Just how is SDMI supposed to work? I understand (somewhat) digital watermarking, but how does that apply? It's not like I have to break the encryption or anything (like forging someone's signature)--I just have to remove it (like erasing the signature). Could I run through an SDMI file and randomly add or subtract 1 from every byte? Shouldn't affect the sound but will destroy any watermark. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Microsoft put Win2k on the net and we all gleefully pounded on it (for the short periods it was up). Then they released. Is it any good? No.
Same with SDMI--they don't want to improve the product, they want to prove it uncrackable. If no breaks it, that will be evidence (to a person versed in using fallacies in place of logic) that SDMI will Make Money Fast For Artists. This gives them credibility and power.
Here's my recommendation: Hack it, but good. Hack it so good it can't be fixed. For instance, connect your soundcard "out" to your "in" and record--there's no getting around that. Alternatively you could hack it so good they have to go back to the drawing board for a year or two--giving MP3 (and Ogg Vorbis!) time to spread even further. If you haven't broken the rules (why are there rules in a hacking contest?) collect the $10k. If you have broken the rules, just post the results to lower their credibility. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
My wife has been begging me to get this game for her. Her birthday is coming up so I went to order it and then saw the requirements. 64 MB RAM? 350 MB HD? Come on! She's got a hand-me-down Mac. The Win95 version only requires 32 MB RAM--so what's up? --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
This/. nick is up for auction. It's funny and crazy, but also completely serious--don't bid if you don't intend to pay. Check the sig for a link. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
...but you've already made at least one fallacy in the intro. Having "strong central control" is orthogonal to "self-organization". The former is about who is in control the latter is about how they got there.
What's the diff? Well, in a non-self-orgranizing project there are by definition external (i.e. non-contributing) organizing forces--this is management. Linux doesn't have that, despite having "strong central control". --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Now my Karma is taking on random values every 15 minutes or so. Taco: If you come to your senses, realize that this is no different than selling an RPG character, and decide to replace my Karma to where it was the value was "607". --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I'll throw in the full story for free to the winner.
Interesting sidenote: My karma is now 32676743. Yes, really all those numbers. Looks like somebody tried to bitch-slap me and overshot....I guess Taco, like Microsoft, doesn't like his products sold on eBay. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Are Russians (except those 5 cities) totally unable to order merchandise (online or via catalogs)? I doubt it. Ask your friend how things arrive and then you'll know how to send. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"...numerous studies have shown that the death penalty is not a deterent."
Really? Imagine that, dead convicts rising from their graves to commit crimes. Scary stuff.
To me, the death penalty isn't supposed to be a deterent, it's a safety measure. Replacing a blown tire doesn't deter the others from blowing--but it makes driving the car a lot safer. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"...maybe a harsh law against window breaking will provide some kind of deterrant effect in the minds of those breaking windows."
Logically, this should be the case--it's a simple cost-benefit analysis. If the rate of catching the criminals stays the same, you can increase the "cost" by making a harsher penalty. The flaw in this reasoning is that the criminal isn't doing a cost-benefit analysis for something like breaking windows--after all, what's the real benefit? For that matter, people who break windows are generally unable to imagine consequences anyway.
Making a stiffer penalty will not lower the crime rate--the few people put off by the increased danger will be more than offset by the people turned on by the increased danger. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I bet there was some ancient Sumerian who gave long lectures on "The Limits of Literacy" warning that we shouldn't worship reading and writing--those skills can't make our lives better. Imagine his face if we were to show him a modern, industrialized nation.
It's a poor workman who blames his tools. If there is a way for an air-traffic to be controlled by a system, and your air-traffic control system doesn't do it, the reason is not inherent in the "limits of software"--there's some problem with your design/implementation. Software is a universal machine simulator--pure algorithms implemented as 1's and 0's. If that idea isn't worthy of awe I don't know what is. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I'd rather read about Quake done Quick than see Yet Another RIAA/MPAA Napster/DeCSS Article. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"Distribute DeCSS by all means - but do it openly and explain why it's good that this program exists..."
