...this is neat and all, but is the phrase "Reboot your computer and call back if there's still a problem" even intelligible when spoken 20,000 times per second?
When I was in high school in the mid-1980s, the idea of a massive nuclear exchange between the US and USSR seemed very real. We had all grown up with the assumption that a nuclear World War was just around the corner.
Man, now you've got me feeling old. I clearly remember one particular project I did in Junior High; it was a poster detailing possible fallout clouds and "safe zones" in the US immediately following a nuclear strike. I remember researching weather patterns, attack scenarios and the like, only to come to the conclusion that there were a few strips of land in the upper Midwest where civilization could conceiveably continue.
The thing was, everybody in the class (teacher and myself included) took this thing seriously. We used to read books like Failsafe and spend entire class periods talking about not if such a thing could happen, but when it would happen and whether or not it would cause a full nuclear assault. Scary stuff for kids.
Footnote
It was some time later that I learned a) that there were enough targets (bunkers) in the upper Midwest to turn it into a perma-barbeque, and b) in order for civilization to survive somewhere, if must first exist in that place.
(Apologies to both North Dakotan Slashdot readers)
The most esoteric taste could, in theory, be satisfied anywhere and anytime: Running to catch the 6 a.m. flight to Denver, you could stop at an airport kiosk and buy a title as obscure as Thomas Merton's The New Man just as easily as you now pick up a copy of Stephen King's Dreamcatcher.
...sheesh. For whatever reason, visionaries and pundits alike seem to think that the following scenario is some holy grail of everyday events:
<person> is running to catch a flight;
for some reason, <person> wishes to purchase <product in question> first; and
Cannot rely on the old way of getting <product in question>, as it does not provide <specific parameter> that only <hot new technology> can provide.
*sigh*
Folks, I fully endorse giving bogus information to online surveys, but honestly. We've got to stop telling them that we address most of our shopping, reading and entertainment needs while running to catch our daily transcontinental flight. This is getting nutty.
Change someone elses prompt to "". Drives them crazy until they figure it out.
Heh. Reminds me of the time that my best friend changed my cell phone banner to say, " *Ringer Off* ". You can imagine my frustration (and his amusement...)
Revelations speaks about the mark of the devil, having the symbol "666" embedded in our hands or foreheads [...] Embedded chips like this (which you know will happen someday) is just another sign fulfilled. Not many left now; be weary.
Oh, I've been weary of this for most of my life now, believe me...
Beyond sensationalism and whorish marketing, how can smaller entrepeneurs, events and products gain attention?
By paying people. Magazines, websites or TV shows could simply offer users a fee to eyeball their products regularly (there are ways to track this) rather than the other way around. Open Source may well be one of the culture ideas that has to pay it's way into the Attention Economy.
Consumer: I'd like to rent these, please. (places three DVDs on counter) Clerk: OK, sir, that'll be twelve dollars and fifty cents. Just a minute here...(clerk starts counting bills, placing them on counter) Clerk:...nine, ten, eleven... Consumer: Ooh, shiny thing! (starts wandering away towards front door) Clerk: Wait, sir! Sir! Fifteen dollars! Twenty? Sir! Sir?...damn. (puts money back in register)
The heart implanted yesterday has a tiny electric motor in it. An implanted battery that powers the motor is kept charged by a system that uses no wires or tubes. Instead, the battery, which can last about 30 minutes without a recharge, gets its power renewed from a coil that transfers energy through the skin.
If it works as hoped, the AbioCor could keep people alive, alert and mobile for years. They would wear battery packs or plug into an electrical outlet to keep their hearts going.
...so basically, if Cheney's Secret Service guys start lugging a bunch of car batteries and extension cords around, we'll have a pretty good idea of who this "unknown" recipient is.
...though I suspect that it would take more than just an artificial heart to make Cheney seem alive and alert...
Isn't the whole point of being anonymous to decrease you accountability?
If you're looking to avoid accountability for your actions and statements, yes.
