"cops" will now be in high definition. will they record the busts in surround sound too?
The cool part is with 5 channel audio, when they bust a skull with a night stick, it will sound JUST like they are in your living room!
Gives "Reality TV" new meaning.
Re:We Need Good Watermarking
on
DVRs for Cop Cars
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
It strikes me that a really good watermarking technology is needed before this type of technology will be truly trustworthy. Imagine a Rodney King scenario, but since the cops have it on digital video they could "edit in" some attack footage before the beating starts. Call me paranoid, but it would be possible.
It would be pretty damn hard to 'edit in' the person striking first, but there is an easier way. The cops can just carry a bulk tape eraser and a power inverter for the cig lighter, then wipe out the hard drive after they get midevil on someone's ass. Or a 5# speaker magnet. That should cook the hard drive if used properly. Then just say "I dunno what happened to the system, it should be there to prove I didn't do anything".
It correlates with one of the Liberatarian things ESR says that actually makes sense. Monopolies are unstable in a free marketplace, because, eventually, people will find new options or new ways of doing things. Microsoft can piss off only so many people and so many nations before, well, they either wise up or go out of business completely.
I have always said that a free market/capitalist system is a self regulating system. I *know* MS will lose marketshare and be a shadow of its former self in 10 years because EVERY other monopoly has done the same. IBM was busted for monopolistic policies in the 70s. By the time it was over, IBM did more damage to itself in the marketplace than the courts did. Now, they are a responsible corporation, perhaps party due to the fact that they have been humbled in the past. They are even the biggest corporate contributor to OSS now.
The self correcting aspects may not be instant, or even fast, but it happens. Most 'monopolies' from 30 years ago are no longer, courts or no courts. Xerox, AT&T, all US car makers combined, the big 3 tv networks, CNN, etc. They are all still viable businesses that at one time had near or total monopolies. The market place decided they should no longer be, NOT the courts.
Why do you feel obligated to post the "I don't care about the zillion fps in quake"? Do you post a similar message to every story that you don't care about?
I think the point he raises is that many of us, the MAJORITY of us, are not as concerned with squeeking out an extra couple of frames per second. Some of us would prefer 'better than average' 3d performance, 'much better' 2d performance, and more importantly, better STABILITY. I know that the people that first buy the cards, at the inflated prices, are what drive the market, but this is not currently benefiting the majority of buyers. I can look at my upgrade from a Geforce2 GTS w/32mb to a Geforce4 4200 w/64mb and although theoretically it was supposed to be a HUGE jump in performance, for the games I play, it was only a nominal rise. And it didn't make ME a better gamer either;) The scenery is a little prettier when I am looking at it sideways in TFC after my ass gets sniped, however.
There really should be a better way to benchmark these cards. Until they come out with a more 'random' way to benchmark, card makers will continue to pander to the benchmarks, instead of the real world. I don't have to have the solution in order to see the problem.
There are also artists who's vocals you can't understand (read: Dani Filth or any other black/death metal singer in the world).
"Louie Louie" and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" being the best examples. As a musician, I remember downloading the lyrics for Long Cool, and thinking the lyrics MUST be wrong...
Amazon also attempts to patent: Patent Application 20040182-2774b[ii] - Fibrous cellulose sheeting for the removal of extraneous faeces from the exterior surfaces of corporate buildings.
They later discover that Microsoft and the RIAA are already in legal wrangling with simmilar applications:)
But their application is different. They try to user their CUSTOMERS to wipe their bums, instead of a cellulose base product.
Maybe Starfleet's headquarters get nuked in the first war, and they don't have backups, and so they lose information about early contact with the Ferengi, Borg, etc...
TIP: The world is revolving around the US less and less every day. There will be more than plenty of places you can get things from that do what you want to do, even if all of windows gets drm-locked-down. They're a whole world out there - check it out.