You can explain why the program is good if you want--but that's only part of the issue. You should also explain that, even if the program was pure evil censorship (especially of quotes or links!) is still wrong. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
First of all, the probable original reason for using redirs is if the URL changes. The secondary reason is probably so Microsoft can have a hold over the companies (if you don't pay us $1 Kajillion, "My Weather" will go to....). A side-effect is that Microsoft can track how many people use each link (and maybe who those people are).
But if you think about it, Microsoft could already do that even without using redirs. The obviously have a "partnership" with the companies at those links--they could just ask each company to send them data on people who arrive from those links (by adding some data to the URL, by sending a special header, whatever--better yet, just track ALL IE users to those companies--or why limit to IE users?). Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by slightly less malice. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Like what? They do some "innovative" UI stuff (scare quotes because I don't think they are all that great, just different)--but what innovative OS stuff have they done or are they doing with OS X? --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I know for a fact that the PR/Marketing people (who would be the ones fielding such a call) at *my* company have never heard of Slashdot. Good lord, they still think VALinux sells Alphas--that hasn't been the case for what? 3 years? --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Please don't kill NFS, that's how I get all my TMBG songs! How'm I gonna survive without CD quality copies of "(Going Down to) Cowtown", "Exquisite Dead Guy" and "Number Three"? --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
This is like selling a computer to your mother by saying "you could keep recipes on it". What about communication (overt and covert)? What about data gathering and real-time analysis (scorekeeping is a kind of this, but think medical, scientific, etc). What about GPS?
Don't think "Next Generation of Calculator Watches", think "The Power of a PC On Your Wrist". Clearly there are UI issues to be dealt with, but ignore those for now--first comes the apps, then figure out how to interact with it. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Forget True vs High color. There are more basic issues at work:
1) Non-color devices: Palms, cell-phones, terminals, lynx, etc.
2) The reason people care about "websafe" colors is that they want the client to see what the designer designed. But if I adjust the settings on my end, I don't see it anyway. "The settings on my end" include everything from constrast/brightness/etc on my monitor to the individual color tweaks available on some TVs (as in "WebTV").
It is literally impossible (not just difficult) to make this work, so why not design around it? Stop making pretty colors cover the fact that you have no content and actually give me some meaningful information. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Linux doesn't belong to "the community", it belongs to Linus. He can run it how he wants. If you don't like that, feel free to issue the following command:
cp -a/usr/src/linux/usr/src/Jonix
You can then incorporate or whatever the heck you want. Remember to abide by the GPL and good day. --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Why does "riding the space elevator" sound like something Kirk would say to Spock (or "Bones") after visiting The Planet Of Scantily Clad Green Women? --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Sticking to your guns in the face of (attempted) oppression can be attributed to many things, and possibly more than one thing at a time. Idealism and naivete are just two--but they are largely orthogonal.
There is no sense in which "the world works that way" that makes it OK for Company X to suppress free speech about their products. There is no sense in which "growing up" makes it OK for corporations to use money to subvert the government against the people it was created for.
That's not to say everyone on Slashdot is a nascent Gandhi--clearly many of us DO need to grow up, some of us literally. But please don't interpret that statement as "and lose your ideals"--interpret it as "see the other side, change your tactics, refine your logic, improve your rhetoric". --
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I've sat on both sides of the interview desk and I totally agree that the college-educated make for much more attractive candidates. They have more experience in Just Plain Learning. (Of course, there's a causation arrow problem here, but I think it points the right way).
However, there's another factor involved: fundamentals. When you are sitting in "Algorithm Analysis" it seems like none of it applies to making $75k-$100k typing HTML into a text editor. But trust me, things like that help--maybe not often, but when you need it you need it.
For instance, I had someone come to me with a program idea: He was a divorce lawyer and wanted software you could type all the assets of the couple into. Then the program would allocate the assets in such a way that each member would have an equal amount. "Uh-oh", I thought, "Knapsack Problem." I immediately told him that would not be feasible , but we could work on an approximation.
Another example: When I was hiring, I gave out a programming problem. One of the problems I used was "write a program that will multiply two arbitrarily large numbers together". I can't tell you how many people tried to use a variable of type long to do this. I can tell you that none of them were college-graduates. --
Slashdot Mirror
Just how is SDMI supposed to work? I understand (somewhat) digital watermarking, but how does that apply? It's not like I have to break the encryption or anything (like forging someone's signature)--I just have to remove it (like erasing the signature). Could I run through an SDMI file and randomly add or subtract 1 from every byte? Shouldn't affect the sound but will destroy any watermark.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Microsoft put Win2k on the net and we all gleefully pounded on it (for the short periods it was up). Then they released. Is it any good? No.
