They don't *work* on standards compliance... they make up their own standard then either request, suggest, or force people to use their standard.
Does anyone else remember when M$ tried to push Mp3 out of the market by introducing a copyright-conscious version, where they could control and easily charge for music in the future? How long did that last?
Just calculate how much one paycheck is worth in terms of staples, post-its and paper clips. I don't think many grocery stores accept payment in the form of thumbtacks and tape, but you never know. Maybe they're low in stock and would be happy to accept your new "currency".
Yeah, that might give way to another protocol: MoIP.
Murder over IP.
Or, if you swear it was an "accident",
Manslaughter over IP.
I'd hate to be the guy servicing the cameras in that establishment. Instead of firearms they should use paintguns so you can see what a rabbit looks like in a nice marblized orange and purple swirl.
I'm not so sure this is the best thing. I mean its good to have people working on OSS projects, but I think part of what made OSS projects so good was that the people who wrote them really wanted to write them, and make sure they were good. If we have a whole country full of unemployed programmers writing OSS code because they have to (to receive welfare) then that motivation has changed considerably.
I tend to do something much better when I want to rather than when I have to. Math is a perfect example. I hated calculus, not because it was hard, but because it was tedious. I loved vector math because I used that to do OpenGL programming and made some really cool interactive scenes. Result: a better grade in graphics (vector math) than in calculus.
Motivation is a powerful thing, and hopefully the quality of the work they do isn't undermined by their desire (or need) for money.
I have to agree. Instead of trying to protect information like our SSNs (which will never happen) we should instead make it more difficult to apply for these credit/life ruining things, like credit cards, loans, whatever. I have a little trashcan on the inside of my front door that all of the credit card applications, mortgage applications, and anything else that is more than a 'To the Resident At...' letter. Those get shredded, then incinerated.
How honest do you think all of the waiters/waitresses are in the country? You don't think that no server has ever written down or somehow captured your credit card number before charging your meal to your card? Even worse, they also have that little 3-4 digit number that verifies that you actually own the card.
Recently while making an online purchase, I was asked to provide that number. I instantly thought that if I gave that number away to someone else, then THEY would have that number, as well as all the information that I provided to bill me. The caveat is that I wanted them to charge me, but how do I know that my CC information isn't in some waiting-to-be-hacked database somewhere? I don't, so I check my statements rigorously to make sure that there are no charges on there that I don't know about. Since our bank offers online banking, I don't have to wait until the end of the month see what's happening.
The problem with this whole situation is not that poeple's information is being leaked to/stolen by dishonest people, its that those people have way too easy of a time USING that information for their own benefit. Make it more difficult to USE this sensitive information, and the information will become less sensitive.
I've never seen a cop show or heard about a court case where they convicted someone based on what their SSN was, but they use fingerprints for that all the time. Why should this be any different.
Instead of trying to track down these identity thieves after they commit these crimes, how about we change the way that the sensitive information is used? You can assume another person's identity with little more than a name, address, SSN, and phone number. Why is that? What makes it so easy to assume another person's identity with that little information? If I lose (or someone steals) my wallet, all of that information is in that (SSN on drivers license, another great idea) except my phone number, which can be easily gotten with a phone book , google, or a 35 cent 411 call.
How about these companies that are giving out credit, loans, new ID cards, whatever, be a little more diligent in trying to see who is who. Some alternate ideas: (Not advocating one or the other, just mentioning some)
Photo ID (surprising how many people dont require one for sensitive transactions)
Fingerprint (already in use in some banks for check-cashing for non-customers)
Single-use pin/credit cards numbers. (Some CC companies have these, but its nowhere near mainstream yet)
I'm not saying we should need a signed notarized affidavit with DNA sample to get a credit card, but its just too easy to take over another person's life with just a few pieces of information.
Another little experiment I've done: On the back of my debit card, I have written (very bold) ASK FOR ID. I use it probably half a dozen times a week on average. Less than 10% of the cashiers/etc that I use it with actually ask me for ID. Probably half of the ones who do never take more than 1 second to look at my ID.
Now I can't read up on how to shoot myself in the head... (Oh wait, guns are outlawed down under now, right?) So now I can't read up on how to jump off a building. (Are tall buildings still legal in Australia?) Rope? Knives? Cannons? Elaborate schemes involving pulleys, counterweights, a rabid squirrel, and just the right amount of acorns that will fit in your rear end?
