When you say "Corporations are taking over the world", are you generalizing a bit, or do you really hate Capitalism, or do you have a better explanation for Corporations as the cause of the crap storm that is our future?
I'd really love to say that I'm generalizing a bit. I'm not an expert, and it'd be better if I'm dead wrong. The tired cliché is 'follow the money'. Corporations act legally as individuals but with only the obligation to increase shareholder value. I don't hate capitalism. Historically it seems to have been good for the US (where I'm from) and for other parts of the world as well. But I think maybe it is getting out of control, with the legal invention of the corporation and how that legal device has evolved to where it is now. Corporations are global and transcend national boundaries. Corporations are able to merge and aquire each other. Branches of them are able to operate under umbrella companies, just consider Proctor and Gamble, to name one example off the top of my head. Or think about the entertainment industry... Time, Warner Bros., Netscape, AOL, how many entities that appear to be different are actually different branches of one company?
When that much power and money to becomes organized into a single entity, the influence over governments and politics is incredible. I've read many times that in our little war with Iraq, there are more private contractors over there than US troops. Halliburton scare anybody?
So to me, with what I have time to read, and am able to make of it, yes, it seems like corporations ARE taking over the world. (I know I should do my homework and post more links, but I need to go to bed, and somebody else can do it - for or against - if they want to).
If ACTA isn't corporations exerting global influence on nations for only the gain of corporations, at the loss of the individuals, etc. etc. etc. than I know I can't think of any better current examples.
Thanks for mentioning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_ShruggedAtlas Shrugged, I'll definitely go to the library and work those inter-library loan ladies. I admit I don't recall every hearing of it or reading it.
And I agree with you, people who don't think seem to be taking over the world. Or maybe, people have become sheep and think what they're told to think.
There are many other things people have said I'd like to jump in on but, it's late. I didn't mean to accidentally start a discussion. I promise to go back in my hole and lurk more.
Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, etc...
When I was in school (a while ago) these were books we had to read.
Seems most people 10, 15, or more years younger than myself haven't even heard of these stories.
Corporations are taking over the world. A well functioning democracy requires an educated populace.
Considering what public schools are turning out here in the US, so much of what happens in the world isn't surprising to me anymore.
I don't know what is more disturbing, the fact that so many people don't seem bothered by things like TFA, or that people aren't aware of them and/or don't understand them.
... The digression in Diamond Age into the label of the steak sauce in the pub during lunch with Napier and the Duke...
This type of outrageous list seems to be recurrent in Stephenson's work. It's an interesting and effective device, but it is a device and one that he seems to use frequently.
I really don't want to live forever. If it were possible, I think eventually everything would become mundane.
However, if the length of youthful vigor could be extended, if the quality of life could be improved into the autumn years, I'm all for it.
I'm already distracted more and more by the general discomfort of my body, and am starting to really notice the slowly increasing limitations of my physical abilities. If that could be reduced, it could make the time people have to live more worth living.
I've very recently had to consider this question for a friend who wants to archive the family genealogy research data, along with photos and scans of newspapers, etc. Their design goal was 100+ years and maximum possible compatibility.
Use the best possible media. The problems with optical disks are:
- dyes fade
- material of disk itself decays
- reflective layer oxidizes
- reflective layer too easily scratched
Use the "Gold" version of anything they have. Also, single layer DVD+R is the best format for longevity at this time, except for CDs, which are way too small for you. The website goes into details about why. (Hurry up HD formats!)
After getting the best possible media, it's storage: dark, cool, dry place. Regular consumer CDs/DVD+Rs might do pretty good stored in a light tight box with some desiccant packets in a cool place.
A spokesman for Seagate, which recently acquired Maxtor,
said the company was investigating Kaspersky's findings.
"This scenario seems unlikely because the 3200 does not
have any software preloaded on the drive so there is not
an opportunity for a virus to be loaded," he said. Yes
the drive is formatted but I have never heard of a virus
that lives in the master boot record."
Master boot record is the original hiding places of virii, kapiche?