I think there are some great arguements to your statement. Even Linux, which was NOT remotely American in any way in its birth, is being backed and CHANGED by American companies (IBM, etc) and Linus is working for Transmeta. The American dollar is more the "universal" currency than ever before. All the major players in computing are American companies. More programmers (and every other field) are trying to come to America than leave it, still. No matter how you look at it, America is tied to just about everything, and it doesn't look like that is going to change anytime soon. If anything, the world is becoming more US centric, especially as we get more involved with the war on terror, and bring our unique brand of capitalism to other countries.
There is a whole world out there, but much of it is based on what happens here in America, often exclusively. America isn't the whole wheel, but its damn sure the hub.
Nobody learns Linux because of the chepo factor, I can understand some companies liking the cheap factor, but those companies hire guys that do like unixes, the boss in never ever going to learn unix, they will just use gnome and openoffice (or crossover).
I'm trying to make the migration for about 25 clients and some servers, from Windows to Linux. You are correct, it is not cheaper per se. My figures show them about even. My reasons for changing are:
1. Easier to change, write scripts, cron, perl, firewall and network.
2. Most of our computers need little more than a simple GUI and Mozilla.
3. Unrestricted. I don't have to keep up with licensing or the hassles that come with it. We really didn't worry in the win95 days, now we do.
4. Do not want to support Microsoft. I don't bash them, but I don't agree with their philosophy, and think any company that keeps me from connecting 11 computers to a server, even tho the software and hardware are capable, without a royalty after I already PAID for the OS on the 11th box, should not be supported when possible. A preference.
5. While MS has done better, and seem to be more reliable, the difference between 98% and 99.9% uptime costs us money. I use lower powered, higher quality servers, and have unreal uptime with Linux.
A couple boxes will continue with windows to run photoshop, etc. until gimp catches up, or we go with Macs for those machines.
But money, its a wash if you keep up with your Linux boxes and get any service with them (RHN, for example, or your time.) If you add a lot of training, it may be more expensive to go Linux. Then again, its usually money well spent.
You KNOW they will get around it, because time is meaningless to the Q, so he could have visited Jean Luke before he visits Archer. At least that is THEIR story, and they would stick to it;)
Wait a second, I LIKE Q. I had heard that Q was going to visit them, but the main story didnt mention it.
Q has potential, and the early Q episodes were pretty good, I thought. The Voyager Q episodes kinda sucked tho.
More importantly, they will be stocking new weapons so they can destroy stuff, including people. This is worth waiting for. The better episodes so far (relatively speaking) have been where they focused on the weapons anyway. First use of photon torpedos (hinted to this on last night's episode, which was an ok episode)
Guess I'm just a typical American, I want to see them blow shit up.
a couple years ago, i bought a new oki for about 450 bucks. if you use multipart forms, which many of us do, you MUST have dot matrix.
I have similar okidata printers that are used all day long, that are over 10 years old and working fine. My Epson T-1000 (fx80ish) printer came free with my new IBM PS-1 386-sx20, and we still use it as a label printer. I guess that one was bought in 1991. Most dot matrix, 9 pin anyway, tend to last a very very long time.
My experience shows that you get paid based on what you think you are worth. Self confidence comes across in interviews, and people want to hire people who are confident they can make a difference.
Personally, I made a decision years ago that so far has panned out well. 1) Pick a good general field (rememeber, no college here). I chose marketing and sales. It offers higher than average pay, but can be lots of hours. 2) Learn computers and technology. I am not an IT specialist, which is fine, but I can install servers, use most programs related to desktop publishing and web publishing quite well. I constantly work to improve my skills in those areas. I also chose to work exclusively in small business, in companies with less than 50 employees.
I find that there is a better chance to 'create' your own job within an organization that size, to start at the ground level, and create your own niche, since small business is not as likely to pigeon hole you into a field. So you can adapt to THEIR needs, and create opportunity for them. What I do now what not a department when I started there.
