The article talks about paying enough money to cover the 'freezing process' and the storage of your body, but it doesn't mention where the money will come from to re-animate these people, or cure them of their diseases, or hook their brains up to cameras and microphones. These procedures will cost much more than the actual freezing and storage of them, I'm sure.
Is that taken into consideration? If these people do become the first candidates for any human tests of reanimation (which it seems like they would) maybe the process would be funded by the researchers. But, I don't think I'd like to be in that situation...That sounds REALLY frankenstein...
Having fucked up my Linux box way too many times, I got in the habit of completely backing up my entire stable system onto a spare drive or partition. I found Knoppix, and now use it to do this. (I can still surf and listen to MP3's while doing a cp -a from one ro mounted partition to a rw paritition) It was really amazing. I got KDE up, network connection up, and listening to MP3's w/ XMMS within 2 minutes of booting. (I only had to make a minor change to XF86Config)
Also, some of my colleagues go out to customesr sites and need some sort of net analyzer, but don't have sniffer. Booting into Knoppix and using ethereal is a great alternative!
I intend to make copies and give them as gifts to colleagues who are on the fence about linux...
his cutting-edge speculation. Sci-Fi writers with cutting-edge speculation and interesting futurist ideas are a dime a dozen. Sterling's strength is in making it fun to read! And creating a very detailed and believable context for the ideas to be presented in.
My vote? Schismatrix by Sterling...The world created is epicly huge, visually beautiful, but the story is short enough that you could cover almost all the details/dialog in a film...
Tortoise and Stereolab use mostly 'analog' or traditional instruments, but I think they capture the electronica vibe better than any other group I've heard. They both sound futuristic, slightly psychadelic, and 'electronic'. But, they do so with more soul and warmth than any purely electronic music. Orb, I would say, are the only primarily 'electronic' group that also don't loes the human element often lost in many examples of electronica...
IIRC, some of the members of Stereolab overlap with Tortoise...
Great point. I recommend the Cybex CCNA book by Todd Lammle. Its how I learned subnetting, and some basic TCP/IP stuff.
Get yourself a free unix and learn tcpdump
Another great point. Tcpdump/ethereal/sniffer are the only way to REALLY understand TCP/IP, as you are really seeing the network.
The only thing I want to add is: Buy a cheap PC w/ dual nics. Build a firewall between your ISP and your PC's. Log your deny rules, and see what kind of stuff people are throwing at you. And, its the best way to understand packet filtering and/or stateful firewalling (if you're using netfilter in Linux) which are the dominant edge security measures taken today...
Also Agreed! I recommend Congress Watch at citizen.org. They have no shame in their progressive bias', but its a great resource for finding your representatives, and seeing summaries of current legislation, and voting history.
What *I* want to see is some sort of penalty imposed on companies who take measures to restrict fair use in dominant standards, such as DVDs.
Unfortunately, most recent 'dominant standards' are built for the express use of restricting fair use, and it is only getting worse. Contemporary 'dominant standards' were not built for convenience of consumers; they were and are built to maintain control over deeply entrenched industries.
I agree, however. The government SHOULD be promoting standards and their fair use in order to ensure consumer rights and true innovation and competition.
Agreed...If the name is the only holdover from the original (which it sounds like it is), then whats the big deal? Its an original work, which makes it even less piracy. Kind of like 'open source' fiction.
My cousins used submit their own scripts for Star Trek to the producers. (which I think was encouraged) They were not the creators of Star Trek, but understood the characters, the environment, and could write scripts that were just as good as those written by the actual writers.
Yes, according to this document at the EPA's website, the amount of CO2 used for fire suppression systems is more than enough to kill you within seconds of exposure, and that halon is not as dangerous to humans.
For years the Japanese have been keeping some of the best Video games to themselvs; mostly the puzzle games, war sims and RPGs, and indeed, even great consoles in their many variations like the PCEngine.
PC Engine was released in the states under the name Turbo Grafx...It was a great system! BTW, if you are in Shibuya (in Tokyo), there is a flea market outside one of the big arcades where these guys are selling great vintage games, including PC Engine, and Super Famicon...They seem to be there every weekend.