Am I imagining things or haven't phone bills included extra fees, and/or phone companies have gotten special breaks, in order to have had fiber installed already?
Why isn't there fiber to my HOUSE yet? I'm seriously under the impression this technology should be much more widespread than it is, but don't know any facts. I just have the notion that somehow we've been paying for something we're not getting yet.
they come up with a one and only one idea and base an entire work completely off of that
Often music is made up of small repeating ideas that are combined and recombined in interesting ways. Not to compare the subject of the original story to Beethoven, but the 5th symphony states its entire subject in the first three notes. Then, just to make it clear, it states it again in the second three notes.
Then the motive of three notes is repeated, varied, recombined, and explored for about 90 minutes. In fact, music that didn't repeat itself or make reference to earlier themes at all would sound random. On the other hand, much modern music is so repetative as to drive me crazy.
So basically he made a MIDI track using live instrument samples? Now this is cutting edge stuff here - simply by dictating what pitch, how long, and when notes should be played, he was able to "perform" an entire song!!
Nothing new about the technology he used. The real point is that he created a new composition using that technology.
Can you imagine the potential of this? Why, you could be an entire orchestra by yourself! In fact, you could even perform this kind of trick LIVE - simply substitute musicians skilled in their instruments for the samples, and in order to "control" them, you could provide them with the musical instructions somehow on paper. Of course you'd have to implement some kind of global timer to keep them all together, but it seems very doable!
This method, in fact, was once much more popular than it is today. Ensembles of musicians of all sizes up to full orchestra read music to entertain live audiences. The global timer was the conductor.
But I suspect you already knew that and were just trying to sound clever.
Just a different type of technological tool for the real creative force: the composer. Orchestras are the puppets of composers, even after those composers are dead.
The methods this person used are not new, but they are valid. Anyone past their sophomore / junior year in college would know this from having paid attention in humanities, much less having taken intro to music as an elective. Tearing down others doesn't make you look smart.
I'm sorry but - where I come from, Deer season is prepared for by feeding sweet corn for months up to the opening of the season. Once the animals habitually gather in the area, 'Doe in heat' urine is often sprinkled to make sure Bucks are attracted. Top that off with modern optics and modern firearms, and it's just not especially sportsman like to hunt like that, in my opinion.
Now, muzzle loading season, black powder single shot rifle season, and especially bow season - these seem more like a 'sport'.
To be fair, deer season exists to help control the population of deer, and everyone I know who hunts keeps the meat - but 'hunting' using the first stated methods should more accurately be called 'harvesting'.
I regret not posting sooner, as my contribution may get overlooked, but - having done this before, here are some suggestions:
Water - Incoming
- turn off the water to the house and open all inside valves, sinks, showers. Also open all outside valves.
- many houses have end plugs on the plumbing at a low point, so that with the incoming water off and the valves all open, these plugs can be removed and the plumbing drained
- turn off the hot water heater and drain it, regardless of if it is gas or not.
- Even if your house's plumbing is not equipped to be fully drained, by opening all inside and outside valves and draining the hot water, the chances are good that some point in the system will be low enough to allow you to significantly empty the pipes.
Water - Outgoing
- Pour some automotive antifreeze into every drain to protect the 'P' trap from freezing. Don't forget the shower / bath tub / floor drain in the basement, etc.
- Without adding more water to them (water is off right) add quite a bit of antifreeze to the dishwasher and clothes washer. Then run them a bit at the point in their cycles that drains, to get some antifreeze into their inner workings.
- Open the back of toilets, and - yes - add a healthy bit of antifreeze to the water in them. Then flush. This should empty out the backs and any water left behind should be protected from freezing.
Preventing Extended Sub-Freezing Temps
- If you're not afraid of burglars / vandals, leave the curtains and shades open on sunny windows to let in some light and help keep ambient temperatures above freezing
- Open all cabinet doors under sinks, open closet doors where water heater / laundry equipment etc. are, especially on outside walls. Let the air circulate.
- Use ceramic portable electric heaters. The 'cube' type are very safe, have a built in thermostat, don't cause fires, and can be placed where you want them. Place them close to critical plumbing areas.
