Opening PDF files in the browser is great and all, but I would be more interested in using this lib to programmatically create PDF files from what is in the browser. This would be particularly useful as svg gets wider adoption. Right now, the process requires conversion to canvas as an intermediate step.
Not only does coffee help prevent prostate cancer, but so does regular masturbation too. A study came out in 2003, and then resurfaced in 2008 and 2010 that men who masturbate regularly can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 40%.
So while nearly all men will get prostate cancer if they live long enough, I sure as hell won't!
Starbucks and Kleenex: the path to a long and happy life.
GC was awesome! You could record conversations without the knowledge of the other party. The great thing about dealing with larger organizations is they already had a "call may be monitored" disclaimer so I didn't have to. It really did save my bacon once during a dispute with my mortgage broker...I got the rate we agreed on and victory was mine!
I don't think it would work for them at all. There are many majors that require software installation so this wouldn't be the tool of choice. More broadly speaking though, I'm not sure it would work for students in general. I mean, can you print with it? How do you install printer drivers? Will I have to convince all of my professors to accept digital submissions of my work if I can't print? What if they only take Word documents because they aren't tech-savvy that's all they know how to use?
In my mind, there are a lot of questions like these surrounding this device. So the final question is, why not just get a Win7 laptop for basically the same price, fire up Chrome for all the stuff I can do in a web browser, and have the peace of mind knowing I can handle anything else that can't be done in a web browser? I like the *idea* of ChromeOS and it does have many compelling qualities, but I think you would need to build or rebuild your IT infrastructure from the ground up to really make it useful for your students or your employees.
Taking a long-view, perhaps that's what will happen. Organizations might find that they could dramatically reduce their costs if they migrate away from their Microsoft infrastructure and embrace a web-centric IT culture. They probably could but it's such a huge pill to swallow. I think they talked about 'momentum' in Google's Android keynote yesterday. Well, Google doesn't have it in the enterprise and Microsoft does (at least in my org). I don't know what it would take to shift that, but it would be interesting to see it happen.
I've longed for a cable channel or streaming video site that allowed me to view, on demand, the following:
Any episode of these TV shows: Star Trek (all series), Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate (I liked 'em all), BSG (sure both eras, why not), Firefly, etc. Movies: Star Wars (all 6), Star Trek (40 now?), Blade Runner, Serenity, The Day the Earth Stood Still (original please), old Japanese monster movies, all the comic based flicks, etc.
I'd like to see original programming. There have been many shows that I enjoyed for a season or two only to have them cancelled: Surface, Invasion, Flash Forward, SG-U, Day Break, Firefly (I'll never let it die!) too many to count. Sure they haven't all been great, but they all held my attention and they were all way better than the crap SyFy shows now. Also, I don't need to see a single reality or game show. The only sport on this channel I might watch is Korean StarCraft tournaments!
I think the advertising could be there, but just not through the usual channels. Proctor & Gamble may not pay millions for Ivory Soap commercials, but video game vendors buy commercials for regular TV...a dedicated audience of geeks is their target demographic. Computer hardware and services companies would likely advertise. You could probably pay for the whole thing with advertising from 900 number services...LOL! Yeah, I'm not pushing stereotypes or anything!
Your last line reminds me of something I've wondered for a couple of years now. Why doesn't the company whose server and desktop operating systems and software often found in the enterprise, team up with the company whose handsets are often found in the enterprise? I mean in the wake of iOS and Android's success, I don't see the MS/Nokia deal being enough of a defense...at least not in the US anyway.
BUT, I think a MS/RIM partnership would be HUGE. RIM's security and notification system, MS software and network integration; it'd be a big win for enterprise. I could see many businesses feeling comfortable putting their mobile eggs in that basket. I'm not even a real fan of either company, but I would feel like the mobility needs for my enterprise would have a secure road map for development, infrastructure, and support.
You know, I totally understand this. What I don't understand is if every channel is racing to the middle, then they all have to compete with each other. It would seem this would also reduce the audience numbers for any given channel (SpikeTV vs. Syfy vs. G4 vs. FX vs. whatever else). There are also plenty of channels that would seem to defy this logic like: Discovery: Health, Hallmark Channel, Big Ten Network, Versus, etc. Those guys found a business model that works for their limited audiences.
I know science fiction isn't for everyone, but I gotta believe that with some decent programming they could draw enough of an audience to make it worth it. Then again, maybe the problem isn't the numbers/content, just the numbers watching the content on television vs. getting it through other avenues. I think it would be a reasonable conclusion that many of the people interested in science fiction programming know how to get it online.
We need a Sci-Fi channel that exists only online. A place where I can watch everything Whedon has done, all the Star Trek shows, get classics like Blade Runner or go way back to The Day the Earth Stood Still (original please). That would be my go-to entertainment destination, and since I have an HTPC it wouldn't be a much different experience than my cable box.