I am just wondering the cultural obsession that the Japanese have with rail systms, if any one has an answer.
There are probably many reasons. The first being that it would be impossible for Japan to function with this many people driving cars. There's not enough room! The train system in Japan (this is only the subways of Tokyo. There's an equally complex network of above ground trains in Tokyo that basically overlap with this system) is very extensive. You can practically get anywhere in Japan on a train, and maybe a 1 or 2 hour bus ride if the train isn't going exactly where you want.
Another reason is there are cute girls who go up and down the aisles selling snacks, beer, and sake! (and I guess coffee, too)
The main problem of the system lies in the fact that at speeds above 300km/hr the magnetic system creates a drag of its own, so the drag of the wheels and track have been substituted. So instead of being signifficantly more efficient at high speeds, it is only marginally more efficient at a much higher investment cost.
It may not be economically feasible, but 500 kph is hardly a marginal difference...Especially with the intended distances between stations.
I think its great that so many people are getting involved writing rebuttals to these obvious pieces of propaganda. (Yes, intelligent, logical well written opposition is obviously better than an emotional and sarcastic response)
But keep in mind, the target for the original pieces, and the sources that propagate them. As the register points out, ZDNET is a common source of this info. While ZDNET's bias is apparent to/.ers, it is probably not to their main target: current Windows users and IT managers. They also provide stories to Yahoo, and many other news organizations and are seen as a respectable Tech News source by many.
My point is that most of these rebuttals are published on sites where there is already consensus on the validity of open source, and the dangers of closed source in certain situations. Rebuttals on/. and The Register build community support, but hardly undo the damage done to the open source reputation in the minds of those who don't read, or don't even know what/. is!
Clarification and articulation of the open source argument must be made to the same groups MS and ZDNET are targeting.
I just had a revelation about the lowest level reason to support Open Source. Open Source truly puts the power with the people... Primarily because if no one owns it, the source code means nothing unless you understand it!!! This gives more incentive for people to increase their skills, and helps take the advantage from companies that accumulate IP, and then make enough money to defend it at all costs through manipulation, propaganda, and expensive lawyers.
As open source gains more acceptance, individual knowledge then truly becomes power, as opposed to power controlling individual knowledge...
by the poorly written and poorly argued ZDNet response to Ralph Nader and James Love's letter of last week. Read my response to them, which I also posted on Slashback...
I write in response to your recent article 'Why Nader's Microsoft plan is flawed'. I think its unfortunate that the twist of the article is that Nader's plan is flawed, when Mr. Farber makes many points which agree almost exactly with what Nader and James Love are saying.
Your conclusion is right on: "If the courts don't provide sufficient protection for consumers, then start voting with your checkbook." Thats precisely what Mr. Nader is asking the OMB, as a representative of the American people's government, to do. While I agree that punishing Microsoft through changes in purchasing is a flawed argument, the main points of Nader/Love's letter are to examine the current status of technology spending and make sure other viable and possibly cheaper alternatives are not being overlooked.
In addition to this, they ask that some of the specs of proprietary "file formats of its office productivity and multimedia programs" be released in order to allow for competing products to not be ruled out by incompatibility. They do not ask, as you suggest, for Microsoft to "give up or sell its intellectual property" or place any limits on purchasing or spending. Nader and Love understand the extreme importance that file (specifically word processing file) format interopability has on the potential for competition in the software and desktop market. When they do mention purchasing source code, they do not specifically say Microsoft Office's source code, they suggest purchasing the code to a "high quality office productivity package".
Again, while I understand the difference between the charges of the OMB and the DOJ, you can't help but agree that some coordination between the two is at least a creative idea. With the antitrust case against Microsoft going on several years now, (and the possibility of retribution for the known, and countless unknown companies who were forced out of the marketplace by anti-competitive behavior being zero) it may not be entirely unrealistic for some creative and forward thinking regarding a strategy or solution to resolve the true reason to break up a monopoly; to make sure innovation and healthy economic growth continue.
