Really, that's what it's all about - signal to noise. There is an incredible abount of information on the web. Sites like/. have content pouring in every minute. There is no way to keep up with it all. So you've got to filter it. You can do this one of two ways - through automated software or through human intervention.
Human intervention means someone must read it first to see if it's worth reading. Well, that might work for a sysop/moderator/whatever, but when you do that it's a lot like "software" anyway.
If you read the posts yourself, you have no filter. It's not a filter when you have to read every post to decide if reading the post was a waste of time. And while you're reading a bunch of posts that your are 90% certain are going to be junk (because you've read a lot of crap from the same poster before), you're wasting time that could be spent reading "good" stuff. Would you rather read a MEEPT post? A first poster post? A post that goes completely off the subject and into a person rant?
I wouldn't.
So I'm happy to have choices. I'm happy to have a moderation system I can take advantage of. I'm happy that I can, if I so desire, turn all the filters off and see anything I would otherwise miss. Frankly, I don't think I'm really missing anything. I never finish with the content I'm interested in, anyway.
I, on the other hand, am less optimistic. What would be needed to get rid of the rock? Destruction. Do we really need more advanced weapons of destruction? If it can destroy or divert a kilometer long rock whizzing through space towards your planet, imagine what it would do to your local 7-11.
I don't think there's such a thing as an "itty bitty asteroid". The small ones are called "meteoroids." A lot of these are actually just chips off of asteroids. When astronomers talk about asteroids, they are talking about much larger bodies.
Also, as a previous poster said, planet-killer asteroids are relatively "small" - relative to the scale of the rest of the sky you'd be observing.
This info is, of course, from my own memory. But a cursory web search produced supporting opinions at the following sites:
...August 2039: the probability that the true asteroid actually follows a collision course for that date is less than the probability of being hit by an undiscovered asteroid within any given day.
Just wanted to compliment you on a very well-spoken post. Everyone seems to miss the point of the concern. Famines don't have to be permanent to be a disaster. Also, there is another troubling factor. Some of these problems may just result in much lower crop yield, not decimation. So instead of being the miracle crops they're touted as, they wind up producing less than they do now.
The main problem, though, is with the greedy corporations. They'd do anything for a buck. Companies like Monsanto have already shown whose interests take top priority.
If you meant "offended by lack of humor", then you're right. However, I don't think anyone here actually gave a rat's ass about the actual supposed "offensiveness" of the dialogue. We're far less sensitive than that. It just wasn't funny. It had no humorous content. It did not elicit mirth.
Hah, like that would ever fly. Sony, combined with the RIAA and all its minions, would have put up such a stink over that you'd be able to smell it in Antarctica. Requiring an MP3 decoder would have been their worst nightmare (and a consumers dream).
BTW, I think you're right on the multiple sampling rates.
This reminds me of something my university did (though this was back in 1963). They changed their name to Texas A&M University. What do the A&M stand for? According to the name change, nothing. They're just letters. Everyone knows it means Agricultural and Mechanical, though. Just like everyone knows SGI means Silicon Graphics, Inc. But they won't admit to it. Pointless, really.
On an unrelated note, you know who is probably really pissed about this? - the people who maintain the webpages. They've probably been told to hunt down all references to "Silicon Graphics" and change them to "SGI". From the looks of their main page, that's going to be a chore. Thank god for search and replace...
You've missed the point. If a company owns the format and others license from it, it makes a bundle of cash in royalties. Read the part about Sony and how much it gets from CDs again. Sony wants to stay on the gravy train. The people supplying gravy don't.
Hmmm, normally I would think parody was protected by law. But are there any provisions for humorous content? I don't mind offensive humor or parodying of Dilbert, but this just isn't funny.
Okay, reading some newer comments, some have said that they want to move away from a linux related logo because they will also be carrying hurd. How about combining the current penguin with a GNU drawn in the same style? I would have the penguin riding the gnu, but someone is bound to read some sinister meaning into it (ugh, politics again).
I never saw anything wrong with it. It's actually related to linux (and ANT? a GENIE BOTTLE??) and it's stylish. It's also colorful without getting too complex. Unfortunately, after all this trouble, I doubt they'll vote to keep it.
(In response to your original post and what appear to be your followups):
It seems the only complaint you have here is with the video store employees. On every other point, DVD at least matches DIVX. The only one that isn't comparable is "convenience". To some people, having multiple video stores down the street is convenient. To others, paying for multiple movies rentals and watching them later is convenient. This is personal preference, so it's not really worth an argument.