You have to do it your own way, finding a general field that suits you, but if you keep your eye on the primary task, "How can I make/save this company money" then opportunity usually presents itself. The key is continueing your education. I chose informal (self taught) because it works for me, formal may be better for you.
I passed alot of people on my way to the 'upper middle' and now work by contract. The main difference in myself and those people is NOT intellegence, they are all smart guys, it was my willingness to adapt and learn, and the fact that every decision I made was based on "what is best for the company" instead of what I personally liked. Once you GET the job, many employers are concerned about what you can DO more than what school you went to. Results speak for themselves.
sigh. Inheritance over 600k IS taxable. And these where 2000 numbers, so dividends don't count. Jesus christ.
Yes, rich people are evil. This conversation is getting quite boring. You hate everyone who is successful, and I am trying to be more successful, lets just leave it at that.
Now go to your room and cry over how unfair this big old world is, by yourself.
Hell, I'd like to work for $10/hr. As a college-almost-grad, it looks like I'll be working 2 or 3 part time jobs at $6/hr, instead.
What was your major, literature?;)
The lowest I pay any employee is $8 and hour. Most employees with ANY skills start at $10 an hour. When computer repairs were more common, I had a tech that made $7 per hour guaranteed to SIT if I had nothing (rare), and $20 per flagged hour for repairs. We had better than 75% utilization, so they averaged over $17 per hour, working or not.
I find its better to pay well, and expect more. Then both people win. Oh yea, and I'm the guy they call the evil capitalist.
According to the IRS, the top 25% make over $55,225 for the calander year 2000.
The top 10% of taxpayers are people who make $92,144 or more for the calander year 2000.
The top 5% of taxpayers? To qualify, you have to make $128,336
Now, to be in the top 1% of all taxpayers, you must make $313,469, a pretty good jump. Thats a difficult club to join. Once again, all for the calander year 2000.
Surprised? Its all at the IRS website. Why do people think that you have to make a million bucks to be in the top 25%, or even top 1%? That should tell you how BAD most people are doing, very often by their own bad choices. You probably work hard, and are in the top 25% easily, but just did not know it. Most hard working people who get laid off find good work again, the cream always rises to the top.
The middle class IS the top 25% of income tax payers.
But if it's an unprotected (sans WEP or any other security) wireless network, isn't that sufficient enough for authorization?
It sounds like if the wireless has no security (wep or otherwise) then permission is implied. This would not apply to cracking.
You analogy is not quite applicible, since there is a difference in physically and wirelessly going into the home. More like: if a person leaves their curtains open, then they are inviting you to LOOK inside, and permission is implied. Both are a bit flawed, but I think we get the idea.
go read Nickle and Dimed, by Barbara Eihren-something... Even if you disagree with her politics or writing style, her citations are bulletproof. There's a threshold wealth which is necessary to "succeed", and a lot of people don't have it. These people don't have a chance, unless they're just plain lucky.
I could say I'm self-made, but that would be total bullshit. There are a lot of factors involved that don't count against my net worth: stable childhood, decent schools, a family I can fall back on if I need to ('taking risks' is bullshit if you can couch-surf for years if necessary), a degree, access to transportation, access to the 'net, etc.
I don't disagree that coming from money can certainly help. I don't have that luxury myself. I don't even have a college degree, thus, I HAVE to do it on my own.
My wife and I worked full time jobs, did computer repair on the side, and setup at a flea market every sunday for FIVE years before we opened our shop. We worked our ass off. We bought everything from Sam's club in 5 gallon drums. We lived very much on the cheap, coupons and the whole bit. Once a week, we went to a Mexican resturant that had a free taco bar with a two drink minimum on Wednesdays. That was our one big night out. Five years, and saved 40,000 that way. Then we opened our shop, and the real sacrifices started. That was 5 years ago.
I work as a contract employee running a marketing dept. for a small manufacturer, she runs the shop. This has turned more lucrative than the business itself. No one helped us financially, ever, through the thick and thin.
