From someone who's website starts "Welcome, now go away" where do you get off saying you've been ejected by society. The biggest reason for that is the "I think better than you, therefore I AM better than you." philosophy. Which, BTW is the exact same as the "I can beat you down, so I WILL beat you down." philosophy. Geeks as a whole are VERY arrogant and the vast majority of people don't go for that, at all. As a matter of fact it causes people to shun you, and cast you out of their social circles. Much of this the article was discussing, just giving a reason for a phenomena. Add to that a bit of paranoia "All eyes are on us. We are under attack!" and you get a social outcast.
I see more of this as accepting of the geek culture. A culture based in thought, not physical action. (this thread is Katz's wet dream) Where people are judged (given Karma:) based solely on the ability to express thought through a counting machine, across some wires, and around the world. As more people come to realize the worth of this action, more will realize the worth, socially, of "geeks". Also, if you happen to believe in the real-world notion of karma, all the negativity you are spewing forth is bound to come back and bite you in the ass.
Just chill out a bit, go get yourself one of those super-cool Athlons.(and don't take this as a personal attack, it isn't, just some observations that your comments brought to the fore)
That's where all these business plans seem to be heading. MS (already there), Sun (NCs), AOL, WebTV, Linux (slowly but steadily). I wonder how many of these will be aimed/are aimed at lower income families, the 50% of this country(US) that doesn't already have a PC? Maybe we'll see some real competition...
You think writing about how good an idea OSS developement would be worth a PhD, but actually doing it, being compared to the richest company, changing the way many people think about software, AND bringing Unix to the (cheap hardware) of the desktop, isn't? (I know he didn't do it alone, but it wouldn't have been done without him.)
What the music industry wants to be able to do (all of this IMHO) is to limit the amount of music that is out there. Thus they can concentrate their advertising, payola (the growing practice of paying radio to play songs), and cut overall producing costs by making less music. This increases thier return and makes stockholders happy.
Spice Grrls, Ricky Martin, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, if these are forced down your throat long enough (anybody listen to radio or watch MTV?) then you like them and buy them, repetition works, radio execs know this. Witness the recent CBS/Viacom merger (radio + MTV). This gives one company VAST resources to force millions to listen to the same music. It's not nefarious, it's designed to make money (remember that whole capitalism thing)
Along comes the Inet and smashes their whole game. They are scared of tech they don't understand. They are scared of AOL, IRC, and ICQ where their products (and others, gasp) get huge distrubution without thier compensation. I think this is a good thing, Why? because it's obvious that the record companies wield WAY to much power. Look at the contracts nobodies have to sign to become somebodies. Remember the article on Sony "owning" artists URL's "for life"!
MP3s help promote the Artists, they help promote variety in music, and bring cut throat competition to an industry that makes people think Britney Spears is anything other than a hottie.
They have the same policy, its a big reason why I like 'em. To take it a step further, there is the Phishcast. streaming live shows 24 hours a day. A number of these type of streams have shown up (led zep, billy joel, weird al, TMBG, etc) although I would assume most are illegal. Recording companies need to realize that MP3 should be used for "promotion" (get 'em addicted, then jack up the price) and not sold as a product. Who do I call when my fictional $500 MP3 collection disappears when my fictional child accidentally wipes my HD? It just no longer exists, why pay for some that can disappear from reality so easily? The business world hasn't learned (nor has the government) to deal with infinite products
As nice as this device seems to be (damn it looks cool) I simply don't believe that we will ever again see a good, free, mp3 player on hardware.
This is why the lawsuit over the Rio was such a big deal. They already established that it wasn't the hardware's fault about how it is used.
I submitted a C|Net article about how the partners in SDMI couldn't move as fast as the market and consumers don't want to wait for privacy protection (because it isn't in their interest), they want their MP3. Either way if somebody release one that limits what files you can play, and somebody else release one that doesn't (and is cheaper because it doesn't have extra layers), which would you buy?
None of the agencies, FBI aside, is allowed, by law, to monitor US citizens.
Isn't that the reason why they set up Echelon with the British. They monitor our citizens, we monitor theirs and exchange notes. It's not big brother, it's big brother's freind Sir Stanley.