Theoretically, as long as all forward progress in HTML was always backward compatible and you never deprecated anything, it probably could be done. In practice, who knows. But that's really the problem because what happens when some new technology becomes available that, for whatever reason, is necessarily not backwards compatible? You just don't implement it? Even though it cures cancer right over the internet?
I think it's a worthwhile thought-experiment to imagine what kinds of technologies could benefit from an organic update methodology. There are probably more than a few that could. I'm not sold that HTML is one of them though.
I keep mine at a 2T WD external USB HD ($100), as well as on my PC's HD. The nice thing is I keep the external connected to the HTPC so I can pull up the photos (or movies, music, etc) in XBMC for my viewing pleasure. I suppose if I really wanted to protect them for a longer period of time, I could back them up to Blu-Ray or DVD...but it's not like those last forever either.
Well, we launched Deep Space 1 in 1998 for a grand total of about $150 million, which is a real victory considering how many untested technologies went into it. It had as many failures as successes, but I think it was well worth it for the price. We learned a metric f-ton and we got to Jupiter in just two or three years. Lumpy is correct, we very likely could build a more state-of-the-art system using ion propulsion that would pass the Voyager craft in a very short time frame.
We spend far more on endeavors that are completely devoid of merit, scientific or otherwise.
So you are going to let TSA staff look at naked images of your children, or feel them up? Dude, you're sick.
Rent a fucking car. Everyone knows it's the journey, not the destination. I'd gladly rather spend 3-4 days driving across the country and showing my kids all the great things to see, than spending an agonizing 3-4 minutes of TSA staff violating my children. Unless traveling on your own, driving is typically less expensive and definitely more rewarding.
Not to mention the fact that until people simply refuse to fly unless it's absolutely necessary, these scanners are here to stay. Just don't say you weren't warned when the body cavity searches start.
Come now, Number One, we must embrace this new future. By positioning the Sahara as the single source of the electricity, I will be able to hold ransom the global energy supply. The world's super powers will fall over themselves to pay my extortion, lest I blast this new facility with my space-based death-ray and bring their economies to a grinding halt.
I already have enough problems with users being unable to distinguish between memory (RAM) and storage (HDD/SSD). I will now have to deal with a type of storage called Racetrack Memory?!
This is only a half-hearted joke. Does this new form of storage/memory obviate the need for RAM by simply allocating one of the racetracks to that type of storage/retrieval?
I just don't understand Microsoft's strategy here. It's like they are trying to reinvent the social aspects of cell phone use, but that is an area in which they have zero experience. I suppose it's a hearts and minds kind of thing, but Elda is right...it's WAY too little and WAY too late.
One area they have a metric f-ton of cache is enterprise, and speaking from experience, enterprise users have been languishing with the outdated, non-innovative Blackberry for years. Even iPhone and Android don't offer an equivalent of the Blackberry Enterprise Server (still wondering why). Microsoft should build a phone OS that leverages the ubiquitous use of their existing technologies (Office, SharePoint, Exchange, etc.). Make it seamless and it then becomes a simple corporate/IT decision: Are my employees more efficient and informed with WinMo7 or BB? Make that answer WinMo7 and they don't have to worry about hearts and minds because who wants to carry two cell phones? They just have to add a little space for user to be a person as well as an employee by allowing the more typical social integrations (app store, web mail, maps, games, etc.) and give at least some control over that stuff to the IT department.
And for the love of any deity you hold holy Microsoft, don't lock out Google apps like search, maps and mail. They're better at that stuff than you and the users already know it. If you prevent the phone from using those apps then the check-signers won't bother looking at your phone because they want to keep in touch with the kids as much as they want to keep in touch with the spreadsheets. Stick to your strengths.
I'd like to respond to these AC's for those who are reading this part of the discussion with interest:
AC1) After the ordeal and due to extenuating circumstances, we had cause to have an attorney contact our cell carrier who then provided transcripts of that child's text messages. Through those, we found several references to suicide, as well as a "final goodbye" an hour before the attempt. My daughter wasn't some emo goth kid, always looking depressed. She seemed outright happy, even more so than usual in the week leading up to her attempt. She had good grades and played violin in the school orchestra. She wasn't an over-achiever or a type-a kind of person; and we aren't the kind of parents that pressure the kids into achievement. We want them to succeed, but be happy and stress-free too. She's just naturally talented, academically.
It's not about spying. Parents have better things to do than read every single text message their kids send out. It is about having tools at your disposal if you think you need them. Kids don't always talk to their parents when things aren't going well, and parents can't make them.
AC2) It is very likely they were already "broken toys" in some respects before they lived with me, but that in no way absolves me of responsibility in terms of how I parent or protect them. Despite my lack of biological input, they are very much "children of my own". Not so much because I say so...because they do. As the youngest once told me on Fathers Day: Anyone can be a father. It takes someone very special to be a dad. I tear up just typing it.