Aside from these main points, I find your editorial or article or whatever you think it is, as particularly schizophrenic. You say government regulations shouldn't "dictate how to build and distribute technology products". But, you also say that various branches and departments could "use their clout as a huge Microsoft customer to exert some leverage" by using Openoffice or StarOffice instead of Microsoft Office. How does this differ from Nader and Love's suggestions? You also go on to cite recent news items about other countries saving millions of dollars in licensing fees. Again, this is one of the main points of the letter to the OMB. I won't even try to decipher your Krispy Kreme analogy...
As you say, "Nader has the right idea. Consumers of technology should have choice." So, then why do you try to discredit him? He is one of the few that actively and successfully petitions the government for the rights of consumers and the potentials of technology.
something else that I think Linux is missing - an easy to use set of video capture and compression tools, complete with (dare I say it outloud) a non-command line DVD rip program
DVDRipis an amazing gui based dvd ripper for linux. One of the easier and most powerful multimedia tools I've used on Linux. The DVD equivalent to GRip, and it works...
Point #1: The Primary reason people download media via P2P is the convenience. The technology and infrastructure now exists for people to easily find and retrieve the media they want. This is what most consumers buy PC's for!
Point #2: Most people would be willing to pay some small fee to download media. Especially if there was some added value over the current no-pay methods. (Which are pretty f'n smart...)
Point #3: The media industry does not have the vision or smarts to keep up with the possibilities provided by changes in technology. This is why P2P has exploded, and has been pioneered by individuals or small groups of programmers. Consumers demand added value for their dollars spent. If they can't get it from the current providers of media, they will look somewhere else.
My point? The media industry MUST provide a better alternative, or people will obviously find their own solutions...
Slashdot Mirror
I think this was only posted once before. However, it was referenced in a comment to this story about the Atari Synthesizer a few days ago....
The article talks about paying enough money to cover the 'freezing process' and the storage of your body, but it doesn't mention where the money will come from to re-animate these people, or cure them of their diseases, or hook their brains up to cameras and microphones. These procedures will cost much more than the actual freezing and storage of them, I'm sure.
Is that taken into consideration? If these people do become the first candidates for any human tests of reanimation (which it seems like they would) maybe the process would be funded by the researchers. But, I don't think I'd like to be in that situation...That sounds REALLY frankenstein...
-Frostilicus (ctar)
Having fucked up my Linux box way too many times, I got in the habit of completely backing up my entire stable system onto a spare drive or partition. I found Knoppix, and now use it to do this. (I can still surf and listen to MP3's while doing a cp -a from one ro mounted partition to a rw paritition) It was really amazing. I got KDE up, network connection up, and listening to MP3's w/ XMMS within 2 minutes of booting. (I only had to make a minor change to XF86Config)
Also, some of my colleagues go out to customesr sites and need some sort of net analyzer, but don't have sniffer. Booting into Knoppix and using ethereal is a great alternative!
I intend to make copies and give them as gifts to colleagues who are on the fence about linux...
The demos are labeled..The first 2 say 'These are from the Atari ONLY' and the others say 'Yes, I am using reverb' etc...
his cutting-edge speculation. Sci-Fi writers with cutting-edge speculation and interesting futurist ideas are a dime a dozen. Sterling's strength is in making it fun to read! And creating a very detailed and believable context for the ideas to be presented in.
My vote? Schismatrix by Sterling...The world created is epicly huge, visually beautiful, but the story is short enough that you could cover almost all the details/dialog in a film...
Tortoise and Stereolab use mostly 'analog' or traditional instruments, but I think they capture the electronica vibe better than any other group I've heard. They both sound futuristic, slightly psychadelic, and 'electronic'. But, they do so with more soul and warmth than any purely electronic music. Orb, I would say, are the only primarily 'electronic' group that also don't loes the human element often lost in many examples of electronica...
IIRC, some of the members of Stereolab overlap with Tortoise...
Here are a few different Gauss Guns, including the one from Half Life!
Yes, I did just pilfer these sites from Google, but didn't see any other references linked so far, soooo.....
