Katz, I usually like reading your articles. I don't always (or even usually) agree with you, but at least you are offering some kind of opinion to be discussed. But this is just a list of teenage pranks that we all tried at one time or another. There's no opinions here.
"Hit them in their pocketbooks. If movie chains are going to refuse admission to movies that contain explicit sexual imagery or profanity, MP3 them. Download the movies on ICQ or Hotline... Watch how quickly they'll lighten up on ticket-booth vigilanteism. " Wrong. Unfortunately, the "R" rating that these movies get is the law. In the past it wasn't always strickly followed, but now that the movies are becoming more and more explicit, theatres are being forced to comply. (I'm not arguing that this is right or wrong, just stating a fact)
"Squawk. Complain to theater managers; call and write movie chains." This will be WAY more effective, but unfortuneately I don't think it will work. Theatres are not mom-and-pop or just local anymore. They are now giant megaplexes with coffee houses and bakeries, owned by giant corporations who could care less what the average person wants. These places are making tons of money, and their profits are only increasing. Who cares what the average joe wants, as long as the setup they have now is working?
"Improvise.... Kids: Be patient. Hang near the video game and wait for your chance..." These are just childish games that everyone has done.
"Adults: Fight Ticket Booth Tyranny. Observe Take A Geek Kid To A Restricted Movie Day this Labor Day. " Come on, Katz. You just threw the word "geek" into this segment to pander to your audience. Buzzwords are what sell these days, not real ideas. What does a kid being a geek have to do with seeing South Park? NOTHING.
I don't even get your point on this whole article.
I just happened to buy one of these little eMachine beauties this last weekend. I was a little skeptical at first, but for $550 I got a 400MHz Celeron with 128k on chip cache, 5x DVD (with software decoding - which works fine, BTW), a 6.4GB hard drive, 4MB ATI Rage Pro AGP 2x, and 32MB 66MHz RAM. And the manual and the website both claim it runs Linux - I'll have to try that out this weekend. I also had no problem installing a 2940UW with a couple gigs of MP3's and a zip drive.
As an MP3 stereo system, I'd say it's a pretty good deal. I'm happy. LL
The link seems to be broken, so to put this in perspective: Cedar Point had the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world when the Magnum was built ten years ago. It has a vertical drop of just over 200 feet. So this adds another *100* feet of vertical drop.
I just can't imagine where they are going to put this enormous roller coaster on that small island...
On CNN, a friend of the Kennedy family said on Tuesday that Kennedy "was the icon, the moral leader for the next generation of young Americans."
Who is this friend claiming that Kennedy is my moral leader?? I'm actually quite offended that people say stuff like this. I don't think that I had heard (or cared about hearing) of JFK Jr. for several _years_ before his death.
All this media attention and interviews give the whole affair a sense of fakeness. Who really believes that without JFK Jr. that the younger generation won't have a moral leader. Come on...
First, the article says that this is a result of a bunch of high school kids who decided to have a 'conference' on the subject. Great for them, and it looks like they even have a few financial backers, but I would be pretty surprised if this project still exists in a few years time.
Second, if this thing does work, it will be very interesting to see how they plan on reestablishing an entire species population from one (or a few) cloned birds. There is a common problem in genetics called a bottleneck. Every animal of a species contains specific genes for certain traits. When the population is reduced so greatly, the genes for some traits are lost forever. (Someone with some experience in genetics can correct if i'm (likely) wrong here). Some genes are lost forever. So the species that will result from this cloning project won't be a nearly as diverse as the original.
Anyway, I know this has been a problem for species like the California Condor, when its population dropped so low.
Third, Dolly the clone is having some serious genetic problems right now. She is not a normal sheep. She is aging quicker, because her very first embryonic cell was not a fresh cell like a normal embryo, but an already aged cell from her "mother." I wonder what effect this will have on the birds if their entire species is founded this way...? Will they only live half the normal life-span of their original counterparts?
Anyway, I like the idea. I don't have any ethical problems with it, but I think there a lot of practical problems that need to be addressed, and I wouldn't expect this species to miraculously reappear in New Zealand, healthy and unchanged from its original.
Any student of history (or anybody who knows _anything_ at all about history) knows that revolutions occur on a pretty regular schedule. Governments come into power, usually backed with the support of the majority of the population, on a platform that 'fixes' the problems of the previous government.
But after a while, the new government gets so bogged down in its own buraucracy, and opportunists seize every chance they can to gain more power for themselves (=> less for the people) and eventually the new government that was supposed to fix all the problems of the previous one has its own set of problems.