AC3) While I won't stop worrying or caring when they're 18, my role in their lives will be diminished. Once they leave the house, it will be up to them to forge their path and make their decisions. See below.
AC4) I suppose that is the slippery slope isn't it. It's the "Think of the Children" bumper sticker that gets slapped all over everything, and ends up having lasting implications and repercussions for everyone else. I really don't want that either. I think this decision is different for everyone, and different people may come to it at different points (or not at all) given the same set of circumstances. So I guess I'm saying, I won't insist that everyone should read their children's text messages, and in exchange for everyone not telling me what's best for my particular situation. Because if you haven't walked in my shoes, then you really don't have the right. You can try to empathize and see yourself in my situation, but you would be so far from the reality. You just don't know...and really can't know...unless you've gone through it. And if you aren't a parent, while your feelings aren't devoid of merit, you haven't earned a seat at the discussion.
I know what I'm about to say next is total flame-bait for the younger readers. As long as you are a minor, you don't have the same expectation of privacy or freedom as you do when you're an adult. You can expect *some* level, but not total. Not having total freedom is no surprise to anyone living under the heavy mantle of their parents' Stalinist Regime. But privacy? Do parents honestly think their children should not have total privacy? This one does. I want to know where they are, whom they are with, and what they are doing at all times it is possible to know such things. Is it an invasion of privacy? Sure. But it's also being a good parent. I should I add that the level of this microscope was earned by my daughters. They used to have a lot more freedom and privacy. I do have some degree of trust in my daughters, I'm just not gullible. I know they will make mistakes. I know they will get hurt. I don't expect or even want them to be perfect. Happy, healthy, and safe is all I'm looking for. Everything else will be up to them. I wouldn't read their text messages any more than I would read their diary. If I thought their lives were in danger though? They can hate me for the rest of their lives. I'll just be grateful they have a "rest of their lives" in which they can hate me.
I used to think EXACTLY like that, until I had children of my own. We often tend to think in terms of one-size-fits-all, or "if it works for me it should work for you". This is very likely human nature, so I'm not denigrating anyone. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I have three teenage step-daughters. To say the older two have been "challenging", would be the understatement of the century. In a nice suburban home, with decent income, a loving mother and step-father, a good school system, dinner at the table, help with homework, support and encouragement; I've had to deal with drugs, law enforcement, runaways, and a very, VERY serious suicide attempt. I can't even begin to tell the readers of this site the complete and utter hell I've endured in the last few years. I wish this upon no one. Yet through it all, I love them with every fiber of my being.
Unless you are prepared to lock your child in their room until they are 18, there are forces acting on them that are well beyond the parents' control. It's fantasy to think that good parenting will overcome all. I'm a step-father because the biological father passed away. That does more than a little damage to a child, and no amount of therapy (been there), talking (done that), and good parenting (always) can fix it. There can be neuro-chemical imbalances that you just can't sit down with a child and rationally talk away. Problems can often happen faster than you can detect or address. Teenagers, even good ones, are deceitful by nature as they want to explore the world and there place in it...unencumbered by their parents views or morality. Of course, you do everything you can to prepare them for the challenges, pitfalls, and evils of the world; but there will be missteps, and a rare few can have permanent consequences.
The point of my little self-pity party, is that while "spying" on your children may not be for everyone, or even desirable by anyone, it should be tool at a parent's disposal if they deem it necessary. While I don't disagree with Google's decision to pull it from their store, I would have words with anyone who tried to keep me from having that technology when it was available because if their own rose-colored world-view from atop the ivory tower. Had we had the ability to see our daughter's text messages, it might have spared her five days in ICU and another ten in a step-down hospital room. As a parent, I can tell you there is simply no price too great to pay to prevent that...nothing, and I mean NOTHING is off the table.
Having gone though what I have, I've met many parents with similar stories. While you never really know what goes on behind closed doors, most of them do not strike me as the kind of people who let technology babysit their children. They don't seem to be absent in their children's lives. They don't seem to be anything other than loving, conscientious parents who for whatever reason, found themselves dealing with problems no parent ever wants to face; and are looking for any way possible to protect their children.
Whether a font can be included for a print file, or embedded in a PDF is solely at the discretion of the font publisher. That said, most tier-one font foundries do allow for both. Adobe and Linotype for example both allow this. Most publishing software like Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress will gather the fonts upon request so the customer can take the file to the printer to be printed.
Someone also commented that this is why printers ask for fonts to be converted to vectors. Actually, this in order to avoid font display problems, and cross-platform font issues.
Interestingly, Adobe also allows one copy of the software purchased for the office to be installed at the home.