Please mod up...I modded down by accident! (damn wheel mouse...)
Well, first you must know tcp/ip very well.
Great point. I recommend the Cybex CCNA book by Todd Lammle. Its how I learned subnetting, and some basic TCP/IP stuff.
Get yourself a free unix and learn tcpdump
Another great point. Tcpdump/ethereal/sniffer are the only way to REALLY understand TCP/IP, as you are really seeing the network.
The only thing I want to add is: Buy a cheap PC w/ dual nics. Build a firewall between your ISP and your PC's. Log your deny rules, and see what kind of stuff people are throwing at you. And, its the best way to understand packet filtering and/or stateful firewalling (if you're using netfilter in Linux) which are the dominant edge security measures taken today...
Also Agreed! I recommend Congress Watch at citizen.org. They have no shame in their progressive bias', but its a great resource for finding your representatives, and seeing summaries of current legislation, and voting history.
What *I* want to see is some sort of penalty imposed on companies who take measures to restrict fair use in dominant standards, such as DVDs.
Unfortunately, most recent 'dominant standards' are built for the express use of restricting fair use, and it is only getting worse. Contemporary 'dominant standards' were not built for convenience of consumers; they were and are built to maintain control over deeply entrenched industries.
I agree, however. The government SHOULD be promoting standards and their fair use in order to ensure consumer rights and true innovation and competition.
How the hell is tcp/ip secure enough to trust "come spying and nuking?"
If the network is private...
Agreed...If the name is the only holdover from the original (which it sounds like it is), then whats the big deal? Its an original work, which makes it even less piracy. Kind of like 'open source' fiction.
My cousins used submit their own scripts for Star Trek to the producers. (which I think was encouraged) They were not the creators of Star Trek, but understood the characters, the environment, and could write scripts that were just as good as those written by the actual writers.
For years the Japanese have been keeping some of the best Video games to themselvs; mostly the puzzle games, war sims and RPGs, and indeed, even great consoles in their many variations like the PCEngine.
PC Engine was released in the states under the name Turbo Grafx...It was a great system! BTW, if you are in Shibuya (in Tokyo), there is a flea market outside one of the big arcades where these guys are selling great vintage games, including PC Engine, and Super Famicon...They seem to be there every weekend.
I am just wondering the cultural obsession that the Japanese have with rail systms, if any one has an answer.
There are probably many reasons. The first being that it would be impossible for Japan to function with this many people driving cars. There's not enough room! The train system in Japan (this is only the subways of Tokyo. There's an equally complex network of above ground trains in Tokyo that basically overlap with this system) is very extensive. You can practically get anywhere in Japan on a train, and maybe a 1 or 2 hour bus ride if the train isn't going exactly where you want.
Another reason is there are cute girls who go up and down the aisles selling snacks, beer, and sake! (and I guess coffee, too)
The main problem of the system lies in the fact that at speeds above 300km/hr the magnetic system creates a drag of its own, so the drag of the wheels and track have been substituted. So instead of being signifficantly more efficient at high speeds, it is only marginally more efficient at a much higher investment cost.
It may not be economically feasible, but 500 kph is hardly a marginal difference...Especially with the intended distances between stations.
I think its great that so many people are getting involved writing rebuttals to these obvious pieces of propaganda. (Yes, intelligent, logical well written opposition is obviously better than an emotional and sarcastic response)
/.ers, it is probably not to their main target: current Windows users and IT managers. They also provide stories to Yahoo, and many other news organizations and are seen as a respectable Tech News source by many.
/. and The Register build community support, but hardly undo the damage done to the open source reputation in the minds of those who don't read, or don't even know what /. is!
But keep in mind, the target for the original pieces, and the sources that propagate them. As the register points out, ZDNET is a common source of this info. While ZDNET's bias is apparent to
My point is that most of these rebuttals are published on sites where there is already consensus on the validity of open source, and the dangers of closed source in certain situations. Rebuttals on
Clarification and articulation of the open source argument must be made to the same groups MS and ZDNET are targeting.