Now I'm definately NOT a history major, but one instance that comes to mind is Russia/USSR. After the fall of the czars, a communist government (which sounds great on paper) took over. What happened? The few people in power were selfish, more concerned with themselves than with the good of the country, and then you get what happened in the 1980's.
What's my point? I think that our governent (remember how that came to be?) is starting to abuse its powers. The principles that the US was founded on are being twisted and manipulated by people with ulterior motives. This process is being accelerated to an incredible speed thanks to our level of technology (the Net, etc.).
The world is an imperfect place. No large population of people is every happy with their government for a long period of time. THIS WON'T CHANGE! As Joseph Campbell once said, (I don't remember it exactly), "The world isn't perfect. It's a mess. But it's a perfect mess."
In my experience, putting the swap file on the outer edge of disk has increased performance. The disk is moving faster under the head at the edges of the disk. Just a small tip.
it's amazing what a little fooling around with genetics and some sneaky biomedical engineering will get you.
in 'discover' magazine a few years ago, some scientists were able to make mice that would bioluminesce under fluorescent light. glow-in-the-dark mice!
and along the same lines as the finger, i think it was also in 'discover' that they showed the same type of thing with a human ear. there was a little picture of hairless mouse with a big ear sticking right out of its back.
Congrats, Rob and Hemos. I've been lurking on this site for a year and half now. It's the first site I check in the morning, and the last at night.
The fact that you have been able to make a living out of doing what you really like doing is very admirable. I think you guys are doing the right thing; you picked a good company without a hidden open source or linux agenda, and you are guaranteed creative control. What more could people want from you?
So congratulations, and I look forward to all the new and improved stuff that's going to show up. (I just wish I had thought of this concept first!) LL
It's important to remember that 'losses' or 'gains' in any quarter or year are all a matter of accounting, especially for a these relatively young and small companies.
In some situations it is better for them to report losses and avoid paying income taxes than to report huge gains and end up paying taxes on them. Without a serious analysis of the two companies' financial situations, I wouldn't put much stock in the article.
Slashdot Mirror
Katz, I usually like reading your articles. I don't always (or even usually) agree with you, but at least you are offering some kind of opinion to be discussed. But this is just a list of teenage pranks that we all tried at one time or another. There's no opinions here.
... Watch how quickly they'll lighten up on ticket-booth vigilanteism. "
"Hit them in their pocketbooks. If movie chains are going to refuse admission to movies that contain explicit sexual imagery or profanity, MP3 them. Download the movies on ICQ or Hotline
Wrong. Unfortunately, the "R" rating that these movies get is the law. In the past it wasn't always strickly followed, but now that the movies are becoming more and more explicit, theatres are being forced to comply. (I'm not arguing that this is right or wrong, just stating a fact)
"Squawk. Complain to theater managers; call and write movie chains."
This will be WAY more effective, but unfortuneately I don't think it will work. Theatres are not mom-and-pop or just local anymore. They are now giant megaplexes with coffee houses and bakeries, owned by giant corporations who could care less what the average person wants. These places are making tons of money, and their profits are only increasing. Who cares what the average joe wants, as long as the setup they have now is working?
"Improvise.... Kids: Be patient. Hang near the video game and wait for your chance..."
These are just childish games that everyone has done.
"Adults: Fight Ticket Booth Tyranny. Observe Take A Geek Kid To A Restricted Movie Day this Labor Day. "
Come on, Katz. You just threw the word "geek" into this segment to pander to your audience. Buzzwords are what sell these days, not real ideas. What does a kid being a geek have to do with seeing South Park? NOTHING.
I don't even get your point on this whole article.
LL
I just happened to buy one of these little
eMachine beauties this last weekend. I was a little
skeptical at first, but for $550 I got a 400MHz
Celeron with 128k on chip cache, 5x DVD (with
software decoding - which works fine, BTW), a
6.4GB hard drive, 4MB ATI Rage Pro AGP 2x,
and 32MB 66MHz RAM. And the
manual and the website both claim it runs Linux -
I'll have to try that out this weekend. I also had
no problem installing a 2940UW with a couple gigs of MP3's and a zip drive.
As an MP3 stereo system, I'd say it's a pretty
good deal. I'm happy.
LL
The link seems to be broken, so to put this
in perspective: Cedar Point had the tallest and
fastest roller coaster in the world when the
Magnum was built ten years ago. It has a vertical
drop of just over 200 feet. So this adds another
*100* feet of vertical drop.