PS: in the event that some sadistic font foundry has not allowed their font to be embedded in a PDF. You can simply print the file to postscript, open the.ps file in a text editor, change the embedding parameter, and then Distill the.ps file to PDF. It's easy if you know what to look for;)
I'm a huge gadget freak, but the most important thing to me in considering is a home is efficiency...in all areas. A friend told me about a home a couple of guys built with off-the-shelf technology. The total utility costs for HVAC, electricity, and water was about $40/month. I can't find the link, but THAT's a home worth having.
I'd like to see builders focus on new construction methods like precast insulated concrete sandwich, or thermal mass walls; using tankless water heaters used in conjunction with geothermal; and radiant-heating floor systems.
For you guys, solar lighting and LED lighting are things that I would love to see in a new build.
Oh, in-wall fiber or cat-6 running to a head-end closet too.:-)
Hey, you guys are in my backyard! Maybe I'll look you up if I do a new build. Grandview rules, but the property taxes suck!
According the the Bureau of Justice Statistics, with the exception of drug-related incidents, crime rates have been on a steady decline for the last decade or more.
Games (and other forms of entertainment) depicting violence have been on the rise. So how can anyone claim there is some correllation?
I mean you probably don't want to do anything in your code that may negatively impact a search rank, but don't spend any more than two seconds thinking about page ranks. Getting and more importantly holding a top-twenty rank is a lesson in futility. It's you against the untold hordes, millions of them, and you are going to lose.
Everybody wants to take a passive approach to fame and fortune: I know, I'll just drop a few lines of code in here, and the world will beat a path to my site. Sorry, but you'll have to work for it just like everyone else.
First remember a few things. Your idea probably isn't that original, and despite your protests, it may not even be that good. Second, no one cares about your product or service, even if they need and don't know it yet. But, if you have managed to create a great and original product then people will find a way to find you. To make it easier for them, put the URL on every bit of marketing and business collateral the company employs. Build an engaging site. Update it regularly and keep the info on it fresh.
Otherwise, your site will just sit there and collect cyberdust.
Last year a few friends and I started "poker night". It was every other Wednesday. We started off for a few months with MTG, but then decided we'd try a D&D campaign. There were four guys and one girl (unbelievable I know...she's stripper-hot too). We are all in our thirties and some are married and/or have kids. We were going pretty strong for a couple of months, but there are always things that eventually have to come first: working late, can't get a sitter, dinner party, in-laws are in town, host is selling his house, etc., etc., etc.
Eventually we had to abandon the whole thing. We've talked about trying again, and I'd like to do a Shadowrun campaign. It's just SO hard to everybody on the same schedule.
That's the appealing thing about MMORPG's. We still have a game night (Tuesdays) for Guildwars, but you don't need everyone there to have fun. We use Skype or TeamSpeak instead of typing which helps make the experience a little more interactive. And we can game with friends who live across the country, and in once case, in another country.
Didn't the FCC just recently win the Brand-X case in the Supreme Court arguing that broadband was an information service and not a telecommunications service, therefore broadband providers were not considered common carriers and under no obligation to "open up" their lines to competitors?
Doesn't it seem at least on the surface, if not directly, contradictory for this agency to have any discussion regarding wiretapping as far as VOIP goes? Doesn't wiretapping only happen on communication services? Doesn't the 'IP' part of VOIP primarily use broadband?
If these two events are contradictory in nature, how can they possibly co-exist without everyone drawing the conclusion that FCC functions, at least in part, to create rules allowing large (or perhaps simply first-to-market) broadband providers to maintain an unfair advantage over smaller or late-comer competitors?
Is this evidence of the belief that fair competition does not exist in the United States? That you can only have as much justice and fairness as you can buy, bribe, and lobby for?
Unless I'm completely misinformed...which may be the case so I'll apologize now...but plesase don't let that stop you from hurling your flames of vitriolic righteousness.
It's an OK deal really. Provide the content for free and pay for its creation with advertisements. If we had to pay directly for content creation, what would our cable bill look like? The problem has been the creation of an inequity in the deal. More and more time going to commercials, and lower and lower quality of content.
Personally, I'd prefer it if the downloads were free and came with commercials. Perhaps you could be given a choice of commercials to be auto-inserted upon download. That way, the commercials in a sense become part of the content and provide advertisers an incentive to create more engaging commercials. Sure someone could strip out the commercials and provide a torrent link for divx...but why go through the hassle? Why download the file from an untrusted source for that matter?
The summary aludes to it, and no I didn't RTFA, but you also have to wonder what would have happened to shows like Enterprise or Firefly that had loyal fans willing to pay for that content. I really liked Firefly, but I'm not willing to pay $1.99 and episode for any show.
Slashdot Mirror
Opening PDF files in the browser is great and all, but I would be more interested in using this lib to programmatically create PDF files from what is in the browser. This would be particularly useful as svg gets wider adoption. Right now, the process requires conversion to canvas as an intermediate step.