Of course, Mr. Gielda's unenviable position is to protect and maintain the right to anonymity in the face of individuals who use anonymity to threaten to murder the children and spouses of their enemies; who use anonymity to try and crack and DoS the servers of their enemies; who use anonymity to intimidate, slur, slander, spoof, and defame their enemies; who use anonymity as a weapon of intolerance and cowardice instead of as a voice for the oppressed, small, and afraid.
If it weren't for the tireless efforts of individuals like Mr. Gielda, I assure you that our valuable right to anonymous speech would be heavily curtailed today. Without dedicated individuals fighting an endless battle against those who wish only to take anonymity and turn it into immunity from reproach, governments would quickly step in and put an end to the "menace of anonymous attacks," as well as all anonymity online.
Anonymity is the shield that protects those who would be unjustly harmed or persecuted for their actions. There are few greater signs of cowardice and selfishness than one who uses anonymity to evade accountability for their own unjust actions.
*NO* algorithm should be able to be patented. Else you start down the slipperly slope "Well this one algo is slightly complicated, so it should be patented as well." Where do you draw the line for "complex" algorithms. A algo may complex to the layman, but not to someone versed in the field.
...you present a good argument against isuing patents based on the complexity of a device alone, yet you don't ever really explain how this is specific to algorithms.
Why is a novel, original, groundbreaking algorithm any less deserving of a patent than a novel, original, groundbreaking device?
Remember: Algorithms ARE jsut mathematical formulas. Should we allow patenting complex calculations too?! I think NOT.
...and also remember: mechanical inventions ARE just various combinations of levers, pulleys, fulcrums, inclined planes, etc. Should we allow patenting complex systems of simple machines, too?
Now, argue all you want about how the patent system is broken and abused, but I have yet to be convinced that novel, original algorithms fill a magic niche that set them apart from novel, original machines.
Granted, it's not quite as technologically impressive as the ill-fated G4 Cube (though still quite nifty in that regard,) but this is one (aesthetically) beautifully designed little computer. If more and more good-looking boxen like this one keep appearing, it may just help make Linux seem that much more accessible to the masses, regardles of the fact that the CerfCube nothing a home user would ever really use. (Who cares? It's so cute!)
That, and how many of us own a computer that could be mistaken for a Post-It Note holder?
I received no acknowledgement whatsoever. I have no idea whether it was even received, let alone whether my opt-out decision will be honored.
And if my bank decides to ignore my opting-out, how will I prove it?
...use the federal government to your advantage--send the letter by reigstered mail. That way you at least have proof that they received your letter. Another option is to go to your bank in person and opt-out that way; get a signed statement from them stating that you are oficcially opted out.
Thank you, Hemos. I was kinda guessing and hoping that it was something technical.
You'll understand my consternation, though, upon seeing my (admittedly offtopic) post on the Shared Source article regarding the disappearance of this article modded down three points to -1 in the course of roughly one minute, and the seemingly similar fate of a good many other posts like it. Also worth noting is the fact that this article touches on what many would consider a rather sensitive issue with the OSDN and/. crew right now. I don't like conspiracy theories much, but I'll be damned if the situation didn't seem, well, rather odd.
Might I suggest, though, that once stories are actually posted to the front page, they remain as is, even if the order of presentation is not the most desirable? Consistency is key, and having articles disappearing from the front page is not terribly consistent.
Could you please tell us what the most common variation on the "Why should we use Linux instead of (what we already have)" question you receive is? What is your general response?
After having been modded down next to the goatse links, somebody please explain to me how the hell we're supposed to discuss the decidedly strange disappearance (and subsequent reappearance) of this story on the site without getting modded as "offtopic"?
Just where, exactly, are we to discuss this little point? For example, why did this story disappear? Was it technical? Was it editorial?
For a group that is so damned keen on openness and truth, it strikes me as somewhat ironic that several dozen mod points have been used to effectively supress this part of the thread.