I think the "install" is already easy. I've done it side by side with win98 and it was easier (for me). The ease that I'm talking about is after that. Adding new programs, configuring stuff. It's all there it just takes weeks and months to learn, it someone makes it take days or minutes, they have a winner.
"Although Ferguson and others declined to discuss specific cases already under way, they described as rare those involving encrypted files. "
Good scramblers make data recovery in a reasonable amount of time unworkable. They might be able to break it if you only keep the good stuff hidden, but if you keep 2-3 gb of mp3s and text files that say "haw-haw"(Nelson laugh) in the same directory, well, Time rears its everpresent head and they don't get evidence till your bones rot in the ground.
Why do you think the FBI/CIA/NSA fought so hard to keep encryption under conrol?
"But I believe that when NASA can creatively partner with you, all of humankind will reap the benefits of access to open space."
So we're pretty much looking at a future like a cross between Alien and Star Trek? Maybe throw in a bit of Dune? At least making it profitable to travel in space will pump a lot of money into the idea. Not to mention alternative fuel research, fusion and such. And a big rise in star gazing. They'll need good pilots. Stable computer systems. Most likely a lot of embedded systems. And really cool admins. (hehe)
In a few years, a Network computer may be the only way to connect to certain services. It might be your portal to television, music, and the telephone itself. Don't fool yourself that it necessarily will be an open system.
Bullshit. Sorry, but I am not going to give up my freedom to have my own machine. The "only way to connect"?!? The only way this could happen is if some type of software/hardware/access consortium had enough clout to FORCE this on people. That's not gonna happen. Would you trust your programs to a telecom? to a cable provider? Both of these industries have horrible customer service reputations, why would you pay $20/month for something you can get for free? I mean really, why?
and id are there. Yup, that's right, Quake was born in one of the most stable states in the union. Epic too, right? (I'm from Richardson like the above, but now I live in Colorado, mountains and DSL keep life interesting.)
I would like to see mandatory (listen a sec) classes on The Media in High School. (I am quite happy personally that/. recently added a "media" heading) Classes on how, they, as consumers, are targetted by media companies, and have been since they were young (4 or so). How products are constantly put in front of their faces, just because repetition works so well. How, basically, three men, control to some degree every image they see from billboards to motion pictures. There's some interesting stuff there. As media moves onto the 'Net it will come more and more into peoples lives. You've already seen it. This stuff is expensive. This Internet. They gotta sell something to pay for it. Anyway, this was slightly off-topic, ranty, and my $.02. Have a good weekend.
From the article: "How long have you been interested in the field of Cybernetics?
Since I was a small boy. I was always excited by robots and liked putting things together and experimenting. I learnt a lot from having a motorcycle in my teens - which I eventually blew up.
The new policy was instituted in response to the numerous shootings at schools around the country. Many schools now require ID cards to be worn as a security measure.
Good idea, when kids are screaming out how bad they feel, how they feel repressed, uncared for, how they hate. Nothing better I can think of than to clamp down a little tighter, they have to give in eventually. Quick! lock 'em in a box before they hurt anyone/are hurt by anyone. And make sure they only have access to good clean American information (subsidized by advertisers...)
What scares me most about this is that it is happening.
I've followed various happenings in the media and congress for some time. It's a tangent that comes from my position (admin for a marketing company for media entities).
Senator McCain has routinely made decisions that fall in the favor of big business. One recent example is his bill to raise the national coverage limit for TV from 35% to 50% (the amount of the countries viewership any one company can reach). There was also a recent change in ownership of TV stations(which he supported vocally) allowing a duopoly (two station in the same market) that allowed for the recent Viacom/CBS merger (which pairs 200+ radio stations with MTV/VH1 among other things). To sum up, each of his decisions and positions is exactly what these large media companies want. Most of these mergers continue to limit media choices and control viewer eyeballs. If you want a diverse media industry, you don't want McCain.
I see this bill (which would stand, even if it passed, for no more than 2 years) as an attempt by a Presidential candidate to get his name in the paper (Yes, he is running, and yes, it worked).
I am also aware of his POW history and the service he has done for this country (US), however I just don't trust or agree with his politics.
"Our research shows that as many as 50 percent of AOL members are extremely dissatisfied and would switch to another provider with better and more reliable service," he said.
