The "Stored Communications Act of 1986" clearly needs to be updated, which is another example of why we need to keep a close eye on technology-specific legislation. Today's good idea becomes tomorrows loophole (for gov and criminals alike - both of which will take full advantage without thinking twice).
But the one thing that has never changed since the dawn of written communication is this: If you don't want something read, then don't write it down. Especially if you're laundering money from the insecure and poorly-endowed... because that's just wrong!
I watched the video of the thing crawling through a pigs gut - let me tell you... based on the rule in the background, they're going to have to get that thing a lot smaller before they try to insert it into *any* part of my body.
But I guess now I'm not so sure... I was watching the US armed forces channel in Germany - for me it was the afternoon, I guess. Mom was in the kitchen, preggers with my brother, dad was at work, and I was hunkered down in front of the tv watching the launch on the one-and-only channel available.
Anyone know if the overseas armed forces broadcast was live?
Yep - the wipes come in handy. Although I normally bring my own keyboard and mouse when starting a new job/gig. It's just one more thing you don't have to worry about.
What's really bad is when you're handed a crusty-key laptop (CKL)
I'm willing to guess that the difference was in the instructor. We had to write a 20-page paper at the end of the class - you could pretty much choose any topic you wanted. I was interested in graph theory at the time so I went for it. His words: "The first few pages sounded like you knew what you were talking about, the rest was absolute crap". And maybe it was, but damn.
The funny part was, I thought the first few pages were nothing but fluffy BS filler and the rest was fairly interesting and more relevant. Oh, well. Maybe that's why I'm not one of dem dere academic folk.
We did spend some time discussing techniques used by ancient Egyptians for calculating volume, Pi, stuff like that... but since the aliens gave them that anyway, I discounted it as irrelevant.
Treasure, indeed! My wife makes fun of me when I read it, but it is quite good. It's certaintly not as dry as the title might suggest to some... very interesting and well-written.
Now, I took a class in college called "History of Math" - that WAS every bit as boring as the title suggests!
Second edition. A good general reference with specific implementation notes for Perl, Java,.NET, etc. It is by far the most thumbed-through book on my "shelf" (aka, "The pile of books on the corner of my desk"). Good for beginners or experts needing a handy reference.
You wouldn't think so, but it's also a good cover-to-cover read, provided you're interested in that kind of thing.
Agreed - provided that the PHBs give you enough time for analysis, design, etc. Sadly, that's not always the case (dare I say, "rarely?")
I'm actually on a project now where the client has agreed for two months of analysis and design. That's certaintly not the norm. Not that we don't try, but in the end you have to bow down to your customer's wishes (either external or internal corporate "customers")
What you describe is awesome and goes a long way to ensure a project's success, but is often not a reflection of reality for most developers.
I loved the first Serious Sam - it was entertaining and fun. Plus it wasn't outrageously taxing on my poor-man's system.
I haven't played the new one yet, but I plan to. I have to have something to do in that half-hour from the time I finally get the kids to bed and I pass out myself!
...is paved with good intentions - or so my Grandmother taught me. They say that their goal is to protect the students, but consider a similar situation:
Teenagers are (as they have been for time out of mind) engaged in sexual activity, but that's a potentially destructive behavior if approached irresponsibly. Even though some studies suggest more teenagers seem to be abstaining longer, you still have an underlying problem. You don't try to suspend students for having sex (or shouldn't anyway - I don't know if this happens or not - how could they?) So you teach them that the best thing to do is abstain, but if that doesn't work you teach responsibility. And by the way, here's a handful of condoms from the nurse's office.
Blogging can be a great outlet for a teen, but I do see some inherent dangers, even if in this case they may have been overblown a bit. Teach responsibility. Inform parents. If you can't control a thing, then you shouldn't try, lest you spend your time enforcing a stupid rule without creating a real (or at the very least marginally better) solution.
I read an article recently (hell, it may have been posted here - I can't remember). It was essentially describing the same thing, only with machines/robots. We tend to attribute human characteristics to simple robots (think Roomba - some people treat those things like pets), but when they look too human, then we are repulsed by them - they just look too damned creepy.
Rather than struggling to sift out customers from looky-loos, perhaps you can just make it easy for them to find you?
No, no, no... I would be completely lost if I wasn't bombarded by advertising all day long telling me what I want or need!