The reason most people do not get wealthy is they spend what they have, and they are not willing to make the sacrifices needed to make the next jump. There are exceptions, but overall, this IS the case. Instead, they site at home complaining on slashdot. Me, I have an office at home now, and two in town. So I can work on earning money while listening to losers cry how unfair the world is, wirelessly from my patio.
We still base our lifestyle on 35k a year, and we live in a slightly more expensive than average area. This means sacrifice. The rest goes into the bank. Some months, its a wad. Some months, we have to pull out. Most months we have more in the bank/invested than we did the month before. Some years we save more than we spend. On average, we do quite well because we live below our means. Its not an accident. Its not luck. 9-11 cost me well over $20,000 to my business. Because I live below my means and SAVE, it hurt, but did not criple me. Life is a bitch. I got over it.
I just get tired of whiners who cry how unfair it is. That is bullshit. I have a high school education, that is it. No one handed me anything. I spent all my time learning computer networking (i am 38 now) and developing skills that were marketable, including in sales and marketing. It was not easy, and it requires more than 40 hours a week.
My point is NOT "look at me, Im successful". My point is "anyone can do it if they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary". THAT is the rub. No one wants to sacrifice. I am not some genious, Im just willing to work hard and take chances. What I am doing is done all over America every day. Many of them eventually get quite wealthy. Most do well enough. All have a sense of accomplishment because it was earned.
Main point: Bitching about 'rich' people insures you will never be one. As long as people spend time complaining how unfair life is, they will never succeed. As I said earlier, thats ok, we need ditch diggers too.
The top 25% and the top 1% are generally there for a reason.
Rich parents?
Another jealous fool. The majority of people who make great amounts of money do something called "earn it". Its not my opinion.
Amazing how many people who are NOT financially successful look to blame others, instead of realizing that if you don't make the $ you want, its YOUR FAULT. Get a better job, open a business, so something.
I would if I was hiring in this economy, because I know some excellent people who are out of work right now. Apparently you're more interested in how people "play the game" though, so I hope you find some experts at selling themselves.
We were talking about interviewing someone to quote in a magazine article. Try RTFA and the chain of conversation next time so you don't look so foolish. On your other misguided point: People that can sell themselves generally can sell anything else as well, so yea, selling themselves is pretty important.
Poor, working, and middle class people, who work MUCH harder than any rich man, know that the game is really about a) who you know, b) being in the right place at the right time, and c) dumb, stupid luck. Rich people make other rich people richer, ok? If you're not in the club, you're on the outside looking in.
Absolute hogwash. The majority of people who are wealthy did NOT inherit it, at least here in the US.
As one of the people who is in the middle, and working toward the top, I can tell you it takes hard work. A large portion of the people who ARE poor, are not willing to work 70+ hours and put evenything they own on the line every day. That is fine, it takes all kinds. But you make your choices, and you live with them.
This class envy crapola is spread by people who have no idea what it takes to own their own business, start a new enterprise, or are more into hobbies than work. The vast majority of people making over 350k a year work one hell of a lot more than their employees, or they would not be comfortable for very long.
I don't time to be jealous about rich people, I'm too busy building my business and skills trying to get rich myself. Welcome to America. If you are not doing well financially for very long, it is usually your own choices.
The top 25% and 1% of what? How do you measure success? It seems as though your percentages refer to wealth(in monetary terms), and that you are equating success with monetary gain.
While wealth is the most tangible measure of success, it is not the only one. Then again, most people who are the best in thier field are usually compensated for their efforts and skills, so its a reasonably good measuring stick most of the time.
Slashdot Mirror
"cops" will now be in high definition. will they record the busts in surround sound too?
The cool part is with 5 channel audio, when they bust a skull with a night stick, it will sound JUST like they are in your living room!
Gives "Reality TV" new meaning.