I want to know what happened. Others do to. If you can't give us a decent place on Slashdot to discuss this issue, then don't mod us down as offtopic!
Thanks for the blow-by-blow, Rob. It really does make a difference (to me, at least) to know what was going on during these outages. Your post made me stop feeling like the Powers That Be were trying to pull wool over our collective eyes and sweep the whole thing under the rug.
Honestly I don't see this as being that huge of a deal, but it sure is getting submitted a lot...
...now, had the DoD decided to install Ghost In The Shell or Princess Mononoke on 25,000 of their workstations, Taco would have been all over that in a second.
Ah-HAH! You've just divulged personal information on the World Wide Web!
I'm coming to corrupt your children! Mua-hahahahaha...
Re:There is no reasonable expectation of privacy
on
Carnivore To Die?
·
· Score: 5
As you cling to the arbitrary notion of privacy, you're doing little more than empowering men to rape and torture women.
Heh, that's a good one. I'll need to run it past my wife next time she asks me for a few minutes of solitude in the bathroom...
...but here are a few more choice zingers for future discussions, just to make your next post a little easier for you:
Your insistence on sustaining liberal notions of "freedom" does nothing but blind orphans;
By circumventing copy protection, you become an active participant in the clubbing of baby seals in the Arctic; and finally,
Promoters of "Open Source" software are but thuggish brigands, bent on bludgeoning innocent Americans with aluminum baseball bats, violently expectorating on the graves of the Founding Fathers, and belching in the faces of old ladies after having eaten really garlic-heavy lunches.
...now go on out and play on the freeway with the rest of the trolls.
The problem here is that there is a country that cannot face history. Similar problems (especially with Nazi's) occur in German and many other countries. Not to say that America doesnt have it's share of problems.
Dude, take your pick:
A country in which the sale and purchase of Nazi-related items is strictly forbidden; or
A country in which the public display of nipples is strictly forbidden.
I challenge you to find a country that doesn't have stupid laws. At least the French anti-Nazi law has some sense behind it.
France can indeed face hitory, though. There is no lack of remembrance monuments, not the least of which is the Deportation Monument, at the very heart of Paris. Insinuating that a nation can't face history based on a single law of arguable merit is, well, pretty damn insulting.
This isn't a case of some idiot French judge trying to enforce their laws on foreign countries. This is a case of a French judge enforcing French law on a company that operates in France.
Personally, I really hope Yahoo loses this suit. Look at the precedent it would set--that it's okay for multinational companies to disregard the law in nations where they have a physical business presence!
Even though they who keep their money in mattresses are a bit strange, because the banks do not provide the money, they are still free to do this. Imagine if all the software in the world was ASP-ed.
I can't imagine a world where all software is ASP-ed, because there exist things like the the BSD license.
Now, I can easily imagine a world where most major commercial applications are available via ASP only. This is the company's perogative, and they'll do as they see fit.
Even if every single commercially-produced, closed source application in the entire world were only available via ASPs, you could still get your hands on a stunning array of software without using an ASP. Your suggesting that the rise of ASPs would somehow quelch the very right of software developers to distribute through non-ASP channels is alarmist, at best.
A world where ASPs are king would no more strip you of your right to distribute/download binaries than a world where banks are king strips you of your right to hoard cash beneath your mattress.
Sure, you may not be able to get Microsoft Word XXXP(tm) for download, but then again, you can't exactly open a checking account with your mattress, either...
Slashdot Mirror
...this is neat and all, but is the phrase "Reboot your computer and call back if there's still a problem" even intelligible when spoken 20,000 times per second?
Man, now you've got me feeling old. I clearly remember one particular project I did in Junior High; it was a poster detailing possible fallout clouds and "safe zones" in the US immediately following a nuclear strike. I remember researching weather patterns, attack scenarios and the like, only to come to the conclusion that there were a few strips of land in the upper Midwest where civilization could conceiveably continue.