If Disney hadn't been pushing that princess crap everywhere we look my daughter would never have known that what she absolutely had to have was a plastic Cinderella vanity (yep, I bought it for Daddy's little princess - couldn't help it)
Seriously, though, it's a good point you make. But advertisers don't really see advertising as a convenience for the consumer. How much crap is bought every day because some ad firm found a catchy way to convince us that we need it? Even knowing full damn well that I'm being manipulated, I still catch myself doing it. Exposure is one thing, but it's passive. Real advertising is much more aggressive than that.
Sad... perhaps. But historically, some of our greatest scientific/technological advances have been a direct result of our need to creatively destroy each other.
Ignore my other comment (not that that's generally difficult to do!)
From the FAQ at liftport.com:
Energy is one area that could benefit from a space elevator. Large solar arrays, for example, could be easily lifted into space, creating an inexpensive source of clean, limitless and eco-friendly energy, beamed back down to earth.
An interview. So pay the money (and hopefully, you can convince your current company to flip the bill), stick it on your resume, and you may have a better chance at getting that first interview. After that, you're on your own.
For those of us who like to geek out in style, you can get the spiffy logo shirts with your certs pretentiously embroidered on them. I wear mine to family reunions - they're chick magnets.
I have a 3-year-old (almost 4) that has her own laptop. It's an older one, but perfect for her games. It's nice because it's portable, built like a tank (like I said: "older"), and takes up very little room. She can also manipulate the touchpad much easier than a traditional mouse.
I have XP installed - she can boot the machine, click on her name to log in, then inserts the cd for the game she wants to play. I very rarely have to help her anymore.
Punishment should always fit the crime... I wouldn't consider the death penalty as a serious proposal.
I've always thought that non-physical attacks on computer systems should be equated under the law to equally destructive physical attacks (defacement, theft, etc...) Easier said than done, but I can see no other way to be fair.
Slashdot Mirror
The "Stored Communications Act of 1986" clearly needs to be updated, which is another example of why we need to keep a close eye on technology-specific legislation. Today's good idea becomes tomorrows loophole (for gov and criminals alike - both of which will take full advantage without thinking twice).
But the one thing that has never changed since the dawn of written communication is this: If you don't want something read, then don't write it down. Especially if you're laundering money from the insecure and poorly-endowed... because that's just wrong!
That's the important one!
I watched the video of the thing crawling through a pigs gut - let me tell you... based on the rule in the background, they're going to have to get that thing a lot smaller before they try to insert it into *any* part of my body.
Exit only, please.
But I guess now I'm not so sure... I was watching the US armed forces channel in Germany - for me it was the afternoon, I guess. Mom was in the kitchen, preggers with my brother, dad was at work, and I was hunkered down in front of the tv watching the launch on the one-and-only channel available.
Anyone know if the overseas armed forces broadcast was live?
Yep - the wipes come in handy. Although I normally bring my own keyboard and mouse when starting a new job/gig. It's just one more thing you don't have to worry about.
What's really bad is when you're handed a crusty-key laptop (CKL)
I'm willing to guess that the difference was in the instructor. We had to write a 20-page paper at the end of the class - you could pretty much choose any topic you wanted. I was interested in graph theory at the time so I went for it. His words: "The first few pages sounded like you knew what you were talking about, the rest was absolute crap". And maybe it was, but damn.
The funny part was, I thought the first few pages were nothing but fluffy BS filler and the rest was fairly interesting and more relevant. Oh, well. Maybe that's why I'm not one of dem dere academic folk.
We did spend some time discussing techniques used by ancient Egyptians for calculating volume, Pi, stuff like that... but since the aliens gave them that anyway, I discounted it as irrelevant.
Treasure, indeed! My wife makes fun of me when I read it, but it is quite good. It's certaintly not as dry as the title might suggest to some... very interesting and well-written.
Now, I took a class in college called "History of Math" - that WAS every bit as boring as the title suggests!
Second edition. A good general reference with specific implementation notes for Perl, Java, .NET, etc. It is by far the most thumbed-through book on my "shelf" (aka, "The pile of books on the corner of my desk"). Good for beginners or experts needing a handy reference.
You wouldn't think so, but it's also a good cover-to-cover read, provided you're interested in that kind of thing.
By Jeffrey Friedl
How about ugly wheels to go with my Mom's Aztec?
How do you personally feel about this? (Cheated\Angry\Flattered\What's A Bittorrent?)
Hey... Where's the CoyboyNeal option?