I think it's more along the lines of "50% of AOL realized that AOL sucks, they are no longer newbies, and can do without the constant handholding and advertising."
Also I still think NC's are a bad idea. We already have mainframes on our desktop (at a a grand a pop), why go back to dumb terminals? Unless they can sell them for $100 (which, BTW, you can get a full computer for, with rebates) and have full servic^H^H^H^H^Hprograms for $20/month it will never fly.
Does anyone else see bad decisions forced by a slight sense of panic? Market leaders don't have to innovate to stay ahead, they can lag and then buy. "Push" technology part two. The bandwidth isn't here for this stuff yet, and won't be for probably another generation. I (and my mom with my advice) will NOT buy a network computer.
There for you must be a Microsoft user sent to make linux users look bad:) nope,just a troll looking for food. Now he's got some more. Don't Feed the Trolls.
I've been gaming on dos since I had to hand tweak EMM386 and pick expanded or extended memory. Nowadays it has gotten soo simple. I play 10 or so new demos a week and if it takes more than 3 clicks from Net to action I pass on it (that includes recognizing my card, picking resolution, etc.). Linux needs a lot of work in this area. One good thing I have noticed on a lot of gaming boards is more kids asking questions on how to install/use Linux. This is the next gen. of geeks and PC gamers are almost by defintion hardcore (who else spends so much on arcade machines). My point? Games are fun, Linux is fun, let's get 'em together for a party.
Totally agree. I had a day a few months back when I wiped my drive and tested how long it would take to get a dual boot Win98/RH 5.2 both on the 'Net. I found Linux easier to install, this is after 6 years of M$ crap and my first Linux install. Unfortunately after I got it running, I went o.k., now what? That's where the usability needs to improve now. Especially in getting Internet Apps working. (streaming MP3s, video, GAMES!!!, etc).
Slashdot Mirror
Who, slow down there, Sig.
:) based solely on the ability to express thought through a counting machine, across some wires, and around the world. As more people come to realize the worth of this action, more will realize the worth, socially, of "geeks". Also, if you happen to believe in the real-world notion of karma, all the negativity you are spewing forth is bound to come back and bite you in the ass.
From someone who's website starts "Welcome, now go away" where do you get off saying you've been ejected by society. The biggest reason for that is the "I think better than you, therefore I AM better than you." philosophy. Which, BTW is the exact same as the "I can beat you down, so I WILL beat you down." philosophy. Geeks as a whole are VERY arrogant and the vast majority of people don't go for that, at all. As a matter of fact it causes people to shun you, and cast you out of their social circles. Much of this the article was discussing, just giving a reason for a phenomena. Add to that a bit of paranoia "All eyes are on us. We are under attack!" and you get a social outcast.
I see more of this as accepting of the geek culture. A culture based in thought, not physical action. (this thread is Katz's wet dream) Where people are judged (given Karma
Just chill out a bit, go get yourself one of those super-cool Athlons.(and don't take this as a personal attack, it isn't, just some observations that your comments brought to the fore)
That's where all these business plans seem to be heading. MS (already there), Sun (NCs), AOL, WebTV, Linux (slowly but steadily). I wonder how many of these will be aimed/are aimed at lower income families, the 50% of this country(US) that doesn't already have a PC? Maybe we'll see some real competition...
You think writing about how good an idea OSS developement would be worth a PhD, but actually doing it, being compared to the richest company, changing the way many people think about software, AND bringing Unix to the (cheap hardware) of the desktop, isn't?
(I know he didn't do it alone, but it wouldn't have been done without him.)
What the music industry wants to be able to do (all of this IMHO) is to limit the amount of music that is out there. Thus they can concentrate their advertising, payola (the growing practice of paying radio to play songs), and cut overall producing costs by making less music. This increases thier return and makes stockholders happy.
Spice Grrls, Ricky Martin, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, if these are forced down your throat long enough (anybody listen to radio or watch MTV?) then you like them and buy them, repetition works, radio execs know this. Witness the recent CBS/Viacom merger (radio + MTV). This gives one company VAST resources to force millions to listen to the same music. It's not nefarious, it's designed to make money (remember that whole capitalism thing)
Along comes the Inet and smashes their whole game. They are scared of tech they don't understand. They are scared of AOL, IRC, and ICQ where their products (and others, gasp) get huge distrubution without thier compensation. I think this is a good thing, Why? because it's obvious that the record companies wield WAY to much power. Look at the contracts nobodies have to sign to become somebodies. Remember the article on Sony "owning" artists URL's "for life"!