Not only does coffee help prevent prostate cancer, but so does regular masturbation too. A study came out in 2003, and then resurfaced in 2008 and 2010 that men who masturbate regularly can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 40%.
So while nearly all men will get prostate cancer if they live long enough, I sure as hell won't!
Starbucks and Kleenex: the path to a long and happy life.
I have Netflix. Most of what I listed is not available for streaming. Thanks though!
GC was awesome! You could record conversations without the knowledge of the other party. The great thing about dealing with larger organizations is they already had a "call may be monitored" disclaimer so I didn't have to. It really did save my bacon once during a dispute with my mortgage broker...I got the rate we agreed on and victory was mine!
I don't think it would work for them at all. There are many majors that require software installation so this wouldn't be the tool of choice. More broadly speaking though, I'm not sure it would work for students in general. I mean, can you print with it? How do you install printer drivers? Will I have to convince all of my professors to accept digital submissions of my work if I can't print? What if they only take Word documents because they aren't tech-savvy that's all they know how to use?
In my mind, there are a lot of questions like these surrounding this device. So the final question is, why not just get a Win7 laptop for basically the same price, fire up Chrome for all the stuff I can do in a web browser, and have the peace of mind knowing I can handle anything else that can't be done in a web browser? I like the *idea* of ChromeOS and it does have many compelling qualities, but I think you would need to build or rebuild your IT infrastructure from the ground up to really make it useful for your students or your employees.
Taking a long-view, perhaps that's what will happen. Organizations might find that they could dramatically reduce their costs if they migrate away from their Microsoft infrastructure and embrace a web-centric IT culture. They probably could but it's such a huge pill to swallow. I think they talked about 'momentum' in Google's Android keynote yesterday. Well, Google doesn't have it in the enterprise and Microsoft does (at least in my org). I don't know what it would take to shift that, but it would be interesting to see it happen.
I'll third this: motion carries!
I've longed for a cable channel or streaming video site that allowed me to view, on demand, the following:
Any episode of these TV shows: Star Trek (all series), Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate (I liked 'em all), BSG (sure both eras, why not), Firefly, etc.
Movies: Star Wars (all 6), Star Trek (40 now?), Blade Runner, Serenity, The Day the Earth Stood Still (original please), old Japanese monster movies, all the comic based flicks, etc.
I'd like to see original programming. There have been many shows that I enjoyed for a season or two only to have them cancelled: Surface, Invasion, Flash Forward, SG-U, Day Break, Firefly (I'll never let it die!) too many to count. Sure they haven't all been great, but they all held my attention and they were all way better than the crap SyFy shows now. Also, I don't need to see a single reality or game show. The only sport on this channel I might watch is Korean StarCraft tournaments!
I think the advertising could be there, but just not through the usual channels. Proctor & Gamble may not pay millions for Ivory Soap commercials, but video game vendors buy commercials for regular TV...a dedicated audience of geeks is their target demographic. Computer hardware and services companies would likely advertise. You could probably pay for the whole thing with advertising from 900 number services...LOL! Yeah, I'm not pushing stereotypes or anything!
Your last line reminds me of something I've wondered for a couple of years now. Why doesn't the company whose server and desktop operating systems and software often found in the enterprise, team up with the company whose handsets are often found in the enterprise? I mean in the wake of iOS and Android's success, I don't see the MS/Nokia deal being enough of a defense...at least not in the US anyway.
BUT, I think a MS/RIM partnership would be HUGE. RIM's security and notification system, MS software and network integration; it'd be a big win for enterprise. I could see many businesses feeling comfortable putting their mobile eggs in that basket. I'm not even a real fan of either company, but I would feel like the mobility needs for my enterprise would have a secure road map for development, infrastructure, and support.
You know, I totally understand this. What I don't understand is if every channel is racing to the middle, then they all have to compete with each other. It would seem this would also reduce the audience numbers for any given channel (SpikeTV vs. Syfy vs. G4 vs. FX vs. whatever else). There are also plenty of channels that would seem to defy this logic like: Discovery: Health, Hallmark Channel, Big Ten Network, Versus, etc. Those guys found a business model that works for their limited audiences.
I know science fiction isn't for everyone, but I gotta believe that with some decent programming they could draw enough of an audience to make it worth it. Then again, maybe the problem isn't the numbers/content, just the numbers watching the content on television vs. getting it through other avenues. I think it would be a reasonable conclusion that many of the people interested in science fiction programming know how to get it online.
We need a Sci-Fi channel that exists only online. A place where I can watch everything Whedon has done, all the Star Trek shows, get classics like Blade Runner or go way back to The Day the Earth Stood Still (original please). That would be my go-to entertainment destination, and since I have an HTPC it wouldn't be a much different experience than my cable box.