It strikes me that a really good watermarking technology is needed before this type of technology will be truly trustworthy. Imagine a Rodney King scenario, but since the cops have it on digital video they could "edit in" some attack footage before the beating starts. Call me paranoid, but it would be possible.
It would be pretty damn hard to 'edit in' the person striking first, but there is an easier way. The cops can just carry a bulk tape eraser and a power inverter for the cig lighter, then wipe out the hard drive after they get midevil on someone's ass. Or a 5# speaker magnet. That should cook the hard drive if used properly. Then just say "I dunno what happened to the system, it should be there to prove I didn't do anything".
It correlates with one of the Liberatarian things ESR says that actually makes sense. Monopolies are unstable in a free marketplace, because, eventually, people will find new options or new ways of doing things. Microsoft can piss off only so many people and so many nations before, well, they either wise up or go out of business completely.
I have always said that a free market/capitalist system is a self regulating system. I *know* MS will lose marketshare and be a shadow of its former self in 10 years because EVERY other monopoly has done the same. IBM was busted for monopolistic policies in the 70s. By the time it was over, IBM did more damage to itself in the marketplace than the courts did. Now, they are a responsible corporation, perhaps party due to the fact that they have been humbled in the past. They are even the biggest corporate contributor to OSS now.
The self correcting aspects may not be instant, or even fast, but it happens. Most 'monopolies' from 30 years ago are no longer, courts or no courts. Xerox, AT&T, all US car makers combined, the big 3 tv networks, CNN, etc. They are all still viable businesses that at one time had near or total monopolies. The market place decided they should no longer be, NOT the courts.
4/ PROFIT!!!
(sorry, but if I didn't do it, someone else would have....)
Why do you feel obligated to post the "I don't care about the zillion fps in quake"? Do you post a similar message to every story that you don't care about?
;) The scenery is a little prettier when I am looking at it sideways in TFC after my ass gets sniped, however.
I think the point he raises is that many of us, the MAJORITY of us, are not as concerned with squeeking out an extra couple of frames per second. Some of us would prefer 'better than average' 3d performance, 'much better' 2d performance, and more importantly, better STABILITY. I know that the people that first buy the cards, at the inflated prices, are what drive the market, but this is not currently benefiting the majority of buyers. I can look at my upgrade from a Geforce2 GTS w/32mb to a Geforce4 4200 w/64mb and although theoretically it was supposed to be a HUGE jump in performance, for the games I play, it was only a nominal rise. And it didn't make ME a better gamer either
There really should be a better way to benchmark these cards. Until they come out with a more 'random' way to benchmark, card makers will continue to pander to the benchmarks, instead of the real world. I don't have to have the solution in order to see the problem.
There are also artists who's vocals you can't understand (read: Dani Filth or any other black/death metal singer in the world).
"Louie Louie" and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" being the best examples. As a musician, I remember downloading the lyrics for Long Cool, and thinking the lyrics MUST be wrong...
Amazon also attempts to patent:
:)
Patent Application 20040182-2774b[ii] - Fibrous cellulose sheeting for the removal of extraneous faeces from the exterior surfaces of corporate buildings.
They later discover that Microsoft and the RIAA are already in legal wrangling with simmilar applications
But their application is different. They try to user their CUSTOMERS to wipe their bums, instead of a cellulose base product.
Maybe Starfleet's headquarters get nuked in the first war, and they don't have backups, and so they lose information about early contact with the Ferengi, Borg, etc...
;)
Are you implying the Federation uses Windows?
TIP: The world is revolving around the US less and less every day. There will be more than plenty of places you can get things from that do what you want to do, even if all of windows gets drm-locked-down. They're a whole world out there - check it out.