- Check your local hardware store for things like electrical outlet attachments with built-in thermostats that don't allow current to flow unless the temperature is below a certain critical level.
- The above type thermostats in conjunction with electrical heat tape wrapped around pipes in areas of extra concern work very well.
- Finally, even though you set the thermostats on the electric heaters to their lowest points, put an electric timer between the electric heaters, set up to be on 1 hour / off one hour, so they don't run continuously. Most of these heaters will run until the temp is above 60F, and that may use too much juice for your taste.
Other Suggestions
- Get a lot of electric timers, and put a lot of lamps on them, all over the house. Consider putting a radio and/or a television on timers as well, with the volume up loud enough to just hear from directly outside. This will discourage break-ins, and the lamps also contribute to ambient temperatures
- Turn off the gas. Do not chance something bad happening with the gas - if you're not there, it probably will.
- Have your mail held or forwarded to you, don't let it pile up
- Have the newspaper delivery stopped
- Have a neighbor / friend / person you hire check the place once in a while
- Check the place yourself if you can, every 4 to 6 weeks
Finally, some earlier post suggested contacting a local extension office for your area and seeing if there isn't a pamphlet published on the subject. That seems like a great suggestion to me - having never done so myself. Anything such a publication suggests that contradicts what I've said should take precedence, of course.
I hope some of these suggestions help. They've worked for me in the past.
Slashdot Mirror
When you say "Corporations are taking over the world", are you generalizing a bit, or do you really hate Capitalism, or do you have a better explanation for Corporations as the cause of the crap storm that is our future?
I'd really love to say that I'm generalizing a bit. I'm not an expert, and it'd be better if I'm dead wrong. The tired cliché is 'follow the money'. Corporations act legally as individuals but with only the obligation to increase shareholder value. I don't hate capitalism. Historically it seems to have been good for the US (where I'm from) and for other parts of the world as well. But I think maybe it is getting out of control, with the legal invention of the corporation and how that legal device has evolved to where it is now. Corporations are global and transcend national boundaries. Corporations are able to merge and aquire each other. Branches of them are able to operate under umbrella companies, just consider Proctor and Gamble, to name one example off the top of my head. Or think about the entertainment industry... Time, Warner Bros., Netscape, AOL, how many entities that appear to be different are actually different branches of one company?
When that much power and money to becomes organized into a single entity, the influence over governments and politics is incredible. I've read many times that in our little war with Iraq, there are more private contractors over there than US troops. Halliburton scare anybody?
So to me, with what I have time to read, and am able to make of it, yes, it seems like corporations ARE taking over the world. (I know I should do my homework and post more links, but I need to go to bed, and somebody else can do it - for or against - if they want to).
If ACTA isn't corporations exerting global influence on nations for only the gain of corporations, at the loss of the individuals, etc. etc. etc. than I know I can't think of any better current examples.
Thanks for mentioning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_ShruggedAtlas Shrugged, I'll definitely go to the library and work those inter-library loan ladies. I admit I don't recall every hearing of it or reading it.
And I agree with you, people who don't think seem to be taking over the world. Or maybe, people have become sheep and think what they're told to think.
There are many other things people have said I'd like to jump in on but, it's late. I didn't mean to accidentally start a discussion. I promise to go back in my hole and lurk more.
Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, etc...
When I was in school (a while ago) these were books we had to read.
Seems most people 10, 15, or more years younger than myself haven't even heard of these stories.
Corporations are taking over the world. A well functioning democracy requires an educated populace.
Considering what public schools are turning out here in the US, so much of what happens in the world isn't surprising to me anymore.
I don't know what is more disturbing, the fact that so many people don't seem bothered by things like TFA, or that people aren't aware of them and/or don't understand them.
Try not to look directly at it...
... The digression in Diamond Age into the label of the steak sauce in the pub during lunch with Napier and the Duke ...
This type of outrageous list seems to be recurrent in Stephenson's work. It's an interesting and effective device, but it is a device and one that he seems to use frequently.
