Hmmm and here I kept thinking that it was refering to the Gargoyles cartoon put out by Disney.
(As a quick FYI, I think about half the recurring characters ended up getting tech implanted in them one way or another by the end of the series... talk about a set of writers with a mean streak towards their characters . Definately not your usual Disney fair... except maybe the last season).
Now I'm going to have to go give Snow Crash a read...
As a native New Yorker I was deeply concerned over the posibility of a transit strike happening. (If no reconsiliation is met the strike is set to start at midnight Wednesday morning).
Suddenly its all clear!
1) The FSF is holding its awards in NYC on wednesday. 2) Microsoft is a large supplier of software to government. 3) Obviously, in an effort to insure poor coverage and a poor turnout at the FSF awards, Microsoft has gotten the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority who run our busses and subways) to make a 'strike' happen. If the MTA didn't do this then Microsoft would withhold some crucial patches to Microsoft's "Big Government '00" (y2k edition) software.
Of course an alternative view is that in an effort to promote the view that reliance on one vendor is a bad thing, RMS is actually instigating this so people see that relying on one Transit Authority for all your commuting needs is a bad thing.
(removing toungue from cheek)
On the other hand it could just be bad management/union negotiations:)
This isn't trying to troll or start a flame war but it seems like the book has gone down on everyones list of favorites of all times. I'd love to agree , and after reading all these glowing reviews I may try to reread/finish it. Yes, finish it. Somehow it is one of the few books I've ever picked up that I was not able to finish and put down about half way through. Granted I was reading it when I was about 16 somewhere in the mid-eighty's so I may not have either experianced the same things that those who read and enjoyed the book did, or else I may have simply been too young to enjoy it and get the most out of it. At the time it seemed rather dull and dragging and at a time when I was going through an average of a book every few days, I was still trying to get through this one after a month.
I'll have to go find a copy in the library (I gave mine up when I moved) and give it another look. I hope its better the second time around.
P.S. I was sitting around one day and after finding out my father had read a fair amount of fiction growing up (before switching to Mysteries ) he had found the same problems I did, and it also goes down as one of the only books he's been unable to finish also.
but... from what I understand the people reviewing patent claims have a quota to make.
The quota being non-rejected and completed patent applications per month. In other words, it is in their best interest to let patents just 'go through' and let the courts fix anything later.
Can anyone out there who works in the field either confirm or deny this?
Um... I hate to point this out but NT can (does?) run 16 bit apps. To say that it can't run any because it doesn't have 16-bit code is as rediculous as saying HP-UX 64bit OS can't run applications compiled for HP-UX 32bit. I believe what NT does is run all 32bit applications in their own address space, and all 16bit apps in one address space (along with the nasty tendancy of a 16 bit app taking out all other 16 bit apps, as well as messing up the system integrity, when it dies).
I seem to recall a report by 20/20 a few years back about a radio listening post Russia maintained in Cuba. The gist of the report was that since the fall of the USSR (and perhaps before) the outpost had been used to provide commercial information to Russian bussinesses by eavesdropping on telephone/fax/data communications in the Florida area. This was possible due to the proximity and the large scale use of both cell phones, and ground stations to/from sattelite communication for telephone calls/faxes.
The example of 'prior art' that comes to mind most readily is in SAS. There is a variable you can set that allows the system to institue windowing for two digit dates based on whichever date you choose. This 'feature' is at least 3-4 years old (I believe) and may in fact be even older.
Perhaps there should be some deliniation of specialty within the USPTO so that the people aproving the patents are required to have some background with the given field for which they are aproving?
This is part of the disclaimer from Microsoft's Copyright page, a link to which is included on the bottom of all MS web pages, including the test sites. Considering how broken the pages are (with JavaScript or NetScape) I guess when they say they arent kidding (emphesis added by me):
MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE DOCUMENTS AND RELATED GRAPHICS PUBLISHED ON THIS SERVER FOR ANY PURPOSE. ALL SUCH DOCUMENTS AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM THIS SERVER.
THE DOCUMENTS AND RELATED GRAPHICS PUBLISHED ON THIS SERVER COULD INCLUDE TECHNICAL INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR CHANGES IN THE PRODUCT(S) AND/OR THE PROGRAM(S) DESCRIBED HEREIN AT ANY TIME.
Hmmm considering how many remote control programs are out there, and considering how none of them (except of for BO or BO2k) are viewed as virii (expecially by McAfee, Norton, Etc.), it would be nice to have a Win32 program that could run and informs you if it detects one of these 'malicious' programs or (even better), gives you the option of terminating them.
Of course a package that allows you to de-install, or hack apart SMS would also be nice (replace it with a program that would let the user audit its activity or confirm its actions).
Of course I'm not a serious programmer so I don't know how tough either of these ideas would be to impliment, but they sure would make for interesting projects. (grin)
Slashdot Mirror
Hmmm and here I kept thinking that it was refering to the Gargoyles cartoon put out by Disney.
(As a quick FYI, I think about half the recurring characters ended up getting tech implanted in them one way or another by the end of the series... talk about a set of writers with a mean streak towards their characters . Definately not your usual Disney fair... except maybe the last season).
Now I'm going to have to go give Snow Crash a read...
- Reunite Gondwana-land
As a native New Yorker I was deeply concerned over the posibility of a transit strike happening. (If no reconsiliation is met the strike is set to start at midnight Wednesday morning).