MP3s help promote the Artists, they help promote variety in music, and bring cut throat competition to an industry that makes people think Britney Spears is anything other than a hottie.
$.02 (or $2 if I was getting paid by the hour)
They have the same policy, its a big reason why I like 'em. To take it a step further, there is the Phishcast. streaming live shows 24 hours a day. A number of these type of streams have shown up (led zep, billy joel, weird al, TMBG, etc) although I would assume most are illegal. Recording companies need to realize that MP3 should be used for "promotion" (get 'em addicted, then jack up the price) and not sold as a product. Who do I call when my fictional $500 MP3 collection disappears when my fictional child accidentally wipes my HD? It just no longer exists, why pay for some that can disappear from reality so easily? The business world hasn't learned (nor has the government) to deal with infinite products
As nice as this device seems to be (damn it looks cool) I simply don't believe that we will ever again see a good, free, mp3 player on hardware.
This is why the lawsuit over the Rio was such a big deal. They already established that it wasn't the hardware's fault about how it is used.
I submitted a C|Net article about how the partners in SDMI couldn't move as fast as the market and consumers don't want to wait for privacy protection (because it isn't in their interest), they want their MP3. Either way if somebody release one that limits what files you can play, and somebody else release one that doesn't (and is cheaper because it doesn't have extra layers), which would you buy?
yup, they dang smart o'er there.
None of the agencies, FBI aside, is allowed, by law, to monitor US citizens.
Isn't that the reason why they set up Echelon with the British. They monitor our citizens, we monitor theirs and exchange notes. It's not big brother, it's big brother's freind Sir Stanley.
I think the "install" is already easy. I've done it side by side with win98 and it was easier (for me). The ease that I'm talking about is after that. Adding new programs, configuring stuff. It's all there it just takes weeks and months to learn, it someone makes it take days or minutes, they have a winner.
"Although Ferguson and others declined to discuss specific cases already under way, they described as rare those involving encrypted files. "
Good scramblers make data recovery in a reasonable amount of time unworkable. They might be able to break it if you only keep the good stuff hidden, but if you keep 2-3 gb of mp3s and text files that say "haw-haw"(Nelson laugh) in the same directory, well, Time rears its everpresent head and they don't get evidence till your bones rot in the ground.
Why do you think the FBI/CIA/NSA fought so hard to keep encryption under conrol?
...of things I want to do before I die.
also
"But I believe that when NASA can creatively partner with you, all of humankind will reap the benefits of access to open space."
So we're pretty much looking at a future like a cross between Alien and Star Trek? Maybe throw in a bit of Dune? At least making it profitable to travel in space will pump a lot of money into the idea. Not to mention alternative fuel research, fusion and such. And a big rise in star gazing. They'll need good pilots. Stable computer systems. Most likely a lot of embedded systems. And really cool admins. (hehe)
In a few years, a Network computer may be the only way to connect to certain services. It might be your portal to television, music, and the telephone itself. Don't fool yourself that it necessarily will be an open system.
Bullshit. Sorry, but I am not going to give up my freedom to have my own machine. The "only way to connect"?!? The only way this could happen is if some type of software/hardware/access consortium had enough clout to FORCE this on people. That's not gonna happen. Would you trust your programs to a telecom? to a cable provider? Both of these industries have horrible customer service reputations, why would you pay $20/month for something you can get for free? I mean really, why?
and id are there. Yup, that's right, Quake was born in one of the most stable states in the union. Epic too, right? (I'm from Richardson like the above, but now I live in Colorado, mountains and DSL keep life interesting.)
The Pepsi advertisement really bothers me.
/. recently added a "media" heading) Classes on how, they, as consumers, are targetted by media companies, and have been since they were young (4 or so). How products are constantly put in front of their faces, just because repetition works so well. How, basically, three men, control to some degree every image they see from billboards to motion pictures. There's some interesting stuff there. As media moves onto the 'Net it will come more and more into peoples lives. You've already seen it. This stuff is expensive. This Internet. They gotta sell something to pay for it. Anyway, this was slightly off-topic, ranty, and my $.02. Have a good weekend.