Anyone who can't successfully commit suicide is either too dumb to live, or doesn't really want to die. Now THAT'S irony.
This gives me just one more reason to hate France, which will probably give them one more reason to hate Americans. It's a vicious cycle that I'm proud to be a part of, because, well as I stated before, I hate France.
A friend of mine has a VoIP service, and I think its horrible. He cuts in and out all the time, low volume (even though he says he's almost shouting) and there's constant static. I don't know who his carrier is, but if thats any indication of the general quality of VoIP, then I'll stick with my landline and cell phone.
Anyone else have good or bad experience with VoIP quality?
Slackware has been using BitTorrent for a while now. You have the option of using that, or the normal download methods. You can visit them here.
I've seen many other legitimate uses for BitTorrent, since there are a lot of things to download that are of considerable size.
Guns are sometimes used to commit crimes, yet we do not outlaw them. Bongs are being sold at the local Waterbeds N Stuff. Knives that aren't practical for neither hunting or home protection can be purchased in lots of places. Why should software be any different?
If you breathe air from within the borders of Texas, or within a "breathing distance" of 0.23 miles, you are subject to the Air Tax, which helps compensate the government for your consumption of oxygen and also provides monies to properly dispose of that nasty carbon dioxide that is exhaled.
If we pattern any sigificant amount of our laws after Costa Rica, I think VoIP will be the least of our problems. Hopefully the old folks home (aka Congress) will know better than to take that kind of precedent in mind.
Production and distribution internationally would not create any more US army recruits, and hence be a waste of money.
This isn't a recruiting tool. Its a propaganda tool. I played AA from version 1.6 to 2.2, and there were probably more international players than US players, all across the time board. Most people just wanted a free online game.
The whole point of the game was to make people think about our soldiers, and what they're doing "over there" (wherever "there" is at the time). Nobody ever discussed wanting to join the military just from playing the game.
A recruiting tool is the 'Army of One' campaign at the army is using, not this game. Making someone think that they are an army all by themselves (when in reality they are a drone that is supposed to do what theyre told and nothing more) is what might convince someone to join up.
So the government isn't wasting money on a recruiting tool. They are wasting money on propaganda. They want folks to sympathize with the American Soldier, which will bolster support for them, and for their warmongering leader.
(Yes, I am an American, and have been my whole life.)
What we are not doing is trying to claim ownership of the M.A.M.E. open source emulator or sue its authors. We are concerned about the commercial marketplace, and not the readers of the many M.A.M.E. user groups and forums.
It sounds to me as if the application for a trademark was submitted illegally. The part about believing you to be the creator, or something like that seems obviously false. The letter on the website shows without a doubt that you are aware of the existence of a program of the same name, yet you signed the trademark application anyway.
You also stated that you want to use the trademark just as leverage to sue those who are committing crimes. If you are truly interested in this, perhaps you should start collecting information about who is distributing these illegal copies of roms and turn it over to the law, or, *gasp* the actual developers of MAME. You can say that you don't want to make a profit off of the MAME name until youre blue in the face, but since you have other (legal) methods of achieving your goal, which you have not taken, then it makes you, the person who fraudulently submitted an application to USPTO, no better than the people who copy these roms.
Now IANAL, but doesn't the copyright on some of these games expire after a certain amount of time? Unlike Disney, some creators DO allow their creations to fall into the public domain after a while. What about playing these games on MAME?
Oh, wait about fair use laws? According to fair use law, I have the right to download a song off the internet if I already own the song in some comparable digital format. Where does the law state that owning a ROM chip doesn't give you the right to play the game? You say the law is strict, but don't quote it or even mention what the law DOES say.
This is a good idea (implementation will be its success or downfall) because you can't just walk outside, down to the park and plug your cable tv into the tree next to you and watch your favorite show.
One thing you might be missing is the reasonable price part of it. There are (at least) two factors involved anytime a price for this kind of service comes up:
1. How much will the average person be willing to pay for such a service 2. What other competition exists, and what do they charge?
While #1 might be regulated by the local Public Utilities Commission or other (quasi-)governmental entity, its still a supply-and-demand market.
One thing I noticed about version of mysql (prior to version 4.1, I believe) was that mysql didn't support the notion of nested queries, which at the time, was what I really needed to perform. An upgrade to mysql 4.1 solved this, but something that what I would consider to be an integral part of sql was just "left out" of previous versions just reinforced my decision to use PostgreSQL instead. (The mysql databaase was a product of a coworker, not using our organizational standards.)
