case and bend rule number one:
"Death or Sterility."
But I claim, it indeed passes the test! For their action causes death of the human capacity of thought and logic, sterility of the idea pool of the children of Kansas. Thes children are the very people that is their only hope from Kansas from becoming, well, another Kansas.
Kansas Board of Education for Darwin 2006!
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
North America ranks #3 after Asia and Europe in terms of internet usage. (not # packets but number of people) Plus unlike Asia, pretty much peaked. Unless you count fridges and toasters.
Cheers,
-b
To add to that....
There are reasons why h1bs have lower wages: like the time it takes the USCIS to do anything. They take months. and months. and years. While in processing, you often can't change status or the application is dropped. You can't even leave the country sometimes. This limits people's job mobility. When you are in processing, and they screw up, they give themselves another 90 days to do the job (despite the law). It is the worst bureaucracy ever. Plus you have to hire lawyers to make sure that all the 'i's are dotted etc. $10 or $15K for a green card in lawyers fees. Kiss a big chunk of that 'buh bye' if you're laid off or switch jobs some time in that five year process. Also related is that sometimes USCIS takes so long that even when you apply for renewal looong before, stuff expires and you can't work all the sudden. That leaves gaps in your employment history. You can't really go to a company and say: would you kindly hire me when USCIS finishes the application some time from 30 to 180 days in the future? They'd say 'piss off'. Rightfully so too.
They also are screwed if their job lays them off (OK, sell your house and move to a foreign country in 1 week! Now go!). This is a disincentive to getting the highest pay that is available. One chooses security in this situation--not highest the wage. If you get an extra $20K you might be first on the cutting floor if there are layoffs. Pack up the dogs ma! Also, one often wants a company to sponser them in the "green card" process. If you are getting a middling wage, the company is probably more likely to sponser, all things being equal.
Third, there is often a language/cultural barrier. Communication is important. If you can't sell yourself, you can't sell your employer on a great wage.
Fourth, there is a fee for the company. Many do not have the legal resources or the time to manage the paperwork. This limits choice for the employee.
So if you do not want folks from other countries going underground and working for nothing, fix USCIS. That way it isn't so difficult for them to stay legit, and they'll demand better wages. If English is your native language and you're better educated than 90% of applicants, you have the ability to battle them without lawyers. If you only speak Spanish and are not familiar with bureaucratic procedures, you don't have a hope.
I think that many over-estimate how many people would come to the US if it was a free-for-all. Fact is that living costs mirror wages. It is not as big as an incentive as one might think. After all, look at the EU: a Greek can go work in Germany for much higher wages. But most Greeks prefer souvlaki to sourkrout.
Besides, I've never ever ever ever met an American working another country. Ever. (OK, quite a few) = )
Cheers,
-b
Because the CEOs are all pals with the BOD and the other execs. Together they golf. They party. They travel. They work too, but it is often a tight knit group.
They decide their own salaries.
Your salary is not decided by your peers. Not the only reason, but a major one.
Cheers,
-b
True, the competition is fierce, but "most benign" award probably not apt one. That's too much like also-flopped "featherweight elephant class" or "congenial axe murderer award".
btw, here's an incomplete list of US military interventions. I know that this is not a complete list because there were many covert ones. Some are justifiable, some are not. Some should have been there that weren't, like Rwanda. France and Belgium were evil but that was before my life time, and I suspect yours (unless you're 200).
The point being is that there are *many* and one can argue about specifics in this or that case, but the shear number should make all ponder what it is that make humans such war-like creatures. And the role of a military.
"This report lists 234 instances in which the United States has used its armed forces abroad in situations of conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime purposes...."
http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/foabroad.htm
Oh, and the list continues to grow: Afganistan and Iraq. Haiti again. etc....
Cheers,
-b
Um, self determination and control of commerce were, I thought, principal reasons for the US to come into being.
Other countries are in the same situation: The 'net is a major part of these country's economic infrastructure. The US having absolute control of that much economic infrastructure would give them the same willies that your fore-fathers got. It could plausibly start messing with venezuela trade for instance.
This dispute is indicitive of the divergence of interests between US and the rest of the world. The US is going it's own route in so many ways that this dispute will be par for the course.
Cheers,
-b
I believe most of the rise in the oceans will be from water expanding due to increased temperature, not polar caps melting.
Cheers,
-b