Theoretically, as long as all forward progress in HTML was always backward compatible and you never deprecated anything, it probably could be done. In practice, who knows. But that's really the problem because what happens when some new technology becomes available that, for whatever reason, is necessarily not backwards compatible? You just don't implement it? Even though it cures cancer right over the internet?
I think it's a worthwhile thought-experiment to imagine what kinds of technologies could benefit from an organic update methodology. There are probably more than a few that could. I'm not sold that HTML is one of them though.
I keep mine at a 2T WD external USB HD ($100), as well as on my PC's HD. The nice thing is I keep the external connected to the HTPC so I can pull up the photos (or movies, music, etc) in XBMC for my viewing pleasure. I suppose if I really wanted to protect them for a longer period of time, I could back them up to Blu-Ray or DVD...but it's not like those last forever either.
Well, we launched Deep Space 1 in 1998 for a grand total of about $150 million, which is a real victory considering how many untested technologies went into it. It had as many failures as successes, but I think it was well worth it for the price. We learned a metric f-ton and we got to Jupiter in just two or three years. Lumpy is correct, we very likely could build a more state-of-the-art system using ion propulsion that would pass the Voyager craft in a very short time frame.
We spend far more on endeavors that are completely devoid of merit, scientific or otherwise.
So you are going to let TSA staff look at naked images of your children, or feel them up? Dude, you're sick.
Rent a fucking car. Everyone knows it's the journey, not the destination. I'd gladly rather spend 3-4 days driving across the country and showing my kids all the great things to see, than spending an agonizing 3-4 minutes of TSA staff violating my children. Unless traveling on your own, driving is typically less expensive and definitely more rewarding.
Not to mention the fact that until people simply refuse to fly unless it's absolutely necessary, these scanners are here to stay. Just don't say you weren't warned when the body cavity searches start.
Come now, Number One, we must embrace this new future. By positioning the Sahara as the single source of the electricity, I will be able to hold ransom the global energy supply. The world's super powers will fall over themselves to pay my extortion, lest I blast this new facility with my space-based death-ray and bring their economies to a grinding halt.
Now...it's time to feed my piranha.
I already have enough problems with users being unable to distinguish between memory (RAM) and storage (HDD/SSD). I will now have to deal with a type of storage called Racetrack Memory?!
This is only a half-hearted joke. Does this new form of storage/memory obviate the need for RAM by simply allocating one of the racetracks to that type of storage/retrieval?
I just don't understand Microsoft's strategy here. It's like they are trying to reinvent the social aspects of cell phone use, but that is an area in which they have zero experience. I suppose it's a hearts and minds kind of thing, but Elda is right...it's WAY too little and WAY too late.
One area they have a metric f-ton of cache is enterprise, and speaking from experience, enterprise users have been languishing with the outdated, non-innovative Blackberry for years. Even iPhone and Android don't offer an equivalent of the Blackberry Enterprise Server (still wondering why). Microsoft should build a phone OS that leverages the ubiquitous use of their existing technologies (Office, SharePoint, Exchange, etc.). Make it seamless and it then becomes a simple corporate/IT decision: Are my employees more efficient and informed with WinMo7 or BB? Make that answer WinMo7 and they don't have to worry about hearts and minds because who wants to carry two cell phones? They just have to add a little space for user to be a person as well as an employee by allowing the more typical social integrations (app store, web mail, maps, games, etc.) and give at least some control over that stuff to the IT department.
And for the love of any deity you hold holy Microsoft, don't lock out Google apps like search, maps and mail. They're better at that stuff than you and the users already know it. If you prevent the phone from using those apps then the check-signers won't bother looking at your phone because they want to keep in touch with the kids as much as they want to keep in touch with the spreadsheets. Stick to your strengths.
I'd like to respond to these AC's for those who are reading this part of the discussion with interest:
AC1) After the ordeal and due to extenuating circumstances, we had cause to have an attorney contact our cell carrier who then provided transcripts of that child's text messages. Through those, we found several references to suicide, as well as a "final goodbye" an hour before the attempt. My daughter wasn't some emo goth kid, always looking depressed. She seemed outright happy, even more so than usual in the week leading up to her attempt. She had good grades and played violin in the school orchestra. She wasn't an over-achiever or a type-a kind of person; and we aren't the kind of parents that pressure the kids into achievement. We want them to succeed, but be happy and stress-free too. She's just naturally talented, academically.
It's not about spying. Parents have better things to do than read every single text message their kids send out. It is about having tools at your disposal if you think you need them. Kids don't always talk to their parents when things aren't going well, and parents can't make them.
AC2) It is very likely they were already "broken toys" in some respects before they lived with me, but that in no way absolves me of responsibility in terms of how I parent or protect them. Despite my lack of biological input, they are very much "children of my own". Not so much because I say so...because they do. As the youngest once told me on Fathers Day: Anyone can be a father. It takes someone very special to be a dad. I tear up just typing it.