I would like to see mandatory (listen a sec) classes on The Media in High School. (I am quite happy personally that
He goes the other way on that one, go here
...not want an implant?
From the article:
"How long have you been interested in the field of Cybernetics?
Since I was a small boy. I was always excited by robots and liked putting things together and experimenting. I learnt a lot from having a
motorcycle in my teens - which I eventually blew up.
"While indexing the Borg's main memory module, I came across the above comment. It seems they were once very organic"
The new policy was instituted in response to the numerous shootings at schools around the country. Many schools now require ID cards to be worn as a security measure.
Good idea, when kids are screaming out how bad they feel, how they feel repressed, uncared for, how they hate. Nothing better I can think of than to clamp down a little tighter, they have to give in eventually.
Quick! lock 'em in a box before they hurt anyone/are hurt by anyone. And make sure they only have access to good clean American information (subsidized by advertisers...)
What scares me most about this is that it is happening.
...Jews over 50 about that one.
I've followed various happenings in the media and congress for some time. It's a tangent that comes from my position (admin for a marketing company for media entities).
Senator McCain has routinely made decisions that fall in the favor of big business. One recent example is his bill to raise the national coverage limit for TV from 35% to 50% (the amount of the countries viewership any one company can reach). There was also a recent change in ownership of TV stations(which he supported vocally) allowing a duopoly (two station in the same market) that allowed for the recent Viacom/CBS merger (which pairs 200+ radio stations with MTV/VH1 among other things). To sum up, each of his decisions and positions is exactly what these large media companies want. Most of these mergers continue to limit media choices and control viewer eyeballs. If you want a diverse media industry, you don't want McCain.
I see this bill (which would stand, even if it passed, for no more than 2 years) as an attempt by a Presidential candidate to get his name in the paper (Yes, he is running, and yes, it worked).
I am also aware of his POW history and the service he has done for this country (US), however I just don't trust or agree with his politics.
my $.02 for you.
"Our research shows that as many as 50 percent of AOL members are extremely dissatisfied and would switch to another provider with better and more reliable service," he said.
I think it's more along the lines of "50% of AOL realized that AOL sucks, they are no longer newbies, and can do without the constant handholding and advertising."
Also I still think NC's are a bad idea. We already have mainframes on our desktop (at a a grand a pop), why go back to dumb terminals? Unless they can sell them for $100 (which, BTW, you can get a full computer for, with rebates) and have full servic^H^H^H^H^Hprograms for $20/month it will never fly.
Does anyone else see bad decisions forced by a slight sense of panic? Market leaders don't have to innovate to stay ahead, they can lag and then buy. "Push" technology part two. The bandwidth isn't here for this stuff yet, and won't be for probably another generation. I (and my mom with my advice) will NOT buy a network computer.
There for you must be a Microsoft user sent to make linux users look bad :)
nope,just a troll looking for food. Now he's got some more. Don't Feed the Trolls.
This will be doable in Linux very soon.
I've been gaming on dos since I had to hand tweak EMM386 and pick expanded or extended memory. Nowadays it has gotten soo simple. I play 10 or so new demos a week and if it takes more than 3 clicks from Net to action I pass on it (that includes recognizing my card, picking resolution, etc.). Linux needs a lot of work in this area. One good thing I have noticed on a lot of gaming boards is more kids asking questions on how to install/use Linux. This is the next gen. of geeks and PC gamers are almost by defintion hardcore (who else spends so much on arcade machines). My point? Games are fun, Linux is fun, let's get 'em together for a party.
Totally agree. I had a day a few months back when I wiped my drive and tested how long it would take to get a dual boot Win98/RH 5.2 both on the 'Net. I found Linux easier to install, this is after 6 years of M$ crap and my first Linux install. Unfortunately after I got it running, I went o.k., now what? That's where the usability needs to improve now. Especially in getting Internet Apps working. (streaming MP3s, video, GAMES!!!, etc).
dos mas pesos.
but if your Mom doesn't want $400 of Microsoft OS, what makes you think she wants a computer that *NEEDS* a professional sysadmin to be usable?
hopefully for the same reason she doesn't want a car that occasionally, for no apparent reason, BLOWS UP.