Seems a little extreme to need to "Ask Slashdot" about germs on your keyboard.
If there are germs on your keyboard, they are YOUR germs - your body will be ok with them.
A light wipe with a soft cloth slightly dampened with a mild disinfectant should be more than enough.
But seriously - do you worry about touching doorknobs? Telephones? ATM terminals, or the money that comes out of them?
We should all be concerned with germs to a certain extent but maybe you have another issue if this is really bothering you.
I really don't want to live forever. If it were possible, I think eventually everything would become mundane.
However, if the length of youthful vigor could be extended, if the quality of life could be improved into the autumn years, I'm all for it.
I'm already distracted more and more by the general discomfort of my body, and am starting to really notice the slowly increasing limitations of my physical abilities. If that could be reduced, it could make the time people have to live more worth living.
But living forever? Forever is a very long time.
And while not all the ladies shave, pretty much all of them are down.
I guess I'm not familiar with this hip new term 'down' with regards to the ladies' pubis...
I know what it means if they shave, what's it mean if they are 'down'??
Yeah, I know this is off-topic, but it's an important fine point!!
I've very recently had to consider this
question for a friend who wants to archive
the family genealogy research data, along
with photos and scans of newspapers, etc.
Their design goal was 100+ years and
maximum possible compatibility.
Use the best possible media. The problems
with optical disks are:
- dyes fade
- material of disk itself decays
- reflective layer oxidizes
- reflective layer too easily scratched
Check this media out:
http://www.mam-a.com/
Use the "Gold" version of anything they have.
Also, single layer DVD+R is the best format
for longevity at this time, except for CDs,
which are way too small for you. The website
goes into details about why. (Hurry up HD
formats!)
After getting the best possible media, it's
storage: dark, cool, dry place. Regular consumer
CDs/DVD+Rs might do pretty good stored in a
light tight box with some desiccant packets in a
cool place.
Finally - the obvious: don't scratch!
From TFA:
A spokesman for Seagate, which recently acquired Maxtor,
said the company was investigating Kaspersky's findings.
"This scenario seems unlikely because the 3200 does not
have any software preloaded on the drive so there is not
an opportunity for a virus to be loaded," he said. Yes
the drive is formatted but I have never heard of a virus
that lives in the master boot record."
Master boot record is the original hiding places of virii, kapiche?
Does anyone remember http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/mopiidx.html ?
Am I imagining things or haven't phone bills included extra fees,
and/or phone companies have gotten special breaks, in order to have
had fiber installed already?
Why isn't there fiber to my HOUSE yet? I'm seriously under the
impression this technology should be much more widespread than
it is, but don't know any facts. I just have the notion that
somehow we've been paying for something we're not getting yet.
I want my fiber already.
hpy
What a bunch of (_!_) 's, (_o_) 's and 8==> 's!
I couldn't help it. My distant days of IRC made me do it.
Hpy
they come up with a one and only one idea and base an entire work completely off of that
Often music is made up of small repeating ideas that are combined and recombined in interesting ways. Not to compare the subject of the original story to Beethoven, but the 5th symphony states its entire subject in the first three notes. Then, just to make it clear, it states it again in the second three notes.
Then the motive of three notes is repeated, varied, recombined, and explored for about 90 minutes. In fact, music that didn't repeat itself or make reference to earlier themes at all would sound random. On the other hand, much modern music is so repetative as to drive me crazy.
Short drive, I know...
Hpy
So basically he made a MIDI track using live instrument samples? Now this is cutting edge stuff here - simply by dictating what pitch, how long, and when notes should be played, he was able to "perform" an entire song!!
Nothing new about the technology he used. The real point is that he created a new composition using that technology.
Can you imagine the potential of this? Why, you could be an entire orchestra by yourself! In fact, you could even perform this kind of trick LIVE - simply substitute musicians skilled in their instruments for the samples, and in order to "control" them, you could provide them with the musical instructions somehow on paper. Of course you'd have to implement some kind of global timer to keep them all together, but it seems very doable!
This method, in fact, was once much more popular than it is today. Ensembles of musicians of all sizes up to full orchestra read music to entertain live audiences. The global timer was the conductor.