I just had a revelation about the lowest level reason to support Open Source. Open Source truly puts the power with the people... Primarily because if no one owns it, the source code means nothing unless you understand it!!! This gives more incentive for people to increase their skills, and helps take the advantage from companies that accumulate IP, and then make enough money to defend it at all costs through manipulation, propaganda, and expensive lawyers.
As open source gains more acceptance, individual knowledge then truly becomes power, as opposed to power controlling individual knowledge...
by the poorly written and poorly argued ZDNet response to Ralph Nader and James Love's letter of last week. Read my response to them, which I also posted on Slashback...
techupdates@cnet.com
dfarber@cnet.com
I write in response to your recent article 'Why Nader's Microsoft plan is flawed'. I think its unfortunate that the twist of the article is that Nader's plan is flawed, when Mr. Farber makes many points which agree almost exactly with what Nader and James Love are saying.
Your conclusion is right on: "If the courts don't provide sufficient protection for consumers, then start voting with your checkbook." Thats precisely what Mr. Nader is asking the OMB, as a representative of the American people's government, to do. While I agree that punishing Microsoft through changes in purchasing is a flawed argument, the main points of Nader/Love's letter are to examine the current status of technology spending and make sure other viable and possibly cheaper alternatives are not being overlooked.
In addition to this, they ask that some of the specs of proprietary "file formats of its office productivity and multimedia programs" be released in order to allow for competing products to not be ruled out by incompatibility. They do not ask, as you suggest, for Microsoft to "give up or sell its intellectual property" or place any limits on purchasing or spending. Nader and Love understand the extreme importance that file (specifically word processing file) format interopability has on the potential for competition in the software and desktop market. When they do mention purchasing source code, they do not specifically say Microsoft Office's source code, they suggest purchasing the code to a "high quality office productivity package".
Again, while I understand the difference between the charges of the OMB and the DOJ, you can't help but agree that some coordination between the two is at least a creative idea. With the antitrust case against Microsoft going on several years now, (and the possibility of retribution for the known, and countless unknown companies who were forced out of the marketplace by anti-competitive behavior being zero) it may not be entirely unrealistic for some creative and forward thinking regarding a strategy or solution to resolve the true reason to break up a monopoly; to make sure innovation and healthy economic growth continue.
Aside from these main points, I find your editorial or article or whatever you think it is, as particularly schizophrenic. You say government regulations shouldn't "dictate how to build and distribute technology products". But, you also say that various branches and departments could "use their clout as a huge Microsoft customer to exert some leverage" by using Openoffice or StarOffice instead of Microsoft Office. How does this differ from Nader and Love's suggestions? You also go on to cite recent news items about other countries saving millions of dollars in licensing fees. Again, this is one of the main points of the letter to the OMB. I won't even try to decipher your Krispy Kreme analogy...
As you say, "Nader has the right idea. Consumers of technology should have choice." So, then why do you try to discredit him? He is one of the few that actively and successfully petitions the government for the rights of consumers and the potentials of technology.
-Chris Tar
something else that I think Linux is missing - an easy to use set of video capture and compression tools, complete with (dare I say it outloud) a non-command line DVD rip program
DVDRipis an amazing gui based dvd ripper for linux. One of the easier and most powerful multimedia tools I've used on Linux. The DVD equivalent to GRip, and it works...
Big companies like to throw their money around just to make sure they don't miss the 'next big thing'. Often they make terrible mistakes...
Yeah, remember this story?
Point #1: The Primary reason people download media via P2P is the convenience. The technology and infrastructure now exists for people to easily find and retrieve the media they want. This is what most consumers buy PC's for!
Point #2: Most people would be willing to pay some small fee to download media. Especially if there was some added value over the current no-pay methods. (Which are pretty f'n smart...)
Point #3: The media industry does not have the vision or smarts to keep up with the possibilities provided by changes in technology. This is why P2P has exploded, and has been pioneered by individuals or small groups of programmers. Consumers demand added value for their dollars spent. If they can't get it from the current providers of media, they will look somewhere else.
My point? The media industry MUST provide a better alternative, or people will obviously find their own solutions...