:)
Suddenly its all clear!
1) The FSF is holding its awards in NYC on wednesday.
2) Microsoft is a large supplier of software to government.
3) Obviously, in an effort to insure poor coverage and a poor turnout at the FSF awards, Microsoft has gotten the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority who run our busses and subways) to make a 'strike' happen. If the MTA didn't do this then Microsoft would withhold some crucial patches to Microsoft's "Big Government '00" (y2k edition) software.
Of course an alternative view is that in an effort to promote the view that reliance on one vendor is a bad thing, RMS is actually instigating this so people see that relying on one Transit Authority for all your commuting needs is a bad thing.
(removing toungue from cheek)
On the other hand it could just be bad management/union negotiations
- Reunite Gondwana-land
This isn't trying to troll or start a flame war but it seems like the book has gone down on everyones list of favorites of all times. I'd love to agree , and after reading all these glowing reviews I may try to reread/finish it. Yes, finish it. Somehow it is one of the few books I've ever picked up that I was not able to finish and put down about half way through. Granted I was reading it when I was about 16 somewhere in the mid-eighty's so I may not have either experianced the same things that those who read and enjoyed the book did, or else I may have simply been too young to enjoy it and get the most out of it. At the time it seemed rather dull and dragging and at a time when I was going through an average of a book every few days, I was still trying to get through this one after a month.
I'll have to go find a copy in the library (I gave mine up when I moved) and give it another look. I hope its better the second time around.
P.S. I was sitting around one day and after finding out my father had read a fair amount of fiction growing up (before switching to Mysteries ) he had found the same problems I did, and it also goes down as one of the only books he's been unable to finish also.
- Reunite Gondwana-land
IANAPO (I Am Not A Patent Officer) :)
but... from what I understand the people reviewing patent claims have a quota to make.
The quota being non-rejected and completed patent applications per month. In other words, it is in their best interest to let patents just 'go through' and let the courts fix anything later.
Can anyone out there who works in the field either confirm or deny this?
Uhg! (if its true)
Um... I hate to point this out but NT can (does?) run 16 bit apps. To say that it can't run any because it doesn't have 16-bit code is as rediculous as saying HP-UX 64bit OS can't run applications compiled for HP-UX 32bit.
I believe what NT does is run all 32bit applications in their own address space, and all 16bit apps in one address space (along with the nasty tendancy of a 16 bit app taking out all other 16 bit apps, as well as messing up the system integrity, when it dies).
I seem to recall a report by 20/20 a few years back about a radio listening post Russia maintained in Cuba. The gist of the report was that since the fall of the USSR (and perhaps before) the outpost had been used to provide commercial information to Russian bussinesses by eavesdropping on telephone/fax/data communications in the Florida area. This was possible due to the proximity and the large scale use of both cell phones, and ground stations to/from sattelite communication for telephone calls/faxes.
The example of 'prior art' that comes to mind most readily is in SAS.
There is a variable you can set that allows the system to institue windowing for two digit dates based on whichever date you choose. This 'feature' is at least 3-4 years old (I believe) and may in fact be even older.
Perhaps there should be some deliniation of specialty within the USPTO so that the people aproving the patents are required to have some background with the given field for which they
are aproving?
Sparc5/64meg/2gig - mainframe
:)
Its always fun when people ask where something is, and you can tell them 'Its on mainframe'.
Of course, for some reason, this tends to really disturb those who know what the machine actually is
...this will be a boon for my niece as she grows up.
:)
One thing I've been worried about for her was a new set of encyclopedias...
My brother's current set is a little outdated (it lists the war of 1812 as an ongoing event)
seriously
This is part of the disclaimer from Microsoft's Copyright page, a link to which is included on the bottom of all MS web pages, including the test sites. Considering how broken the pages are (with JavaScript or NetScape) I guess when they say they arent kidding (emphesis added by me):
MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS MAKE NO
REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY OF THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE DOCUMENTS AND RELATED
GRAPHICS PUBLISHED ON THIS SERVER FOR ANY PURPOSE. ALL
SUCH DOCUMENTS AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED "AS
IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS
RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND
CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, INCLUDING
ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE
AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT
AND/OR ITS RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY
SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA
OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT,
NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR
IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF
INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM THIS SERVER.
THE DOCUMENTS AND RELATED GRAPHICS PUBLISHED ON THIS
SERVER COULD INCLUDE TECHNICAL INACCURACIES OR
TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED
TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. MICROSOFT AND/OR ITS
RESPECTIVE SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR
CHANGES IN THE PRODUCT(S) AND/OR THE PROGRAM(S)
DESCRIBED HEREIN AT ANY TIME.
They seem like their willing to give back to the community (in terms of support and developement) and that definately is a nice thing to see.
Hmmm considering how many remote control programs are out there, and considering how none of them (except of for BO or BO2k) are viewed as virii (expecially by McAfee, Norton, Etc.), it would be nice to have a Win32 program that could run and informs you if it detects one of these 'malicious' programs or (even better), gives you the option of terminating them.
Of course a package that allows you to de-install, or hack apart SMS would also be nice (replace it with a program that would let the user audit its activity or confirm its actions).
Of course I'm not a serious programmer so I don't know how tough either of these ideas would be to impliment, but they sure would make for interesting projects. (grin)