I think there are some great arguements to your statement. Even Linux, which was NOT remotely American in any way in its birth, is being backed and CHANGED by American companies (IBM, etc) and Linus is working for Transmeta. The American dollar is more the "universal" currency than ever before. All the major players in computing are American companies. More programmers (and every other field) are trying to come to America than leave it, still. No matter how you look at it, America is tied to just about everything, and it doesn't look like that is going to change anytime soon. If anything, the world is becoming more US centric, especially as we get more involved with the war on terror, and bring our unique brand of capitalism to other countries.
There is a whole world out there, but much of it is based on what happens here in America, often exclusively. America isn't the whole wheel, but its damn sure the hub.
Nobody learns Linux because of the chepo factor, I can understand some companies liking the cheap factor, but those companies hire guys that do like unixes, the boss in never ever going to learn unix, they will just use gnome and openoffice (or crossover).
I'm trying to make the migration for about 25 clients and some servers, from Windows to Linux. You are correct, it is not cheaper per se. My figures show them about even. My reasons for changing are:
1. Easier to change, write scripts, cron, perl, firewall and network.
2. Most of our computers need little more than a simple GUI and Mozilla.
3. Unrestricted. I don't have to keep up with licensing or the hassles that come with it. We really didn't worry in the win95 days, now we do.
4. Do not want to support Microsoft. I don't bash them, but I don't agree with their philosophy, and think any company that keeps me from connecting 11 computers to a server, even tho the software and hardware are capable, without a royalty after I already PAID for the OS on the 11th box, should not be supported when possible. A preference.
5. While MS has done better, and seem to be more reliable, the difference between 98% and 99.9% uptime costs us money. I use lower powered, higher quality servers, and have unreal uptime with Linux.
A couple boxes will continue with windows to run photoshop, etc. until gimp catches up, or we go with Macs for those machines.
But money, its a wash if you keep up with your Linux boxes and get any service with them (RHN, for example, or your time.) If you add a lot of training, it may be more expensive to go Linux. Then again, its usually money well spent.
You KNOW they will get around it, because time is meaningless to the Q, so he could have visited Jean Luke before he visits Archer. At least that is THEIR story, and they would stick to it ;)
Wait a second, I LIKE Q. I had heard that Q was going to visit them, but the main story didnt mention it.
Q has potential, and the early Q episodes were pretty good, I thought. The Voyager Q episodes kinda sucked tho.
More importantly, they will be stocking new weapons so they can destroy stuff, including people. This is worth waiting for. The better episodes so far (relatively speaking) have been where they focused on the weapons anyway. First use of photon torpedos (hinted to this on last night's episode, which was an ok episode)
Guess I'm just a typical American, I want to see them blow shit up.
Problem is, for every person that says "oh shit", two more say "screw that" and will end up encouraging others to p2p/usenet for their music.
Remember, the fact that something is illegal is often an inducement rather than a barrier.
a couple years ago, i bought a new oki for about 450 bucks. if you use multipart forms, which many of us do, you MUST have dot matrix.
I have similar okidata printers that are used all day long, that are over 10 years old and working fine. My Epson T-1000 (fx80ish) printer came free with my new IBM PS-1 386-sx20, and we still use it as a label printer. I guess that one was bought in 1991. Most dot matrix, 9 pin anyway, tend to last a very very long time.
My experience shows that you get paid based on what you think you are worth. Self confidence comes across in interviews, and people want to hire people who are confident they can make a difference.
Personally, I made a decision years ago that so far has panned out well. 1) Pick a good general field (rememeber, no college here). I chose marketing and sales. It offers higher than average pay, but can be lots of hours. 2) Learn computers and technology. I am not an IT specialist, which is fine, but I can install servers, use most programs related to desktop publishing and web publishing quite well. I constantly work to improve my skills in those areas. I also chose to work exclusively in small business, in companies with less than 50 employees.
I find that there is a better chance to 'create' your own job within an organization that size, to start at the ground level, and create your own niche, since small business is not as likely to pigeon hole you into a field. So you can adapt to THEIR needs, and create opportunity for them. What I do now what not a department when I started there.