The thing was, everybody in the class (teacher and myself included) took this thing seriously. We used to read books like Failsafe and spend entire class periods talking about not if such a thing could happen, but when it would happen and whether or not it would cause a full nuclear assault. Scary stuff for kids.
Footnote
It was some time later that I learned a) that there were enough targets (bunkers) in the upper Midwest to turn it into a perma-barbeque, and b) in order for civilization to survive somewhere, if must first exist in that place.
(Apologies to both North Dakotan Slashdot readers)
The most esoteric taste could, in theory, be satisfied anywhere and anytime: Running to catch the 6 a.m. flight to Denver, you could stop at an airport kiosk and buy a title as obscure as Thomas Merton's The New Man just as easily as you now pick up a copy of Stephen King's Dreamcatcher.
- <person> is running to catch a flight;
- for some reason, <person> wishes to purchase <product in question> first; and
- Cannot rely on the old way of getting <product in question>, as it does not provide <specific parameter> that only <hot new technology> can provide.
*sigh*Folks, I fully endorse giving bogus information to online surveys, but honestly. We've got to stop telling them that we address most of our shopping, reading and entertainment needs while running to catch our daily transcontinental flight. This is getting nutty.
Kould you komment on the klearly komplikated task of selekting produkt names that konform to kurrent konventions?
Kordially,
AAiP
Heh. Reminds me of the time that my best friend changed my cell phone banner to say, " *Ringer Off* ". You can imagine my frustration (and his amusement...)
Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted.
Reason: Junk character post.
Addendum: ...too much, too much! I tried to post the above, and got this as a response:
Easy does it!
This comment has been submitted already, 276231 hours , 34 minutes ago. No need to try again.
I swear that I wasn't on the Internet then. Hell, I wan't even born back then...
Friend, if you want to judge another nation by it's atrocities, you'd damn well better be sure that your own nation has a clean slate...
Oh, I've been weary of this for most of my life now, believe me...
Beyond sensationalism and whorish marketing, how can smaller entrepeneurs, events and products gain attention?
By paying people. Magazines, websites or TV shows could simply offer users a fee to eyeball their products regularly (there are ways to track this) rather than the other way around. Open Source may well be one of the culture ideas that has to pay it's way into the Attention Economy.
Consumer: I'd like to rent these, please. (places three DVDs on counter) ...nine, ten, eleven... ...damn. (puts money back in register)
Clerk: OK, sir, that'll be twelve dollars and fifty cents. Just a minute here...(clerk starts counting bills, placing them on counter)
Clerk:
Consumer: Ooh, shiny thing! (starts wandering away towards front door)
Clerk: Wait, sir! Sir! Fifteen dollars! Twenty? Sir! Sir?
The heart implanted yesterday has a tiny electric motor in it. An implanted battery that powers the motor is kept charged by a system that uses no wires or tubes. Instead, the battery, which can last about 30 minutes without a recharge, gets its power renewed from a coil that transfers energy through the skin.
If it works as hoped, the AbioCor could keep people alive, alert and mobile for years. They would wear battery packs or plug into an electrical outlet to keep their hearts going.
If you're looking to avoid accountability for your actions and statements, yes.
Of course, Mr. Gielda's unenviable position is to protect and maintain the right to anonymity in the face of individuals who use anonymity to threaten to murder the children and spouses of their enemies; who use anonymity to try and crack and DoS the servers of their enemies; who use anonymity to intimidate, slur, slander, spoof, and defame their enemies; who use anonymity as a weapon of intolerance and cowardice instead of as a voice for the oppressed, small, and afraid.
If it weren't for the tireless efforts of individuals like Mr. Gielda, I assure you that our valuable right to anonymous speech would be heavily curtailed today. Without dedicated individuals fighting an endless battle against those who wish only to take anonymity and turn it into immunity from reproach, governments would quickly step in and put an end to the "menace of anonymous attacks," as well as all anonymity online.