Same with SDMI--they don't want to improve the product, they want to prove it uncrackable. If no breaks it, that will be evidence (to a person versed in using fallacies in place of logic) that SDMI will Make Money Fast For Artists. This gives them credibility and power.
Here's my recommendation: Hack it, but good. Hack it so good it can't be fixed. For instance, connect your soundcard "out" to your "in" and record--there's no getting around that. Alternatively you could hack it so good they have to go back to the drawing board for a year or two--giving MP3 (and Ogg Vorbis!) time to spread even further. If you haven't broken the rules (why are there rules in a hacking contest?) collect the $10k. If you have broken the rules, just post the results to lower their credibility.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
My wife has been begging me to get this game for her. Her birthday is coming up so I went to order it and then saw the requirements. 64 MB RAM? 350 MB HD? Come on! She's got a hand-me-down Mac. The Win95 version only requires 32 MB RAM--so what's up?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
This /. nick is up for auction. It's funny and crazy, but also completely serious--don't bid if you don't intend to pay. Check the sig for a link.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
...but you've already made at least one fallacy in the intro. Having "strong central control" is orthogonal to "self-organization". The former is about who is in control the latter is about how they got there.
What's the diff? Well, in a non-self-orgranizing project there are by definition external (i.e. non-contributing) organizing forces--this is management. Linux doesn't have that, despite having "strong central control".
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Now my Karma is taking on random values every 15 minutes or so. Taco: If you come to your senses, realize that this is no different than selling an RPG character, and decide to replace my Karma to where it was the value was "607".
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I'll throw in the full story for free to the winner.
Interesting sidenote: My karma is now 32676743. Yes, really all those numbers. Looks like somebody tried to bitch-slap me and overshot....I guess Taco, like Microsoft, doesn't like his products sold on eBay.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Are Russians (except those 5 cities) totally unable to order merchandise (online or via catalogs)? I doubt it. Ask your friend how things arrive and then you'll know how to send.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"...numerous studies have shown that the death penalty is not a deterent."
Really? Imagine that, dead convicts rising from their graves to commit crimes. Scary stuff.
To me, the death penalty isn't supposed to be a deterent, it's a safety measure. Replacing a blown tire doesn't deter the others from blowing--but it makes driving the car a lot safer.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"...maybe a harsh law against window breaking will provide some kind of deterrant effect in the minds of those breaking windows."
Logically, this should be the case--it's a simple cost-benefit analysis. If the rate of catching the criminals stays the same, you can increase the "cost" by making a harsher penalty. The flaw in this reasoning is that the criminal isn't doing a cost-benefit analysis for something like breaking windows--after all, what's the real benefit? For that matter, people who break windows are generally unable to imagine consequences anyway.
Making a stiffer penalty will not lower the crime rate--the few people put off by the increased danger will be more than offset by the people turned on by the increased danger.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Can I use your icons-in-front-of-shops example in the future?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I bet there was some ancient Sumerian who gave long lectures on "The Limits of Literacy" warning that we shouldn't worship reading and writing--those skills can't make our lives better. Imagine his face if we were to show him a modern, industrialized nation.
It's a poor workman who blames his tools. If there is a way for an air-traffic to be controlled by a system, and your air-traffic control system doesn't do it, the reason is not inherent in the "limits of software"--there's some problem with your design/implementation. Software is a universal machine simulator--pure algorithms implemented as 1's and 0's. If that idea isn't worthy of awe I don't know what is.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I'd rather read about Quake done Quick than see Yet Another RIAA/MPAA Napster/DeCSS Article.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"Distribute DeCSS by all means - but do it openly and explain why it's good that this program exists..."
You can explain why the program is good if you want--but that's only part of the issue. You should also explain that, even if the program was pure evil censorship (especially of quotes or links!) is still wrong.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
First of all, the probable original reason for using redirs is if the URL changes. The secondary reason is probably so Microsoft can have a hold over the companies (if you don't pay us $1 Kajillion, "My Weather" will go to....). A side-effect is that Microsoft can track how many people use each link (and maybe who those people are).