As much as I'd like to become a game developer, I wouldn't put much stock in a school that has a website that looks utterly horrible (and is totally non functional) under anything but IE. Try viewing it with Firefox and see how well it handles.
If it wasn't for Lighthouses, then Puff the Magic Dragon wouldn't have found a place to live where a young kid next door to him could feed and love him.
Save these structures that are known to promote safety to animated magical beasts everywhere!
What most of these lawmakers and city/state administrators fail to realize is that watching or playing one of these violent video games does not make an otherwise peaceful or innocent teenager go out and commit violent crimes. This is just the same as outlawing black trenchcoats in school because of the Columbine situation. Wearing trenchcoats isn't going to make you murder your schoolmates.
Its called predisposition. There are lots of folks out there who can't honestly separate reality from fantasy. These are the folks you heard about a decade ago who went out and stabbed someone with a long sword after playing D&D for 45 hours straight. The people who commit violent crimes after playing games like Grand Theft Auto are the ones who were already predisposed to commit those crimes. They just needed some kind of catalyst or spark to get them going. These are the people who should be seeing psychiatrists. The game might give them the idea of what violent crimes to commit, but playing a video game isn't going to turn the Beaver into a killer.
Here's what needs to happen:
1. The problem children need to be identified early. These are the kids who are torturing small animals, play with fire, etc etc. 2. Parents need to educate their children on the difference between fantasy and reality. 3. Parents need to pay attention to what their children play and watch. I'm a father of two small children now, and my oldest one is just beginning to be old enough that I need to censor what she sees and hears.
I think the solution lies in the household, not in the government. While I don't think that a 12 year old boy should be buying GTA: San Andreas, I think that IF they did buy it, there's a much bigger problem at home, and that boy's parents need to be examined.
Slashdot Mirror
They don't *work* on standards compliance... they make up their own standard then either request, suggest, or force people to use their standard.
Does anyone else remember when M$ tried to push Mp3 out of the market by introducing a copyright-conscious version, where they could control and easily charge for music in the future?
How long did that last?
Perhaps instead of "getting into the anti-virus market" maybe they should reconsider how they might make the underlying infrastruture less vulnerable.
There's a reason for user mode and kernel mode. Just because the "system" CAN have full permissions to everything, doesn't mean that it should!
Besides just think of all the money they can make selling books/classes on how to configure their newfound security!
Just calculate how much one paycheck is worth in terms of staples, post-its and paper clips. I don't think many grocery stores accept payment in the form of thumbtacks and tape, but you never know. Maybe they're low in stock and would be happy to accept your new "currency".
Yeah, that might give way to another protocol: MoIP.
Murder over IP.
Or, if you swear it was an "accident",
Manslaughter over IP.
I'd hate to be the guy servicing the cameras in that establishment. Instead of firearms they should use paintguns so you can see what a rabbit looks like in a nice marblized orange and purple swirl.
I'm not so sure this is the best thing. I mean its good to have people working on OSS projects, but I think part of what made OSS projects so good was that the people who wrote them really wanted to write them, and make sure they were good. If we have a whole country full of unemployed programmers writing OSS code because they have to (to receive welfare) then that motivation has changed considerably.
I tend to do something much better when I want to rather than when I have to. Math is a perfect example. I hated calculus, not because it was hard, but because it was tedious. I loved vector math because I used that to do OpenGL programming and made some really cool interactive scenes. Result: a better grade in graphics (vector math) than in calculus.
Motivation is a powerful thing, and hopefully the quality of the work they do isn't undermined by their desire (or need) for money.
There is no spoo...
Ack! My neighbor is flashing me from across the street with images of his grandmother again... get this thing off of me!
I have to agree. Instead of trying to protect information like our SSNs (which will never happen) we should instead make it more difficult to apply for these credit/life ruining things, like credit cards, loans, whatever. I have a little trashcan on the inside of my front door that all of the credit card applications, mortgage applications, and anything else that is more than a 'To the Resident At...' letter. Those get shredded, then incinerated.
How honest do you think all of the waiters/waitresses are in the country? You don't think that no server has ever written down or somehow captured your credit card number before charging your meal to your card? Even worse, they also have that little 3-4 digit number that verifies that you actually own the card.