AC3) While I won't stop worrying or caring when they're 18, my role in their lives will be diminished. Once they leave the house, it will be up to them to forge their path and make their decisions. See below.
AC4) I suppose that is the slippery slope isn't it. It's the "Think of the Children" bumper sticker that gets slapped all over everything, and ends up having lasting implications and repercussions for everyone else. I really don't want that either. I think this decision is different for everyone, and different people may come to it at different points (or not at all) given the same set of circumstances. So I guess I'm saying, I won't insist that everyone should read their children's text messages, and in exchange for everyone not telling me what's best for my particular situation. Because if you haven't walked in my shoes, then you really don't have the right. You can try to empathize and see yourself in my situation, but you would be so far from the reality. You just don't know...and really can't know...unless you've gone through it. And if you aren't a parent, while your feelings aren't devoid of merit, you haven't earned a seat at the discussion.
I know what I'm about to say next is total flame-bait for the younger readers. As long as you are a minor, you don't have the same expectation of privacy or freedom as you do when you're an adult. You can expect *some* level, but not total. Not having total freedom is no surprise to anyone living under the heavy mantle of their parents' Stalinist Regime. But privacy? Do parents honestly think their children should not have total privacy? This one does. I want to know where they are, whom they are with, and what they are doing at all times it is possible to know such things. Is it an invasion of privacy? Sure. But it's also being a good parent. I should I add that the level of this microscope was earned by my daughters. They used to have a lot more freedom and privacy. I do have some degree of trust in my daughters, I'm just not gullible. I know they will make mistakes. I know they will get hurt. I don't expect or even want them to be perfect. Happy, healthy, and safe is all I'm looking for. Everything else will be up to them. I wouldn't read their text messages any more than I would read their diary. If I thought their lives were in danger though? They can hate me for the rest of their lives. I'll just be grateful they have a "rest of their lives" in which they can hate me.
Not the OP, but the replies.
I used to think EXACTLY like that, until I had children of my own. We often tend to think in terms of one-size-fits-all, or "if it works for me it should work for you". This is very likely human nature, so I'm not denigrating anyone. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I have three teenage step-daughters. To say the older two have been "challenging", would be the understatement of the century. In a nice suburban home, with decent income, a loving mother and step-father, a good school system, dinner at the table, help with homework, support and encouragement; I've had to deal with drugs, law enforcement, runaways, and a very, VERY serious suicide attempt. I can't even begin to tell the readers of this site the complete and utter hell I've endured in the last few years. I wish this upon no one. Yet through it all, I love them with every fiber of my being.
Unless you are prepared to lock your child in their room until they are 18, there are forces acting on them that are well beyond the parents' control. It's fantasy to think that good parenting will overcome all. I'm a step-father because the biological father passed away. That does more than a little damage to a child, and no amount of therapy (been there), talking (done that), and good parenting (always) can fix it. There can be neuro-chemical imbalances that you just can't sit down with a child and rationally talk away. Problems can often happen faster than you can detect or address. Teenagers, even good ones, are deceitful by nature as they want to explore the world and there place in it...unencumbered by their parents views or morality. Of course, you do everything you can to prepare them for the challenges, pitfalls, and evils of the world; but there will be missteps, and a rare few can have permanent consequences.
The point of my little self-pity party, is that while "spying" on your children may not be for everyone, or even desirable by anyone, it should be tool at a parent's disposal if they deem it necessary. While I don't disagree with Google's decision to pull it from their store, I would have words with anyone who tried to keep me from having that technology when it was available because if their own rose-colored world-view from atop the ivory tower. Had we had the ability to see our daughter's text messages, it might have spared her five days in ICU and another ten in a step-down hospital room. As a parent, I can tell you there is simply no price too great to pay to prevent that...nothing, and I mean NOTHING is off the table.
Having gone though what I have, I've met many parents with similar stories. While you never really know what goes on behind closed doors, most of them do not strike me as the kind of people who let technology babysit their children. They don't seem to be absent in their children's lives. They don't seem to be anything other than loving, conscientious parents who for whatever reason, found themselves dealing with problems no parent ever wants to face; and are looking for any way possible to protect their children.
But driving south-to-north you were going uphill. Surely you mean north-to-south.
Whether a font can be included for a print file, or embedded in a PDF is solely at the discretion of the font publisher. That said, most tier-one font foundries do allow for both. Adobe and Linotype for example both allow this. Most publishing software like Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress will gather the fonts upon request so the customer can take the file to the printer to be printed.
.ps file in a text editor, change the embedding parameter, and then Distill the .ps file to PDF. It's easy if you know what to look for ;)
Someone also commented that this is why printers ask for fonts to be converted to vectors. Actually, this in order to avoid font display problems, and cross-platform font issues.