I just can't imagine where they are going to put
this enormous roller coaster on that small
island...
LL
On CNN, a friend of the Kennedy family said on
Tuesday that Kennedy "was the icon, the
moral leader for the next generation of young Americans."
Who is this friend claiming that Kennedy is my
moral leader?? I'm actually quite offended that
people say stuff like this. I don't think that I
had heard (or cared about hearing) of JFK Jr. for
several _years_ before his death.
All this media attention and interviews give the
whole affair a sense of fakeness. Who really believes
that without JFK Jr. that the younger generation
won't have a moral leader. Come on...
Just my $0.02
LL
First, the article says that this is a result of a bunch of high school kids who decided to have a 'conference' on the subject. Great for them, and it looks like they even have a few financial backers, but I would be pretty surprised if this project still exists in a few years time.
Second, if this thing does work, it will be very interesting to see how they plan on reestablishing an entire species population from one (or a few) cloned birds. There is a common problem in genetics called a bottleneck. Every animal of a species contains specific genes for certain traits. When the population is reduced so greatly, the genes for some traits are lost forever. (Someone with some experience in genetics can correct if i'm (likely) wrong here). Some genes are lost forever. So the species that will result from this cloning project won't be a nearly as diverse as the original.
Anyway, I know this has been a problem for species like the California Condor, when its population dropped so low.
Third, Dolly the clone is having some serious genetic problems right now. She is not a normal sheep. She is aging quicker, because her very first embryonic cell was not a fresh cell like a normal embryo, but an already aged cell from her
"mother." I wonder what effect this will have on the birds if their entire species is founded this way...? Will they only live half the normal life-span of their original counterparts?
Anyway, I like the idea. I don't have any ethical problems with it, but I think there a lot of practical problems that need to be addressed, and I wouldn't expect this species to miraculously reappear in New Zealand, healthy and unchanged from its original.
LL
Careful guys, don't give out your phone number for the show. Get another line or else you are going to end up with 13 year olds crank calling at 3am.
Any student of history (or anybody who knows _anything_ at all about history) knows that revolutions occur on a pretty regular schedule. Governments come into power, usually backed with the support of the majority of the population, on a platform that 'fixes' the problems of the previous government.
.02
But after a while, the new government gets so bogged down in its own buraucracy, and opportunists seize every chance they can to gain more power for themselves (=> less for the people) and eventually the new government that was supposed to fix all the problems of the previous one has its own set of problems.
Now I'm definately NOT a history major, but one instance that comes to mind is Russia/USSR. After the fall of the czars, a communist government (which sounds great on paper) took over. What happened? The few people in power were selfish, more concerned with themselves than with the good of the country, and then you get what happened in the 1980's.
What's my point? I think that our governent (remember how that came to be?) is starting to abuse its powers. The principles that the US was founded on are being twisted and manipulated by people with ulterior motives. This process is being accelerated to an incredible speed thanks to our level of technology (the Net, etc.).
The world is an imperfect place. No large population of people is every happy with their government for a long period of time. THIS WON'T CHANGE! As Joseph Campbell once said, (I don't remember it exactly), "The world isn't perfect. It's a mess. But it's a perfect mess."
Just my
LL
In my experience, putting the swap file on the outer edge of disk has increased performance. The disk is moving faster under the head at the edges of the disk. Just a small tip.
LL
it's amazing what a little fooling around with genetics and some sneaky biomedical engineering will get you.
in 'discover' magazine a few years ago, some scientists were able to make mice that would bioluminesce under fluorescent light. glow-in-the-dark mice!
and along the same lines as the finger, i think it was also in 'discover' that they showed the same type of thing with a human ear. there was a little picture of hairless mouse with a big ear sticking right out of its back.
it isn't going to be long until...
LL
Congrats, Rob and Hemos.
I've been lurking on this site for a year and half
now. It's the first site I check in the morning,
and the last at night.
The fact that you have been able to make a living
out of doing what you really like doing is very
admirable. I think you guys are doing the right
thing; you picked a good company without a hidden
open source or linux agenda, and you are guaranteed
creative control. What more could people want from
you?
So congratulations, and I look forward to all the
new and improved stuff that's going to show up.
(I just wish I had thought of this concept first!)
LL
It's important to remember that 'losses' or
'gains' in any quarter or year are all a matter
of accounting, especially for a these relatively
young and small companies.
In some situations it
is better for them to report losses and avoid paying income taxes than to report huge gains and end up paying taxes on them.
Without a serious analysis of the two companies'
financial situations, I wouldn't put much stock in the article.