Recently while making an online purchase, I was asked to provide that number. I instantly thought that if I gave that number away to someone else, then THEY would have that number, as well as all the information that I provided to bill me. The caveat is that I wanted them to charge me, but how do I know that my CC information isn't in some waiting-to-be-hacked database somewhere?
I don't, so I check my statements rigorously to make sure that there are no charges on there that I don't know about. Since our bank offers online banking, I don't have to wait until the end of the month see what's happening.
The problem with this whole situation is not that poeple's information is being leaked to/stolen by dishonest people, its that those people have way too easy of a time USING that information for their own benefit. Make it more difficult to USE this sensitive information, and the information will become less sensitive.
I've never seen a cop show or heard about a court case where they convicted someone based on what their SSN was, but they use fingerprints for that all the time. Why should this be any different.
How about these companies that are giving out credit, loans, new ID cards, whatever, be a little more diligent in trying to see who is who. Some alternate ideas: (Not advocating one or the other, just mentioning some)
I'm not saying we should need a signed notarized affidavit with DNA sample to get a credit card, but its just too easy to take over another person's life with just a few pieces of information.
Another little experiment I've done: On the back of my debit card, I have written (very bold) ASK FOR ID. I use it probably half a dozen times a week on average. Less than 10% of the cashiers/etc that I use it with actually ask me for ID. Probably half of the ones who do never take more than 1 second to look at my ID.
Now I can't read up on how to shoot myself in the head... (Oh wait, guns are outlawed down under now, right?) So now I can't read up on how to jump off a building. (Are tall buildings still legal in Australia?) Rope? Knives? Cannons? Elaborate schemes involving pulleys, counterweights, a rabid squirrel, and just the right amount of acorns that will fit in your rear end?
Anyone who can't successfully commit suicide is either too dumb to live, or doesn't really want to die. Now THAT'S irony.
This gives me just one more reason to hate France, which will probably give them one more reason to hate Americans. It's a vicious cycle that I'm proud to be a part of, because, well as I stated before, I hate France.
They *DO* like cheese with their wine (whine).
A friend of mine has a VoIP service, and I think its horrible. He cuts in and out all the time, low volume (even though he says he's almost shouting) and there's constant static. I don't know who his carrier is, but if thats any indication of the general quality of VoIP, then I'll stick with my landline and cell phone.
Anyone else have good or bad experience with VoIP quality?
Slackware has been using BitTorrent for a while now. You have the option of using that, or the normal download methods. You can visit them here.
I've seen many other legitimate uses for BitTorrent, since there are a lot of things to download that are of considerable size.
Guns are sometimes used to commit crimes, yet we do not outlaw them. Bongs are being sold at the local Waterbeds N Stuff. Knives that aren't practical for neither hunting or home protection can be purchased in lots of places. Why should software be any different?
At least there wasn't any mention of jobs wanting 5+ years experience with Windows 2003 Server.
Coming soon to Texas: The Air Tax.
If you breathe air from within the borders of Texas, or within a "breathing distance" of 0.23 miles, you are subject to the Air Tax, which helps compensate the government for your consumption of oxygen and also provides monies to properly dispose of that nasty carbon dioxide that is exhaled.
If we pattern any sigificant amount of our laws after Costa Rica, I think VoIP will be the least of our problems. Hopefully the old folks home (aka Congress) will know better than to take that kind of precedent in mind.
Please report the facts. Wine is not an emulator.
WINE actually stands for:
Wine
Is
Not an
Emulator
It's am implementation of the win32 library.
Some might not see the difference, but there is a difference.
A small step for Windows anti-piracy,
One giant leap for the advocation of OSS.
I guess there's no question now as to what I'm going
to install on that new HD of mine. (As if there was doubt before this, I guess.)
Production and distribution internationally would not create any more US army recruits, and hence be a waste of money.
This isn't a recruiting tool. Its a propaganda tool. I played AA from version 1.6 to 2.2, and there were probably more international players than US players, all across the time board. Most people just wanted a free online game.
The whole point of the game was to make people think about our soldiers, and what they're doing "over there" (wherever "there" is at the time). Nobody ever discussed wanting to join the military just from playing the game.
A recruiting tool is the 'Army of One' campaign at the army is using, not this game. Making someone think that they are an army all by themselves (when in reality they are a drone that is supposed to do what theyre told and nothing more) is what might convince someone to join up.