However, back to the salespeople. How are the CC salespeople any better than the video store ones? I am constantly pestered by CC drones whenever I stand still and look at an item for more than 2 seconds. This makes sense (in a wacked out way), since those folks work on commission. They're constantly wanting to sell you something.
On the other hand, rental store droids pretty much leave you alone while you're browsing. As long as you don't look iat them, they will generally go about their business. CC, however, is all about high pressure sales tactics.
I ask, in all honesty, how are video store folks worse than CC folks?
Well, it WAS good. Then they went and "Elite"d it. Luckily, I was able to pick up one of the old ones used. The Elites are truly horrendous. They are a testament to the M$ philosophy of "If it ain't broke, change it and brand it as a M$ innovation".
Nah, I think this kind of thing varies wildly from person to person. Some people have a near impossible time learning a "first" interface. The oh-so-easy point and click interface has been known to baffle otherwise intelligent people.
Personally, I grew up using the Apple IIe. When it came time to switch to DOS, I found my Apple experience helped me. Same concept, just slightly different words. Then from DOS to VMS, same thing. From VMS to unix, even better. Unix command lines work the way I always wished all the previous ones had.
Like I said, it really varies from person to person.
But I'm still perplexed why you couldn't start cribbage. In both DOS and unix, it has to be in your path. You would then type the name of the executable "cribbage" (which you said you did). That should have been it. Only thing I can think of that might have thrown you is case sensitivity. But that's something that's usually stressed in any "intro to unix" sheet. The other thing would be using "/" instead of "\" if you were typing out the full name. But that, also, should be one of the first things explained to you.
Every car seems to have the controls set up just a little different (some a lot differently). But after a few minutes, you figure it out. Just don't be afraid to push some buttons and twist some knobs. And if all else fails, read the labels.
Sorry to poke holes in the conspiracy, but it says "Requires 300 MHz Pentium II Processor", not Pentium III. And if you click on the "System Requirements" link, it actually says "Pentium 166+".
Slashdot Mirror
Really, that's what it's all about - signal to noise. There is an incredible abount of information on the web. Sites like
Human intervention means someone must read it first to see if it's worth reading. Well, that might work for a sysop/moderator/whatever, but when you do that it's a lot like "software" anyway.
If you read the posts yourself, you have no filter. It's not a filter when you have to read every post to decide if reading the post was a waste of time. And while you're reading a bunch of posts that your are 90% certain are going to be junk (because you've read a lot of crap from the same poster before), you're wasting time that could be spent reading "good" stuff. Would you rather read a MEEPT post? A first poster post? A post that goes completely off the subject and into a person rant?
I wouldn't.
So I'm happy to have choices. I'm happy to have a moderation system I can take advantage of. I'm happy that I can, if I so desire, turn all the filters off and see anything I would otherwise miss. Frankly, I don't think I'm really missing anything. I never finish with the content I'm interested in, anyway.
--
"Anybody not wearing 2 million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day."
--
I, on the other hand, am less optimistic. What would be needed to get rid of the rock? Destruction. Do we really need more advanced weapons of destruction? If it can destroy or divert a kilometer long rock whizzing through space towards your planet, imagine what it would do to your local 7-11.
--
What it really makes you wonder, though, is "what is the probability that someone made a bad assumption when calculating these probabilities?".
Eep.
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Check out one of my previous posts. There are a couple of links there that talk about comets as well as asteroids.
--
Also, as a previous poster said, planet-killer asteroids are relatively "small" - relative to the scale of the rest of the sky you'd be observing.
This info is, of course, from my own memory. But a cursory web search produced supporting opinions at the following sites:
NASA Near Earth Object Program:
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/
Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards (also NASA):
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/
Interesting reading.
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...August 2039: the probability that the true asteroid actually follows a collision course for that date is less than the probability of being hit by an undiscovered asteroid within any given day.
Given this, I fail to see the big deal.
--
Just wanted to compliment you on a very well-spoken post. Everyone seems to miss the point of the concern. Famines don't have to be permanent to be a disaster. Also, there is another troubling factor. Some of these problems may just result in much lower crop yield, not decimation. So instead of being the miracle crops they're touted as, they wind up producing less than they do now.
The main problem, though, is with the greedy corporations. They'd do anything for a buck. Companies like Monsanto have already shown whose interests take top priority.
--
If you meant "offended by lack of humor", then you're right. However, I don't think anyone here actually gave a rat's ass about the actual supposed "offensiveness" of the dialogue. We're far less sensitive than that. It just wasn't funny. It had no humorous content. It did not elicit mirth.