But if you think about it, Microsoft could already do that even without using redirs. The obviously have a "partnership" with the companies at those links--they could just ask each company to send them data on people who arrive from those links (by adding some data to the URL, by sending a special header, whatever--better yet, just track ALL IE users to those companies--or why limit to IE users?). Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by slightly less malice.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"...some innovative OS stuff going on inside."
Like what? They do some "innovative" UI stuff (scare quotes because I don't think they are all that great, just different)--but what innovative OS stuff have they done or are they doing with OS X?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
I know for a fact that the PR/Marketing people (who would be the ones fielding such a call) at *my* company have never heard of Slashdot. Good lord, they still think VALinux sells Alphas--that hasn't been the case for what? 3 years?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Please don't kill NFS, that's how I get all my TMBG songs! How'm I gonna survive without CD quality copies of "(Going Down to) Cowtown", "Exquisite Dead Guy" and "Number Three"?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
This is like selling a computer to your mother by saying "you could keep recipes on it". What about communication (overt and covert)? What about data gathering and real-time analysis (scorekeeping is a kind of this, but think medical, scientific, etc). What about GPS?
Don't think "Next Generation of Calculator Watches", think "The Power of a PC On Your Wrist". Clearly there are UI issues to be dealt with, but ignore those for now--first comes the apps, then figure out how to interact with it.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Forget True vs High color. There are more basic issues at work:
1) Non-color devices: Palms, cell-phones, terminals, lynx, etc.
2) The reason people care about "websafe" colors is that they want the client to see what the designer designed. But if I adjust the settings on my end, I don't see it anyway. "The settings on my end" include everything from constrast/brightness/etc on my monitor to the individual color tweaks available on some TVs (as in "WebTV").
It is literally impossible (not just difficult) to make this work, so why not design around it? Stop making pretty colors cover the fact that you have no content and actually give me some meaningful information.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Linux doesn't belong to "the community", it belongs to Linus. He can run it how he wants. If you don't like that, feel free to issue the following command:
/usr/src/linux /usr/src/Jonix
cp -a
You can then incorporate or whatever the heck you want. Remember to abide by the GPL and good day.
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Why does "riding the space elevator" sound like something Kirk would say to Spock (or "Bones") after visiting The Planet Of Scantily Clad Green Women?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
Sticking to your guns in the face of (attempted) oppression can be attributed to many things, and possibly more than one thing at a time. Idealism and naivete are just two--but they are largely orthogonal.
There is no sense in which "the world works that way" that makes it OK for Company X to suppress free speech about their products. There is no sense in which "growing up" makes it OK for corporations to use money to subvert the government against the people it was created for.
That's not to say everyone on Slashdot is a nascent Gandhi--clearly many of us DO need to grow up, some of us literally. But please don't interpret that statement as "and lose your ideals"--interpret it as "see the other side, change your tactics, refine your logic, improve your rhetoric".
--
Linux MAPI Server!
http://www.openone.com/software/MailOne/
"You could spend $120,000 for fours years at a good college or spend 30 seconds on a search engine to find what they are talking about. "
How is a search engine going to help if you don't know what to look for (or even that you should start looking)?
--
I've sat on both sides of the interview desk and I totally agree that the college-educated make for much more attractive candidates. They have more experience in Just Plain Learning. (Of course, there's a causation arrow problem here, but I think it points the right way).
However, there's another factor involved: fundamentals. When you are sitting in "Algorithm Analysis" it seems like none of it applies to making $75k-$100k typing HTML into a text editor. But trust me, things like that help--maybe not often, but when you need it you need it.
For instance, I had someone come to me with a program idea: He was a divorce lawyer and wanted software you could type all the assets of the couple into. Then the program would allocate the assets in such a way that each member would have an equal amount. "Uh-oh", I thought, "Knapsack Problem." I immediately told him that would not be feasible , but we could work on an approximation.
Another example: When I was hiring, I gave out a programming problem. One of the problems I used was "write a program that will multiply two arbitrarily large numbers together". I can't tell you how many people tried to use a variable of type long to do this. I can tell you that none of them were college-graduates.
--