Agreed - provided that the PHBs give you enough time for analysis, design, etc. Sadly, that's not always the case (dare I say, "rarely?")
I'm actually on a project now where the client has agreed for two months of analysis and design. That's certaintly not the norm. Not that we don't try, but in the end you have to bow down to your customer's wishes (either external or internal corporate "customers")
What you describe is awesome and goes a long way to ensure a project's success, but is often not a reflection of reality for most developers.
I loved the first Serious Sam - it was entertaining and fun. Plus it wasn't outrageously taxing on my poor-man's system.
I haven't played the new one yet, but I plan to. I have to have something to do in that half-hour from the time I finally get the kids to bed and I pass out myself!
...is paved with good intentions - or so my Grandmother taught me. They say that their goal is to protect the students, but consider a similar situation:
Teenagers are (as they have been for time out of mind) engaged in sexual activity, but that's a potentially destructive behavior if approached irresponsibly. Even though some studies suggest more teenagers seem to be abstaining longer, you still have an underlying problem. You don't try to suspend students for having sex (or shouldn't anyway - I don't know if this happens or not - how could they?) So you teach them that the best thing to do is abstain, but if that doesn't work you teach responsibility. And by the way, here's a handful of condoms from the nurse's office.
Blogging can be a great outlet for a teen, but I do see some inherent dangers, even if in this case they may have been overblown a bit. Teach responsibility. Inform parents. If you can't control a thing, then you shouldn't try, lest you spend your time enforcing a stupid rule without creating a real (or at the very least marginally better) solution.
I read an article recently (hell, it may have been posted here - I can't remember). It was essentially describing the same thing, only with machines/robots. We tend to attribute human characteristics to simple robots (think Roomba - some people treat those things like pets), but when they look too human, then we are repulsed by them - they just look too damned creepy.
By then it's too late (for most, anyway). If he really wants to inspire youth to technology careers, then he needs to be visiting high schools.
Rather than struggling to sift out customers from looky-loos, perhaps you can just make it easy for them to find you?
No, no, no... I would be completely lost if I wasn't bombarded by advertising all day long telling me what I want or need!
If Disney hadn't been pushing that princess crap everywhere we look my daughter would never have known that what she absolutely had to have was a plastic Cinderella vanity (yep, I bought it for Daddy's little princess - couldn't help it)
Seriously, though, it's a good point you make. But advertisers don't really see advertising as a convenience for the consumer. How much crap is bought every day because some ad firm found a catchy way to convince us that we need it? Even knowing full damn well that I'm being manipulated, I still catch myself doing it. Exposure is one thing, but it's passive. Real advertising is much more aggressive than that.
we need to eliminate trade barriers and allow them to sell us low-cost goods
How 'bout cheap laptops.
I keed!
Sad... perhaps. But historically, some of our greatest scientific/technological advances have been a direct result of our need to creatively destroy each other.
It is what it is.
Ignore my other comment (not that that's generally difficult to do!) From the FAQ at liftport.com: Energy is one area that could benefit from a space elevator. Large solar arrays, for example, could be easily lifted into space, creating an inexpensive source of clean, limitless and eco-friendly energy, beamed back down to earth.
Or combine the two.
An interview. So pay the money (and hopefully, you can convince your current company to flip the bill), stick it on your resume, and you may have a better chance at getting that first interview. After that, you're on your own.
For those of us who like to geek out in style, you can get the spiffy logo shirts with your certs pretentiously embroidered on them. I wear mine to family reunions - they're chick magnets.
Well... add a web cam and you might have a good spotter (that you don't have to pay bonuses to).
You'll still need a good harvester and carryall, though.
In the future youth street gangs will stand on the street corners with laptops leeching unprotected wi-fi.
What do you mean, "in the future"?
I have a 3-year-old (almost 4) that has her own laptop. It's an older one, but perfect for her games. It's nice because it's portable, built like a tank (like I said: "older"), and takes up very little room. She can also manipulate the touchpad much easier than a traditional mouse.
I have XP installed - she can boot the machine, click on her name to log in, then inserts the cd for the game she wants to play. I very rarely have to help her anymore.
Punishment should always fit the crime... I wouldn't consider the death penalty as a serious proposal.
I've always thought that non-physical attacks on computer systems should be equated under the law to equally destructive physical attacks (defacement, theft, etc...) Easier said than done, but I can see no other way to be fair.