But I suspect you already knew that and were just trying to sound clever.
Just a different type of technological tool for the real creative force: the composer. Orchestras are the puppets of composers, even after those composers are dead.
The methods this person used are not new, but they are valid. Anyone past their sophomore / junior year in college would know this from having paid attention in humanities, much less having taken intro to music as an elective. Tearing down others doesn't make you look smart.
HpyI'm sorry but - where I come from, Deer season is prepared for by
feeding sweet corn for months up to the opening of the season. Once
the animals habitually gather in the area, 'Doe in heat' urine is
often sprinkled to make sure Bucks are attracted. Top that off
with modern optics and modern firearms, and it's just not especially
sportsman like to hunt like that, in my opinion.
Now, muzzle loading season, black powder single shot rifle season,
and especially bow season - these seem more like a 'sport'.
To be fair, deer season exists to help control the population of deer,
and everyone I know who hunts keeps the meat - but 'hunting' using
the first stated methods should more accurately be called 'harvesting'.
Hpy
I regret not posting sooner, as my contribution may get overlooked, but - having done this before, here are some suggestions:
Water - Incoming
- turn off the water to the house and open all inside valves, sinks, showers. Also open all outside valves.
- many houses have end plugs on the plumbing at a low point, so that with the incoming water off and the valves all open, these plugs can be removed and the plumbing drained
- turn off the hot water heater and drain it, regardless of if it is gas or not.
- Even if your house's plumbing is not equipped to be fully drained, by opening all inside and outside valves and draining the hot water, the chances are good that some point in the system will be low enough to allow you to significantly empty the pipes.
Water - Outgoing
- Pour some automotive antifreeze into every drain to protect the 'P' trap from freezing. Don't forget the shower / bath tub / floor drain in the basement, etc.
- Without adding more water to them (water is off right) add quite a bit of antifreeze to the dishwasher and clothes washer. Then run them a bit at the point in their cycles that drains, to get some antifreeze into their inner workings.
- Open the back of toilets, and - yes - add a healthy bit of antifreeze to the water in them. Then flush. This should empty out the backs and any water left behind should be protected from freezing.
Preventing Extended Sub-Freezing Temps
- If you're not afraid of burglars / vandals, leave the curtains and shades open on sunny windows to let in some light and help keep ambient temperatures above freezing
- Open all cabinet doors under sinks, open closet doors where water heater / laundry equipment etc. are, especially on outside walls. Let the air circulate.
- Use ceramic portable electric heaters. The 'cube' type are very safe, have a built in thermostat, don't cause fires, and can be placed where you want them. Place them close to critical plumbing areas.
- Check your local hardware store for things like electrical outlet attachments with built-in thermostats that don't allow current to flow unless the temperature is below a certain critical level.
- The above type thermostats in conjunction with electrical heat tape wrapped around pipes in areas of extra concern work very well.
- Finally, even though you set the thermostats on the electric heaters to their lowest points, put an electric timer between the electric heaters, set up to be on 1 hour / off one hour, so they don't run continuously. Most of these heaters will run until the temp is above 60F, and that may use too much juice for your taste.
Other Suggestions
- Get a lot of electric timers, and put a lot of lamps on them, all over the house. Consider putting a radio and/or a television on timers as well, with the volume up loud enough to just hear from directly outside. This will discourage break-ins, and the lamps also contribute to ambient temperatures
- Turn off the gas. Do not chance something bad happening with the gas - if you're not there, it probably will.
- Have your mail held or forwarded to you, don't let it pile up
- Have the newspaper delivery stopped
- Have a neighbor / friend / person you hire check the place once in a while
- Check the place yourself if you can, every 4 to 6 weeks
Finally, some earlier post suggested contacting a local extension office for your area and seeing if there isn't a pamphlet published on the subject. That seems like a great suggestion to me - having never done so myself. Anything such a publication suggests that contradicts what I've said should take precedence, of course.
I hope some of these suggestions help. They've worked for me in the past.
Hpycmpr