Can I put it any plainer?
--
Hah, like that would ever fly. Sony, combined with the RIAA and all its minions, would have put up such a stink over that you'd be able to smell it in Antarctica. Requiring an MP3 decoder would have been their worst nightmare (and a consumers dream).
BTW, I think you're right on the multiple sampling rates.
--
On an unrelated note, you know who is probably really pissed about this? - the people who maintain the webpages. They've probably been told to hunt down all references to "Silicon Graphics" and change them to "SGI". From the looks of their main page, that's going to be a chore. Thank god for search and replace...
--
You've missed the point. If a company owns the format and others license from it, it makes a bundle of cash in royalties. Read the part about Sony and how much it gets from CDs again. Sony wants to stay on the gravy train. The people supplying gravy don't.
--
Talk about a lack of humor! It was a JOKE, people. Must all sarcasm be accompanied by inane smileys? I think some folks need to lighten up.
Maybe you read my comment after reading the cartoons. I can see how they would suck the humor right out of you...
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Hmmm, normally I would think parody was protected by law. But are there any provisions for humorous content? I don't mind offensive humor or parodying of Dilbert, but this just isn't funny.
--
Gift horse? Gift horse?
I didn't realize they were giving the game away. How interesting...
--
Okay, reading some newer comments, some have said that they want to move away from a linux related logo because they will also be carrying hurd. How about combining the current penguin with a GNU drawn in the same style? I would have the penguin riding the gnu, but someone is bound to read some sinister meaning into it (ugh, politics again).
--
I never saw anything wrong with it. It's actually related to linux (and ANT? a GENIE BOTTLE??) and it's stylish. It's also colorful without getting too complex. Unfortunately, after all this trouble, I doubt they'll vote to keep it.
--
(In response to your original post and what appear to be your followups):
It seems the only complaint you have here is with the video store employees. On every other point, DVD at least matches DIVX. The only one that isn't comparable is "convenience". To some people, having multiple video stores down the street is convenient. To others, paying for multiple movies rentals and watching them later is convenient. This is personal preference, so it's not really worth an argument.
However, back to the salespeople. How are the CC salespeople any better than the video store ones? I am constantly pestered by CC drones whenever I stand still and look at an item for more than 2 seconds. This makes sense (in a wacked out way), since those folks work on commission. They're constantly wanting to sell you something.
On the other hand, rental store droids pretty much leave you alone while you're browsing. As long as you don't look iat them, they will generally go about their business. CC, however, is all about high pressure sales tactics.
I ask, in all honesty, how are video store folks worse than CC folks?
--
Well, it WAS good. Then they went and "Elite"d it. Luckily, I was able to pick up one of the old ones used. The Elites are truly horrendous. They are a testament to the M$ philosophy of "If it ain't broke, change it and brand it as a M$ innovation".
--
Nah, I think this kind of thing varies wildly from person to person. Some people have a near impossible time learning a "first" interface. The oh-so-easy point and click interface has been known to baffle otherwise intelligent people.
Personally, I grew up using the Apple IIe. When it came time to switch to DOS, I found my Apple experience helped me. Same concept, just slightly different words. Then from DOS to VMS, same thing. From VMS to unix, even better. Unix command lines work the way I always wished all the previous ones had.
Like I said, it really varies from person to person.
But I'm still perplexed why you couldn't start cribbage. In both DOS and unix, it has to be in your path. You would then type the name of the executable "cribbage" (which you said you did). That should have been it. Only thing I can think of that might have thrown you is case sensitivity. But that's something that's usually stressed in any "intro to unix" sheet. The other thing would be using "/" instead of "\" if you were typing out the full name. But that, also, should be one of the first things explained to you.
Every car seems to have the controls set up just a little different (some a lot differently). But after a few minutes, you figure it out. Just don't be afraid to push some buttons and twist some knobs. And if all else fails, read the labels.
--
Yeah. I wonder who Billy Boy sold out to become the rich and successful dude he is now.
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I think it had something to do with being a mid-season show that didn't run on a major network.
Hopefully it will pick up now that they've actually decided to keep it for sure.
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Sorry to poke holes in the conspiracy, but it says "Requires 300 MHz Pentium II Processor", not Pentium III. And if you click on the "System Requirements" link, it actually says "Pentium 166+".
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Exactly. It's pretty obvious from the stip that she's superior to Dilbert when it comes to technical proficiency.
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I think it's just broken. I have a PII 333 and it told me I didn't meet the requirements. Maybe it's part of some weak April fools joke.
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