Anonymity is the shield that protects those who would be unjustly harmed or persecuted for their actions. There are few greater signs of cowardice and selfishness than one who uses anonymity to evade accountability for their own unjust actions.
Why is a novel, original, groundbreaking algorithm any less deserving of a patent than a novel, original, groundbreaking device?
Remember: Algorithms ARE jsut mathematical formulas. Should we allow patenting complex calculations too?! I think NOT.
Now, argue all you want about how the patent system is broken and abused, but I have yet to be convinced that novel, original algorithms fill a magic niche that set them apart from novel, original machines.
That, and how many of us own a computer that could be mistaken for a Post-It Note holder?
And if my bank decides to ignore my opting-out, how will I prove it?
Good luck!
You'll understand my consternation, though, upon seeing my (admittedly offtopic) post on the Shared Source article regarding the disappearance of this article modded down three points to -1 in the course of roughly one minute, and the seemingly similar fate of a good many other posts like it. Also worth noting is the fact that this article touches on what many would consider a rather sensitive issue with the OSDN and /. crew right now. I don't like conspiracy theories much, but I'll be damned if the situation didn't seem, well, rather odd.
Might I suggest, though, that once stories are actually posted to the front page, they remain as is, even if the order of presentation is not the most desirable? Consistency is key, and having articles disappearing from the front page is not terribly consistent.
Could you please tell us what the most common variation on the "Why should we use Linux instead of (what we already have)" question you receive is? What is your general response?
Thanks in advance.
After having been modded down next to the goatse links, somebody please explain to me how the hell we're supposed to discuss the decidedly strange disappearance (and subsequent reappearance) of this story on the site without getting modded as "offtopic"?
Just where, exactly, are we to discuss this little point? For example, why did this story disappear? Was it technical? Was it editorial?
For a group that is so damned keen on openness and truth, it strikes me as somewhat ironic that several dozen mod points have been used to effectively supress this part of the thread.
I want to know what happened. Others do to. If you can't give us a decent place on Slashdot to discuss this issue, then don't mod us down as offtopic!
Thanks again for the info and the honesty.
AAiP
Heh. I know. Consider my post as more of a marginally-executed joke (due in part to this wonderful little fever I've been battling...)
I'm coming to corrupt your children! Mua-hahahahaha...
Heh, that's a good one. I'll need to run it past my wife next time she asks me for a few minutes of solitude in the bathroom...
Dude, take your pick:
- A country in which the sale and purchase of Nazi-related items is strictly forbidden; or
- A country in which the public display of nipples is strictly forbidden.
I challenge you to find a country that doesn't have stupid laws. At least the French anti-Nazi law has some sense behind it.France can indeed face hitory, though. There is no lack of remembrance monuments, not the least of which is the Deportation Monument, at the very heart of Paris. Insinuating that a nation can't face history based on a single law of arguable merit is, well, pretty damn insulting.
Yahoo has a physical business presence in France. As such, their business must abide by French laws.
This isn't a case of some idiot French judge trying to enforce their laws on foreign countries. This is a case of a French judge enforcing French law on a company that operates in France.
Personally, I really hope Yahoo loses this suit. Look at the precedent it would set--that it's okay for multinational companies to disregard the law in nations where they have a physical business presence!
I can't imagine a world where all software is ASP-ed, because there exist things like the the BSD license.
Now, I can easily imagine a world where most major commercial applications are available via ASP only. This is the company's perogative, and they'll do as they see fit.
Even if every single commercially-produced, closed source application in the entire world were only available via ASPs, you could still get your hands on a stunning array of software without using an ASP. Your suggesting that the rise of ASPs would somehow quelch the very right of software developers to distribute through non-ASP channels is alarmist, at best.
A world where ASPs are king would no more strip you of your right to distribute/download binaries than a world where banks are king strips you of your right to hoard cash beneath your mattress. Sure, you may not be able to get Microsoft Word XXXP(tm) for download, but then again, you can't exactly open a checking account with your mattress, either...