You have to do it your own way, finding a general field that suits you, but if you keep your eye on the primary task, "How can I make/save this company money" then opportunity usually presents itself. The key is continueing your education. I chose informal (self taught) because it works for me, formal may be better for you.
I passed alot of people on my way to the 'upper middle' and now work by contract. The main difference in myself and those people is NOT intellegence, they are all smart guys, it was my willingness to adapt and learn, and the fact that every decision I made was based on "what is best for the company" instead of what I personally liked. Once you GET the job, many employers are concerned about what you can DO more than what school you went to. Results speak for themselves.
sigh. Inheritance over 600k IS taxable. And these where 2000 numbers, so dividends don't count. Jesus christ.
Yes, rich people are evil. This conversation is getting quite boring. You hate everyone who is successful, and I am trying to be more successful, lets just leave it at that.
Now go to your room and cry over how unfair this big old world is, by yourself.
Hell, I'd like to work for $10/hr. As a college-almost-grad, it looks like I'll be working 2 or 3 part time jobs at $6/hr, instead.
;)
What was your major, literature?
The lowest I pay any employee is $8 and hour. Most employees with ANY skills start at $10 an hour. When computer repairs were more common, I had a tech that made $7 per hour guaranteed to SIT if I had nothing (rare), and $20 per flagged hour for repairs. We had better than 75% utilization, so they averaged over $17 per hour, working or not.
I find its better to pay well, and expect more. Then both people win. Oh yea, and I'm the guy they call the evil capitalist.
According to the IRS, the top 25% make over $55,225 for the calander year 2000.
The top 10% of taxpayers are people who make $92,144 or more for the calander year 2000.
The top 5% of taxpayers? To qualify, you have to make $128,336
Now, to be in the top 1% of all taxpayers, you must make $313,469, a pretty good jump. Thats a difficult club to join. Once again, all for the calander year 2000.
Surprised? Its all at the IRS website. Why do people think that you have to make a million bucks to be in the top 25%, or even top 1%? That should tell you how BAD most people are doing, very often by their own bad choices. You probably work hard, and are in the top 25% easily, but just did not know it. Most hard working people who get laid off find good work again, the cream always rises to the top.
The middle class IS the top 25% of income tax payers.
But if it's an unprotected (sans WEP or any other security) wireless network, isn't that sufficient enough for authorization?
It sounds like if the wireless has no security (wep or otherwise) then permission is implied. This would not apply to cracking.
You analogy is not quite applicible, since there is a difference in physically and wirelessly going into the home. More like: if a person leaves their curtains open, then they are inviting you to LOOK inside, and permission is implied. Both are a bit flawed, but I think we get the idea.
go read Nickle and Dimed, by Barbara Eihren-something... Even if you disagree with her politics or writing style, her citations are bulletproof. There's a threshold wealth which is necessary to "succeed", and a lot of people don't have it. These people don't have a chance, unless they're just plain lucky.
I could say I'm self-made, but that would be total bullshit. There are a lot of factors involved that don't count against my net worth: stable childhood, decent schools, a family I can fall back on if I need to ('taking risks' is bullshit if you can couch-surf for years if necessary), a degree, access to transportation, access to the 'net, etc.
I don't disagree that coming from money can certainly help. I don't have that luxury myself. I don't even have a college degree, thus, I HAVE to do it on my own.
My wife and I worked full time jobs, did computer repair on the side, and setup at a flea market every sunday for FIVE years before we opened our shop. We worked our ass off. We bought everything from Sam's club in 5 gallon drums. We lived very much on the cheap, coupons and the whole bit. Once a week, we went to a Mexican resturant that had a free taco bar with a two drink minimum on Wednesdays. That was our one big night out. Five years, and saved 40,000 that way. Then we opened our shop, and the real sacrifices started. That was 5 years ago.