Interestingly, Adobe also allows one copy of the software purchased for the office to be installed at the home.
PS: in the event that some sadistic font foundry has not allowed their font to be embedded in a PDF. You can simply print the file to postscript, open the
I'm a huge gadget freak, but the most important thing to me in considering is a home is efficiency...in all areas. A friend told me about a home a couple of guys built with off-the-shelf technology. The total utility costs for HVAC, electricity, and water was about $40/month. I can't find the link, but THAT's a home worth having.
:-)
I'd like to see builders focus on new construction methods like precast insulated concrete sandwich, or thermal mass walls; using tankless water heaters used in conjunction with geothermal; and radiant-heating floor systems.
For you guys, solar lighting and LED lighting are things that I would love to see in a new build.
Oh, in-wall fiber or cat-6 running to a head-end closet too.
Hey, you guys are in my backyard! Maybe I'll look you up if I do a new build. Grandview rules, but the property taxes suck!
According the the Bureau of Justice Statistics, with the exception of drug-related incidents, crime rates have been on a steady decline for the last decade or more.
Games (and other forms of entertainment) depicting violence have been on the rise. So how can anyone claim there is some correllation?
I mean you probably don't want to do anything in your code that may negatively impact a search rank, but don't spend any more than two seconds thinking about page ranks. Getting and more importantly holding a top-twenty rank is a lesson in futility. It's you against the untold hordes, millions of them, and you are going to lose.
Everybody wants to take a passive approach to fame and fortune: I know, I'll just drop a few lines of code in here, and the world will beat a path to my site. Sorry, but you'll have to work for it just like everyone else.
First remember a few things. Your idea probably isn't that original, and despite your protests, it may not even be that good. Second, no one cares about your product or service, even if they need and don't know it yet. But, if you have managed to create a great and original product then people will find a way to find you. To make it easier for them, put the URL on every bit of marketing and business collateral the company employs. Build an engaging site. Update it regularly and keep the info on it fresh.
Otherwise, your site will just sit there and collect cyberdust.
I hear ya Evangelion!
Last year a few friends and I started "poker night". It was every other Wednesday. We started off for a few months with MTG, but then decided we'd try a D&D campaign. There were four guys and one girl (unbelievable I know...she's stripper-hot too). We are all in our thirties and some are married and/or have kids. We were going pretty strong for a couple of months, but there are always things that eventually have to come first: working late, can't get a sitter, dinner party, in-laws are in town, host is selling his house, etc., etc., etc.
Eventually we had to abandon the whole thing. We've talked about trying again, and I'd like to do a Shadowrun campaign. It's just SO hard to everybody on the same schedule.
That's the appealing thing about MMORPG's. We still have a game night (Tuesdays) for Guildwars, but you don't need everyone there to have fun. We use Skype or TeamSpeak instead of typing which helps make the experience a little more interactive. And we can game with friends who live across the country, and in once case, in another country.
Yours in the bond.
Didn't the FCC just recently win the Brand-X case in the Supreme Court arguing that broadband was an information service and not a telecommunications service, therefore broadband providers were not considered common carriers and under no obligation to "open up" their lines to competitors?
Doesn't it seem at least on the surface, if not directly, contradictory for this agency to have any discussion regarding wiretapping as far as VOIP goes? Doesn't wiretapping only happen on communication services? Doesn't the 'IP' part of VOIP primarily use broadband?
If these two events are contradictory in nature, how can they possibly co-exist without everyone drawing the conclusion that FCC functions, at least in part, to create rules allowing large (or perhaps simply first-to-market) broadband providers to maintain an unfair advantage over smaller or late-comer competitors?
Is this evidence of the belief that fair competition does not exist in the United States? That you can only have as much justice and fairness as you can buy, bribe, and lobby for?
Unless I'm completely misinformed...which may be the case so I'll apologize now...but plesase don't let that stop you from hurling your flames of vitriolic righteousness.
It's an OK deal really. Provide the content for free and pay for its creation with advertisements. If we had to pay directly for content creation, what would our cable bill look like? The problem has been the creation of an inequity in the deal. More and more time going to commercials, and lower and lower quality of content.
Personally, I'd prefer it if the downloads were free and came with commercials. Perhaps you could be given a choice of commercials to be auto-inserted upon download. That way, the commercials in a sense become part of the content and provide advertisers an incentive to create more engaging commercials. Sure someone could strip out the commercials and provide a torrent link for divx...but why go through the hassle? Why download the file from an untrusted source for that matter?
The summary aludes to it, and no I didn't RTFA, but you also have to wonder what would have happened to shows like Enterprise or Firefly that had loyal fans willing to pay for that content. I really liked Firefly, but I'm not willing to pay $1.99 and episode for any show.
Anyway, just my $0.02