So the government isn't wasting money on a recruiting tool. They are wasting money on propaganda. They want folks to sympathize with the American Soldier, which will bolster support for them, and for their warmongering leader.
(Yes, I am an American, and have been my whole life.)
What we are not doing is trying to claim ownership of the M.A.M.E. open source emulator or sue its authors. We are concerned about the commercial marketplace, and not the readers of the many M.A.M.E. user groups and forums.
It sounds to me as if the application for a trademark was submitted illegally. The part about believing you to be the creator, or something like that seems obviously false. The letter on the website shows without a doubt that you are aware of the existence of a program of the same name, yet you signed the trademark application anyway.
You also stated that you want to use the trademark just as leverage to sue those who are committing crimes. If you are truly interested in this, perhaps you should start collecting information about who is distributing these illegal copies of roms and turn it over to the law, or, *gasp* the actual developers of MAME. You can say that you don't want to make a profit off of the MAME name until youre blue in the face, but since you have other (legal) methods of achieving your goal, which you have not taken, then it makes you, the person who fraudulently submitted an application to USPTO, no better than the people who copy these roms.
Now IANAL, but doesn't the copyright on some of these games expire after a certain amount of time? Unlike Disney, some creators DO allow their creations to fall into the public domain after a while. What about playing these games on MAME?
Oh, wait about fair use laws? According to fair use law, I have the right to download a song off the internet if I already own the song in some comparable digital format. Where does the law state that owning a ROM chip doesn't give you the right to play the game? You say the law is strict, but don't quote it or even mention what the law DOES say.
This is a good idea (implementation will be its success or downfall) because you can't just walk outside, down to the park and plug your cable tv into the tree next to you and watch your favorite show.
One thing you might be missing is the reasonable price part of it. There are (at least) two factors involved anytime a price for this kind of service comes up:
1. How much will the average person be willing to pay for such a service
2. What other competition exists, and what do they charge?
While #1 might be regulated by the local Public Utilities Commission or other (quasi-)governmental entity, its still a supply-and-demand market.
If I can make money from the lawyers instead of them making money off of me, how is that a bad thing?
I'm just disappointed that I didn't think of it first. Good job Michael.
One thing I noticed about version of mysql (prior to version 4.1, I believe) was that mysql didn't support the notion of nested queries, which at the time, was what I really needed to perform. An upgrade to mysql 4.1 solved this, but something that what I would consider to be an integral part of sql was just "left out" of previous versions just reinforced my decision to use PostgreSQL instead. (The mysql databaase was a product of a coworker, not using our organizational standards.)
As much as I'd like to become a game developer, I wouldn't put much stock in a school that has a website that looks utterly horrible (and is totally non functional) under anything but IE. Try viewing it with Firefox and see how well it handles.
If it wasn't for Lighthouses, then Puff
the Magic Dragon wouldn't have found
a place to live where a young kid next door
to him could feed and love him.
Save these structures that are known
to promote safety to animated magical beasts
everywhere!
What most of these lawmakers and city/state administrators fail to realize is that watching or playing one of these violent video games does not make an otherwise peaceful or innocent teenager go out and commit violent crimes. This is just the same as outlawing black trenchcoats in school because of the Columbine situation. Wearing trenchcoats isn't going to make you murder your schoolmates.
Its called predisposition. There are lots of folks out there who can't honestly separate reality from fantasy. These are the folks you heard about a decade ago who went out and stabbed someone with a long sword after playing D&D for 45 hours straight. The people who commit violent crimes after playing games like Grand Theft Auto are the ones who were already predisposed to commit those crimes. They just needed some kind of catalyst or spark to get them going. These are the people who should be seeing psychiatrists. The game might give them the idea of what violent crimes to commit, but playing a video game isn't going to turn the Beaver into a killer.
Here's what needs to happen:
1. The problem children need to be identified early. These are the kids who are torturing small animals, play with fire, etc etc.
2. Parents need to educate their children on the difference between fantasy and reality.
3. Parents need to pay attention to what their children play and watch. I'm a father of two small children now, and my oldest one is just beginning to be old enough that I need to censor what she sees and hears.
I think the solution lies in the household, not in the government. While I don't think that a 12 year old boy should be buying GTA: San Andreas, I think that IF they did buy it, there's a much bigger problem at home, and that boy's parents need to be examined.