I work as a contract employee running a marketing dept. for a small manufacturer, she runs the shop. This has turned more lucrative than the business itself. No one helped us financially, ever, through the thick and thin.
The reason most people do not get wealthy is they spend what they have, and they are not willing to make the sacrifices needed to make the next jump. There are exceptions, but overall, this IS the case. Instead, they site at home complaining on slashdot. Me, I have an office at home now, and two in town. So I can work on earning money while listening to losers cry how unfair the world is, wirelessly from my patio.
We still base our lifestyle on 35k a year, and we live in a slightly more expensive than average area. This means sacrifice. The rest goes into the bank. Some months, its a wad. Some months, we have to pull out. Most months we have more in the bank/invested than we did the month before. Some years we save more than we spend. On average, we do quite well because we live below our means. Its not an accident. Its not luck. 9-11 cost me well over $20,000 to my business. Because I live below my means and SAVE, it hurt, but did not criple me. Life is a bitch. I got over it.
I just get tired of whiners who cry how unfair it is. That is bullshit. I have a high school education, that is it. No one handed me anything. I spent all my time learning computer networking (i am 38 now) and developing skills that were marketable, including in sales and marketing. It was not easy, and it requires more than 40 hours a week.
My point is NOT "look at me, Im successful". My point is "anyone can do it if they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary". THAT is the rub. No one wants to sacrifice. I am not some genious, Im just willing to work hard and take chances. What I am doing is done all over America every day. Many of them eventually get quite wealthy. Most do well enough. All have a sense of accomplishment because it was earned.
Main point: Bitching about 'rich' people insures you will never be one. As long as people spend time complaining how unfair life is, they will never succeed. As I said earlier, thats ok, we need ditch diggers too.
I think everyone reading this today knows what you'll be saying after you get laid off.
Im self employed. Its that whole risk vs. reward thing that I am not afraid of.
The top 25% and the top 1% are generally there for a reason.
Rich parents?
Another jealous fool. The majority of people who make great amounts of money do something called "earn it". Its not my opinion.
Amazing how many people who are NOT financially successful look to blame others, instead of realizing that if you don't make the $ you want, its YOUR FAULT. Get a better job, open a business, so something.
Or keep whining. We need $10 an hour people too.
I would if I was hiring in this economy, because I know some excellent people who are out of work right now. Apparently you're more interested in how people "play the game" though, so I hope you find some experts at selling themselves.
We were talking about interviewing someone to quote in a magazine article. Try RTFA and the chain of conversation next time so you don't look so foolish. On your other misguided point: People that can sell themselves generally can sell anything else as well, so yea, selling themselves is pretty important.
Poor, working, and middle class people, who work MUCH harder than any rich man, know that the game is really about a) who you know, b) being in the right place at the right time, and c) dumb, stupid luck. Rich people make other rich people richer, ok? If you're not in the club, you're on the outside looking in.
Absolute hogwash. The majority of people who are wealthy did NOT inherit it, at least here in the US.
As one of the people who is in the middle, and working toward the top, I can tell you it takes hard work. A large portion of the people who ARE poor, are not willing to work 70+ hours and put evenything they own on the line every day. That is fine, it takes all kinds. But you make your choices, and you live with them.
This class envy crapola is spread by people who have no idea what it takes to own their own business, start a new enterprise, or are more into hobbies than work. The vast majority of people making over 350k a year work one hell of a lot more than their employees, or they would not be comfortable for very long.
I don't time to be jealous about rich people, I'm too busy building my business and skills trying to get rich myself. Welcome to America. If you are not doing well financially for very long, it is usually your own choices.
The top 25% and 1% of what? How do you measure success? It seems as though your percentages refer to wealth(in monetary terms), and that you are equating success with monetary gain.
While wealth is the most tangible measure of success, it is not the only one. Then again, most people who are the best in thier field are usually compensated for their efforts and skills, so its a reasonably good measuring stick most of the time.